Welcome and Happy Festive Season from IH! It's hard to believe that Christmas is fast approaching once again. All of us at International House (IH) wish you a wonderful holiday season. We extend a warm welcome to the new Rotary Club executive and thank all Rotarians who visited IH in 2019. Planning commenced on IH in 1955 through the Rotary Club of Brisbane, as part of the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Rotary International. Brief History of IH On 15 June 1963, the Administrator of Queensland, Sir Alan Mansfield, unveiled the foundation stone for the
residential college. According to institutional biographer Basil Shaw's authoritative account, “Eight years of erratic progress were over. They were years marked by expressions of racism and opposition in some quarters at the university; by bureaucratic red tape; by poor public recognition; and, despite the dedication of the fundraisers, by desultory financial responses and poor returns. (Yet it was)… determined that International House would open by March 1965. A lot had to be achieved in a short time."
Bert Martin saw the project thorough to completion. As district governor of Rotary International District 35, he was president of the Council of International House for the period 1955 to 1962, and retained that position until the committee was replaced by the Board of Governors as the executive body of the council in June 1962. He became president of the Board of Governors in 1963, holding this office until 1986, thus completing thirty years of service to International House. When International House opened in 1965, Dr Ivor Cribb was appointed its first warden.
John and Mary-Rose Boyd with IH Director Dr Carla Tromans
eNewsletter October 2019
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Bert Martin
The Exciting New IH Website is Live! Check out our brand new International House website, you might even recognise a few familiar faces. The website has been designed to offer potential Australian and International residents a more user-friendly experience and to more accurately reflect the fresh, fun, relaxed, modern, and most importantly welcoming vibe at IH. The website also better showcases our recently refurbished rooms and bathrooms, in part thanks to a legacy of generous funding from Rotary Clubs. Check out www.inthouse.uq.edu.au and we invite clubs to promote our inclusive, on-campus UQ global community. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ihouseuq
#doitinadress
IH FUNDRAISING #redfrogsau
Housies (IH residents) raised funds for a variety of causes in 2019, from Red Frogs Australia to One Girl's, Do It In A Dress - a charity challenging people to wear a dress for those who can't. Do It In A Dress runs annually with global fundraisers supporting programs that help harness the power of education for girls and young women in Sierra Leone and Uganda. In June, Housies and IH Director, Dr Carla Tromans attended the Red Frogs Australia Fundraising Gala. Housies presented Andy Gourley aka Boss Frog, with a cheque for $1200 from the IH Student Club. Funds were raised for various Red Frog volunteer networks that provide direct relief to young people, including over $50,000 towards their University Program.
Rotarians Support IH/UQ Indigenous Tertiary Program Housies continued to mentor Indigenous teens in 2019 through IH's partnership with the innovative UQ tertiary awareness program - InspireU. The Indigenous secondary school students stayed in the iconic IH towers during a series of UQ camps throughout the year. We thank Rotarians from Brisbane clubs for their ongoing support of InspireU, especially by attending our Indigenous Bara Khana formal dinners.
Toowong Club Changeover Dinner In June, International House (IH) hosted Toowong Rotary Club and guests to celebrate its annual Changeover Dinner. Rotary has a long legacy and historic association with IH and its support has been instrumental in sustaining the growth of our wonderful Housie home for 'Aussie' and International residents. We thank Toowong Rotary for choosing IH for their special event.
2019 SCHOLARSHIPS IH Scholarship and Bursary recipients received their awards during an official presentation ceremony following the annual Brotherhood Brunch in May. Two new scholarships were introduced this year. The Chartwells Housie Scholarship which supports the IH vision to create a global community of connected, capable and compassionate young leaders. Minh Quang Le was presented this award by Chartwells State Manager, Jenny White. Resident Johnathan Lau received the Academy Services Scholarship. This award supports Housies with the cost of living at IH (on-campus UQ in a welcoming and inclusive community). Johnathan was presented his scholarship by Sandun Dewage from Academy Services.
RESIDENT ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR In 2019 IH introduced a new position called Resident Activities Coordinator (RAC), a paid role performed by a Housie to create more cross-cultural events and activities into the in house college calendar. Second-year Vietnamese resident, Minh Quang Le carried out this task with infectious enthusiasm, rallying volunteers for his many exciting events. Minh packed the year with activities including, multicultural food festivals, casual language classes, international games like Chinese favourite Mahjong, and Suikawari ( a traditional Japanese game of splitting watermelon with a stick while blindfolded). There were plenty of Aussie experiences too, like thong tossing competitions, lamington making, and backyard cricket on G-Lawn. Housies could also sign up for exciting Brisbane excursions to explore their new city. Minh also asked Housies to share their own national customs with the rest of the cohort.
スイカ割り
"Together we made IH super cool! The more you put in, the more you get back. Participation = awesome Housie memories that last a lifetime.” Minh
It is the generous support from Rotary that continues to make IH feel like home for Housies SPONSOR A ROOM FUND A SCHOLARSHIP TARGET HALF $10,000 $6,000| FULL $22,000
SPONSOR A ROOM $6,000
2020 OPPORTUNITIES Host a Club meeting at IH in 2020 and give your members a multicultural evening of delicious global cuisine from our catering team and a chance to meet our 'Aussie' and International residents. If you can't make it out to us our Housies can come to your Rotary club to share their unique stories about why they choose to live at IH. www.internationalhouse.uq.edu.au Contact: sliu@inthouse.uq.edu.au