BAXBY TO THE FUTURE
> NEW CHANCELLOR ONE OF OUR OWN
> SALUTE TO ANNABELLE BENNETT
> THE BUSINESS OF SPORT
> BOND’S PARIS OLYMPIANS
Our first alumni Chancellor
DAVID BAXBY MET THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE AT BOND AND RODE HIS DEGREES TO INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS. NOW HE WILL SHAPE THE UNIVERSITY’S FUTURE AS CHANCELLOR
by Ken Robinson
The ringing phone jolts David Baxby awake at 2 o’clock in the morning. At least he thinks it’s morning.
A double degree from Bond University prepares you to become a global citizen but there’s no course on jetlag, the constant travel companion of the Head of Aviation at Virgin Management.
On the other end of the line is Sir Richard Branson and he wants to talk about the passenger in seat 33C.
“We’ve just had an issue with a meal on a plane from London to Delhi, the guy in 33C. Can you work out what went wrong? I think we’ve really let him down,” the Virgin Group founder tells his lieutenant.
“And it’s like, what? We fly 30 million people a year, where do I start!” Mr Baxby says.
“So I ring the guy running Virgin Atlantic, find out who the station manager was in New Delhi and ask, what did we do about it? And it turns out we looked after the passenger.
“Richard never rang me to say, what’s going on? He would say, here’s what I’ve heard.
“That’s granular, but that’s a great entrepreneur - the ability to stay at 40,000 feet and then dive down to one metre and then they go back up to 40,000 feet.
“I’ve got to say, I enjoyed every single moment I worked with him.”
For someone disqualified from RAAF fighter pilot training – ‘my head was too big and my body too long’ - Mr Baxby (Class of 1992) has spent a lot of his life at 40,000 feet.
In a career that includes his formative years with Goldman Sachs and almost a decade with the Virgin Group, including as Co-CEO alongside Sir Richard, he has lived and worked around the world, catching planes the way most people catch Ubers.
His newest role is more down to earth. Recently elected as the ninth Chancellor of Bond University, taking over from the Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC, he becomes the first alumni to hold the post.
“I feel like I’m about 10 years too young (for the role) but I am immensely proud,” he says.
“I’ve re-focused a number of other board roles so I’ve got enough headspace and time to give it the attention it deserves. I’m going to lean into it and see if we can get even closer to our alumni.”
Mr Baxby has been leaning in since he was a child, supporting his mother Nanette Carroll on her own rise to the top of the corporate world.
Born in Sydney in 1973 as the eldest of three boys, his early years were spent ping-ponging between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne with his publican parents.
When Ms Carroll moved her sons to Logan in the early 1980s it was as a battling single mother and they lived in an Aspley convent for a year.
She found work as a secretary at a recruitment company and began a relentless climb that would eventually take her to an ownership buyout and collecting the 1996 Telstra Business Woman of the Year Business Owner Award.
The drive to provide for her boys and succeed was inspirational to Mr Baxby who took it upon himself to support her in any way he could.
“Mum bought this brand new 900-watt microwave oven because that was the only way that she felt we could cook without burning the house down,” he says.
“I went along to the microwave cooking classes with her – me and about 40 other women.”
Three adventurous boys home alone meant some afternoons got ‘a little bit out of control’ and their neighbour Dell - who the Baxbys are still close to – occasionally came over to pull them into line.
“Matt fell out of a pine tree one day when he was nine and I was 12 or 13,” Mr Baxby says.
“He came down a long way and hit quite a few branches and ended up with a gash in his neck. I’m going, oh my God, I’m in real trouble here, but luckily Dell came across and took care of him.”
Mr Baxby was sports mad; less so on studying. High school took a backseat to rowing, triathlon and cycling.
But in Year 11 he borrowed a new book from the Daisy Hill library. Called Barbarians at the Gate, it details the takeover of RJR Nabisco by a private equity firm and is a chronicle of one the largest leveraged buyout transactions of the era.
Reading it was a ‘lightning bolt moment’ and Mr Baxby went to see his careers advisor at John Paul College about going to university, en route to the world of high finance. The blunt response: you haven’t worked hard enough - maybe you can become a tradie.
“I said, no, I’ve read this book and I want to do this,” Mr Baxby says.
“And (the careers advisor) said, well, you’re going to have to have the most incredible Year 12 ever.
“And that’s what I did. I got the marks. I think it was probably the hardest year of my life.”
“I think that you put yourself in positions to be lucky. I call it timing, which is putting yourself in the game and allowing yourself to have opportunities come along.
During that year, David Baxby took a bus bound to the Gold Coast to visit a new university he had seen on a brochure at school. He looked around and noticed something about the other kids taking the trip. Like him, they seemed … focused. Like-minded. He quickly realised he could do a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws in just three years and is offered a half scholarship to boot.
Nanette was rising through the ranks at this point but paying the remaining Bond fees was still a struggle, and on weekends Mr Baxby worked as a hospital cleaner from 4am to midday. The pay was good; the commute, not so much.
At Bond he met his future wife Selina Page (Class of 1991) in the subterranean Bat Lab, filled with rows of computers for students. The future Mrs Baxby also flourished at Bond and forged a successful career in banking, HR and recruitment. Thirty-two years and three daughters later, they’re still together.
“We’ve lived in six or seven countries and the kids have been to 10 schools and speak two languages,” Mr Baxby says.
“Through it all, Selina has been this absolute rock while I’ve been bouncing around being Mr Important.
“She sacrificed her career to make all of that happen.”
Today Mrs Baxby has resumed her career as the founder of NurtureLab which coaches leadership and team-building.
Mr Baxby says his strongest memories of Bond other than meeting his wife was the camaraderie of his cohort.
“There wasn’t a lot of development around the campus which created this little world we could call our own,” he says.
“The parties would go on and so it was better just to crash there and people would bunk up. You knew everyone and it was a lot of fun.”
Life, Mr Baxby says, is 50 percent good timing - what others might call luck.
“I think that you put yourself in positions to be lucky,” he says. “I call it timing, which is putting yourself in the game and allowing yourself to have opportunities come along.”
One such opportunity arose not long after the Baxbys returned to Australia from London for the birth of their twins Imogen (Class of 2021) and Zara (Class of 2020).
Mr Baxby made a fateful call to Sir Richard after first coming into the orbit of the charismatic billionaire while working for Goldman Sachs. (Mr Baxby was Goldman’s fourth hire in Australia, becoming Partner and Executive Director and moving to the firm’s UK office).
“I said, I did a bit of work with you when I was in London. I’m back in Australia where you’ve got an investment in this airline (Virgin Blue). Can I help?
“And it was a classic case of raising $20 million to expand the airline, to selling half of it for $520 million, to IPO-ing all of it for $2.6 billion 18 months later.
“I got to see a business go from four planes to 80.
“Right place, right time. And that cemented my relationship with Richard.”
Leaving Goldman to work directly for Virgin began a rollercoaster ride around the world, culminating in becoming Co-CEO
responsible for 300 businesses ranging from airlines to trains and space travel.
“Richard taught me that human beings power businesses - they’re the most important things,” Mr Baxby says.
“He would much rather go and talk to the baggage handler or the cabin attendant and find out what’s really going right or wrong.
“You fix the customer, you look after the people, and the business runs itself.”
Not quite, as it turns out.
Living in Geneva at this point, Mr Baxby’s punishing schedule was hard on family life.
On Sunday night he would fly out for a week in Australia, returning Friday night. Then a week on the West Coast of the US, then New York, London, repeat.
“I was very absent a lot of the time,” he says. “Didn’t see a lot of kids’ soccer practices.
“I’d get home and I’d be cooked. But quality over quantity is what we learned.
“I would train myself as I came off all of that to say, for the next 18 hours I’m going to try and be present.”
These days, there’s more family time to be had.
After returning to Australia and a stint as Managing Director of Wesfarmers’ industrial division, Mr Baxby co-founded his own private equity company, Coogee Capital, with Tom Hardwick, founder of the Guardian Early Learning group.
Daughters Imogen (Bachelor of Biomedical Science) and Zara (Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws - Hons) – have
graduated from Bond University while the Baxbys’ youngest daughter Amelia is forging her own path at the University of Technology Sydney.
With four Bondies in the family, the new Chancellor plans to draw heavily on the University’s alumni network during his term.
“The one thing that I can do quite well is to better connect the University with the alumni community, because it’s the one thing I am that no one else has been before,” he says.
“I’d like to energise that community, get them coming back for Homecoming, hosting internships, just connecting again.
“If you look at the great universities around the world, they are powered by their alumni.”
What changes does the new Chancellor hope to see by the end of his tenure?
“I hope that we’ve got a really engaged alumni group and that we’ve grown our campus and the depth of our course offerings,” he says.
“I think we’ve got a phenomenal opportunity in health but what we’ve done in business with actuarial science, coupled with the future of AI - that’s incredibly exciting.
“And then I think you’ll see growth in Psychology and Society & Design, that whole area (of study) is going to continue to be developed. I think we will see more cross-fertilisation of ideas across the schools which is really exciting.”
Zara Baxby, Selina Baxby, Chancellor David Baxby, Amelia Baxby and Nanette Carroll at the Chancellor’s investiture.
1973: Born in Sydney as the eldest of three brothers. Parents move between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane running pubs.
1980: Moves to Queensland with his brothers and mother after marriage breakdown. They live in Holy Spirit Convent in Aspley for a time.
1990: In Year 11 is told his ‘C’ marks not good enough to attend university and he should consider becoming a tradie.
1991: Knuckles down in Year 12 and graduates from John Paul College in Logan.
1992: Enrols at Bond University on a half scholarship to study Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws. Meets future wife Selina, a fellow student.
1994: Graduates and joins accounting firm Arthur Andersen as a corporate finance analyst in Sydney.
1995: Joins Rothschild Australia as an investment banker, focused on the resources sector.
1996: Joins Goldman Sachs, becoming a partner and executive director, working in mergers and acquisitions in the industrial, fast-moving consumer goods, telco and financial sectors.
1996: Family celebrates as mother Nanette Carroll wins Telstra Business Woman of the Year Business Owner Award, capping a remarkable rise from secretary to successful business owner and executive.
2003: After moving to London with Goldman Sachs, returns home to Australia and advises the Virgin Group on the IPO and sale of a 50 percent stake in Virgin Blue.
2004: Joins Virgin Management as the CEO of Asia Pacific, driving investments in Virgin Mobile, Virgin Active, Virgin Money and Virgin Australia.
2006: Moves to Shanghai to set up businesses for Virgin Management.
2008: Moves to Geneva to assume responsibilities for the Virgin Group’s investments in aviation and tourism. Joins the Board of Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America and Air Asia X.
2011: Appointed Co-CEO of Virgin Group alongside Sir Richard Branson.
2013: Inaugural winner of Bond University’s Robert Stable Medal, presented to the most outstanding alumni.
2014: Appointed CEO and President of international tax-free shopping network Global Blue.
2017: Returns to Australia, appointed Managing Director – Industrials at Wesfarmers.
2021: Co-founds private equity firm Coogee Capital which invests in founder-led businesses looking to scale up.
2023: Daughter Imogen graduates from Bond University with Bachelor of Biomedical Science.
2024: Daughter Zara graduates from Bond University with Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws (Hons)
2024: Elected Chancellor of his alma mater Bond University.
Foreword
PROFESSOR TIM BRAILSFORD, VICE CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT
A new chapter in the history of Bond University has been written with the recent election of Mr David Baxby (Class of 1992) as our ninth Chancellor. The new Chancellor is a proud member of Bond’s 34,000strong alumni network and he is the first alumni to be elected to this prestigious position.
Mr Baxby’s election is a strong signal of the University’s intent to trust our own people, and it says much about Bond’s maturity and confidence in our 35th year.
The position of Chancellor, while honorary in nature, is critically important as the head of the University’s governing body, the Bond University Council. Now with a majority of alumni sitting on the Council – another first – we take great pride in placing our faith in our graduates to shape the future of this esteemed institution.
Mr Baxby graduated with degrees in Law and Commerce in 1994. He met his wife Selina (Class of 1991) while studying on campus, and two of their children are also recent graduates. Bond truly runs through the Baxby family’s blood.
Despite his relative youthfulness, at least by typical Chancellor standards, Mr Baxby brings considerable experience across a range of industries having spent significant time abroad in substantial roles in both Europe and Asia.
Mr Baxby’s achievements and successes are well documented in the preceeding pages, but I am excited by the whole package that he brings to the table: innovation, technology, finance, entrepreneurship, energy, enthusiasm and passion.
Bond was created from the spirit of free enterprise, and our governance reflects the principle of self-destiny. It is critically important that our Council exemplify this purpose in their leadership of Bond.
Mr Baxby will be joined by Mr Antony Ceravolo, who is also an alumnus, and Mr Greg Jenke as the new faces on Council.
I extend heartfelt gratitude to our longest-serving Chancellor the Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC who stepped down recently
after serving the maximum term permitted under the University’s Constitution.
Dr Bennett oversaw a remarkable period of growth, change and challenge during her eight years at Bond. Together with her eight independent Councillor colleagues, she provided a strong sense of stability and committed leadership during the years of great uncertainty induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Bennett will be sadly missed by the entire Bond community.
Another long-standing member of Council, Dr Manny Pohl AM, also retired at this year’s AGM following the expiration of his maximum term. Dr Pohl’s contributions to Bond encompass governance, philanthropy, sport and as a parent of three alumni.
We are grateful for all he and his wife Gail have done for the University over more than two decades.
Meanwhile, Ms Lisa Paul departed last year to the role of Chancellor at the University of Canberra. We trust that her experience on the Bond University Council serves her well in this prestigious role.
I thank Dr Bennett, Dr Pohl and Ms Paul for their outstanding service and I look forward to working with Mr Baxby, Mr Ceravolo and Mr Jenke.
Finally, during Homecoming I was pleased to attend the opening of a special, permanent tribute to our Foundation cohort of students, the magnificent 892s. In 1989, 322 brave souls took a significant risk to enrol at Australia’s first private, not-for-profit university. Many have gone on to remarkable success, setting the tone for generations of Bondies to follow.
They remain a tight bunch, reflecting friendships forged in the chaotic swirl of the University’s early days. The 892 Garden, featuring Helidon sandstone and brass plaques bearing the names of these pioneering students, is a fitting tribute as we move towards the 40th anniversary of Bond University in 2029.
New award for best physio student
A new academic award recognising the highest-achieving student graduating as a Doctor of Physiotherapy has been named in honour of trailblazing Bond University physiotherapist Professor Nancy Low Choy.
The late Professor Low Choy served as Head of Physiotherapy at Bond between 2008 and 2012 and established Australia’s first fully accredited Doctor of Physiotherapy during her time at the University.
The Nancy Low Choy Memorial Award for Academic Excellence consists of the Nancy Low Choy medal, a certificate and a $1000 cash prize.
The award will be presented annually, with the inaugural honour going to Dr Kendal Sands.
Professor Low Choy’s legacy in the Australian physiotherapy community spanned 50 years across clinical practice, education and research.
Her career was cut short in 2016 when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Her husband Emeritus Professor Darryl Low Choy AM MBE RFD said his wife had graduated at a time when physiotherapists were not considered first-contact medical professionals and could only treat patients who had been referred by a doctor.
Her determination that physiotherapy be classed as a medical profession that was accessible by anyone led her to accept the role at Bond University that would revolutionise education for physiotherapists.
The packed ballroom at The Star Gold Coast.
Inaugural award winner Dr Kendal Sands.
Bondies party like it’s 1989
Two Bentleys, a Bennett and a Bond original set the tone at the Homecoming 2024 gala ball, with alumni from Australia and around the world converging on The Star Gold Coast.
It had been five years since the last ball, held to mark the University’s 30th anniversary, and while this one was a nod to Bond’s 35th, it was also one of the last opportunities for alumni and staff to farewell outgoing Chancellor the Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC.
The Chancellor is stepping down after serving the maximum term under the University’s Constitution, while another special guest was Eileen ‘Big Red’ Bond, the former wife of Bond University co-founder Alan Bond.
The ball was decorated in Bond blue and replete with Bentleys bearing the numberplates BOND 892. The plates were loaned for the night by 892 alumnus and Olympian Andrew Baildon.
Bond University Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford referenced the University’s difficult early years before becoming “Australia’s most successful educational startup”.
“Someone said the other day that Bond is a bit like a boxer - you keep on taking the blows, you may get knocked down, but you always get up off the canvas,” Professor Brailsford told the crowd.
“I thought that was a pretty good analogy but we are now firmly entrenched and embedded as a university on the world stage.
“Ours is a story of great triumph over adversity, a story of a vision that challenged the system and continues to challenge the system. It’s a story, above all, about a passionate, committed and dedicated community.”
The ball continued into the early hours, with a hardy few continuing festivities at Nineteen at The Star.
Nicole Brown (Class of 2001) and Michelle Smith (Class of 2004).
Eileen Bond, Ian Scott and Andrew Baildon.
Vice Chancellor Tim Brailsford presents flowers to outgoing Chancellor Annabelle Bennett.
Watch Homecoming highlights.
First for student satisfaction again
A new ranking of 40 Australian universities puts Bond University first for student satisfaction and joint 12th overall.
The Australian Financial Review Best Universities Ranking evaluated Bond’s performance in five pillars: student satisfaction (1st), research performance
(38th), global reputation (30th), career impact (26th), and equity and access (28th).
The new AFR ranking used public data from the federal government on equity, student satisfaction, research and career outcomes.
It also used international websites on research publications as well as reputation ratings from the Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings.
Class of 1989 alumni Derek Cronin, Adam Bain, Mona Abedian and Katie Hocking at the opening of the foundation class garden.
Unveiling the garden of the grandees
Bond University’s legendary foundation class – the first students to enrol in May 1989 – have been immortalised in a new garden featuring all 322 names.
The Foundation Class garden, which sits beside statues of University co-founders Alan Bond and Harunori Takahashi, was opened during Homecoming 2024 by outgoing Chancellor the Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC and Chair of the Alumni Advisory Board Dr Jennifer Cronin, herself an ‘892’.
Dozens of Dr Cronin’s cohort were in attendance including Mark Kassab (Class of 1989) who worked fulltime as a mechanic and panelbeater while completing his Bachelor of Arts.
“I’m really overwhelmed,” said Mr Kassab, who later returned to Bond to study a Master of Arts and an MBA.
“When we pick Bond, we’re like a family, so my whole family is up there.
“I’ve done a few degrees here and I’m doing one now.
“It still has the same spirit, the same enthusiasm from every new student.”
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Tim Brailsford saluted the cohort who began their studies at a halfcompleted campus and amid controversy over the launch of Australia’s first private university.
“I’m quite passionate about those students who bravely decided to enrol and become the first cohort of Bondies,” he said.
When we pick Bond, we’re like a family, so my whole family is up there.
“I like to say, ‘into the valley of aspiration rode the brave 322 from the class of 892’.
“This is a permanent reminder of all their names.”
Professor Brailsford used the occasion to announce the University would launch an 892 scholarship to enrol a student who might not normally be able to attend Bond.
“I want this scholarship to be the most prestigious scholarship in the entire nation,” he said.
“Just think about the power of a free education for someone who would not normally come to Bond University.
“They are going to get the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m sure you guys are going to embrace them.”
The University will match donations to the scholarship dollar-for-dollar.
The opening of the garden included an emotional moment of silence in memory of 892s who had passed away.“We were tight. You couldn’t come between us,” Mr Kassab said.
“We carried each other home, we looked after each other.”
The 892 garden follows the unveiling of the sculpture Limitless in 2019 to mark the University’s 30th anniversary.
The official opening of the garden was followed by drinks at Don’s Tavern at 1989 prices.
25-year milestones for staff
Seven staff members have been honoured for their collective 175 years of service to the University. They are:
Dell McStay, Assistant Professor, Transformation CoLab;
Angela Lacey, Customer Support Officer, Information Technology Services;
Patrick Waddell, Customer Support Liaison, Information Technology Services;
Peta Hopkins, Manager Digital Library Services, Student Success & Wellbeing;
Chris Oglethorpe, Systems & Statistics Officer, Student Business Services;
Amy Kenworthy, Professor, Bond Business School;
Kathy Atkins, Associate Dean - External Engagement & International, Faculty of Law.
Each has racked up 25 years working at Bond University. Long-serving staff are celebrated annually during Homecoming at a University Club luncheon.
Andrew Baildon and Peta Fielding.
Kenichi Ohmae’s forest oasis
What was once Dr Kenichi Ohmae’s trailbike playground has become a new outdoor venue named in honour of the Japanese management guru.
The Ohmae Piazza was opened in February by Dr Ohmae and the thenChancellor, the Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC.
The piazza sits amid a pine forest to the west of the main entrance to the University.
Dr Ohmae has been visiting the Gold Coast for 45 years and said he used to ride his trailbike through the forest before the University was built.
“This is indeed my practice range, so I hope the pines remember me and welcome me,” Dr Ohmae said. “I really appreciate this.”
Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford said the naming of the
Ohmae Piazza recognised someone “who has demonstrated over many years their commitment to education, to international collaboration, and to the betterment of people through learning opportunities.”
Dr Ohmae has had a long association with the University and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2019.
He is credited with introducing Japanese business strategies to the West and in 1998 established Business BreakThrough University and, with Bond University, codeveloped an MBA degree tailored to the needs of modern Japanese businesses.
The Ohmae Piazza will become a special venue to celebrate memorable occasions, host social events and serve as an informal space where students and staff can gather.
Students sweep awards
The Queensland Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects has awarded the 2024 President’s Prize to the Abedian School of Architecture.
School Patron Dr Soheil Abedian AM and Head of School Professor Paul Loh collected the award at the President’s Honours Dinner at Customs House in Brisbane. The prize recognises an individual or organisation’s contribution to the support of architecture in any significant way. Several Bondies were recognised at the dinner.
Annabel Tape (Class of 2015) received the AIA Medallion, Gemma Borra (Class of 2019) a BOAQ Student Prize, Associate Professor Elizabeth Musgrave, the Dunbar Fellowship, and Nicole MesquitaMendes (Class of 2018) the Philip Y Bisset Planning (Architecture) Scholarship.
Professor Loh said the award signified the Abedian School of Architecture had come of age as a professionally-focused architectural school.
“This award is for all our staff and students, past and present, and graduates who are emerging and becoming established in the profession,” he said.
“It acknowledges the leadership of former heads of school and the many architects and practitioners who have collectively contributed to the school’s design culture.”
Dr Kenichi Ohmae and Jeannette Ohmae at the opening of the Ohmae Piazza.
Associate Professor Elizabeth Musgrave (left).
10 years of the Abedian School of Architecture
The Abedian School of Architecture building, officially opened on February 7, 2014, was a bold departure from the often-disparaged Gold Coast architectural styles of the past.
A cathedral-like structure designed by two internationally acclaimed architects, Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham of CRAB Studio, the school would not just stand as a landmark of its time. Its enduring legacy would be the cultivation of a new generation of architects eager to contribute to the ongoing transformation of the Gold Coast and the world beyond.
Bond University celebrated the 10th anniversary of the building’s opening at a commemorative event attended by guests pivotal to its conception and construction, including the school’s namesake Patron, Dr Soheil Abedian AM, his wife Anne Abedian and Judy Brinsmead AM, Chairman of the builder ADCO.
Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford said the building had its origin in the need to house the University’s school of architecture, established in 2011. CRAB Studio won an international design competition, producing a visionary concept that captivated the Patron of the school Dr Soheil Abedian AM.
“We knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge with a Londonbased architect, a locally-based builder, an engineering firm that was very technical, and an extremely tight budget,” Professor Brailsford said.
“When Sir Peter flew out from London, we were all very nervous about him walking in here, and whether or not we had delivered on his vision. I could just tell that he was impressed. People were trying to talk to him but he was saying, ‘No, no, I want to inspect it by myself’. And he was very happy.”
Professor Brailsford said the building was constructed without government funding and with the ambition of one day housing one of the best architecture schools in the world.
“The architecture of the Gold Coast has been criticised over the years, and to establish what was a visionary school - a school with the potential to transform architectural education in this country – that was pretty gutsy,” he said.
Dr Abedian, the Sunland Group founder, explained the genesis of the building which he helped bring to life with a generous financial contribution.
“We are in a city that has a lot of development but our city didn’t have an eye to judge what is good architecture. Therefore, we should have a school of architecture,” he said.
“I am so proud to have started this with Bond University and now I am working with graduate architects in our office.”
Students at the school are taught by leading practitioners and academics in a studio setting which emulates a contemporary architecture office environment.
Three of the school’s alumni spoke at the 10th anniversary event.
Megan King (Class of 2015, Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture) is based in Byron Bay designing multimillion-dollar mansions and commercial projects.
Scott Deppeler (Class of 2012, Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Master of Architecture) is the lead architect of 76 and 50storey towers in Surfers Paradise.
Kelsey Godwin-Smith (Class of 2014, Bachelor of Architectural Studies) has led hospital and school construction projects totalling almost $1 billion.
All of them are still aged in their 20s.
Professor Derek Carson, Ms Anne Abedian, Professor Tim Brailsford, Ms Judy Brinsmead AM, Dr Soheil Abedian and Mr Tom Hill.
Graduates earn top salaries
Bond University domestic undergraduates have the best medium-term job prospects in Australia, earning an average of $91,000.
The federal Department of Education’s latest QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey - Longitudinal found 96.8 percent of Bond’s domestic undergraduates were in full-time employment three years after completing their courses.
The average of graduates from all Australian universities was 91.8 percent.
Bond ranks highly in startup successes
A study has confirmed Bond University’s status as one of Australia’s most entrepreneurial universities.
The report by the University of New South Wales ranked Bond second behind UNSW and ahead of the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne.
The results are based on data from Crunchbase and Dealroom, and ranked universities by the number of funded founders and funded alumni they are affiliated with, adjusted for university size.
“While UNSW officially ranks first, the study finds that on an adjusted basis, UNSW and Bond University are about as entrepreneurial as each other,” the study’s authors Zac Rafidi and Archit Mahajan say.
“This is a win for both institutions. It says while UNSW is considered a large university, it can still operate as if it were a small and nimble one.
“And while Bond is a comparatively smaller university, its impact on entrepreneurship is as effective as those much larger.”
The report, Australia’s Most Entrepreneurial Universities 2023, found Australia had doubled its rate of entrepreneurship in the past decade.
“This outcome shows that Australia is moving in the right direction and that there has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur in Australia,” the report says.
Bringing health,
The World Health Organisation estimates that by 2030 there will be a global healthcare workforce shortage of 10 million people.
The onus is on universities to train this future workforce, yet healthcare organisations are struggling to provide the training places students need to obtain their final accreditation.
This challenge is particularly relevant to Bond University allied health students who are exclusively postgraduates pursuing extended master or doctorate degrees that require even more clinical training –between 1000 and 1400 hours.
In response, the University has launched the new Health & Wellness Clinic, part of the Bond Institute of Health & Sport at Robina.
This teaching clinic, a collaboration
between the faculties of Health Sciences & Medicine and Society & Design, will offer subsidised $30 appointments to the public in physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, nutrition and dietetics
The 22 consultation rooms have the capacity to provide up to 30,000 appointments per year but the clinic will initially focus on psychology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy, with additional services coming online later this year and in 2025.
Health Clinics Manager Sherin Chamanmah said the clinic would supplement, not replace, current clinical training providers such as Gold Coast Health, and patients would need a referral from a GP or another healthcare professional in most ases.
“Our approach is rooted in cooperation, not competition,” Ms Chamanmah said.
The Health & Wellness Clinic includes a paediatric play laboratory.
wellness services to public
“By identifying and addressing specific service gaps, we aim to strengthen the overall healthcare infrastructure, alleviate some pressure, and improve health outcomes for the community.”
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine, Professor Nick Zwar said students would provide clinical services under the supervision of experienced practitioners and academics, with an emphasis on working as part of multidisciplinary teams.
“Modern healthcare for people with longterm illnesses is provided by teams of practitioners from a range of disciplines such as medicine, nursing and allied health including psychology,” he said.
“For teams to work effectively, team members need to understand each other’s roles and know how to work with each
other, the patient and their family.
“The Bond University Health and Wellness Clinic will help students gain this knowledge and skill. This will happen with expert supervision and support in a stateof-the-art learning environment.”
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Society and Design, Professor Derek Carson said the faculty had trained psychology students at an in-house clinic since 1999.
“The entire program was designed around supervised clinical practice in our campus clinic before students progressed to supervision in the wider community,” Professor Carson said.
“These days the health sector is moving towards a more integrated approach to care with allied health workers from different disciplines working in partnership to better serve their clients and
communities. Bringing Bond’s allied health students together in the Bond University Health & Wellness Clinic is a progressive move that will best prepare our graduating psychologists and other allied heath graduates to operate more effectively in today’s changing health sector.” Bond University’s allied health programs are distinguished by their international accreditation, providing graduates with expanded work opportunities in countries such as the US and Canada, while also integrating business and research skills. The clinic was established as part of the expansion of the Bond Institute of Health and Sport which now includes a teaching kitchen, biomechanics laboratory and paediatric play laboratory.
Nutrition and physiotherapy students are also trained at Robina.
THE ROBERT STABLE MEDAL DEREK CRONIN
The Robert Stable Medal is awarded to a graduate for achievement of an exceptional nature in any field, vocational or voluntary, and who has reached the top of their profession, has demonstrated sustained leadership, and brought distinction to themselves, credit to the University and benefit to their communities through their vocation.
Derek Cronin describes himself as a ‘super networker’. There are few who would disagree.
A graduate of Bond’s first cohort and founder of leading Gold Coast commercial litigation and insolvency firm, Cronin Miller Litigation Lawyers, Mr Cronin’s connections to the University and the community run deep.
He has served on numerous Bond boards over the past three decades, supported a range of philanthropic endeavours, is a strong advocate for Gold Coast business and is recognised as one of the city’s most distinguished commercial solicitors.“I love to pound the pavement and get out and about, probably a bit too much (husband) Tom would say,” he says with a smile.
There is no doubt Mr Cronin has been a proud Bondy since the moment he walked through the doors of Australia’s first private university in 1989 as one of its first students.“At the time it was fairly radical,” he recalls.“The first students were a diverse group, all experiencing the early days of the University, and there is a remarkable connection we feel towards each other.
“Bond gave me the tools to get out in the world and find what gives me happiness. It empowers graduates to give it a go, have a sense of entrepreneurship and to make something of themselves.”
Mr Cronin’s enduring association with the University has seen him serve the maximum term on the Bond University
Council from 2015 to 2023, hold a six-year tenure as Bond Alumni Advisory Board Chair, and he remains involved with the Bond Law Advisory Board.
“I’ve definitely worn a number of different hats at the University,” he says. “I relished the role on the Bond University Council and, with the alumni team, I felt I had a lot to give to help it develop and ensure we were properly engaging with graduates.
“The Bond spirit is what we live with when we attend the University, and it stays with us. I’ve been in London, New York, Hong Kong and Dubai over the years and, whenever I’m in another part of the world, I always manage to find a Bondy to catch up with.”
Mr Cronin has been a supporter of the Bond Law Clinic since its inception a decade ago. Alongside his team, particularly Special Counsel Francina Cantatore, they have provided hundreds of hours of pro bono commercial advice to the community.
As Vice-President of the Queensland Aids Council from 2012 to 2018 he contributed his legal and advocacy knowledge to several causes. “At the time we didn’t have same sex marriage, registration of partnerships, the age of consent was different for gay people and a lot of work needed to be done advocating for state and national laws,” he says.
He has also advocated for increased government funding for the Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth, as a member of its Board. “Homelessness on the Gold Coast is a big issue, especially for young people in a difficult family environment like alcoholism, poverty or abuse,” he says.
“It’s a great service giving a safety net to those people.” Mr Cronin proudly supports various community groups through Cronin
2024 ALUMNI AWARDS
Miller Litigation Lawyers, which he has grown to a team of more than 20 since establishing the firm in 2007.
He highlights his involvement in Women of Influence, promoting gender equality and diversity, as particularly important. “We have more women in management roles than men. We don’t just talk, we practice what we preach,” he says.
Other sponsorships and support include the annual Pink Ribbon Race Day, Young Professionals Gold Coast, BMD Northcliffe Surf Life Saving Club and the Gold Coast Suns AFL team. At the same time, his connections to Bond continue to grow. Mr Cronin married Gold Coast media personality Tom Forbes at the University in 2018.
“I originally said to him, ‘You have been an advocate for marriage equality so, if it becomes law, we should get married and I want something simple, like 1000 people at Versace’,” he laughs.
“When we looked at venues he accepted Bond had a strong connection to us both, so we had 160 people on one table in the Abedian School of Architecture. Everyone was on table one.”
More than three decades on, Mr Cronin remains the ‘unofficial’ chief organiser for the ‘originals’ cohort, who catch-up every few years – this year at Burleigh Brewing, owned by fellow 892 Peta Fielding – with an obligatory visit to Don’s Tavern afterwards.
“I feel the connection I have with Bond is so strong because of what the University has done for me from a young age,” says Mr Cronin.
“I am, and continue to be, indebted for what Bond has given me.”
THE COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD ALEXANDRA STRATIGOS
The Community Achievement Award recognises the contributions that a graduate has made to the enrichment and benefit of society through their professional or community service. Bond University is actively involved in community engagement and service and seeks to produce graduates with a social conscience.
Meeting children and teenagers living with HIV was both eye-opening and lifealtering for Alexandra Stratigos.
Fresh from completing her law degree at Bond University in 2007, she landed in the African nation of Ghana for a nontraditional ‘gap year’ of travel and work with the intention of returning home to kick off her corporate career.
“Having grown up on the Gold Coast it was really my first exposure to people living with HIV,” Ms Stratigos says. “There were kids with HIV in the orphanage where I was volunteering and, later, I engaged in pro bono legal work with adolescent boys in pre-trial detention, many of whom were also (HIV) positive.
“That exposure to people from different walks of life formed the foundation of a new pathway for me, though I suppose community work was always something I was interested in, with my bleeding heart and all that,” she jokes.
It is a humble remark for a woman who is internationally respected as one of a few professionals worldwide to specialise in HIV
legal services. Ms Stratigos has worked for the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre (HALC) in Sydney since returning to Australia in 2009, including as Principal Solicitor from 2016, building a power-packed portfolio of cases that protect the rights and improve the lives of one of the most marginalised groups in society.
At just 29 years of age, she won a High Court appeal for a man convicted of intentionally transmitting HIV to his partner. “He was initially with Legal Aid but they told him they didn’t think his matter had prospects after losing a Supreme Court appeal,” Ms Stratigos says.
“Our successful verdict in the High Court had a far-reaching impact across international jurisdictions, with cases in Africa and the United Kingdom following. It also tightened the definition of intent in a broader criminal law setting.”
HALC is the only organisation of its kind in Australia and one of a few internationally providing legal services to those living with HIV or viral hepatitis, covering everything from immigration matters to privacy and end-of-life planning, while advocating law reform.
“We’re different from most community legal centres which tend to be advice heavy, in that we provide ongoing representation to see cases from start to finish,” she says. “People are now living a lot longer with
HIV. A person diagnosed early can have the same life expectancy and working life as their unaffected peers.
“It means we’re pushing harder for reform in areas like access to insurance, with insurers still exempt from antidiscrimination legislation in certain circumstances. Access (to insurance) is important to people living with HIV who, like everyone, want protection from unexpected accidents or illness.”
Ms Stratigos has shared her knowledge with students and professionals across the world, including at Bond through legal education lectures and conferences. She looks back fondly on her time at the University, particularly opening her Gold Coast home to the many new friends she made.
“I was part of a lot of student organisations, including the Drama Society and the University Games where I played hockey and touch football. I’m not sure when I had time to study,” she says.
“I really enjoyed my time at Bond and made many life-long friends.”
THE YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD XAVIER PHILLIPS
The Young Alumni Award recognises a recently graduated Bond University student who has consistently demonstrated outstanding voluntary service to Bond University and inspired fellow students to reach their highest potential.
Xavier Phillips is the very definition of a blue-sky thinker; a risk taker; a person who’s comfortable being uncomfortable.
It’s why he had no qualms being the first to enrol in Bond University’s Bachelor of Entrepreneurial Transformation in 2019, commencing the degree in 2021.
“There are a million reasons to come to Bond, but Entrepreneurial Transformation is its own beast. Even as we’re seeing more people come in, it is still somewhat of an unknown quantity and for people like me that’s exciting,” he says.
Mr Phillips stepped up to spread the word amongst the cohort about the new degree as a driving force in establishing – and becoming inaugural president of – the student association Transformation CoLab Collective.
“Coming in I thought the degree was an opportunity to make a difference and shape something significant, although I didn’t fully appreciate the scope of what it could be. I saw it as the role of students to start a grassroots development of the degree – a campaign to get it, and what it
does, out there." he says.
“It is very rewarding to see the CoLab continue and iterate past me as a legacy, and (it’s) something I’m quite proud of.” Mr Phillips, who hails from Sydney, continues to be a program advocate, speaking to potential young applicants.
“One of the biggest benefits is that the degree is not constrained by traditional boundaries. You can fit academic units flexibly, so as you learn you are able to specialise in what you see as your academic strengths,” he says.
“That’s appealing to those who value a level of agency over their own development.”
Mr Phillips has also established deep community connections through the Army Reserve, which he joined in 2020.
His service included helping during the 2022 flood response. It is safe to say entrepreneurship runs in his blood.
His father Jason Phillips was in Bond’s founding 892 cohort and part of the first student council, although perhaps his claim to fame – according to Mr Phillips – is striking a deal with local nightclubs for discount student drinks.
“He negotiated an extra discount for himself and for every student,” he laughs.
Just over 18 months since graduating, Mr Phillips is already kicking career goals.
He is part of the Deals Advisory and Infrastructure Division of KPMG, a global
network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services, and has worked in the project and program delivery team to implement project change.
“I’ve been exposed to wide experience, which as a graduate is very beneficial,” says Mr Phillips.
“While I have no formal engineering qualifications, I consult on major projects and infrastructure developments, providing everything from cost risk analysis, to scheduling and management frameworks. I’m part of an engineering team, which is a real testament to the degree and the ability it fosters to interact with various subject matter experts.”
He also works alongside his brother as Chief Operating Officer of Tetra Studios, a virtual reality gaming studio making waves internationally for its cutting-edge technology, which links multiple headsets simultaneously.
“We were invited to Meta Connect last year in Silicon Valley and attended the Game Developers Conference in San Franscisco earlier this year,” says Mr Phillips.
“Both provided exciting opportunities to converse with people and, without knowing much about the technical side, find connections to bridge those gaps to enhance our business.”
EIGHTH WONDER
THE HONOURABLE DR ANNABELLE BENNETT AC SC WRAPS UP HER TERM AS CHANCELLOR HAVING GUIDED THE UNIVERSITY THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
by Ken Robinson
The Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC could have been the prototype student for Bond University’s Transformation degrees.
Long before the launch of the multiFaculty qualifications that prepare students to switch between diverse professions, the University’s outgoing Chancellor was blending two disparate degrees with remarkable success.
She has been a barrister, a Federal Court judge, Pro-Chancellor of the Australian National University, and a Commissioner on the 2020 Bushfires Royal Commission. She has presided over high profile Court of Arbitration for Sport cases including one involving the South African runner Caster Semenya, and chaired the board of Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. And she was once engaged to act for the owners of Dolly the Sheep.
The Chancellor stepped down in May after serving the maximum two terms, but not before she was awarded a Doctorate of Laws honoris causa, her fourth honorary degree from the four universities she has been closely associated with. “There are three things that I really love at Bond,” Dr Bennett says.
“When you walk around, you can feel the students adore the place and the feedback I get at graduations is fabulous.
“The staff seem to love the University and want to do the right thing for themselves and the students.
“And I’ve had a lot of fun and stimulation working with the Vice Chancellor and the
Members of the Council. It’s just a happy place.”
Dr Bennett has been well placed to offer career advice to the more than 7000 Bondies she has congratulated at graduation ceremonies since 2016.
Initially dissuaded from studying law by her father who feared the degree “did not travel” and the profession was too maledominated, she opted for science at the University of Sydney.
“Medicine took too long. I couldn’t draw, so architecture was out. Science was the one that was left,” she says.
Dr Bennett graduated with honours and went on to complete a PhD in cell biology
"When I was finishing my PhD someone said to me, can you imagine spending the next 20 years of your life in a laboratory? And I couldn’t.
(some aspects of the nature and role of Phospholipids in Spermatozoa).
“I loved science. Every six months or so you had a breakthrough and you thought, this is amazing. But it wasn’t enough,” she says.
“It was always in the back of my head to do law and when I was finishing my PhD someone said to me, can you imagine spending the next 20 years of your life in a laboratory? And I couldn’t.”
After completing a Bachelor of Laws at the University of New South Wales and being called to the Bar, all while raising a young family, her two worlds of science and law collided.
“There was an article in Good Weekend about this novelty of female barristers and there was a paragraph that I had a science degree,” she says.
“From that, a patent attorney rang me and (the law-science combination) wasn’t just unusual, it was unique.
“He realised that those qualifications would be really useful in patents and he offered me a case. Others followed and I ended up specialising in intellectual property law.”
That article, from 1984 when she was 34, mentions “the women who are practising barristers and mothers of young children in NSW can be counted on one hand.”
“I had a lot of support,” Dr Bennett says. “I had a live-in nanny from the minute my first child was born and I don’t pretend for a moment that I could have done it otherwise. “My husband was very supportive but a lot of people made you feel guilty for working, and of course I always felt bad.
“I used to come home from work and have dinner with the children and then go back into the chambers and work until midnight.”
In 2003 Dr Bennett was appointed a judge of the Federal Court, with her welcome speech delivered by her husband,
the Commonwealth Solicitor-General Dr David Bennett AO KC.
Dr Bennett’s curricula vitae from around this time lists an astounding 18 concurrent roles including President of Chief Executive Women, where she got to know newlyappointed Governor-General Sam Mostyn (another friend is NSW Governor Margaret Beazley).
“I’m a ‘yes’ person,” Dr Bennett says. “People approach me and I think, that sounds interesting.”
Shortly after retiring from the Federal Court – “I wanted to do something else” – she said yes to becoming the eighth Chancellor of Bond University, where one of her three children had studied.
Dr Bennett’s tenure spanned one of the most difficult periods in the recent history of the University, the COVID-19 pandemic.
She praised the Vice Chancellor, Professor Tim Brailsford and the senior leadership team for their strategic vision and effective decision-making during challenging times.
“I had total faith in the Vice Chancellor,” she says. ”What impressed me was the speed with which he implemented things like working from home and making sure everyone had the equipment they needed.
“I knew that he was making the best decisions that he could possibly make in the circumstances, and it didn’t hurt to have a former Dean of Finance and Economics as your Vice Chancellor.
“Our relationship, both professionally and personally, has been fabulous. He’s so incredibly thoughtful.”
Major projects completed during Dr Bennett’s terms include stage two of the Health building, the Business Commons, the Centre for Data Analytics, the extension of the Society & Design Precinct, and the University’s largest capital project, the
extension of the Bond Institute of Health and Sport.
She also has kind words for her fellow members of the Bond University Council.
“Working with the Council was a wonderful experience because you’ve got people who are not being paid, some of them at the peak of their careers, just wanting to do the best for Bond.”
Dr Bennett says she hopes the University maintains its distinctiveness in the years to come.
“Because Bond has been so successful, the danger is that other universities are looking to what we do and are trying to copy it,” she says.
“But no one can match our small class sizes and the consequent ability for people to engage in cross-disciplinary thinking - I think that’s a key.
“The fact that our medical students can mix with our business students, the business students can innovate together with the lawyers and the designers - just think of the start-up ideas that could eventuate.”
The longest-serving Chancellor in the history of the University is far from retirement but is looking forward to spending more time with her six grandchildren and indulging in her love of good food and wine.
She had the opportunity to do just that in the world capital of gastronomy, Paris, where she attended the Olympics in her capacity with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"Because Bond has been so successful, the danger is that other universities are looking to what we do and are trying to copy it.
Dr Bennett AC SC has seamlessly mixed science, law and higher education during her career.
ALUMNI MAJORITY ON NEW-LOOK COUNCIL
FOR THE FIRST TIME, GRADUATES MAKE UP THE BULK OF GOVERNING BODY
Entrepreneur Antony Ceravolo and experienced healthcare executive Greg Jenke have joined the Bond University Council following the recent departures of Lisa Paul AO PSM and Manny Pohl AM.
Ms Paul has assumed the role of Chancellor at the University of Canberra after seven years of distinguished service to Bond, while Dr Pohl has retired at the recent AGM following eight years of outstanding service.
Mr Ceravolo is a proud alumnus from Adelaide (Class of 1992) who studied Law and Commerce. He subsequently enjoyed a career as an investment banker in London and New York before co-founding LOVEFiLM, which became known as the Netflix of Europe.
When Amazon bought LOVEFiLM in 2008 he returned home to Adelaide and founded Sine, which allows visitors, contractors and staff to check-in at workplaces via tablet or a smartphone app. Sine was acquired by Honeywell in 2021.
Mr Jenke, a long-time and highly credentialled executive at Ramsay Health Care, has been the CEO of several hospitals including John Flynn Private Hospital on the Gold Coast.
Bond University Vice Chancellor, Professor Tim Brailsford, said the new pair would help Bond nurture the
entrepreneurial spirit that has always been part of the University’s DNA.
“Antony is a remarkably successful entrepreneur, launching start-ups that were both acquired by Fortune 100 companies,” Professor Brailsford said.
“His guidance will enable Bond to maintain our reputation as one of, if not the most, entrepreneurial university in Australia.
“Greg is a fantastic addition to the Council because healthcare is one of the fastest growing areas of study at Bond University, driven by the needs of an expanding health system across the nation.
“His considerable experience in the sector and wide network of contacts will ensure we capitalise on this opportunity.”
New councillors Greg Jenke and Antony Ceravolo with Chancellor David Baxby (centre).
BOND UNIVERSITY COUNCIL
David Baxby (Class of 1992): Bond University Chancellor and former Co-CEO of the Virgin Group.
Greg Jenke: Experienced healthcare executive and CEO of John Flynn Private Hospital.
Antony Ceravolo (Class of 1992): Start-up expert and Founder of Sine (acquired by Honeywell) and co-Founder of LOVEFiLM (acquired by Amazon).
Professor Daryl Le Grew AO: Internationally recognised researcher, architect and higher education leader. Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Canterbury and University of Tasmania.
Marion Charlton: Chief Operating Officer of Queensland Airports Limited. Recently oversaw the
Gold Coast Airport terminal expansion which doubled the airport’s footprint.
John Le Lievre: Long-time former Vice President Operations at Bond University who helped steer the University through troubled times in the 1990s before retiring in 2020.
Lisa MacCallum (Class of 1991): Former Vice President at Nike and Managing Director of the Nike Foundation. Founder and President of Inspired Companies.
Kate Vidgen (Class of 1991): Global Head of Industrial Transition and Clean Fuels at Macquarie Asset Management. More than 25 years of experience at Macquarie Group across resources, infrastructure, utilities and telecommunications.
Annabelle Williams OAM (Class of 2007): Paralympic gold medallist, sports administrator, legal counsel, television commentator and diversity advocate.
“His guidance will enable Bond to maintain our reputation as one of, if not the most, entrepreneurial university in Australia.
Company Secretary and General Counsel Michael Dean, former Councillor Victor Hoog Antink AM, Councillor John Le Lievre, Councillor Daryl Le Grew AO, Councillor Marion Charlton, former Councillor Dr Darryl Gregor OAM, Councillor Lisa MacCallum, Councillor Annabelle Williams, former Councillor Derek Cronin, Councillor Kate Vidgen, Vice Chancellor and President Tim Brailsford, former Councillor Lisa Paul AO PSM, former Chancellor Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett ACSC and former Councillor Manny Pohl AM.
AS THE PARIS OLYMPICS KICK OFF, WE CATCH UP WITH THREE ALUMNI MAKING WINNING MOVES IN THE BUSINESS OF SPORT
DANIEL’S GOAL-DEN PROSE
FROM SPORTS MANAGEMENT TO PITCH-PERFECT SPORTSWRITER
by John Schalch
It sounds like the ultimate dream for every sport and travel lover: getting paid to visit dozens of countries and attend some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Throw in some confidential work for a professional gambler who owns a Premier League soccer club, and Daniel Barthold (Class of 2008) has written himself one hell of a career. Oh, and a book about Brazil, the birth country of his wife, Mônica.
The German national came to Bond University to study a Master of Sport Management and in the years since he has worked with some of the biggest sportspeople and clubs in the world, combining journalism, sport and business.
“I am a huge sports fan and I travel the world for football, US sport, tennis and other events,” Mr Barthold says.
“Overall, I have been to 66 countries to watch all types of sports, but mostly football.”
After completing his Masters, Mr Bartold returned to Germany and secured an internship at stern.de, a storied magazine and website, as a sports journalist and editor covering football.
From there, he landed a role as a senior football research analyst with UK sports betting and data consultancy Starlizard which analyses vast amounts of data to make sporting predictions.
The company was launched by mathematics whiz and professional
gambler Tony Bloom who has been called “probably the most successful soccer bettor in the world”.
Mr Bloom, who owns the English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion FC, does not comment on Starlizard and employees sign strict nondisclosure agreements when joining the company.
Mr Barthold is tight-lipped about working there although his duties included creating predictive analysis for the sports betting market, creating databases, evaluating player and team performances analysis, risk management, and even talent identification as a licensed football talent scout.
He is more forthcoming about his current role with global online gambling company Betway Group.
Based in “the very special city of London” as a senior copywriter, he operates mostly in the German and Austrian market.
“Our partnership deals in that region are crucial,” Mr Barthold says.
“I would say one of the most important milestones in our team was securing partnership deals with two huge German football clubs, FC Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt.
“I write in-house copy, and our external copy is mostly for Betway customers, sponsors, and different campaigns we run for events such as Euro 2024, charity
campaigns, ticket giveaways, our blog and social media.”
Mr Barthold says his most important responsibility at Betway is to maintain long-lasting relationships built on trust and integrity.
“For example, we have a long-lasting sponsorship with West Ham United FC and the great relationship we have built over the years is vital and extremely important.”
He also writes for magazines such as the UK-based monthly Discover Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
His first book, Sunset in São Paulo, was written during COVID-19 shutdowns and is a summary of his travels in Brazil and published by Olympia Publishers London in 2021.
“Workwise, I mostly travel to Germany, but in my private life I love to see new places,” he says.
“I am from Hamburg and I usually fly home about six times a year as it is only a 1.5 hour flight from London.
“I do travel to Brazil quite regularly, too, as it is the home country of my wife.
“I have not been back to Australia since graduating at Bond Uni (2009) but I would love to go back at some point.
“My aim is to see three to four new countries per year.”
Mr Bloom has travelled to 66 countries to watch and report on sport, particularly soccer.
FIONA'S ITALIAN JOB
BRINGING A TOUCH OF HOME TO AUSSIE ATHLETES IN EUROPE COULD BOOST MEDAL HOPES IN PARIS
by John Schalch
Lago di Varese where Australian rowers and kayakers train.
Videos of kangaroos sweeping across the Outback and a soundtrack of Aussie rock bands are among Australia’s secret weapons for Olympic gold at Paris 2024.
Fiona de Jong, the Director of the Australian Institute of Sport’s European Centre for Training (ECT) in Italy since 2022, manages, nurtures and guides leading Australian athletes in their northern hemisphere training regime, and says homesick athletes are just one challenge.
Ms de Jong (Class of 1992) touts the ECT as a European home-away-fromhome for Australian athletes preparing for northern hemisphere world and Olympic competitions. “One of the things most Aussies say when they come to the ECT is how Australian-like the setup is,” she says. “It is modelled on the AIS, although not as large, but everything here has an Australian focus.
“They get to choose videos and songs they want to play while training, and so often it is basic videos of the Outback and Aussie rock.”
Beyond the training facilities, the sense of community and representation is a significant aspect of the ECT’s environment. “As the Director of Sport it is a pleasure working with the athletes, being creative with them and taking pride in the fact that we are all representing Australia,” Ms de Jong says.
“The ECT is our little island of Australia in the middle of Europe. It’s quite the asset.”
She says while Australia is blessed with the weather and facilities for sport at all levels, the tyranny of distance from the European scene is an issue.
"The ECT is located in the municipality of Gavirate in Italy's northern-most province, so we have rowers and kayakers out on the beautiful Lago di Varese up near the Swiss border."
The centre has recently been renovated and now supports nearly 20 Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports. It is a huge boost for Australian sport as historically, the expense of travel and accommodation has been a barrier to European training and competition.
“Our summer months are the busiest, particularly with the Paris Olympics coming up,” Ms de Jong says.
"Then in winter we prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Each sports program is designed specifically for each athlete, and even for teams like we did with the Women’s Rugby Sevens recently. To keep them peaking and engaged, we work with the coaches and always have a fun component, and often public engagement. One of the fun components for the Sevens was giving all the girls a makeup course. Everyone trains so hard and is so committed and missing their home, so you’ve got to make it fun.”
To be part of the Olympic movement in Australia is more than a job - it’s the opportunity to be a custodian of something that lives in the hearts and minds of millions
of Australians. Ms de Jong says one of the challenges with Australian athletes is convincing them they can have dual careers: being an athlete and preparing for life after sport.
As a former international triathlete during her days at Bond University, she knows how tough it is to balance training, study, life and sleep. “I had a pattern where I would study for six hours, train for six hours, socialise for six and then sleep for six hours,” she says.
“Bond taught me about rigorous time management. It was the only way I could get things done. I was doing project management and IT law, and in those early days it felt like we were pioneers and forging a new path in a relatively new university.”
Ms de Jong went on to make her mark, spending four years at Austrade, followed by 12 years at the Australian Olympic Committee. “My advice to young people is if you’re willing to be open, to try new things, to dream really big, work really hard and pursue your passion, amazing things can happen,” she says.
“And don’t forget to have fun.”
SCOTT'S WINNING STREAK
DESERT MARATHONS AND THE DERBY: FINANCE NEVER LOOKED SO EXCITING
by John Schalch
Scott Smith is Mr Perpetual Motion both in his career and his personal life.
He has conquered the Four Deserts Endurance Series (a 250km run across the Sahara, Gobi, Atacama and Antarctica), entered Bermuda folklore when he discovered a previously uncharted wreck, plays and coaches cricket, loves fly fishing, climbs mountains and runs six days a week.
Squeezed into that now is his busy new role as director of Racecourse Media Group (RMG) in the United Kingdom.
If you’re watching the Epsom Derby or the Grand National at Aintree, it’s likely Mr Smith (Class of 1995) will be there enjoying a day at the races with the masses.
As Non-Executive Director and Chair of the audit and risk committee, Mr Smith guides RMG in its role as the holding company responsible for a range of media rights management businesses involved in 35 racecourses.
“Our shareholders include the famous turf at Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and York,” Mr Smith says.
“To understand RMG is to know that it serves as the umbrella organisation for those racecourses which hold an interest in Racing UK (Sky 432, Virgin 536 and 411, Freeview and Youview 261), Racing TV International (international betting shop/digital service) and Racecourse Data Company (licensor of Pre-Race Data).”
Mr Smith said those 35 racecourses, through RMG, also hold an interest in Turf TV, the betting shop service which is broadcast in more than 10,000 premises across the UK and Ireland.
The Bachelor of Commerce graduate is proud of this “revolutionary approach to sports media rights management” which, he says, allows the racecourses to
own, manage and exploit their intellectual property across all platforms.
“One of the greatest things about our approach is that all profits are returned to the courses – and that can only be good for racing and for the economy of those communities.
“RMG is 100 percent owned by its racecourse shareholders which gives the racecourses complete control over the commercialisation of their media and data rights.”
For Mr Smith and RMG, it’s about acting as the catalyst for the future growth and benefit of the sport of racing.
“Now, as far as betting goes, RMG recognises that its businesses and shareholders benefit from the proceeds of betting,” he says.
“RMG encourages a socially responsible attitude within the betting and gaming industry and within our own organisation. We are committed to protecting vulnerable people from gambling-related harm.”
Mr Smith’s own list of successes has certainly been no gamble.
His passion for, and understanding of, sport underpins his career and the skills he brings to the table.
This Bond University alumnus career is laced with impressive roles in sporting associations including eight years as Chief Financial Officer of the England and Wales Cricket Board and five years with The America’s Cup in the US.
It was when he was working in San Francisco and Bermuda as Chief Financial Officer of The America’s Cup 2011-2016 he discovered a new shipwreck while free diving for lobsters.
He has since been recognised as the ‘finder of record’ by the Bermudian
Government, which allows exclusive salvage rights over the shipwreck.
Mr Smith runs a tightly regimented lifestyle juggling personal fitness, family, work and outdoor activities that he says are “much needed to have on the horizon as great levellers to keep you grounded with what’s important”’
“For the 4 Deserts endurance series I would train six days a week for a few months in the lead-up to each event, running before and after work every day.
“This would involve early starts at 4am and late night runs sometimes around 9 or 10pm just to ensure I was getting the desired number of kilometres under my belt in preparation every day.”
He has climbed some of the world’s most notorious mountains and is also a cricket fan playing with his English village and coaching about 180 kids under 12.
“Without question my degree at Bond set me up for the career that followed.
“Majoring in both accountancy and marketing enabled me to progress and provide a balance through a more commercial/sponsorship lens which was useful for a breadth of understanding across the different business functions.”
While Mr Smith credits his Bond University marketing and accountancy degrees with setting him on the path to success, it’d be a fair assumption that his personal drive and acumen would see him succeed in whatever field he enters.
Scott Smith has 35 racecourses in his portfolio.
FOR DR LOAI ALBARQOUNI, SUCCESS IS
MEASURED BY IMPLEMENTING SMALL CHANGES WITH BIG CONSEQUENCES
by Matt Webber
For Dr Loai Albarqouni, success is measured by implementing small changes with big consequences.
So when his recent study revealed that replacing regular salt with a salt substitute decreases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by about 17 percent, he was excited. “I like the idea of it being an easy change to make,” he says. “For example, you don’t have to take a pill three times a day. It’s simply a changed habit that will lead to better health.”
Dr Albarqouni - a 2021 Vice Chancellor’s Award winner – says the findings are significant because salt substitution is a low-cost and scalable solution with benefits across a range of cardiovascular conditions including stroke.
Cardiovascular disease accounts for about one-third of all deaths globally and high salt intake is responsible for 10 percent of all cardiovascular deaths.
Even though international bodies such as the World Health Organisation and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine advise reducing
salt intake, worldwide consumption of sodium still exceeds the recommended daily limit.
Dr Albarqouni says the research – a systematic review of 16 randomised control trials around the world – shows that switching table salt with a substitute containing reduced sodium and increased potassium may offer a simple achievable strategy to reduce sodium intake.
“It’s an effective way to achieve significant health benefits for a large number of people,” he says. “We found evidence that salt substitution can reduce mortality from cardiovascular events such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure by about 17 percent and death from any cause by about 12 percent.”
Although proud to have led an important research project, Dr Albarqouni says any plaudits should be shared.
To this end he points to his PhD student Hannah Greenwood, who led this review as part of her PhD research.
“The team aspect of a project like this is critical. Hannah is currently completing her
PhD and it’s wonderful to see her leading such an important review and to receive recognitions in these kinds of influential journals.”
Dr Albarqouni is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Emerging Leader Fellow and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Evidence-based Health Care.
His research aimed to enhance individual and community health by generating knowledge, translating it into practical, real-life applications, and evaluating improvements for individuals, healthcare providers, and society.
He first earned a medical degree at the Palestinian institution Al-Quds University in Jerusalem.
While working in clinical practice, he considered following his initial interests in a surgical career, pursuing an interest in paediatric surgery.
But in the end, the lure of research work proved too strong, and he travelled to Germany to study for a Masters Degree
in Clinical Epidemiology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Dr Albarqouni earned his PhD in evidencebased practice at Bond University in 2019. His salt substitution research was published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the official journal of the American College of Physicians, and one of the most influential medical journals in the world.
It’s not Dr Albarquoni’s first brush with a significant publication. In fact, his very first paper appeared in the most famous medical journal of all - The Lancet.
It outlined observations about the treatment of white phosphorus burns.
“We reported on the management of a patient who presented with burns after an incendiary weapon attack. The burn was flushed out with water, but as is the way with this kind of injury, the chemical keeps eating away at the patient’s flesh unless it’s completely neutralised.”
He says his experiences working in less supported medical services has inspired an interest in seeking out simple solutions that allow for significant efficiencies.
“Medical systems with finite resources benefit most from these kinds of findings,” he says. “Finding good evidence for the benefits of non-surgical or non-drug interventions frees up resources for where they are needed most.”
At the root of all he does is a desire for better patient outcomes. In this context, he mentions his sister, also a doctor. She is currently based in Gaza performing important work for the United Nations relief effort.
“In the end, we are all human beings,” he says. “We need to look after each other.”
Dr Loai Albarqouni says replacing salt with a salt substitute can save lives.
The torchbearer
VICTOR A BEACON FOR BOND
For Victor Hoog Antink AM, a chance meeting with a former Chancellor has led to a long and enthusiastic commitment to Bond University.
Both Mr Hoog Antink and Dr Helen Nugent AC completed an MBA together at Harvard University in the 1980s.
When their paths crossed again years later, Dr Nugent suggested Mr Hoog Antink - by then a Gold Coast resident - would add considerable value to the Bond University Council and its Business School Advisory Board.
Mr Hoog Antink has enjoyed a close connection to Bond ever since.
In an extensive Orange Chair interview with Bond’s Vice President-Engagement Ms Catherine Marks, Mr Hoog Antink says Bond’s commitment to students and their university experience has always inspired him.
“In property we always talk about location, location, location,” he says.
“At Bond, the mantra at the Council meetings was always students, students, students.
“It came home to me no more than when my son was here and the support network that came around him at Bond was just outstanding.”
Melbourne-born and Brisbane-raised, Mr Hoog Antink earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland in the 1970s.
After graduating from the Australian Army Officer Cadet Training School and completing his MBA, he enjoyed a successful career in accounting and finance at top-end institutions like Peat Marwick and Hill Samuel.
As the Director of Funds Management at Westfield for eight years, he encountered Sir Frank Lowy, someone from whom he learned a valuable lesson about seeking counsel from trusted people. “(Sir Frank) would solicit the views of many, form a
view himself, and only then would he make a decision,” he says. “He used to say to me the most valuable thing other than cash was information and of having the knowledge that others don’t have.”
Mr Hoog Antink says the thrill of deal-making has always been a significant feature of his storied career, but not always a motivator.
“You’ve got to recognise that some of the best deals you ever do are actually the ones you don’t,” Mr Hoog Antink says.
He refers to his time as Chief Executive Officer of DEXUS Property Group.
“Just prior to the GFC, DEXUS was in major discussions with an international group about a merger,” he says.
“The Chairman and I flew overseas and met with the Deputy Chairman of this enormous global enterprise. “We were ready to go to the Board and right at the
ORANGE CHAIR INTERVIEW
last minute I just had this funny feeling and I said, ‘No’.
“Had we gone through with it, it would have been the death of DEXUS because of some of the property deals that were involved in that amalgamation.
“So when you are faced with big decisions, it is good to remember you always have the ‘do nothing’ option.”
Mr Hoog Antink has taken on multiple directorships, chair and committee roles and served as Chairman of the Property Industry Foundation.
He was also Director and National President of the Property Council of Australia, a period he remembers fondly.
“I was on the Board for about 10 years and during that time I served as National President twice - a great honour,” he says.
“The property industry is a highly competitive one and the Property Council brings all the competitors together.”
On Australia Day 2023 Mr Hoog Antink was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the property industry and corporate governance. Later that year the University renamed its Sport Centre Room ‘The Hoog Antink Olympic Room’ after it became home to his impressive collection of 20 Olympic torches from host cities all around the world.
“(The collection) started in 2000 when I was fortunate enough to run with the torch ahead of the Sydney Games,” he says.
“I was at Westfield at the time and they were a sponsor.
“When you ran with the torch you were given an option to buy it, which I did. Then one day I was just scrolling through eBay
and I saw another torch, so I bought a second one.
“And then I thought, ‘OK, so how many are there?’ And from there I started progressively collecting.”
Mr Hoog Antink says sharing his collection with Bond University is a true pleasure.
“I have been truly blessed, as I think we all are to live in Australia, and I think I have been even more blessed by the experiences that I have had, and the opportunities that I have been given.
“It is only fair to share those experiences and financial benefits with a wider range of people given that I have been supported to get to where I am.
“I think it’s only fair to pay it forward.”
Victor Hoog Antink AM joins Catherine Marks Vice President Engagement in the Orange Chair.
Watch the Orange Chair interview here.
Victor Hoog Antink with his Olympic torch collection which is on display at the Hoog Antink Olympic Room at Bond University.
Etched in stone
NEW BOOK CHRONICLES UNIVERSITY’S DISTINCTIVE ARCHITECTURE
The slender document belied the magnitude of the project - constructing a world-class university on a swamp in a city known for high-rise development, far removed from the classical architecture of academia.
But when Daryl Jackson AO handed the design principles to Alan Bond in London in July 1987, there were enough hints of what was to come. Cue images of Oxford, Cambridge and the University of Virginiaand lots of sandstone.
The University has launched a book, Sandstone on the Gold Coast: The Architecture at Bond University, which explores the architectural history and legacy of the campus.
Authored by the Head of the Abedian School of Architecture Professor Paul Loh, with his colleagues Professor Michael Keniger and Associate Professor Marja Sarvimäki, the work is dedicated to campus
master planner Mr Jackson and the architect of the Arch building, Arata Isozaki.
The book is in two parts. The first charts the architectural evolution of the University while the second is a visual essay of its appearance today.
It lays out the mastery of Mr Jackson who saw beyond a swamp to the contours of the land below, and how these would shape his vision.
The land, partially covered in a straggly pine plantation, was drained and restructured to create new features such as Lake Orr and Bond Lake.
Despite the imagery in that first document, Mr Jackson emphasised that the design of the campus would be forwardlooking and not bound by the past.
“We will not be imitating or copying past styles, for this merely restricts us to the
past – the past is a position to build from, not to be restrained within,” he said.
“We will be forging a unique identity appropriate to the progressive future of Bond University.”
Sandstone on the Gold Coast: The Architecture at Bond University is filled with historical drawings including the original plans for the sundial in the main quadrangle, and the vast 270-hectare University City plan, whittled down to the compact 50-hectare campus of today.
The book also charts the design of The Arch building, the defining landmark on campus by renowned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and how his earlier works and philosophy shaped its design.
Other chapters discuss the innovation and resilient nature of more recent additions to the campus, including the award-winning Abedian School of Architecture and the Sustainable Development building.
It features a foreword by Daryl Jackson’s daughter Sara Jackson and an epilogue by Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford.
“Without fail, first-time students and visitors to Bond remark on the beauty of the campus,” Professor Brailsford says.
“Often, they are unable to put a finger on the specific aspect which most draws their eye, which in turn reflects on the genius of the master plan and overall design.”
The Vice Chancellor also details two major projects that would help complete the original designers’ vision for the University, a Great Hall and the redevelopment of the sporting grounds, although he says neither are likely without philanthropic support.
“This book is both a recognition of what has been achieved as well as an emphatic
Robert Stable medallist Derek Cronin, Ms Sara Jackson and chair of the Alumni Advisory Board
Dr Jennifer Cronin at the book launch.
call to arms to those who believe in Bond University and its future,” Professor Brailsford says.
Sandstone on the Gold Coast: The Architecture at Bond University provides a comprehensive examination of the University as it appears today, what could have been, and what it may be in the future.
It is the third in a trilogy of books on the history of the University, the others being Bond University, The Beginning 1985-1991 by Brian Orr, and Bond University, The First 25 Years by Professor Kay Saunders and Antoinette Cass.
Watch the video here.
The book features concept drawings of the university and photos taken during its construction (below).
Authors of the book Professor Michael Keniger, Head of the Abedian School of Architecture Professor Paul Loh and Dr Marja Sarvimäki with Vice Chancellor Professor Tim Brailsford.
Class of 1989
Karen Carmody
Karen Carmody has been sworn in as a Judge of the Supreme and National Courts of Papua-New Guinea. Justice Carmody was a practising barrister at the Private Bar for many years. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from Bond University, a Master of Business Administration from the Queensland University of Technology and a Master of Laws from the University of Queensland.
SHARE YOUR STORY
Have you recently changed roles or want to share some exciting career news? Email your update to alumni@bond.edu.au.
Class of 2013 Helena Franco
Helena Franco has been named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2024 List in the healthcare and science category. Dr Franco graduated from Harvard Medical School last year with a Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery after completing her thesis on sociodemographic factors influencing children with hip dysplasia. She studied at Harvard as a Menzies Scholar and was the first Australian to win the Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge.
Class of 1990
Deanna Nott
Deanna Nott has been elected Vice President of the Australian Industry and Defence Network Queensland Committee. Ms Nott is the Founder of Wings, which specialises in marketing communications for the defence, research and technology sectors. She recently marked 30 years as a Reservist in the Royal Australian Air Force where she holds the rank of Wing Commander. Ms Nott graduated from Bond with a Bachelor of Arts.
Class of 2015
Stephanie Centorame
Stephanie Centorame has been appointed as a Senior Associate at international law firm Ashurst, based in Sydney. Ms Centorame is a member of the Projects and Energy Transition practice group and advises domestic and international clients on project development and energy transition matters. She is a Bond University Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship Recipient and completed a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts (majoring in International Relations and French).
Class of 2008 Carla Tooma
Carla Tooma has joined Channel 9's the TODAY Show as a Queensland reporter, in addition to her role as a news presenter with 9News Gold Coast. Ms Tooma is also an accomplished MC and serves as a Board Director for the Gold Coast Eisteddfod. She previously spent more than a decade as a journalist, presenter and digital content specialist. She graduated from Bond University with a Bachelor of Journalism.
Class of 2017
Jesse Clough
Jesse Clough has taken up a new role as an Associate at Ramsden Lawyers, specialising in litigation and dispute resolution. Recently, he has devoted more attention to developing qualities like leadership, communication, and market perception aspects, recognising their importance in shaping a well-rounded legal practitioner. He was previously a lawyer at Moray & Agnew. Mr Clough holds a Bachelor of Laws from Bond University.
Class of 2009
Emily Pugin
Emily Pugin has been promoted to Director, Indo-Pacific and Global Interests Section, Office for First Nations International Engagement at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She is an experienced diplomat, lawyer, and multilateral negotiator who was previously Second Secretary at Australia’s Embassy and Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna. A Kombumerri woman from the Gold Coast, she is admitted as a Solicitor to the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.
Class of 2020
Austin Macfarlane
Austin Macfarlane and his brother Lachlan have won the Grand Prize for Best Film in the Brisbane 48-Hour Film Project. Their film Wild Ride earned them the chance to compete at Filmpalooza 2024 in Portugal. Mr Macfarlane has worked with brands including Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures, represented Australia in the Cannes Young Lions competition, and now works as a freelance filmmaker and creator, producing original and sponsored content for social media.
Class of 2011
Daniel Winter
Daniel Winter has become a founding Partner of Arbor Capital, an investment firm focused on venture capital and growth equity investing within the technology sector globally. Prior to founding Arbor Capital Mr Winter had more than seven years’ experience in the investment sector including as Investment Director for Full Circle Venture Capital and Investment Manager with a family office/micro venture fund. Mr Winter has a Bachelor of International Relations (Business) from Bond University.
Class of 2020 Chloe Burns
Chloe Burns has received an Australian Defence Magazine 30 under 30 Award that recognises top young talent in defence and defence industry. Ms Burns is Operations Coordinator at The Decisive Point, a strategic communication consultancy servicing clients across government and defence. In 2021 Ms Burns was awarded a prestigious New Colombo Plan Scholarship, studying at Yonsei University in Korea and working at the non-profit organisation Women & Democracy in the Maldives.
Once a Bondy, always a Bondy
Bond jour!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PARIS OLYMPIANS AS THEY TAKE ON THE BEST IN THE WORLD
Kiera Gazzard will represent Australia in artistic swimming (right).
PIERRE AND JEAN VAN DER WESTHUYZEN
Pierre van der Westhuyzen never had to look far for his Olympic inspiration - he grew up under the same roof as his sporting hero.
The Actuarial Science student and his Olympic champion brother Jean (class of 2018) were the first two Bondies selected for this year’s Paris Games.
“Jean is a big part of my motivation, watching him and what he did in Tokyo,” Pierre said.
“It’s awesome to share this with him, to be on a team with him.”
A lifetime following in Jean’s footsteps, or more accurately his wake, has paid off big-time with Pierre’s selection alongside his older brother in the Australian Sprint Canoe team that will race in front of an estimated 24,000-strong crowd at the Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on a stretch of the famous Seine River that flows through the centre of Paris.
The brothers will enter the games in top form after podium finishes at the 2024 Sprint Canoe World Cup in Szeged, Hungary where Jean signalled his intent to go back-to-back in Paris by claiming gold while Pierre took home a silver medal as part of the Australian K4 500m team.
Pierre, 20, will race in the K4 500m team while Jean, 25, the K2 1000m gold medallist from Tokyo, will team up with Tom Green
in the more explosive K2 500m and will back-up in the K1 1000m solo event.
“It’s been hard the last two years trying to figure out what kind of race plan is going to work for us, and we’ve had some close races and some races where we’ve been pretty disappointed,” Bachelor of Business graduate Mr van der Westhuyzen said.
“So, to have a good race, this year, leading into the Games it’s great, but we’ve still got weeks of hard work to go so that we can be even better in Paris.”
Jean also paved the way for Pierre’s non-sporting pursuits with his experience as a Bond business student (Class of 2018) and within the Bond Elite Sports Program, inspiring his little brother to enrol at his alma mater.
“The main thing about Bond was the Elite Sports Program and just how flexible they are,” Pierre said.
“Jean was able to cater his studies around training and it allowed him to balance the elements, prioritising both.
“And I have had a very similar experience.
“Being able to chase what I want in terms of sport while also getting my studies done has been really good.”
Pierre (left) and Jean van der Westhyunzen.
BEN ARMBRUSTER
For Ben Armbruster, the Olympic Trials were a perfectly executed plan.
To start with he was fit, relatively pain free and confident. Then he busted free of the nerves that usually weigh him down before his pet event, the 100m butterfly, by securing an Olympic berth in his secondary event, the 50m freestyle, when he finished second to Cameron McEvoy on day three of the trials.
“I couldn’t believe it for a little while,” he said.
“I knew that I had opened the door in the heats and all I had to do was just walk through it.
“It was a dream come true and a blur of emotions.’’
The butterfly was on the final day of racing and the 22-year-old Bond University Sports Management student produced a personal best to finish second to national record holder Matt Temple.
“Thinking about my week of racing beforehand, that is exactly how I wanted it to go, it couldn’t have gone any better,” he said.
“I usually get very nervous before a 100m butterfly because I expect a lot of myself.
“And having the weight off my chest definitely helped my performance and I was able to improve by about half a second.
“It was exactly to plan really.’’
Bull Sharks head coach Chris Mooney, who brought Armbruster with him from the Sunshine Coast when he made the move to Bond University after the Tokyo Games, described Armbruster’s selection as a “beautiful story of perseverance and character.’’
“He’s had some injuries leading into major events, and he didn’t even get to swim at the trials for the World Championships last year.
“He got the opportunity to race last week fresh and firing and he cashed in.”
The injuries were significant. Busted ribs kept him out of the water for close to three months, robbing him of the chance to swim at his first World Championships, while shoulder problems require constant attention.
“You just have to keep powering through,” Armbruster said.
“With the ribs I just had to take time out of the water even though it meant missing the chance to make the team for the World Championships.
“But it has gotten me here, so I’ll make that sacrifice any day.
“With the shoulders you just have to train smart. I have to take a bit of pressure off and look after myself and not train myself to death like I usually do.’’
He now heads to Paris with two individual swims on offer and high hopes of earning a call-up to one of the relay teams.
KIERA GAZZARD
As an artistic swimmer Kiera Gazzard can’t wait to perform on the World stage at the Paris Olympics.
And as an architecture student she is excited to see the way the Saint Denis Aquatic Centre has been cleverly designed to maximise natural light.
“The Paris venue has skylights where the natural light comes in, it’s beautiful,” said Gazzard.
Gazzard became the third Bondy after sprint canoe brothers Jean and Pierre van der Westhuyzen to be officially selected by the Australian Olympic Committee – when Deputy Chef de Mission for the 2024 Australian Olympic Team and four-time Hockey Olympian Mark Knowles announced the synchronized swimming team in Townsville.
This will be the 22-year-old ADCO Sports Excellence Scholarship recipient’s second Olympics after representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 where she finished ninth alongside her Aussie teammates. She’ll have less free time at her second games having qualified in five events – Team Free, Team Technical, Team Acrobatic, Duet Technical and Duet Free events.
The other major difference will be in the stands. While her Olympic debut at the Tokyo “Covid Games,” was a lonely affair, this time around she’ll have friends and family cheering her on.
“It will be so special to look up and see the crowds and be able to share this experience with my family,” said Gazzard.
“It’s always a privilege to represent your country. I may be biased but Australia is the best team to be a part of. Our enthusiasm for sport is something special and never ceases to amaze me.”
The Aussies enter the Olympics in great form.
Coached by Spain’s 2012 Olympic medallist Paula Klamburg, the Australian team has taken home three medals and a top five finish from the World Championships at the start of this year. The team also qualified for a final at the 2023 World Championships for the first time in 20 years.
“It was an unforgettable moment and the beginning of our successful journey to the Olympics,” said Gazzard.
She believes the strongest showing will come in the Team Free event.
“We recently came 4th and had a PB in this event at the latest World Cup in France,” she said.
“Every time we compete this routine, we improve so I can’t wait to swim it at the Olympics.”
Gazzard, who is no stranger to international competition, began competing at the World Championships in 2017, at just 15 years-of-age.
Since then, she has competed at four World Cups.
Originally hailing from Sydney, her aquatic career began between the lanes but at age eight her sporting life changed when the synchronized swimming coach at her local pool caught her eye.
“I tried it the next day, and the rest is history,” she said.
FLYNN SOUTHAM
Flynn Southam has been an Olympian in waiting almost from the moment he first jumped into a pool.
He was one of the nation’s standout high school athletes, collecting an impressive haul of medals at Junior World Championships and Pan Pacific Games and along the way claiming an age record previously held by Olympic Gold medallist Kyle Chalmers.
So extraordinary was his trajectory, he’d medalled at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships before he was old enough to buy a celebratory beer.
Now the Bond University Psychology student will team-up with Mr Chalmers in the Paris pool for Australia’s 4x100m freestyle relay – an event they joined forces in Japan last year to claim the gold medal at the World Championships.
“To make it in a relay and be given the opportunity to go over there and represent Australia at the highest level is pretty special and it is even better that I get to do it with Benny (Bond University team mate Ben Armbruster).
At 19-years-of-age Mr Southam is the baby of the Dolphins squad. What the Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence
Scholarship holder may lack in physical maturity he certainly makes up for with a steely determination, a commitment to his training and an inquisitive nature and desire to perfect his technique and race strategy that belies his age.
“Physically, I am competing against fully grown men. They’re half a head taller and 20 kilos heavier muscle wise. I think it is my mental game that has gotten me to where I am,” he said.
For Mr Southam, who has historically risen to the occasion in relays, the 4 x 100m event is the perfect place to make his Olympic debut.
“I don’t think people realise that you do lift for the relay,” Mr Southam said.
“I have had personal best swims and the best swims of my life were from relays,” Mr Southam said.
“That is because you want to represent yourself well, but there are also three other guys in that race with you, on top of an entire country that are supporting you and want to see you do well.”
ELIJAH WINNINGTON
When Elijah Winnington steps up to the blocks at the Paris’ La Defense Arena, he’ll offer up a short prayer, do a quick mental run through of all the reasons he belongs there and remind himself to have fun.
The Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholarship recipient and Bachelor of Business student clinched gold in his two pet events - the 400m and 800m freestyle - at the Australian Swimming Trials to earn a berth at his second Olympics.
He’ll also swim the 4 x 200m freestyle relay.
This year’s games offer a chance at redemption for Winnington who finished 7th in the final of the 400m freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a heartbreaking result which almost saw him give up swimming.
Linking up with mindfulness coach Glen Fisher helped him bury a few demons and rediscover his love of the sport.
“I had a really dark six months following Tokyo,” he said.
“However, my mind coach invigorated something new in me, and I was intrigued to see how I could use my experience to push me forward.
“I’ve had some great swims since Tokyo, so I think drawing on every single one of those will definitely give me some confidence knowing I’ve done it before.”
“I’m not a very superstitious or ritualistic guy but I always get on one knee before the race and say a quick prayer to relax myself.’’
Winnington heads to Paris with confidence after becoming 400m freestyle World Champion in 2022.
“I definitely feel more relaxed this time round,” said Winnington.
“I’m going into this Olympics just trying to enjoy this experience rather than trying to prove something.
“In 20 years’ time when I’m talking to my kids about the Olympic experience, I want to have fond memories and not just be results driven,” he said.
“It’s an honor to represent Australia, I think back to all the kids at home watching and dreaming to wear the green and gold one day.
“I just want to be a great role model to them.
“At the 2022 World Cup in Budapest when I won, hearing the Australian anthem was one of my favourite moments.”
JENNA STRAUCH
When she was a kid, a framed photo of Jenna Strauch (class of 2017) as a nine-year-old alongside Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Australian Olympic swimming star Giaan Rooney held pride of place in her Bendigo bedroom.
Having secured a spot in Australia’s 40-strong Paris 2024 Australian Swimming Squad, Ms Strauch has now emulated the feat of her childhood swimming idol by becoming a dual Olympian herself.
Ms Strauch, a Bond University Bachelor of Biomedical Science graduate and Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholarship recipient, won the 100m and placed second in the 200m breaststroke events at the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials in June.
Although she fell short of extraordinarily tough Australian Olympic qualifying benchmarks at the Trials, her previous achievement of the 200m qualifying standard and her victory in the 100m final were enough to see her achieve Olympic selection for a second time.
“I am relieved and incredibly honoured,” Ms Strauch said after the Paris 2024 squad was announced.
“As people are rightly pointing out, this is an incredibly talented group of athletes and it’s a privilege to be among them.”
Beset by debilitating knee problems in the selection lead up, Ms Strauch made the tough decision to sit out the World Championships in Doha earlier this year.
This meant her inclusion in the Paris 2024 squad would be heavily reliant on her performances at the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials.
In the end it was a brave and wise decision. “I’m certainly not the first athlete who has had to overcome injury,” Ms Strauch said.
“But knowing that I’ve been selected after managing my way through adversity makes booking a ticket to Paris all the more special.”
Ms Strauch is expected to again compete in her favoured 200m breaststroke. She placed 9th overall at the Tokyo Games in the 200m have missed an Olympic final berth by only a few hundredths of a second.
It’s likely she’ll also swim the breaststroke leg of the Women’s 4 x 100m Medley relay.
Australia is the reigning Olympic gold medallist and current Olympic record-holder in the event.
OMAR ABBASS
Every swimmer knows about commitment. The pre-dawn rain, hail or shine starts make sure of that.
But few can lay claim to the level of determination shown by Bond Olympian Omar Abbass. Many times, he could have been excused for giving up on his Olympic dream.
There was the day the bombs rained down on his training complex during his country’s civil war, destroying the pool and claiming four lives.
“I was swimming in a 100m training race when the first bomb went off. I jumped straight out of the pool, went to the change rooms, and got out. The first bomb hit the hotel and then the second bomb hit the pool,” he said.
“There were about 12 that went off in the attack. It killed a football player and three other people who were staying in the hotel next door.
“It was crazy. We are lucky to be alive.”
The destructive force of fire wasn’t the only challenge about training in Damascus where winter temperatures hover between five and seven degrees. With war disrupting the supply of fuel to heat the pool, Mr Abbass once had no choice but to harden up and push through icy conditions few Olympic swimmers could imagine.
Then when World Aquatics helped him to leave Syria and join a training camp in Thailand, Covid struck forcing him and his fellow athletes into strict lockdown conditions that left him without an opportunity to swim a qualifying time for the Tokyo Games.
His luck changed when Bond University signed a partnership with World Aquatics to be the Australian training base for their
scholarship athletes from developing swimming nations.
“To be in a facility like Bond University is like a dream and to even be in Australia is a dream,” he said.
However, another challenge remained – producing a personal best time at 25 years of age, which any athlete will tell you is no mean feat.
Bond Head Coach Chris Mooney, Director of Swimming Kyle Samuelson, and Development Coach Zander Hey devised a plan where he would train for the 400m with the development squad in the mornings to build endurance and then sprint with the elite program in the afternoons to work on speed.
“Everyone, the athletes and staff are super proud of Omar, and we are grateful to have him, he brings a great dynamic to our Bond team.’’
If they handed out medals for positive attitudes and gratitude, Abbass would be guaranteed a spot on the podium in Paris.
It didn’t seem possible but the widest smile at the Bond pool stretched even further when he received the official confirmation of his selection from the Syrian national swimming body.
“Going to the Olympics is the big goal for all the athletes in the world and to be an Olympian is the dream, I am very happy to have made it,” he said.
“The village is very big, it’s where we will meet all the athletes, all of them the best athletes in the world,” he said.
“It’s not something small to meet these people, so it will be pretty nice to be surrounded by some of the world’s top athletes. “
Game faces
SOME OF THE BEST SHOTS OF BOND'S ATHLETES
AROUND THE GROUNDS
1. Flynn Sweeney - This shot by Bond Newsroom photographer won a CASE Excellence Award.
2. Hollie-Kate Melia
3. Rhian Stowers
4. Andy Lovell with the women’s AFL squad picture: Brooke Sleeps Media
5. Bree Masters
6. Kaylin Van Gruenen
7. Claudia and Alyssa Bailey
8. Joshua Collett
9. Amber Reinbott
10. Ella Sabljak
