Members Interview Series

Life Member, Wally Reid

Many thanks for this interview

Wally: I have been wanting to interview you for some time. Please tell me a little about your background, leading up to you taking out membership of the Graduate Union.

If you are new to Graduate House and are reading The Graduate Union Newsletter for the first time, Graduate House marked 60 years as a Residential College in 2022. To commemorate this significant milestone, we started an interview series to learn more about our members, Residents and nonResidents.

Councillor of The Graduate Union Council, Emeritus Professor Martin Comte OAM, tirelessly conducts these interviews. In this issue, he sits Life member Lesley Wallace Reid (we call him Wal or Wally) and Resident member Okan Yildiz. Here are their stories.

I’m 88 years of age and left school in Ballarat when I was 14 and came to Melbourne and worked in an office. I also went to the Melbourne Technical College and did a diploma in accounting. When I was 16 I applied successfully for a scholarship in the Air Training Corps, and at age 20 I had the alternative career choices of accounting or aviation. I chose the latter and subsequently the Air Force paid for me to get a commercial licence. But a friend advised me to also study law at The University of Melbourne, which I did over 7 years part-time, completing it in 1968. Then the same person persuaded me to do an MBA, which I completed in 1972. Neither of these degrees was related to my flying: I embarked on them in case I should develop a medical condition that would prevent me from flying. As it happened, when the pilots’ dispute of 1989 arose – with pilots going on strike and many never returning to the air, whilst others left the country to work for airlines overseas – I had another career I could take up after having been flying for 33 years: I was employed by a solicitor. About five years later I became the manager of a fund that provides benefits for pilots who lost their licence on medical grounds. I then became the Chair of the Trustees and that led eventually to my ‘retirement’. Whilst in semi-retirement, for

13 years I served as Chairman of the Ethics Committee at the Cairnmillar Institute. Since my retirement I have kept in touch with the university through the alumni, and I play Bridge, among other activities; I’m determined to remain aware of what’s happening around me and, where possible, make some decisions about it. It was a year or so after graduating with my MBA that I joined the Graduate Union as a Life Member. At that time I didn’t have a great attraction to anything that was going on there, so I was really a Life Member in name only. My involvement only began in the last four or five years when Kerry Bennett [the CEO] asked me to come to a meeting that was involved in fundraising and that revitalised my interest in the Graduate Union. I was hopeful that there was something I could do to contribute, and I was invited to become a member of the Fundraising and Benefactions Subcommittee.

Did you receive publications etc. from the Graduate Union over the intervening years before your interest was rekindled?

My recollection is that there were some, but they were minimal.

What was the particular attraction that caused you to consider becoming more involved? Presumably there were several other organisations that you could have become active in.

I was particularly interested in what had been mentioned to me as the possibility of getting together with young graduates (principally from The University of Melbourne) to offer some focal points for discussion which we could explore or debate over a meal. This possibility suggested to me that there was a move ‘forward’ and I wanted to be part of it. Kerry was the inspiration for moving into that environment.

Tell me about your experiences on the Fundraising and Benefactions Subcommittee.

It’s an interesting area because fundraising is a challenge for any organisation. How can you persuade people to contribute to your cause? Your cause has to have more of a standing than others. In relation to the Graduate Union, I believe that people have become more inspired, as I have, to foster a younger membership –this is the way that our association will be sustained. If it keeps rumbling along in the same way as it has since I became active, it is unlikely that it will attract young graduates from the university. It has to be emphasised on these people that this is something that they can be part of and will enjoy now and into the future. We need to draw attention not only to our facilities, but also to the benefits of a graduate alumni. I am part of the alumni associated with the Law Faculty which facilitates interaction and support at different levels. Whilst such centres of activity and interest can appeal to people, a problem is that many graduates work in the city and a lunch-time arrangement is not generally feasible: a breakfast however is.

Do you think similar support and interaction is possible with Graduate Union, given that it is not discipline-focused? Why would a young graduate want to join the Graduate

Union? Wouldn’t joining their discipline-based faculty alumni be more attractive? What is (or could be) the ‘special appeal’ or ‘added benefit’ of joining the Graduate Union?

The notion of ‘cross pollination’ could be appealing: the fact that graduates, thinkers are brought together beyond their discipline base.

This is what I and some others are wrestling with. For not only do university faculties have their own alumni –universities themselves have their own, generally strong, alumni associations. Of course, when it was established in 1911 the Graduate Union functioned – to some extent at least – as the alumni association for The University of Melbourne; but this has not been the case for 50 or so years. And this raises the question of what we can offer that The University of Melbourne alumni association doesn’t. Accommodation as provided by Graduate House comes immediately to mind. But it seems to me that if we want to attract young graduates and ensure the ongoing vitality of Graduate Union, this alone will not suffice.

Can we ‘restore’ the high level of co-operation that once existed between Graduate Union and The University of Melbourne?

One of our council members, Natalie Gray, is pursuing this possibility with much vigour. There is an argument that although we claim to be an international graduate member association, we should not lose our roots that were firmly embedded in The University of

Melbourne. At the same time we can continue to pursue the international graduate membership model. Indeed, in this respect what we do is unique. The accommodation (and reciprocal accommodation) possibilities that we offer with other universities and graduates worldwide is sui generis. But I come back to the question: What can Graduate Union offer a 21 or 22-year old graduate? We need to differentiate ourselves from what the university provides. The monthly lunches, although principally attracting those who have retired, offer a great diversity in topics discussed by the speakers. It is this diversity of topics that I think can be explored more in relation to attracting young graduate members and others who are working. It is this teasing-out and sharing of thoughts across diverse topics that has potential to attract audiences and members. To refer again to ‘cross pollination’: here we have the opportunity to see something in our own speciality area of interest out of the eyes of someone from a different discipline field. This is a richness of the Graduate Union experience. We are offering people an opportunity to discuss the issues of the world in a much broader sense. Or, to put it differently, engaging in such diversity of thinking across disciplines can help us to see the world through a less narrow lens.

This makes eminent sense: thank you for expressing it so eloquently. Approximately half of our members are over the age of 60 and we realise that unless we can attract younger members our future will be in jeopardy. For this reason, and to rejuvenate the vitality of our organisation we need to start recruiting young graduate members. But if we recruit them we have to be able to offer inducements that will be immediately appealing to them and, at the same time, we need to explore possibilities for sustaining their membership. I would like to explore having Friday drinks after work once a month for young graduates, new members and others. But a challenge will be getting young people who work in the CBD (or out in the suburbs) to come to Carlton. Another possibility that I know you believe in strongly is the possibility afforded by mentoring of young graduates.

The mentoring process could involve utilising the diverse skills of our mid-career or retired members to engage with young graduates and residents. This could be done in several ways: ‘pairing’ a mentor to a young graduate or resident, and meeting over lunch or dinner or some other time; or arranging special speakers to address ‘suggested’ areas of interest, and so on.

We have a wealth of experience among our members of all ages, many of whom – particularly those who are middle aged or older – also have the time to mentor younger people. There is a potential ‘connection’ possible to share with young people the wealth and breadth of experience of our members.

I don’t necessarily see the provision of scholarships as an inducement for taking out membership. When it comes to scholarships we have to ask what we will get back. I do like the idea of having a membership pin or badge, which I know you are pushing. And I like having a competition and giving a prize for the best design. A challenge will to be to make it identifiable. (In fact, there was an attempt to have a pin some years back, but sadly nothing came of it.)

Imagine if we did have a Graduate Union pin and you are wearing it, and someone asks what it represents. What would you say?

The pin represents the value that I hold for the Graduate Union, a graduate membership association which, although affiliated with The University of Melbourne, is international. The pin signifies the possibility of camaraderie and reciprocal accommodation benefits in universities here and overseas. It also signifies cross-disciplinary exchange and dialogue, and a broadening of my horizons with graduates anywhere.

Wal, you have inspired me. Thank you! *****

Resident member

Okan Yildiz

Thank you for this interview, Okan. You have told me that you were born in Switzlerland, where you parents migrated from Turkey some years before. And I understand you are in Australia under a visiting scholar scheme to further your doctoral research from your university in Switzerland. You have been undertaking some work at The University of Melbourne since you arrived last November (during which time you lived in Graduate House), and are now spending some months at The University of New South Wales before returning to Switzerland later this year to complete your PhD studies.

Yes, there are some professors at both universities in Melbourne and Sydney who are experts in the interdisciplinary field I am researching – which involves both law and economics. I’m so pleased that some of these important contacts were arranged for me before I came to Australia – it has made my studies here even more productive and enjoyable. I have had access to a ‘hotspot’ of experts in Melbourne, and now in Sydney. In fact, my main supervisor in Sydney has already put me in touch with several other key people in the field I am studying. Likewise, having been able to arrange accommodation at Graduate House before I even arrived in Melbourne made my time there so easy. Being associated with the university, I assumed it would be of a high standard – looking back at it I was not wrong. I’m in Sydney until the beginning of July.

I’m pleased to hear that you believe you made the right decision in choosing Graduate House.

Yes, definitely the right choice. But I did not like the restricted hours for breakfast and dinner. I would like both of them to be extended. Certainly, coming from Europe, I’m not accustomed to eating dinner so early. However, I have really enjoyed making a specific group of friends –and given that some of us live relatively close to each other in Europe, we might even catch-up when we return to our respective countries. I met so many friendly people from the first day I arrived. There was never a sense of “we just sleep and eat here and then go on to university”: we did stuff together; we made the most of our stay in Melbourne. And it was such a positive surprise to find members, including Council members, who have a long history with Graduate Union and Graduate House, and who come here often and engage with the residents.

This is lovely to hear. How can we make the experience even better? How should we market Graduate House?

I think it would be good to really emphasise that PhD students and others are welcome to come for a short stay – it’s not only for students coming for the entire academic year. Somehow, get across the message that Graduate House is not like ‘normal’ university housing: I felt a much stronger sense of ‘connection’ at Graduate House. Part of this was because it is not primarily for undergraduate students; at the graduate level there is a difference between the ‘needs’ of younger students compared to those who are older. So if I were to give any advice, I would suggest that you revisit the information you provide on the internet – emphasise more the possibility of short-term stays and the different demographic from normal university accommodation colleges.

Tell me a little about some of the experiences you had whilst staying at Graduate House. What sorts of things did you and your new group of friends do?

Oh, there are several things. One group of people went together to Tasmania and other places. But we also organised short trips to places like Wilson’s Prom, for example. We camped – and even though we weren’t prepared for camping we still did it, and it turned out to be fun. And we organised other trips as well, including one to Ocean Grove for some surfing (well, it was at least an attempt at it). Another time we rented a car to see the Southern Lights, but didn’t see them – so we went star gazing instead! It was fun.

I understand that now you’re in Sydney you intend to go swimming with the sharks?

Yes, and I also plan to go scuba diving on The Great Barrier Reef, as well as visiting Kakadu National Park. And before returning to Switzerland I will visit New Zealand and Indonesia. After that I will concentrate on finishing my PhD. I plan to hand in my thesis at the end of this year or the first month of 2024. After that I will have a 12-month internship working in the legal field – and then take the bar exams. Other possibilities will then open-up, including working as a lawyer, continuing as an academic or becoming a judge, but I won’t force myself into any of these: it will have to be something that I’m really interested in; I have an open mind on that.

Okan, I’m sure all of the Graduate House community wish you well not only in your PhD studies, but in your future employment. I have no doubt that you will be success in whatever you do.

Thank you very much.