TRINITY TODAY T H E
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THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
TAKING THE LEAD Women in the church LEST WE FORGET Commemorating the Armistice TOGETHER WE STAND Indigenous higher education
The sound of heaven Trinity’s choir goes global
TRINIT Y TODAY DIRECTORY
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN Email your feedback about our new-look Trinity Today by 1 February 2019 to tt@trinity.unimelb.edu.au and go in the draw to win a $100 Myer voucher (drawn 8 February 2019). Write to us at: Marketing, Communications and Events Trinity College 100 Royal Parade Parkville VIC 3052 Stay up-to-date with Trinity College news at trinity.unimelb.edu.au MANAGING EDITOR Emily McAuliffe Communications Manager, Trinity College EDITOR Simon Mann Mediaxpress DESIGNER Bill Farr Mediaxpress CONTRIBUTORS Dr Peter Campbell Theological School Registrar, Trinity College Ruby Crysell (née Ponsford) (TC 1981) Engagement and Alumni Relations Manager, Trinity College Michelle Fincke Freelance Writer Tim Flicker Careers and Alumni Coordinator, Trinity College Tom Grills (TC 2017) 2018-19 Senior Student, Trinity College The Honourable David Harper AM (TC 1963) President of the Union of the Fleur-de-Lys Professor Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976) Warden and CEO, Trinity College Tim Lane Sports Journalist Sarah Lawrie Director of Marketing, Communications and Events, Trinity College Dr Michelle H Lim (TCFS 1996) Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Swinburne University Claire Shearwood Marketing Assistant, Trinity College Rosemary Sheludko Freelance Writer Dr Benjamin Thomas Rusden Curator, Cultural Collections, Trinity College Ted Wyles (TC 2016) 2017-18 Senior Student, Trinity College PHOTOGRAPHY Latitude Architects; Trinity College Cultural Collections; Nicola Dracoulis; Kit Haselden; Emily McAuliffe; Steve McKenzie; Cole Bennetts; Trinity College student photographers; supplied imagery from staff, students, alumni and friends of the college.
TAKING THE LEAD
How does gender balance apply to the church? 20
Information in this magazine was understood to be correct at the time of printing. Views expressed in Trinity Today do not necessarily reflect the views of Trinity College. We acknowledge and pay respect to the people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land upon which our college is situated. We pay our respects to all the Elders of Indigenous students who call Trinity home. We also acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and members of the Trinity College community, the University of Melbourne and the wider world. Trinity Today is printed on HannoArt Plus, which is manufactured using low environmental impact FSC certified pulps in a facility that is ISO 14001 Environmental Management System accredited.
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THE SOUND OF HEAVEN The Choir of Trinity College tours Europe and the UK again. 14
TOGETHER WE STAND Putting Indigenous education on the right side of the tracks. 10
TRINITY TODAY WARDEN’S MESSAGE
Planning for future successes
OUR COVER: Marion Wilson singing in the Choir of Trinity College
College news Senior Students Staff appointments The campus Armistice Day Through the generations My Trinity Connect Thanking our donors Cordner Oration Foundation Studies alumni Fleur-de-Lys Alum of the Year Alumni profiles Expert word Honours & alumni galleries Obituaries Crossword Annual giving 2018
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As 2018 draws to a close, I have been reflecting on another exceptional year at Trinity. We’ve been working hard to reshape the College in a way that secures our long-term success for future generations to enjoy, while remaining dedicated to our history and the strong foundations of Trinity College. Some of our current strategic projects, which you can read about on the following pages, include expansion of the Residential College, further development of our Indigenous programs, growing our scholarship offering, and positioning ourselves as leaders in theological research. We’ve also demonstrated our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our students by commissioning an independent review of the Residential College culture. In this way, we can be sure our community is one that lets people grow and flourish as we collectively strive to create a better world. I look forward to working with the leadership team, including our new members (see pages 8 & 9), as these projects continue in 2019, and bid a warm farewell to Campbell Bairstow and Denise Bush, to whom I am exceptionally grateful for their contributions to the College. Finally, you may notice Trinity Today has a new look, which forms part of our efforts to refine and refresh the Trinity brand. We welcome your feedback on the design and any of the topics and projects covered in the magazine, so please don’t hesitate to email us your thoughts. Professor Ken Hinchcliff Warden and CEO
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TRINIT Y TODAY COLLEGE NEWS
THE YEAR
COMMUNITY TIES
The Trinity College Outreach Society’s charity gala raised more than $6000. Funds were donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Vampire Shield blood drives and The Smith Family tutoring program. Mental health and wellbeing were also in the spotlight with trained mental health reps holding focused chats at Trinity to support residents.
Inaugural Arts Festival Trinity College held its first Arts Festival in September. This was an opportunity for our resident performers to sing, dance and act for their fellow Trinitarians, while an exhibition showed off the College’s artistic talent. The day was sweetened with ice-cream and wine tasting.
Wine not Members of Trinity’s wine club toured the Mornington Peninsula in semester one, then tasted their way around the Yarra Valley in semester two.
ROCKING OUT TRINITY RAN SECOND IN THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS COMPETITION WITH A ROCKING FUNK‑STYLE PERFORMANCE. 4
Play time Trinity performed the play Rhinoceros, which follows the
character of Bérenger (played by Joe Carbone) as other inhabitants of his small French town turn into rhinos.
F LA SHB ACK In 1898, Trinity performed the Alcestis of Euripdes at the Melbourne Town Hall, in its original Greek, accompanied by 100 choral voices from the Melbourne Liedertafel and led by renowned musician and composer Professor Marshall-Hall. It was the first Greek tragedy to be performed in Victoria. Trinity students returned to the Town Hall a century later to perform the Alcestis in 1998.
Speak now
The Dialectic Society had some fun, kicking off the fresher debate with the argument that then Senior Student, Ted Wyles (pictured), should take on Campbell Bairstow’s job when he retires. As convincing as the argument was, the opposing team won and the College appointed Leonie Jongenelis as the new Dean of the Residential College instead (see page 8). Read more about Campbell’s departure on page 10. The society also held its inaugural Dialectic Dinner to debate Australian public policy with alumnus and CEO of the Grattan Institute, John Daley.
WE’RE THE VOICE
The Candystripes booked some of their first gigs at birthdays and work functions to take the voice of Trinity far and wide. The Tiger Tones made a great fundraising effort and raised $10 000 for charity Beyond Blue. The boys also recorded at Abbey Road Studios in Melbourne and are preparing for a UK tour in December.
TRINITY TODAY
THAT WAS
TRINITY FOR THE WIN WOMEN
MEN
The Trinity ladies played hard this year, going head-to-head in a number of finals and semis. The girls claimed AFL victory, winning their third premiership in a row with an impressive 36–0 win against Ormond, and also took out the basketball premiership. In softball, the girls lost the grand final to St Hilda’s 3–18, and were narrowly pipped by Ormond in touch rugby and by Kendall in the volleyball. The women ran second in the semis in squash and netball; and in the hockey, where they were beaten by Queens in a penalty shoot out. They placed second in athletics.
The gents at Trinity had an impressive sporting year, making the finals in a number of sports. The men’s firsts won the cricket grand final chasing down 105 set by St Hilda’s in 18 overs, while the men’s hockey team made the grand final but lost 2–1 to Ormond. The eights won the firsts rowing regatta, beating Queens and Ormond in the final, and the volleyball team took out the final in straight sets against University College. In AFL, the guys lost by a narrow seven points to Ormond in the grand final, and also came second in the rugby final. They narrowly lost the basketball grand final by four points.
COLLEGE NEWS
F LA SHB ACK
Here’s a shot from the Portsea to Parkville tricycle race 40 years ago of Fred Grimwade (TC 1977) – father of current student Russell – posing on his trike, along with other members of the 1978 Trike Race Committee.
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TRINIT Y TODAY COLLEGE NEWS
Nakata Brophy winner Raelee Lancaster, who was raised on Awabakal land and has ties to the Wiradjuri nation, won the 2018 Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers. Her winning poem haunted house explores hauntings on the land, in homes and within people. Raelee won $5000, publication in Overland magazine and a three-month writing residency at Trinity College. Runnersup were Kirli Saunders for her poem A dance of hands, and Susie Anderson for Revolve.
Barring-bul exhibition This year our Professor Sir Joseph Burke Gallery in the Gateway Building exhibited a collection of Indigenous artworks from communities across the Northern Territory and Victoria in collaboration with the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS). The exhibition featured the work of high-profile artists such as Regina Wilson, Timothy Cook and Wukun Wanambi, with art sales supporting an inaugural MITS scholarship for a young Indigenous student. The exhibition, co-curated by Trinity’s Rusden Curator Dr Benjamin Thomas with MITS, was part of our commitment to improving Indigenous education and showcases the Burke Gallery as an important cultural space for the College and greater community.
Trinity College instigated the national Nakata Brophy competition in 2014 to recognise talented young Indigenous writers. The annual competition alternates between fiction and poetry and is open to Indigenous writers under 30 years. The 2019 fiction competition will open on 1 December 2018.
INDIGENOUS EDUCATION OUTCOMES
CAPITAL WORKS PROJECTS
Trinity’s second biennial Indigenous Higher Education Conference (23–24 November) is designed to bring educators, researchers, policymakers, students and the community together to discuss how to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students at university. Professor Shaun Ewen will chair the conference and Professor Marcia Langton AM is the conference ambassador. Keynote speakers include leaders in Indigenous education and policy from the University of British Columbia in Canada, the Arctic University of Norway, the University of Melbourne and Monash University.
As part of our strategic plan, and as reflected in the campus development framework plan, several building initiatives began this year and will continue in 2019. These support our ongoing commitment to provide the best facilities for students and staff. Projects include expansion of the Residential College to support an additional 100 students (read more on page 17) and associated plans for an extension of the Dining Hall. We are also working to consolidate Trinity’s leased off-campus Pathways School properties to create a unified second campus.
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TRINITY TODAY SENIOR STUDENTS
Meet incoming Senior Student Tom Grills What are you studying? A Bachelor of Agriculture, majoring in agricultural economics. What is your first memory of Trinity? My first significant memory of Trinity is from day one of O-Week. Looking out over our first-year cohort collected on the Bulpadock, I found it unimaginable that among that group of people I would develop the lifelong Trinity friendships I had been told about. Two years later, I’m lucky to have developed some of my closest and most valued friends from among that group. What’s been your most memorable moment at Trinity since then? A very memorable moment of my College experience was a Wednesday Karaoke Bar night this year in the Junior Common Room. My favourite act of the night was a student performance of Pitbull’s Hotel Room Service – it was enthusiastic and hilarious. It’s special that Trinity is the kind of place where people feel comfortable putting themselves out there, in any setting, and that people will support them in doing so. Why did you decide to run for Senior Student? In my Senior Student application I spoke about watching a lot of World Cup games over winter break. I was captivated by the tournament and found myself reflecting on what it is that makes an effective team. I recognised that the traits of the best soccer teams are consistent with those of the best college – Trinity. This includes a positive and supportive environment that people want to be part of, a culture that celebrates and encourages the development of passions and skills, and a desire to excel as individuals
and as a community. The reason I applied for Senior Student is because I believe Trinity has the opportunity to become an even better team, and I want to lead that action. What issue do you feel most passionate about at the College and why? The broad issue the TCAC group and I are most passionate about is fostering a positive sense of community. Our principal objective is to support an environment where students, staff and alumni feel connected with their College and one another. Come the end of next year, what will success look like to you? In applying for Senior Student I was very clear about my vision for the College and the plans I wanted to implement to address the concerns of students. These include getting students more involved in decision making, encouraging new ideas and funding initiatives through student forums, and supporting the development of – and attendance at – events. I have genuine belief in these plans, and when students voted for these ideas, they indicated they do too. Success for me will be effectively implementing all of these things. If you were to return to Trinity in 10 years’ time, what would you hope to see? I’m confident Trinity will continue to expand and develop over the next decade. What I hope is never lost is the close sense of community, which is so important and unique to Trinity. Whatever the College may look like in 10 years’ time, if I see students greeting everyone they pass, I’ll know the best and most important part of Trinity has been preserved.
A message from outgoing Senior Student Ted Wyles When I first came to Trinity, I tried to identify the underlying ideals that made the place so special. What was it that made everyone feel so at home and gave them the confidence to launch into the next stage of life? I concluded that it’s largely because there are no boundaries or barriers to anyone’s experience at Trinity – each and every person who walks onto the Bulpadock has the chance to pursue any experience and opportunity they desire. These experiences often come from peerto-peer learning and the way in which each individual tries to grow not only themselves, but also those around them. A great example of a barrier Trinity breaks down is age. As a group of almost 300 students aged between 18–22 years, we’re often pigeonholed by society. Stereotypes suggest we avoid responsibility, wake up late, and leave essays to the last minute. While some of these typecasts may be true, it’s here at Trinity that age is transcended by the pursuit of excellence, and there are so many examples of this happening every day. This includes producing musicals and plays of an extremely high calibre, students creating their own social enterprises, and Indigenous students creating incredible initiatives to ensure the opportunity they have can be reaped by many others. As I face the prospect of moving out into the big world, I truly appreciate how lucky I have been to have lived in a place where the opportunity to learn, grow and make a difference has played out in the rooms around me.
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TRINIT Y TODAY STAF F AP P OI NTME NTS
Trinity looks forward to welcoming the following people to their new positions in January 2019
L E O NIE J O NG ENE LI S D E A N O F T HE RE S IDE NTIAL COL L E GE Leonie will join us from Perth, where she is Dean of Residential Life at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education with honours from the University of Western Australia, and later completed a Master of Educational Management. Leonie is the current chair of the Western Australian Boarding Schools Association, a board member of the National Australian Boarding Schools Association and a committee member of the Centenary Trust of the University of Western Australia. She is also passionate about working with a diversity of students in non-traditional settings and has taught in the Northern Territory and within the Western Australian justice system.
RE V E RE ND D R RO BE RT (BO B) D E RRE NBACK ER DE AN OF THE THE OLOGICAL S CHOOL Bob joins us from Thorneloe University – an Anglican college federated with Laurentian University in Sudbury, Canada, where he has served as President, Provost and Vice-Chancellor. Bob has a PhD in New Testament Studies from the University of St Michael’s College at the University of Toronto, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College. In his position as chair of CUAC – a global network of colleges and universities of the Anglican communion – he has travelled to Japan, Korea, India and, in November 2015, to Australia and Trinity College, where he attended the Rowan Williams lecture delivered by former prime minister Kevin Rudd. Outside theology, Bob is a big U2 fan, having seen the band in concert 16 times.
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TRINITY TODAY Read more about new staff appointments at trinity.unimelb.edu.au
S C OT T CHARLE S DE PU T Y WARDE N
DR JESSA RO G E R S (WIRADJU R I) INAU G UR A L DI R ECTO R OF THE I N DI G EN O US HI GHER EDUCATI O N C E N T R E
Our current Director of Advancement, known to most as Scotty, will be adding the role of Deputy Warden to his portfolio upon the retirement of Campbell Bairstow at the end of the year. Scotty is a Trinity alumnus and former Senior Student, so is well versed in all things Trinity. He also has strong existing relationships with our staff and students across the three College divisions and is playing a key role in implementing Trinity’s strategic objectives.
Jessa is currently Project Director of the Indigenous Education and Research Strategy at the University of New England, and was previously an Indigenous Studies fellow at Harvard University. She completed a PhD in Indigenous Studies at ANU in 2017. Jessa has been recognised as a Fulbright Scholar, National NAIDOC Young Person of the Year and received the ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Reconciliation in 2014. She is a member of the Australian Government’s Expert Committee on English Language Literacy for Indigenous Children and the Australian Academy of Science’s Future Earth Advisory Committee.
R IC H AR D P I CKE RS G I LL D E A N O F THE PAT HWAYS S CHOOL Richard will come to Trinity from Haileybury – Australia’s largest independent school, which has four campuses in Melbourne, one campus in Darwin and an international campus just outside Beijing. During his time at Haileybury, Richard established a VCE‑in-China program, which has since expanded into East Timor and the Philippines. Richard completed his Master of Education at the University of Melbourne in 2016 and has a passion for student wellbeing and development.
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TRINIT Y TODAY INDIGENOUS PROGRAMS
Together we stand A passion for supporting Indigenous students in higher education marked Campbell Bairstow’s term as Trinity’s Dean of the Residential College, writes Emily McAuliffe. Campbell Bairstow (centre) with students (from left) Will Smith, Aleisha Scanlon, Jacob Cubis and Khan Vocale
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From a young age, Campbell Bairstow was bothered by a sense of injustice. As a boy growing up in country Western Australia in the 1960s, he remembers the inexplicable transience of his Indigenous classmates. One day they’d be sitting next to him; a few weeks later they’d be gone. While he may not have understood the significance of this phenomenon at the time, it later became clear that hundreds of Aboriginal families were regularly moving around the country in search of work, housing and security, with many relegated to the ‘other side of the tracks’ in neglected public housing. As he grew older and began to comprehend the strained relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, he knew things had to change. Fast forward to 2007 and Campbell found himself appointed Dean of the Residential College at Trinity, having been invited back after an acting role a couple of years earlier. Given his leadership position among bright students and driven colleagues, he was determined to continue growing the College’s commitment to Indigenous education. Campbell is quick to acknowledge that a strong Indigenous program was
TRINIT Y TODAY INDIGENOUS PROGRAMS
already in place at Trinity, driven largely by former Director of Development Clare Pullar and the late Honourable Peter Gebhardt, an alumnus, both of whom were passionate advocates for equality in education. Campbell wanted to maintain this momentum under his deanship and quotes the words of a former student as best capturing the culture he wanted to create. ‘I remember one night at dinner an Indigenous student got up and said, “Our ambition as an institution should be that people like me being here becomes something nobody notices”,’ Campbell recalls. ‘It always stuck with me because I believe our students, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, should very much be as one.’
A P RO G R AM FO R CHANG E During his 11 years as dean, Campbell supported a range of programs to help Indigenous students access higher education. He played a pivotal role in the development, governance and leadership of the Bachelor of Arts Extended and, later, the Bachelor of Science Extended – transition degrees for Indigenous students delivered by the University of Melbourne (with a number of classes taught by Trinity teachers). Trinity has also taken students on various trips to engage with remote Aboriginal communities. This includes the Yothu Yindi Foundation’s Garma festival and a former program run in the town of Minyerri, 270 kilometres east of Katherine, where Trinity students worked alongside Aboriginal primary
school children. Following the 2008 Minyerri tour, a group of Trinitarians established the not-for-profit organisation Teach About (rebranded as Titjimbat), which encourages students in remote Northern Territory communities to complete secondary school and even dare to dream of university. It’s proof these tours can inspire real change. Central to the College’s progress has also been the remarkable support of many benefactors, alumni, corporations and charitable trusts, which have been inspired and encouraged by Trinity’s leadership and vision in Indigenous education. Campbell says he always knew he had allies in the Trinity and wider communities, who would step forward to support the College in its quest to
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TRINIT Y TODAY INDIGENOUS PROGRAMS
improve education outcomes for young Indigenous Australians. Campbell cites pastoral care as being of utmost importance in supporting Indigenous students through their education. ‘Appointment of our fulltime Indigenous Support Officer is emblematic of this and shows the level of our commitment,’ he says, referring to Tammy Kingi, who joined Trinity in January 2018. Tammy’s role involves assisting Indigenous students with their academic studies and funding support, while also providing pastoral care and helping to develop a sense of community and belonging. It’s a role she finds extremely rewarding, yet sometimes challenging given the diversity of students, who are drawn from many backgrounds. The diversity seen within Trinity’s small but growing cohort of Indigenous students (currently 23) is similar to that seen in broader society, but where ‘Indigenous’ itself tends to be a catchall for hundreds of different languages, customs and cultures. Finding ways to engage this diverse group in higher education is part of the challenge, so outreach programs are important to help Indigenous students from around Australia, and even internationally, realise the support available to them at Trinity. Tammy praises Campbell for his leadership, crediting him as having provided the backbone of the program and someone who actually gets out and talks to Indigenous people and communities. ‘At Trinity, we focus on genuine engagement, and that’s something to be proud of,’ says Tammy. ‘For instance, Campbell isn’t just referred to as “that white fella from Melbourne” in Indigenous communities, they actually know him as “Campbell from Trinity”.’ Campbell’s personal touch was appreciated by alumnus Jerome Cubillo, who joined the Trinity family in 2009. ‘I was just a kid from Darwin who came to country Victoria to play footy,’ says Jerome. ‘I threw in an application for uni and found out during O-Week that I’d been accepted into the Bachelor of
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Tammy Kingi and Campbell Bairstow.
Arts Extended program, but I didn’t have anywhere to live.’ People at the University of Melbourne Indigenous centre, Murrup Barak, suggested he call Campbell. ‘I coldcalled Campbell and he told me to come in on Sunday. It was a three-hour train ride and I met him on the Bulpadock for a chat. He said he didn’t have any places free, but would let me know if anything changed in the next day or two,’ says Jerome, remembering the sense of awe he felt looking at the grounds. ‘On the Monday, Campbell called to say, “Pack your things and get back on the train; I’ve found a place for you”.’ Jerome went on to become Trinity’s first Indigenous member of the TCAC and later returned to Darwin to work as a senior associate in PwC’s Indigenous consulting unit after having started a career with the firm in Melbourne. He’s now working with the Northern Territory Government to draft policy recommendations that help people
‘I’d like to know that students who come to Trinity at least understand, and hopefully embrace, our work towards building a reconciled and purposeful nation.’ living in Indigenous communities across the NT. The important role he’s playing in supporting Aboriginal Australians can largely be traced back to Trinity, where he credits the people and support structures, such as the library, scholarships and tutoring programs, for helping him become the first in his family to graduate from university. For others in Jerome’s situation who are looking to break the mould, it can sometimes be simply a case of planting
TRINITY TODAY INDIGENOUS PROGRAMS GARM A As part of Trinity’s Indigenous program, six students attended Garma in the Northern Territory this year. The festival aims to be Australia’s Indigenous equivalent of the World Economic Forum, engaging business leaders, politicians, academics, journalists and students in discussions about key issues affecting Indigenous Australians.
‘Garma is an amazing festival and I would like to thank the Yolngu people for welcoming us to their country, the Yothu Yindi Foundation for facilitating the event, and Trinity College for giving students the opportunity to attend.’
the seeds of possibility. ‘For many young Indigenous people, there isn’t a natural progression to university within your family,’ says Jerome. ‘You grow up not thinking or even knowing about the potential opportunities a tertiary education can bring, and that’s why the programs at Trinity can be so important.’ IN TO THE FU T U R E Campbell recognises that some people might find Trinity’s strident focus on Indigenous education curious, but believes strongly that it is the way of the future. ‘Institutionally, we’re very secure about who we are and where we’re going, and if that’s not what some think Trinity is, that’s okay, because I’m sure similar comments were made 40 years ago when we went co-ed,’ he says. ‘As a college, we want to help young people of exceptional promise to imagine and create a better world. What better illustration is there of that opportunity than this sort of work?’
Looking ahead, Campbell places much hope on Trinity’s students to help drive reconciliation. He recalls a graduate medical student recently speaking at a College dinner, asking why, and how, an affluent country such as Australia could have such disproportionate incidences of youth suicide, Type II diabetes and other public health issues among its Indigenous population. ‘I would hope all the young adults who were in the Dining Hall that night are thinking about that now. Ideally, some of them will do something about it, as we know many of these people will end up in positions of influence.’ So, what’s Campbell’s parting wish for the College? ‘I’d like to know that students who come to Trinity at least understand, and hopefully embrace, our work towards building a reconciled and purposeful nation,’ he says. ‘For non-Indigenous students, I hope that part of their Trinity experience is about
NATHAN HUCKER (2ND YEAR)
‘Garma is such a unique learning experience, although not easy at times. The festival is all encompassing and immerses you in both cultural practice and political forums. This year’s theme of ‘truth telling’ ran through all parts of the festival and exemplified the need for change in health and education outcomes for Indigenous Australians.’
NINA BROWN (2ND YEAR)
grasping the beauty and opportunity Indigenous Australia presents.’ In a final comment, Campbell loops it all back to that visionary Indigenous student who appealed for a society that erases the notion of us and them. ‘When Indigenous Australians in higher education are recognised in a way that they are an important part of the fabric and normal practice of our institution, I think we will have done our job.’
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TRINIT Y TODAY COVER STORY
The Choir of Trinity College soared to new heights in 2018, returning to Europe two decades after its first international tour.
THE SOUND BY E M ILY McAU LI F F E
When Bachelor of Music student Pip McQuinn applied to join Trinity’s choir in 2017 – a decision based on the choir’s reputation – the last thing she expected was to hear her voice and those of 25 fellow choristers echoing in the chambers of Windsor Castle. But in her second year of College that’s exactly what happened when the Choir of Trinity College toured Europe and the UK for several weeks in June and July. While vocally blessed Trinitarians have graced the abodes of British royalty before, along with prominent venues in countries such as Hong Kong, Russia and the United States, the choir had been on a touring hiatus for a number of years. That was until Trinity’s Director of Music, Christopher Watson, joined the College in 2017 determined to kick things off again. ‘The tours aren’t just fun, but in 20 years’ time, they’re probably what students will remember the most,’ says Christopher. ‘It could be the reason people stay engaged with the
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College into the future. On top of that, the College itself benefits as we get to promote ourselves culturally. The fact I’d heard of Trinity when I was living in the UK, and so had most of my colleagues in Europe, is because of the choir.’ As confirmation of Trinity choir’s international standing, Christopher moved to Melbourne from Oxford in the United Kingdom specifically for the opportunity to work with the group. ‘I’d heard the [Trinity] choir singing in Europe and had some of their CDs,’ he says. The model adopted by Trinity is rare in the southern hemisphere, with its dedication to creating a professional college chapel choir more common to the UK and Europe. Believing Trinity’s choir to be on a par with similar groups in Cambridge and Oxford, Christopher decided it was something he wanted to be a part of. A S T RO NG T RAD I T I O N The secret to Trinity choir’s success is not so much a secret – it’s practise. ‘One of the reasons the choir is so professional is because we sing day
in, day out,’ says Christopher, of the choir’s demanding 10-hour per week commitment. ‘We sing in the Chapel when it’s just God and someone’s granny and we sing when the place is full. It’s that repetitive nature that makes the choir so good.’ The choir has been honing its craft for a long time, having been established during Trinity’s early days in the late 1800s, before being shaped into its current, more professional form around 1975. When Michael Leighton Jones joined Trinity as Director of Music in 1997 he recognised the choir’s potential and decided it was time to take Trinity to the world. The first international tour was to the UK the following year. ‘Our first big tour generated a great deal of excitement,’ remembers Michael. ‘Saying you’d sung in Westminster Abbey is the sort of thing you’d tell your grandchildren.’ Belinda Wong, a student on that first tour, recalls arriving with a mix of excitement and panic. ‘It was nothing a pint couldn’t fix though,’ she laughs. ‘I remember being at Westminster
OF HEAVEN Abbey and wondering who had walked through the cloisters before us.’ Singing at the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral was a highlight, where renowned English composer and conductor John Rutter had even stuck his head in to listen. Michael, who ended up leading eight international tours during his 17-year directorship at Trinity, cites the fact the choir was invited to return to many places as testament to the success of those initial performances. He notes the tour set new standards on home soil, too. ‘When you’re singing
Above: The choir performs in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, in front of The Adoration of the Magi, by Peter Paul Rubens. Right: Director of Music, Christopher Watson.
and rehearsing every day [on tour] it helps the team bond and improves the overall performance,’ he says. ‘If you knew you were going to be singing in St Thomas’s Church in Leipzig, where the great Johann Sebastian Bach was, you needed to lift your game, especially when singing some of his music. We were working at the highest level every day and it showed.’ Belinda recalls singing in the 100-metre-high Liverpool Cathedral in 1998 as a time that demanded such game lifting. ‘The expanse of the space meant we couldn’t hear the person next to us, so we needed to make sure our tuning was spot on,’ she says. ‘Michael encouraged us to trust our abilities and we did.’ Obviously, they nailed it, as a recording of the performance ended up on a CD.
‘It helped us realise the level we could perform at and I’d like to think the success of that first tour showed everyone why it’s important for our choristers to have such experiences,’ she adds. F I ND I NG S UC CE SS
One student who benefited from the high standards upheld by Trinity’s choir is Siobhan Stagg, who was closely involved with the group for seven years. A country girl from Mildura, Siobhan has gone on to become an opera and concert singer based in Berlin, singing principal roles with major companies and symphony orchestras around the globe. She will soon make her US debut in the title role of Cinderella at Chicago’s Lyric Opera with Sir Andrew Davis conducting. ‘Before I joined Trinity’s choir I didn’t even have a passport,’ says Siobhan. ‘The choir provided me early performance opportunities and gave me my first recording experience with ABC Classics. My time with Trinity was a hugely important chapter in my musical and professional development.’
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TRINIT Y TODAY COVER STORY
LEFT: The choir in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. TOP: On the steps of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. RIGHT: Organ scholar Tom Baldwin at Montpellier Cathedral.
M OR E THA N JU S T A C H O IR Although Trinity’s choir is first and foremost about creating music, its greater impact runs much deeper. ‘The choir teaches discipline, an appreciation of what music can add to life, and what being in a top-performing team is like,’ says Belinda. ‘Looking back, the discipline aspect was not always fun, but singing beautiful music is a pretty easy way to develop this important life skill. I learnt I love to travel the world and sing too.’ Christopher also nominates travelling as a point of value. ‘A benefit to the students on tour is that they get to experience the world, and they get to work intensively as a team for a month to refine their performance skills,’ he says. ‘Overall, singing in the choir is good for them intellectually. It’s good for them socially. It’s just good for them full stop.’ Michael says the relationships that form within the choir also can’t be underestimated, with many of his students still good friends, while some even went on to get married. (Siobhan married Trinity alumnus Nelson
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Yarwood in the Chapel last year with a choir performance.) Furthermore, Christopher suggests the choir has the ability to touch personally those who listen. ‘You can just come and sit quietly for half an hour and think,’ he says, encouraging others to engage with the choir and Chapel. ‘It’s a chance to hear something beautiful and know that nobody’s going to try to convert you if you’re not that way inclined. I think a chapel like Trinity’s has a lot to offer the community.’ Not least is the role Trinity’s choir plays in preserving the College’s important culture. ‘In today’s age, it’s really special to have something so steeped in positive tradition,’ says Siobhan. ‘Donning the red and white cassock and surplice each week made me feel like I was part of something bigger than myself; a legacy that existed before and after my time at Trinity.’ Were you part of Trinity’s choir? We’d love to hear about your fondest memories. Email: tt@trinity.unimelb.edu.au or Facebook: facebook.com/trinityunimelb
n During university terms, Trinity’s
choir performs Evensong on Thursdays at 5.45pm, and Sundays at 5pm with a sermon. All are welcome to attend. n Choir tours happen thanks to the
generous donations of Trinity’s family and friends. If you’re interested in supporting choristers on future international tours, please visit our donation page at trinity.unimelb.edu.au/ donate and select ‘Music at Trinity’. n The Choir of Trinity College has
recorded eight CDs for ABC Classics, plus three titles under its own label. Tracks can be downloaded via the Trinity College iTunes store; CDs can be purchased through the Trinity College online shop at shop.trinity.unimelb.edu.au
TRINITY TODAY THE CAMPUS
Of bricks, mortar and people: an ever-evolving campus In August 2017, the board endorsed a strategic plan to expand Trinity’s Residential College in both student numbers and facilities. This imminent period of growth is something Trinity has faced and met since the 1870s. BY D R B E NJAMIN T HO M A S
‘In a big college, it is impossible to know everyone intimately; but this is no reason or excuse for the existence of cliques. Cliquishness is the worst evil that we could suffer from, for it means that all but a few would be precluded from an effective share in College activities.’ The Fleur de Lys magazine has always been a good barometer of student concerns, and this one speaks directly to the feared consequence of Trinity’s rapid growth. It was 1920. There were 82 students in residence at the time. Nearly 100 years later, Trinity can’t be accused of cliquishness. Despite growing to 280 residential students since that passage was penned, the College cohort continues to maintain Trinity’s spirit of inclusiveness and belonging. Now, as the Residential College prepares to expand to 370 students – who will hopefully carry Trinity forward as a united community as students have done for more than a century – we look back at Trinity’s growth over the years. TH E EARLY DAY S Architect Leonard Terry devised a grand scheme in 1864 for the intended Church of England residential college, which we now know as Trinity College, with work commencing on the Provost’s Lodge (Leeper) four years later. The building was constructed using Tasmanian sandstone in a late Gothic revival style and sought to cater for all the College’s early functions; comprising a chapel, dining hall, staff accommodation and tutorial rooms. When growing student demand required a purpose-built accommodation wing – Bishops’ (1878) – and a dining hall (1880) to provide for the student body, the cost
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TRINIT Y TODAY THE CAMPUS
of sandstone was deemed prohibitive. Hence, Bishops’ and subsequently Clarke’s (1887), the laboratory (1886) and Kitchens (1891) would be constructed in neo-Gothic style using dark Hawthorn brick interspersed with Waurn Ponds sandstone features. Building then stopped. Student growth was limited to the available rooms, and from the late 1880s until the end of World War I, Bishops’ and Clarke’s remained the only residential accommodation. Well, almost. Warden Leeper’s advocacy for women’s right to a tertiary education resulted in the founding of the College’s women’s hostel in 1886, which would eventually become Janet Clarke Hall (1891), a female-only residential wing of Trinity. War then intervened and after four decades at the helm, Leeper recognised that a post-war college would require a different set of hands – a ‘younger man’ who could steer Trinity through the expected increase in university numbers and associated accommodation demand that the end of hostilities would bring. Such predictions proved correct as returned servicemen swelled College numbers to an all-time high in 1919. A new master plan was consequently drawn up by Blackett and Forster and was approved in October 1920. Extensions were recommended to begin immediately. Against this backdrop, students cautioned against the risks of a ‘big college’. Blackett’s building scheme, while impressive and hinting at a return to the planned uniformity of Terry’s design, was ambitious … and ultimately unobtainable. The second warden, John ‘Jock’ Behan, would spend his first 16 years in office chasing funds to realise just one additional residential wing. It was fitting, for the personal effort that had been expended, that when the new sandstone building opened in 1935, it was named Behan. ‘Stone is the only material appropriate to buildings of this model,’ Behan advised the College at the time. In an effort to ward off any suggestion of returning to brick, he proposed establishing a fund with the sole
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purpose of defraying the cost difference between brick and stone’.1 Whether Behan did create such a fund is unclear, but by the time the next residential wing was built two decades later under the next warden, brick would inevitably be the material of choice, as it has been for every new College building since.
1935
WAR S T RI KE S AGAI N World War II brought the same challenges as its predecessor: a reduction in student numbers followed by a boom. In 1947, the College proposed that the next residential building would commemorate the 600 former collegians who had served during the recent war, particularly the fallen. The Memorial Building – commonly known now as ‘Jeopardy’ – was finished a decade later, opening in 1958. By the mid-1950s, the number of young men in residence hit 126. Combined with the female students at the hostel, there were 209 residential students. The existence of Jeopardy meant 172 men could theoretically reside at Trinity, but numbers were capped at 162 ‘to prevent too great an influx of freshmen’.2 Even with the cap in place, the impact of increasing numbers didn’t go unnoticed. The students called it first, observing wryly in the Fleur de Lys the following year, ‘that with drastically increased numbers, detrimental changes in some guise or another are inevitable’. Administratively, it took two years for these so-called adverse effects of growth to ease, but the rhythms of life in a larger group soon became the norm.
1958
1962
ANOT HE R E XPANS I O N The dust had barely settled on the construction of Jeopardy when the first stage of Cowan commenced in 1962. The Dining Hall had already been lengthened eastward in 1955 to cater for rising numbers, and kitchen facilities were also renovated and expanded. Student numbers rose by a further 40 with the construction of Cowan, bringing the total to 200. Students voiced hesitation. Firstly, there was an administrative issue, as student growth hadn’t been matched by
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TRINITY TODAY THE CAMPUS
The newlycompleted Behan Building from Royal Parade, 1935.
Epitomising the post-war architectural style of the mid-1950s, the Memorial Building (Jeopardy) was completed in 1958.
New meets old; the first stage of Cowan Building juxtaposed next to the 1930s Behan Building, 1962. BELOW: The Gateway Building (2016).
increased staffing. Secondly, a more vexed question was aired – the ability to maintain the right atmosphere. ‘Recently, as the size of the University became greater and greater, the tendency has been to increase the size of the colleges, although such cramming has necessarily strained their framework,’ wrote a student in the 1960 edition of the Fleur de Lys. Despite such cautionary tones, the student outlook was broadly optimistic. A new university opening in Clayton – Monash – would begin taking students in 1961, thereby relieving demand on the University of Melbourne and, it was perceived, the colleges. Moreover, however, Trinity had weathered these changes before and the students appreciated that the problem had always been satisfactorily dealt with.3 Upon completion of Cowan, new construction almost ceased. Plans for a building north of Behan were shelved when the Australian Universities Commission didn’t support the project. Then, a performing arts centre on the south-east corner along Tin Alley was proposed and plans were drawn, but shifting attention and increasing financial challenges saw it, too, put on hold. (The centre would be realised in a fashion 42 years later, on the same site, when the Gateway Building opened in 2016 with an art gallery and music practice rooms.) INTO T H E EI G HT I E S The Right Reverend John McKie, while proposing a toast in 1982 to the newlyinstalled chaplain, the Reverend Dr Peter Wellock, reminded the student body, ‘It is a big college now and it is difficult to meet with a crowd of people that one does not know. Do please regard it as a duty to be hospitable and welcoming.’ Residential student numbers were 250 as the College raced to keep pace with the overwhelming demand since moving to co-ed residency eight years earlier. Australia’s economy was booming in the 1980s, but the decade was bleak for Trinity’s bottom line as the federal government began phasing out funding for residential university colleges. International education was still
in its infancy in Australia when Trinity explored the possibility of establishing a pathways program in 1989 to expand the College’s offering and create a new income stream. It was a gamble, and one not all were in favour of. The project forged ahead, however, and the Foundation Studies program attracted a handful of students in its first year. A few years later, the program was supporting more than 100 students annually; within a decade, that figure exceeded 1000. (Today, it’s almost 2000.) T HE NE XT CHAPT E R In 2018, early works commenced on Trinity’s next revitalisation in the area that once housed the college laundry, chicken sheds and other domestic facilities in the early 20th century. As the years went on, this patch included a chaplain’s residence in ‘Vatican’ (c.1925), male domestic quarters in Dorothy (1936), and, in the early 1980s, Moorhouse – residential accommodation for married theological students.
‘The new buildings will make way for a residential wing more conducive to student socialisation.’ For the more recent generations of students who have called these buildings home, this north-eastern corner was viewed disparagingly as ‘Tasmania’, a veritable isolation from the social camaraderie and interaction of buildings forming a quad around the Bul. Therefore, the new buildings will make way for a residential wing more conducive to student socialisation. The building is scheduled to accommodate its first intake in 2020, allowing 100 additional students to benefit from Trinity’s collegiate atmosphere and opportunities. 1 Fleur de Lys, vol. 4 no. 35, October 1935: 26 2 Report of Trinity College Council for 1956-57 to the Diocesan Synods of Victoria: 4 3 Fleur de Lys, Nov 1960: 4
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TRINIT Y TODAY WOMEN IN THE CHURCH
Taking the lead We look at the issue of gender and leadership within the Anglican Church of Australia following this year’s Barry Marshall lecture, in which Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy suggested that numbers were not the only barometer for assessing how women’s leadership was being embraced by the church. BY E M ILY McAU LI F F E Trinity College has much to be proud of when it comes to producing female leaders in theology, not least the first woman in the world to hold the title of archbishop in the Anglican Communion – Kay Goldsworthy AO. Bishop Kay is a shining example of a strong female leader who has fought hard and inspired many, yet she made clear in her speech that the church still has a way to go to achieving gender balance. Of course, the issue of gender equality in leadership isn’t confined to ministry in the church, with the Australian polity, for example, very publicly entrenched in the debate. However, as an institution steeped in tradition, the church can be challenged at times by its own ‘stainedglass ceiling’, the result of a complex intertwining of biblical interpretation, ego and even stagnant thinking, all within a broader society fumbling its way towards parity. A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE Arguably, one of the most prominent sticking points when it comes to the role of female leaders in the church is the message of the Bible. As the guiding scripture for Christians, it makes sense to scrutinise the Bible’s pages for answers but, as the Reverend Canon Dr Dorothy Lee is uncovering, those answers are subject to interpretation. Dorothy is the former Dean of the Theological School and remains at Trinity College as the Frank Woods Research Professor in New Testament. Having turned her attention to research, Lee’s latest book project explores
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contemporary women’s ministry and the New Testament. ‘I’m arguing that the logic for female leaders is grounded in the New Testament, which is really open to the equality of women – and, therefore, the leadership of women – in the church and in any other sphere of life,’ she says. ‘We always talk of the 12 apostles as the intimate group around Jesus, but we ignore the intimate group of women. We know clearly there was a large group of women who left behind their homes and families to follow Jesus, and bankrolled the whole thing. They were the financial support.’ The Reverend Melissa Clark, who was one of Lee’s students during her Trinity deanship, and is a former student president of the Theological School, agrees candidly that women were always part of the Bible’s story. ‘Jesus was all in
‘It’s not that the Bible is irrelevant – it has a lot to offer, but let’s read it anew, let’s read it with new eyes.’ favour of women,’ she says. ‘And, I think, if you’re going to follow someone in the Bible, he’s the guy to follow.’ Dorothy gives further weight to that argument, suggesting that Mary Magdalene’s surname might well have been a nickname entrusted to her by Jesus and means ‘a strong tower’. ‘It’s just like Peter, whose real name is
actually Simon, nicknamed as such by Jesus because Peter means rock,’ she explains. ‘Magdalene is thought to be Jesus’ nickname for Mary because she was such a prominent figure.’ Dorothy acknowledges some parts of the New Testament seem to oppose female leadership, but feels context is key. ‘Patriarchy made sense in the ancient world when a husband was 30 and his wife was between 13 to 16-years-old with no adult life experience; but today, that’s no longer the case,’ she says. Melissa shares the same view, citing the era in which the Bible was written as a time when women were ‘traded like goats and cows’. How times have changed. ‘I think the notion of educated, experienced women having to obey men begins to look like a form of spiritual abuse,’ states Dorothy. ‘Just like we no longer support slavery, we need to understand new contexts because things are different. It’s not that the Bible is irrelevant – it has a lot to offer; but let’s read it anew, let’s read it with new eyes.’ A FRAMEWORK FOR CHANGE Interpretation (or re-interpretation as it may be) of the Bible is important, but is only one piece of the puzzle. How does one go about changing an embedded,
male-dominated culture with a history dating back centuries? The Dean of Melbourne and former Trinity College Chaplain, the Very Reverend Dr Andreas Loewe, holds a pragmatic view and stresses that sentiment needs to be backed by structure. ‘As an example, last year at the council of the Anglican Diocese we adopted a policy that 50 per cent of all our committee places should be filled by women,’ he says. ‘Putting a framework like this in place is not only important because it models what society looks like, but because it also changes the dynamic around the board table. We need to think about who’s missing around the table if we want to have socially responsible and ethical decision making in the church and in corporate bodies more broadly.’ To help explain the current imbalance, Dorothy says structures tend to propagate themselves, to the effect that appointing a male-dominated board or committee can sometimes be a matter of blind repetition. To this end, the issue might not necessarily be about gender as much as it is about shaking up the norm. ‘Unless people stop and think, “Hang on, there’s a bias going on in my head I need to allow for”, then nothing will change,’ says Dorothy.
FROM LEFT: The Reverend Canon Dr Dorothy Lee, The Reverend Melissa Clark, Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy AO.
PAV I NG T HE WAY FO R WO M E N Kay Goldsworthy is a Trinity alumna (TC 1981) and was installed as the 8th Archbishop of Perth in February 2018. She was one of the first women to be ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Australia in 1992 and was made an officer of the Order of Australia in 2017 for being a female pioneer and role model.
Although a strong advocate for policy development, Dean Andreas also believes a gentle nudge can help open up leadership pathways for the under-represented. ‘Sometimes people just need an invitation,’ he says. ‘For instance, as a chaplain, I could say, “Have you considered being a server in the chapel, or reading a lesson, or singing in the choir?” For some people, that’s a revelation and a wonderful offer. Others might say, “It’s not for me”, and that’s fine as well, but at least they know the door is open.’
some people have about women in the church, we just need to remember we’re here to serve all of humanity. Christians believe we’re created in God’s image and there’s male and female in the world, so maybe we need to think about what God’s image means. ‘Society will hopefully catch up with what I think God’s plan for the whole world is, and that’s for people to be people. If we can just consider ourselves people rather than men and women and all the spectrum in-between, I think the world will be a better place.’
THE HUMAN TOUCH
What are your thoughts on this subject? Email us at tt@trinity.unimelb.edu.au or start a conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/trinitycollegetheologicalschool
To distil a multifaceted issue, Melissa strips it back to its simplest – it’s not about being male or female, it’s about being human. ‘We have to recognise that we as priests, deacons, bishops and archbishops are forever servant to the people to whom we minister,’ she says. ‘In order to get past the issues that
Barry Marshall is a former Trinity College Chaplain and Theological School lecturer. A memorial lecture is held annually in his honour.
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TRINIT Y TODAY ARMISTICE DAY
LEST WE FORGET To commemorate the armistice of World War I, we remember the Trinitarians who served and fell. BY D R B E N JAM I N TH O M A S As the guns fell silent across the Western Front in France on 11 November 1918, communities across Australia were taking stock of the enormous toll on human life the previous four years of conflict had wrought. Nowhere was this more visible or keenly felt than in the close-knit communities of educational institutions where, only a few short years earlier, many of the young men and women had been students, alumni and staff. ‘There is no place of education in Australia with a finer record of war service than Trinity College, Melbourne; nor is there any institution which has felt more severely the strain of war-time conditions,’ wrote the Argus newspaper a week after the signing of the armistice, referencing the more than 280 serving College members and 42 fatalities. When war had been declared, Trinity students and alumni alike had been quick to respond, much to the delight of the College council, which could barely contain its happiness and pride due to the splendid response of past and present members of the College to the ‘Empire’s call to arms’.1 However, one Trinitarian who had survived the horrors soberly reflected on
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his naivety in the October 1921 edition of the Fleur de Lys. ‘Many years ago, when I was a youth with a great imagination, I used to dream of the time when I would go to war to fight for my nation’s honour; of the time when I would distinguish myself; and of the glorious and victorious homecoming … ,’ he wrote in a passage titled Disillusionment. Champion athlete Herbert Hunter (TC 1903) who, before the war, had played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL), believed enlistment was an extension of his athleticism. ‘My action in volunteering my services to the Empire is, I consider, the culminating point of my athletic career,’ he told the Bendigo Football League upon his departure. Other alumni looked upon military service more directly as a duty towards the British Empire. Serving with the 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers, Osborne O’Hara (TC 1904) wrote to his parents from Quetta, India, where the regiment was stationed at the outbreak of the war, frustrated at the fact he was ‘not able to leave immediately for the front’. O’Hara would become the College’s first loss
when, shortly after arriving in France, he was killed on 13 February 1915, just six months into the war. On 27 April 1915, Warden Dr Alexander Leeper held a special chapel service to commemorate the 10 collegians involved in the Gallipoli landings, which had taken place two days earlier. Among those was Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Courtney (TC 1888), who – as Leeper delivered his sermon – led the 14th Battalion AIF up the scrubby slopes to secure and hold a critical position above Anzac Cove. How many of his fellow Trinitarians who served on the Peninsula during the failed eightmonth campaign would recognise the strategic position along the ridgeline owed its name to one of their own – ‘Courtney’s Post’? These places, in their own way, have become lasting memorials. While the College men would serve in combat roles, several alumni of the Trinity College Women’s Hostel played an active part in the war, often in roles no less dangerous. Helen Sexton (TC 1887), one of the first female medical graduates in
TRINITY TODAY ARMISTICE DAY
medicine after overcoming the obstinance of the University, headed up a military hospital in France. She was recognised with the rank of major by the French Government and praised for ‘doing work of exceptional value’.2 Viva St George Summons (née Sproule) (TC 1902) served as a nurse with the Red Cross in Egypt in 1915, while her medico husband and former College tutor, Colonel Walter Summons, was based at No.1 Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis, Egypt. Fellow medical graduate Dr Vera Scantlebury (TC 1907) performed surgery at the Endell Street Military Hospital in London during some of the bloodiest fighting of 1917 across Bullecourt, Messines and Passchendaele. For her, the conflict had an intimately personal touch. Her sister Dorothy had become engaged to Robert Bage the month after war broke out. Bage (who had accompanied Mawson to the Antarctic in 1911) was killed at Gallipoli. Encounters with fellow alumni at the front brought a measure of familiarity to the shattered existence of the conflict. Military chaplain the Reverend Kenneth Henderson (TC 1908), who published his wartime
CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN: The 1910 College rifle team at the original entrance to the Dining Hall. All five saw active service, while three would be killed during the war; Temporary memorial wall erected in the Junior Common Room, 1923; Return of the University Rifles’ regimental colours to the Chapel in readiness for the 16th anniversary of Armistice Day, 7 November 1936; Carved lectern designed by Chapel architect Alexander North and gifted in memory of alumnus Franc Carse in 1922.
experiences as Khaki and Cassocks (1919), recounts a moment as dusk settled over the Somme battlefields. He had dined with two colleagues from College, and on their way back to camp had begun ‘reminiscing about the old Trinity days’ when they stumbled upon a small cemetery in Becourt Wood. As night fell, the staff captain, known as a brilliant classicist, began softly reciting Thucydides’ memorable account of Pericles’ speech over the Athenian dead. Words, as Henderson wrote, that were ‘strangely analogous to the struggle which was again beginning to break into the quiet of this evening.’ With the centenary of the Great War’s conclusion being commemorated
this year, Trinity is proud to have a permanent memorial to our fallen. Produced in bronze by renowned military sculptor Ross Bastiaan (TC 1969), whose work can be seen across the Somme, Gallipoli and elsewhere Australians have served, the memorial has been supported by Bruce (TC 1959) and Judy Munro. Installed in the gardens of Bishops’ Building, it is surrounded by the two residential wings that many of those who served would have called home and overlooks the Chapel where many of them are forever remembered. 1 Report of Trinity College Council for 1913-14 to the Diocesan Synods of Victoria. 2 Report of Trinity College Council for 1914-15 to the Diocesan Synods of Victoria.
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TRINIT Y TODAY THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
Meet the von Bibra family Families have always been an important aspect of Trinity’s culture. Managing editor Emily McAuliffe sits down with the von Bibras to talk about family history, Trinity memories and quirky traditions.
Julian, Rose, Annabel, Harry and Matilda von Bibra.
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TRINITY TODAY THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
Annabel and Julian von Bibra are on a weekend trip to Melbourne, a break away from their farm in Tasmania, where they produce wool for global brands such as Country Road, Everlane and Theory. They’re joined by daughters Rose and Matilda, and son Harry, now in his second year at Trinity. Quite fittingly, we meet in a café on Lygon Street – a place that holds many fond memories for Julian and Annabel from their College years (and a locale that at times distracted them from study, I’m told). Julian pulls out a yellow envelope. Inside is a collection of photos of the couple, fresh-faced and glowing on the Trinity College grounds. The pictures are from their wedding day in 1993. ‘Oh look at us!’ says Annabel, reaching for a photo of herself in a wedding gown, standing amid a group of smiling faces in front of the Chapel. ‘And look, there are one, two, three … seven Trinity girls in that photo.’ Harry leans in to inspect the picture. ‘There are a couple of relatives of those girls at College now actually,’ he says. ‘So many families come through Trinity.’ The von Bibras have especially close family ties to the College. Annabel’s great uncle Frank Ritchie attended Trinity in the 1920s, while her sister Georgina joined in 1988 (and met her husband Roderick Mainland while at College). Their son Hugo is now a resident. On the other side of the family, Julian’s uncle Henry had a particular affinity with the College; his funeral was held in the Chapel in July last year. ‘The funeral was an emotional day,’ says Harry. ‘I felt a special connection knowing my great uncle, who’s a legendary figure in our family, held Trinity in such high regard, and now I’m eating in the same Dining Hall, sleeping in the same place and doing the same things he did.’ Looking back, Julian admits there were times he found his uncle’s behaviours somewhat odd, but when he came to College, it all fell into place. ‘At family events he’d always
yell out “Tiger, woo”, and I’d wonder what the hell he was on about,’ says Julian. Matilda laughs – even though she’s in her final year of school and yet to start at Trinity, it’s a term she’s become familiar with. Julian adds: ‘It’s these nuances that, when you’re in a room later, make you realise there’s a strong connection and special bond that identifies you with the College.’
Annabel and Julian’s wedding at Trinity College in 1993.
For Julian and Annabel, Trinity was always a special community, but they both praise the leaps and bounds made by the College in giving students enhanced pastoral care and a plethora of extracurricular activities. This is
something their son has well and truly embraced, with Harry heading up the Tiger Tones, performing in plays and musicals, and competing in a number of sports. ‘Most of us don’t have those opportunities later in life, so it’s great to see Harry making full use of them,’ says Julian. Harry adds that Trinity provides a unique experience in the way people socialise and support each other. ‘I would happily sit down with anyone at College for breakfast, lunch or dinner and instantly feel at a level where we could discuss things that are important to us and our feelings ... or just talk about whatever we liked really,’ he says. ‘I’ve never been in an environment like that before, where everyone is so friendly and supportive.’ In this way, Annabel thinks Trinity sets students up for success in later life. ‘It’s a positive spiral to get caught up in, and when you spin off into your different worlds, whatever or wherever that may be, you take all these experiences with you,’ she says. ‘It has a huge ongoing impact on people’s lives.’ Given her family’s obvious bond, a successful business and a strong network of College friends to this day, Annabel and her family are a perfect example of Trinity’s positive culture living on.
IT’S A L L IN T HE FA M ILY Current Warden Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976) met his wife Carole (née Taylor, TC 1978) at Trinity. His daughter Alex and niece Anna Steer also attended the College (TC 2014 and 2006 respectively).
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TRINIT Y TODAY MY TRINIT Y CONNECT
Making connections One of the great strengths of Trinity’s online alumni platform, My Trinity Connect, is its ability to link mentors with young people eager to learn from those who have gone before them. We asked a mentor and mentee how engaging in the College’s alumni network had helped them.
MENTEE JO S H PA R K E R
(TC 2016) Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in finance and economics Why did you decide to find a mentor? University only prepares you so much for your future, so I’ve approached a number of mentors to gain insights into their career paths and to assist me in my decision making. By learning more about different industries I can make well-informed decisions moving forward. How has Lucy helped you? I approached Lucy because of her breadth of experience in banking, management consulting and engineering. With these all being areas of interest to me, it’s great to hear about her experience and career progression. What do you most admire about your mentor? I admire Lucy’s focus on selfdevelopment and learning, alongside her ability to be dynamic across various industries throughout her career.
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MENTOR LU CY SAL I BA
(TC 1997) Global Head of Business Execution, Financial Institutions Group, ANZ What topics or subjects do you cover in your sessions? The focus has been on giving Josh career advice on the banking industry and his application for the ANZ internship program. Why did you decide to be a mentor? I really enjoy being able to share my experience with others and help them
navigate their own career choices and development. I’ve worked in a number of different industries and roles since graduating from university and think it’s important to show people that their career will most likely take a number of different paths – you don’t need to map it out 100 per cent from the outset. The other thing I think is very important for others to understand is the value of transferrable skills. I have moved from engineering to management consulting to banking, but there are a lot of common skills that I could transfer from one to another. Did you have a mentor? Throughout my career, I have had a number of informal mentoring relationships. It certainly helped to have someone to bounce ideas off, ask for advice and receive feedback from.
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MENTOR? If you would like to become a mentor, simply sign up at mytrinityconnect.com.au and select ‘Willing to be a mentor’ under the ‘Willing to help’ section of your profile. Students can then contact you directly to start a conversation.
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TRINIT Y TODAY THANKING OUR DONORS
Alumnus Roger Riordan AM is one of Trinity’s most generous benefactors and has been donating around $1 million per year to various organisations for a decade. Having gone from dole claimant to millionaire, Roger makes it clear that nothing – not even a scholarship – really comes for free. BY E MILY McAU LI F F E Roger Riordan could be a poster child for the sort of wonky career path with which many of us can identify. Growing up, he rather liked botany but, alas, there was little money in it. For a time, he coveted a career in atomic power, but that didn’t work out either. Eventually, he settled on electrical engineering. Roger’s ensuing career notched a series of wins, only to be blunted by subsequent failures. He credits ‘accidentally’ revolutionising international telecommunications in 1967 as a high, only to have the introduction of digital technology a few years later make it defunct. He quit the rat race to start his own business … but that too fell flat. Throughout those early career years, Roger’s bank account seemed to have more ebb than flow, and on occasions he found himself having to line up for the dole. One day, while pondering a dire career turn in an organisation he describes as ‘the academic equivalent of Siberia’, word came that a virus had infiltrated the office computers and was gobbling up hard disk files. Ever curious, Roger asked for a sample of the virus, cracked it and developed a shareware solution. The solution turned out to be rather popular and he used the resultant earnings to escape Siberia and retire at 55. That retirement was short-lived, however. Before long, Roger went in on a tech business with an ex-student as a ‘bit of a hobby’. It grew from two guys and two desks to a multinational company. The business sold for a pretty penny and Roger used the money to establish the Cybec Foundation. Roger’s goal for the foundation was clear – it would support the academically gifted – and he can pinpoint the moment he decided its course to an awards ceremony at his son’s school. Roger watched in bewilderment as a girl received resounding applause for a sports achievement, while a boy was politely clapped for a mathematics award. ‘I thought to myself, if I’m ever in a position to change this, I’m going to do something to redress this balance,’ he says. As it turned it, he did find himself in that position, and he did something about it. Roger offered his first scholarship to Trinity College through the Cybec Foundation in the late ’90s and has been giving annually ever since.
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GIVING Now 84, Roger says meeting the students he’s helped is ‘probably the reason I’m still here’. ‘It’s given me an interest in my retirement, and that’s important,’ he says. For him, it has also been important to pay generosity forward, noting that he himself came to Trinity on a scholarship. To this end, Roger stresses that his scholarships are merely a favour – they’re awarded to help students until such a time they’re in a position to pass on a favour themselves. Even if, like him, those students are hard-knock graduates, he hopes they’ll fight for justice in their chosen field. Roger is quick to rattle off issues he’d like to see addressed, listing global warming, sub-par political leadership and corporations running their business from ‘a satellite off Pluto’ to evade tax, as some of his many concerns for the world. But he hopes things can change, and hopes Trinity students will be able to drive that change. ‘The only way we can bring things back into balance is by getting different people to work together,’ he says. ‘That’s part of the reason most of Cybec’s scholarships focus on getting people to Trinity who wouldn’t otherwise be able to – it’s so students meet each other and realise there are other aspects to the world than the one they’ve been brought up in.’
TRINITY TODAY THANKING OUR DONORS
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For third-year student Reegan Quick, college would have been an unattainable dream without the support of generous scholarship donors like Roger Riordan. Now Reegan is taking Roger’s wishes forward, helping young people address social impact issues. BY EMI LY McAU L IFFE Reegan Quick’s involvement with Trinity goes back to his high school days when he participated in the college’s Young Leaders Program (YLP). ‘I applied to attend through a high school scholarship program and got in,’ says Reegan. ‘Through that program I was able to come to Trinity and see what college was like and got a taste for academic life too.’ Prior to that he admits to never having heard of a residential college, let alone Trinity. Unfortunately, having discovered colleges existed, the associated fees weren’t something he or his family could afford. But Reegan had learnt about Trinity’s scholarship program during his week at YLP, so knew college life wasn’t necessarily out of reach. He went on to successfully secure a scholarship, not fully realising then the impact it would have on his life. ‘I know it sounds clichéd, but coming to Trinity has literally been life changing,’ he says. ‘I really do mean that because
nobody from my high school, in fact, nobody from my area, had even heard of Trinity or the opportunities that were available here.’ Once within the bounds of the College, Reegan knew it was up to him to make the most of everything Trinity had to offer. As a commerce student, he became involved in the Gourlay Visiting Professorship in Business Ethics program and found himself liaising directly with world-leading professors, taking the chance to quiz them on business matters in the process. By being open to creating new networks in his field, Reegan has secured a job with EY (formerly Ernst & Young) for when he graduates at the end of this year. ‘I interned there and noticed a lot of familiar faces from Trinity. I found I could easily talk to the alumni in the firm about transitioning into the workforce and finding out what skills I needed to learn,’ he says. ‘I imagine that network will continue to help me throughout my career. For me, that’s really important because my parents don’t come from a corporate background. I feel lucky to be able to utilise the Trinity network and make the most of this chance I wouldn’t otherwise have had.’ As a way of giving back, Reegan has mentored high school students through the Young Leaders Program and has developed a social impact initiative called Project Lantern. As part of this project, he and a friend are recording a podcast that asks leaders in social impact who are under 30 what it means to change the world and, for phase two, the pair are working on an online platform to help connect young people to volunteer opportunities. It looks like the pay it forward concept is working.
Trinity College has a bold ambition to offer more than 200 scholarships worth about $8 million by 2023. To help us achieve this goal, we welcome the support of donors who would like to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds access the friendships and opportunities Trinity provides. Please visit trinity.unimelb.edu.au/donate
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TRINIT Y TODAY THANKING OUR DONORS
A life most fulfilling A straight-shooting sports coach and a carefully managed finance career led John Sevior to endow a Trinity scholarship, writes Rosemary Sheludko.
John Sevior (TC 1981) has a reputation for being careful with money. Not just his own but, as one of Australia’s leading fund managers, other people’s as well. The industry veteran made his name at Perpetual Trustees when, in the 14 years from 1998 to 2011, he grew his concentrated equity fund from $600 million to $17 billion. He now heads up Airlie Funds Management in partnership with the Magellan Financial Group. When John was inducted into the Fund Managers Hall of Fame in 2011, he was noted for his propensity to give back. Now John and his wife are helping Trinity College by endowing the Frank Henagan Scholarship for a talented resident who couldn’t otherwise afford to come to Trinity. ‘The greatest gift in my life was the wonderful educational experiences I was given,’ says John. ‘This was the main enabling force in my life that allowed me to do things and meet people I couldn’t have conceived of meeting 40 years ago. I want others to have that opportunity, so, hopefully, the recipients of this scholarship will
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gain from the rich Trinity experience and have their horizons broadened, as happened to me.’ John says he was firmly in the bottom quartile academically, but thinks life is about more than just achieving qualifications. ‘There are many elements to living a fulfilled life and college is a place where you develop a whole range of skills. It’s an environment where
‘I have always been drawn to people who’ve accomplished something, yet remain humble and can laugh at themselves.’ you learn to build empathy and trust – qualities that are critical for a healthy, functioning society.’ A keen sportsman, John represented Trinity in cricket (1st XI), football (1st XVIII), soccer and tennis, bringing him into close contact with legendary sporting coach and College identity
Frank Henagan, after whom the scholarship is named. ‘I really admired Frank’s directness – he never minced words. I copped, and probably deserved, my share of halftime sprays,’ John recalls with a wry smile. ‘Frank was a wonderful grounding influence – a great leveller – and there was always a deep underlying truth in what he said, which is why everyone respected him so much. ‘Despite being a cranky bugger at times, we knew he cared deeply for the students and their welfare. He was a guy worth honouring through this scholarship for all the good things he represented and the care and time he put into the College. I like what he stood for.’ John himself remains naturally down-to-earth, attributing this to his choice of role models. ‘I have always been drawn to people who’ve accomplished something, yet remain humble and can laugh at themselves,’ he says. And at the end of the day, John lives by the simple philosophy of doing your best and trying to help others along the way. Trinity is thankful for his generosity as we know his kind contributions have helped many.
TRINITY TODAY CORDNER ORATI O N
Calling the shots The annual Cordner Oration AFL Preliminary Finals Breakfast honours renowned footballing family the Cordners, whose association with Trinity College and the University of Melbourne has been unbroken since 1903. Sports journalist Tim Lane was this year’s speaker at the breakfast. In this excerpt, he shares how he went from being a ‘disastrously unsuccessful’ science student at the University of Tasmania to one of Australia’s bestknown sports commentators. The centralised nature of tertiary education in Tassie 50-odd years ago meant I was forced to leave home aged 17 to continue studying the chemistry, physics and maths I’d handled with reasonable competence at school. Alas, uni was a different ball game and, although I survived into a third year, I eventually came a dismal cropper. With no money or motivation to continue, I headed home to Devonport and worked in the warehouse of an Edgell vegetable cannery through the following year. It was on the Monday of the March long weekend of that year, 1972, while boozing and playing pool in a pub with a mate, that I found a career. I happened into a rambling conversation with a man I knew to be the local radio footy commentator, and, in a clunky way, things began falling into place. One day late the previous year, as my academic world had been caving in, a senior resident of our college had noticed me loudly talking sport between hands in a card game. He asked me if I’d ever thought of a career in sports journalism. And while the answer was: ‘No, I haven’t’, because I didn’t realise people like me could get jobs like that, the question posed by this wise elder of our institution opened a window for me.
Fast-forward five or six months and a fateful moment was at hand. Notwithstanding that much beer was being consumed and I was a million miles from imagining this could be a moment of destiny, I asked lots of questions. To the point that my new friend asked me if I’d like to give footycalling a shot. ‘Too right’, I declared, or words to that effect, and it was thereby agreed he would have as his co-commentator for the opening game of the new season this uni drop-out he’d met just once before and knew little about. Which helps explain what happened next: I didn’t ring him to follow up on the deal, as the whole scenario seemed so implausible. It wasn’t until the end of
April – the season now well underway – that our paths crossed again … again in a pub! This time, he approached me to enquire what had happened. I explained that I hadn’t been sure, the morning after our earlier chat, whether he would still have thought it was such a good idea and I hadn’t wanted to embarrass him. He told me he wouldn’t have suggested it had he not meant it, and said if I wanted to pursue the offer I would need to be in the commentary box at the Devonport Oval the following Saturday afternoon. Which I was. And I’ve called a football match most winter Saturdays in the 47 years since. As the years have passed I’ve reflected often on this sequence of events. My role in it isn’t much of a model for anyone aspiring to anything. Perhaps the fact that I identified an opportunity and, albeit uncertainly, pursued it – at a time and in a place when few young people were trying to become sports broadcasters – gets me a tick. But the person whose contribution to my career, indeed my life, shines through is the senior college resident who was sufficiently perceptive, thoughtful and caring to open the window for me that day as I was playing cards. I’m forever in his debt and have taken pleasure in conveying that to him on the three or four occasions we’ve met over the subsequent years. His simple question to me that day in 1971 serves as a reminder that one caring moment can sometimes have a profound effect on a life.
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TRINIT Y TODAY FOUNDATION STUDIES ALUMNI
Running red hot BY M IC HE L L E F I N CK E Socks. Carnations. Coffee spills. Chopsticks by the thousands. It seems anything is an art material in the capable hands and big-picture imagining of ‘Red’ Hong Yi (TCFS 2004). Hailed in 2018 by Sotheby’s Institute of Art as one of the ‘11 world art entrepreneurs you should know’, Red’s work has been commissioned by Google, Gucci and the Mandarin Oriental. For Facebook Singapore, she created a mural with 15 000 charred, layered chopsticks. She’s even built an extraordinary portrait of martial arts superstar Jackie Chan for his Shanghai office. Born into an art-loving family in Sabah, Malaysia, Red (a nickname that became her professional handle) credits her year in the Trinity College Foundation Studies program as integral to her personal and intellectual growth. And, it was lots of fun. ‘Going to Melbourne and catching the train … it felt as though I was growing up!’ she laughs. ‘When I talk about Trinity, I just smile because it was such a great year for me. I was experiencing a totally different education system from the one at home. At Trinity, teachers were super encouraging and really passionate,’ she says. Her Foundation Studies year informed Red’s art, too, with ‘an explosion of ideas’ and a discovery of environmental issues. ‘History of Ideas was a really important subject for debating different topics and helping develop critical thinking,’ says Red. ‘I just wish I was more outspoken in class as we were free to debate issues without feeling there was a right or wrong answer.’ She also made friends for life with her Palmerston House roommates – they chat daily and catch up at least once a year, usually in Singapore, to ‘hang out and talk’. When Red left Melbourne after nine
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years with a degree in planning and design, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Melbourne, she seemed destined for a desk job. Her early career took her to Shanghai where she worked for the Australian architectural company Hassell. During this time, she expressed herself on weekends, building installations with affordable materials scrounged at
markets. With encouragement and support from her employer, it wasn’t long before she made the leap from hobbyist to professional artist. She has since taken on an extraordinary range of work all over the world – a portrait of Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou made from socks; Butterfly Lovers, a colourful sevenmetre mural for the Asian Art Museum
TRINITY TODAY FOUNDATION STUDIES ALUMNI
A fishy tale in San Francisco fashioned from tea leaves; a portrait of Ai Weiwei using 100 000 sunflower seeds. Many of her acclaimed projects are documented in quirky and highly shareable videos. More than simple promotion, Red sees the recordings as an extension of her work; they illuminate the process and highlight difficulties, effort and problem solving.
Red Hong Yi, named one of the 11 world art entrepreneurs you should know.
In one, she defeats legendary actor and martial arts king Jackie Chan in a chopstick duel, telling him her secret is practise, having dealt with 64 000 chopsticks to make his 60th birthday portrait. Red recalls nearly missing this impressive CV opportunity (both the fight and the portrait) when, caught up in Chinese New Year celebrations in 2014, she didn’t respond to the unassuming email from an art director asking her to do a portrait for ‘his boss’. It wasn’t until a later email arrived that she realised the boss was Jackie Chan. ‘He was wonderful to work with,’ she recalls. ‘Very much like his on‑screen character … funny, talkative, very charismatic.’
BY E M I LY McAULIFFE Since graduating from Trinity’s Foundation Studies program, alumna Sashini Fernando has returned to her home country of Sri Lanka to undertake ground-breaking research in yellowfin tuna conservation. Having grown up in a family that exported fish for a living, Sashini Fernando has always had a good appreciation of the fishing industry. But one thing in particular caught her attention as she completed her studies – the disposal of reproductive organs. ‘During my graduate diploma in reproductive sciences at Monash University, we were learning about the conservation of different species and the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART),’ says Sashini. ‘I started thinking about how we can use ART for yellowfin tuna in Sri Lanka, where this species makes up more than half the nation’s catch. I started researching case studies from Japan where they have been successfully using ART and artificial insemination for bluefin and yellowfin tuna to source the growing sashimi industry.’ Sashini’s research led to the creation of the yellowfin tuna fingerling initiative FCP@SEA in Sri Lanka, which Sashini heads up as chief sustainability officer. The project aims to release a
Friend of the Sea presented Sashini Fernando and her team an award for their commitment to yellowfin tuna conservation in July 2018.
second generation of yellowfin tuna – reproduced using ART – into optimal locations for survival, based on satellite imaging. The team hopes to release 20 million fingerlings by 2020. ‘This project aims to increase the recruitment rates of Sri Lanka’s yellowfin tuna, which means more fish have the chance to become sexually mature and spawn naturally,’ says Sashini. ‘Since yellowfin tuna is a highly migratory species we expect the project will contribute to the entire marine ecosystem by conserving the population.’
MORE FS A LU M N I STA RS
Actor and comedian Ronny Chieng (TCFS 2004) starred in one of 2018’s biggest box office hits as Eddie Cheng in Crazy Rich Asians.
Shalini Kunahlan (TCFS 2001) was named this year’s rising star at the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) for her impressive marketing efforts at Text Publishing.
The Trinity College Foundation Studies program sits within Trinity’s Pathways School and helps international students access the University of Melbourne’s world-class education. The program has supported almost 20 000 students since its inception in 1989.
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TRINIT Y TODAY FLEUR-DE-LYS
‘The best of civilised life’ BY TH E H O NO URABLE DAV ID HARP E R A M P R E S ID E NT OF THE U NION OF THE FL E U R-DE-LY S It is an honour for me to succeed Professor John King, who cemented the harmonious relationship between the Union of the Fleur-de-Lys and other constituent elements of the College. Without such a relationship, not only is the College the poorer, but so too are those of its alumni who wish to retain meaningful connections with an institution of seminal importance in their lives. It is the responsibility of the Union of the Fleur-de-Lys, in conjunction with the College, to sustain a multiplicity of those connections, and to make them as accessible and as enriching as possible. The delightful tradition of Drinks Under the Oak is one of many examples of the ways in which that aspiration can be given substance. Held at the beginning of each academic year, the gathering provides the opportunity for alumni of every age to move happily among and between their own and other generations. It also enables the annual general meeting of the Union of the Fleur-de-Lys to be held in the presence of a wide cross-section of the College community, but without any interruption in the general collegiality for which the Drinks Under the Oak have become synonymous. Since this year’s event, I have come to appreciate the warmth with which the members of the union’s committee welcome new members, and the enthusiasm which all bring to their membership. I have also
Residential College Culture Review In 2018, Trinity College commissioned a review of the culture of the Residential College, due for completion in mid-2019. A survey of all current students will be conducted by the University of Melbourne and a qualitative review and final reporting will be undertaken by Adjunct Professor Marcia Neave AO, former judge of the Court of Appeal in the Supreme Court of Victoria, and commissioner of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence (pictured). ‘I am impressed by Trinity’s proactive approach in commissioning this review as it has not been triggered by any particular event. Rather, it has been instigated by the Warden and Dean of the Residential College with the support of the board, understanding that this process will contribute to an even more lively, intellectually stimulating and supportive college environment.’ MARCIA NEAVE
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been privileged to see at first hand some of the diversity and vivacity of College life. Trinity is an institution of distinct constituent parts – the Residential College, the Theological School and the Pathways School. All three seek to encourage that disinterested intellectual curiosity, which sustains a culture of respect, an acceptance of difference, and a recognition of the importance and value of decency in the public, as well as the private, sphere. Our world is not overly endowed with these virtues. Encroachments upon them, in a time of partisanship in politics and much indecency in social media, must therefore be identified and countered. I was, for these reasons, particularly pleased to learn that Trinity has commissioned an external review of the culture of the Residential College. The review will enable a better understanding of what is done well, and of what could be done better. It will also assist in addressing any shortcomings. For Trinity has the opportunity, and with it the responsibility, of providing its residential students with direct experience of the best of civilised life – and of the personal fulfilment which goes with it. The foundations are securely in place. But every now and then even secure foundations require close inspection. The Union of the Fleur-de-Lys will watch with keen interest the progress and the results of the review.
TRINITY TODAY ALUM OF THE YEAR
The cat’s out of the bag ‘Meow Meow’ crowned Bill Cowan Alum of the Year BY TI M FL IC K E R In March 2018, a record crowd of more than 300 alumni attended Drinks Under the Oak, where Melissa Madden Gray (TC 1988) was named Bill Cowan Alum of the Year. An internationally acclaimed actress, dancer and cabaret performer, Melissa is also known by her stage name, ‘Meow Meow’. Melissa was a resident and nonresident at Trinity, during which she completed both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees at the University of Melbourne. She went on to study musical theatre at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) before moving to Sydney to build her career as a solo cabaret performer. Since then, Melissa has performed throughout Australia and around the world, including in Berlin, London and New York. She has collaborated with the likes of David Bowie, Liza Minnelli and Barry Humphries, as well as the
philharmonic orchestras of Berlin, London and New York, among countless other groups and performers. Melissa was nominated for the prestigious Bill Cowan award by College peers James Ramsden (TC 1987) and Angus Smallwood (TC 1987). ‘The performance scene was flourishing at College during her time, and quite a number of people went on to have professional performing careers on the stage, television and screen,’ says Angus. ‘None of us have succeeded like Mellie [Melissa] though, possibly because she’s actually more talented than the rest of us,’ he laughs. ‘But it’s also definitely because she has worked harder for longer and given up more to become who she now is – a world‑renowned stage performer.’ Melissa’s mother, Claire Gray, accepted the award on behalf of Melissa, who was touring overseas at the time.
Bill Cowan was chairman of the Trinity College Board from 2006-13 and currently serves on a number of College committees. He has contributed significant time and energy to countless endeavours in support of students and alumni. Do you know an alumnus or alumna who has made a significant contribution to the College or wider community? Submit your nomination for the Bill Cowan Alum of the Year award by emailing careers@trinity.unimelb.edu.au Nominations must be received by COB Friday 25 January 2019 and must reference specific achievements during the period 1 January to 31 December 2018.
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TRINIT Y TODAY ALUMNI PROFILES
THE RIGHT REVEREND D R R ICH AR D T RELOAR
(TC 1988)
Richard Treloar was consecrated a bishop at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne on 21 July 2018. He was then installed as the 13th Bishop of Gippsland on 18 August 2018 at St Paul’s Cathedral, Sale.
AN N E WA R D
(TC 1978)
After a successful career as a corporate lawyer, including stints as partner at Minter Ellison and Herbert Geer, and as general counsel at NAB, Anne is now blazing a trail as a professional company director. Currently on the boards of ASX-listed MYOB Group and Redbubble, Anne is also independent chairman at Colonial First State Investments and Qantas Superannuation, as well as a council member at RMIT University. She recently stepped down as chairman of the Zoos Victoria board where she spent more than five years overseeing its world-leading achievements in conservation, animal welfare, tourism and education. This diverse portfolio suits Anne’s love of variety and intellectual challenge. As she quipped recently, ‘Thirty-five years after leaving College, I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up!’ Proud mum to three adult sons – a civil engineer, a mathematician and an astrophysicist, Anne lives in Melbourne with husband John and their two cats Oskar and Fenix.
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At both services, the Trinity College connection was strong. Former directors of music Philip Nicholls and Michael Leighton Jones led the choristers, which included a number of former Trinity College and Canterbury Fellowship members. Michael composed an original anthem for the service at Sale, based on the prayer of St Richard of Chichester. The Gunaikurnai people are the traditional custodians of the land Richard oversees, and he was honoured to be welcomed to Country at his installation service by two local Indigenous clergy and other elders as part of a smoking ceremony. The Diocese of Gippsland has one of the most dispersed populations in south-east Australia, plus diverse demographics and industry. Hence, Richard spent the first six weeks of his new ministry visiting as many parishes, schools, chaplaincies, ecumenical partners and members of the community throughout the diocese as possible. A number of clergy currently serving in Richard’s diocese trained for ministry at the Trinity College Theological School. One Gippsland priest is an adjunct faculty member and some lay and ordained ministers from Gippsland study through online programs. Richard maintains a connection with the work of theological education as an honorary research associate of the University of Divinity.
D R MAX ESSER
(TC 1974)
When Max was 16 he went on a two‑month school trip to India and travelled through the Himalayas. The trip prompted him to think about how he could travel while also contributing to society. Since then, Max has spent a large part of his life exploring the world and giving back, becoming one of Australia’s leading orthopaedic surgeons in the process. After finishing high school, Max enrolled at Trinity College and the University of Melbourne as a medical student. In his fourth year, he received a travel scholarship to Singapore, and later obtained another scholarship to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Following his intern year, Max arranged a trip to China during the Cultural Revolution. Max has worked in general practice, training at the Royal Women’s Hospital and the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, and completed orthopaedic training in England, Ireland and America. He has also provided expert surgical training in countries such as Myanmar and China. Outside work, Max enjoys walking, horse riding and skiing. He is married to psychiatrist Kym Jenkins and has two adult children. He returned to Trinity earlier this year, where he was a guest at Dr Susan Lim’s (TC 1976) stem cell research dinner.
TRINITY TODAY ALUMNI PROFILES
HA MI S H CAMERO N
(TC 2005)
CARO L I N E C OT TO N
(TC 1993)
Caroline taught secondary science for a decade before going on to found Biobrain, an app that helps secondary school and first-year university students learn and understand biology. The concept came about after she realised students and teachers were lacking a modern and low-cost tool that would allow them to learn, revise and improve their knowledge. Caroline chose to develop an app with intuitive navigation to leverage the vast amount of time students spend on their mobile devices, and also wanted to give financially disadvantaged students easy access to high-quality content. With students across Australia and around the world now using Biobrain, she is keen to develop other Biobrain applications that would focus on chemistry, physics and psychology. Having studied both science and education, Caroline also established Cotton Educational Consulting to deliver professional development to teachers and help students prepare for examinations. Outside of work, Caroline helps manage her family’s citrus orchard in northeast Victoria, photographs lighthouses around the world to produce lighthouse calendars, and keeps fit on her bike or in the ocean with her husband.
Hamish is representing Australia, helping manage the nation’s important business relationships with China. A founding member of Trinity’s International Student Committee, he entered the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) graduate program in 2012. Since then, he has worked on complex international policy within DFAT, addressing Australia’s economic relationship with Indonesia, North Korea’s nuclear tests, and human rights issues in China. Fluent in Mandarin, Hamish is currently an Australian diplomat based in Beijing, where he leads bilateral engagement on energy, environment, climate change and regional infrastructure issues. He describes his work as a combination of three professions; as a courier – he meets regularly with Chinese officials to deliver messages, advocate Australia’s interests and manage bilateral issues; as a journalist – he reports on developments in China, maintaining a network of senior contacts in government, business, NGOs, think tanks and academia; and, as a travel agent – he arranges senior bilateral visits, ensuring the right people are in the room to facilitate meaningful exchanges and make important decisions. Hamish credits the rich international community at Trinity College as having provided a strong foundation for his success in diplomatic circles.
ASH LEY WALLACE
(TC 2010)
For someone who admits to having attended few university classes during their undergraduate degree, Ashley has since made up for her absenteeism. Following her Bachelor of Arts, Ash completed an Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media at RMIT, before moving to Sydney to work in television production. While working on The Biggest Loser she faced an ethical dilemma when a contestant tried to bribe her with $1000 to have her take him to McDonalds. She refused. Ash then pursued journalism by studying a Master of Media Practice at the University of Sydney. She graduated with high distinction and was awarded the Anne Dunn Memorial Prize for outstanding performance in media production. During this time, she also completed papers in social media marketing and business of the entertainment industry at the University of California, Los Angeles. While in LA, Ash made friends with Chance the Rapper’s publicist after he was her Uber driver, although it’s possible he was lying about his day job. Ash now works as a digital news producer for Sky News, writing copy and creating video content for skynews.com.au. Her hard-hitting package on Sacha Baron Cohen being sued became the website’s most viewed video of all time. Ash is thrilled because her boss is giving her champagne as a reward.
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TRINIT Y TODAY EXPERT WORD
Lonely no more Loneliness isn’t new, but it’s making news as one of the hottest public health issues of our time. Trinity College Foundation Studies alumna Dr Michelle H Lim helps us understand what loneliness is and how we can address it. Loneliness is touted the next public health epidemic of the 21st century. In this context, the condition is considered a subjective experience of social isolation and is not to be confused with physical isolation or an individual’s desire to be alone. Loneliness is also more closely linked to the quality of relationships rather than quantity. So, one could be surrounded by others and still feel lonely, or one could be alone, but still feel happy. All of us are vulnerable to loneliness because the condition signals unmet social needs and is akin to other human conditions such as thirst and hunger. As such, loneliness can serve as a valuable cue to reach out to – and to rely on – others. This reliance is critical, as it stops us from having to depend solely on our own resources to survive, thrive and flourish. Unfortunately, everyone will feel lonely at some point. For most people, it’s transient, but for others, it can be a persistent heavy feeling. Loneliness can be triggered by significant events such as life transitions (for example, starting university, moving away from home or having grown children leave the house), as well as adverse circumstances, such as bereavement, loss of mobility, or illness. Both physical and mental health can suffer as a result of loneliness. In fact, the condition is associated with a 26 per cent increased likelihood of mortality, and has been equated to being as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness increases our risk of experiencing poorer health outcomes from decreased immunity, increased inflammatory response, elevated blood pressure, decreases
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in cognitive health, and a faster progression of Alzheimer’s disease. While loneliness is most commonly examined with depression, evidence from large population studies show that having social anxiety also increases the odds of feeling lonely. W H AT CAN WE D O? While loneliness is a serious condition, there are things we can do to prevent it. First, having strong and meaningful relationships is key. We all know friendships are important, but conscious effort is required to maintain them. Sometimes it can be
too easy to overlook fundamental relationship building skills that keep people close, such as reciprocity and showing supporting behaviours. It’s also important to understand that friendships are dynamic and will change over the years – losing and gaining friends is part and parcel of this process. That said, there are a number of things you can do to ensure you stay connected to those around you: Improve current relationships. Making new friends can be difficult, so aim to improve the ones you already have, including your family. Turn acquaintances into friends. You interact with people around you every day. Try making an acquaintance a friend by asking more in-depth questions, ensuring these are appropriate to the context. Show kindness. Kindness is a way of connecting with others, even if they are strangers. Acts of kindness come with a low chance of social rejection, so can help develop closer bonds. Volunteer. Volunteering is a great way to meet people and enables you to do things for others without expecting anything in return. By engaging in meaningful and purposeful work, you can connect to your community and improve your overall wellbeing. Small talk. Most people dislike small talk and dismiss it as superficial. However, friendly chitchat can help open up opportunities to learn about others and build valuable connections. ABO UT T HE AUT HOR Dr Michelle H Lim graduated from the Trinity College Pathways School in 1996. She is now a senior lecturer in clinical psychology at Swinburne University of Technology and is the chief scientific advisor for the Australian Coalition to End Loneliness. She is considered Australia’s leading expert on loneliness and regularly appears in national media.
TRINITY TODAY QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS 2018
Trinity College would like to congratulate the following alumni recognised on this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list. OFFICER (AO) I N T HE G E NE R AL D IV IS IO N OF TH E OR D E R OF A US T R AL IA Professor Timothy Charles LINDSEY (TC 1981) For distinguished service to international relations, particularly in promoting understanding between Indonesia and Australia, as an academic, and to legal education in Islamic law. Professor James McCLUSKEY (Trinity board member, pictured) For distinguished service to medical education, as an academic in immunology, and through research into immune systems response to viruses. Mr Andrew SISSON (TC 1971) For distinguished service to the finance and investment sector, as an advisor to financial regulatory bodies, and through philanthropic support for cultural and charitable groups.
YOUNG ALUMNI MID-YEAR DRINKS
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Shakeel Lala (TC 2014), Scotch Macdonald (TC 2013), Jirra Moffatt (TC 2014), Charlie Martin (TC 2013), Daniel McKenzie (TC 2011) Charles Kemp (TC 2012), Georgina Ridley (TC 2014) Claire Robinson (TC 2012), Tonya Bernardo (TC 2012), Kirsten Callander (TC 2012) Emma Clark (TC 2012), Kane Lo (TC 2012) Henry Gardiner (TC 2014), Tamara Hunt (TC 2015), Hannah Pakula (TC 2015) Miles Leschen (TC 2014), John-Louis Irvine (TC 2015), Jack Young (TC 2013) Alex Theile (TC 2012), Annabel Robinson (TC 2013), Katie Hawker (TC 2016), Sarah Van der Post (TC 2014)
MEMBER (A M) I N THE G E NE R AL D IV IS IO N OF TH E OR D E R OF A US T R AL IA Professor Jonathan Rhys CARAPETIS (TC 1980) For significant service to medicine in the field of paediatrics, particularly the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of rheumatic heart disease. Dr Alastair Robert JACKSON (TC 1967) For service to the performing arts, particularly to opera, through a range of governance roles, and as a patron and benefactor. Dr Godfrey Alan LETTS CBE (TC non-res 1946) For significant service to politics and government in the Northern Territory, and to conservation and the environment. M EDAL (OA M) OF T HE O R D E R O F AU S T R AL IA I N TH E G E N E R A L D I V IS IO N Mr Anthony Edward SELL (TCTS non-res 2008) For service to pipe bands.
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TRINIT Y TODAY 30-YEAR REUNION TC 1998
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: James Mitchell (TC 1988), Kate Murray (TC 1988), Andrew Gourlay (TC 1988) Catherine White (TC 1988), Melissa Gray (TC 1988), Michelle Knuckey (TC 1988) David Guthrie (TC 1986), Susie King (TC 1988) Penny Campbell (TC 1988), Andrew Tulloch (TC 1987) Peter King (TC 1989), Matthew Willis (TC 1989), Andrew Muirhead (TC 1988) Simon Bromell (TC 1987) Vanessa Bede (TC 1987), Toby Harrop (TC 1988)
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40-YEAR REUNION TC 1978
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Hugh Scales (TC 1978), Nigel Henham (TC 1978), Stuart Bett (TC 1978), Margie Moroney (TC 1979) Andrew Dingjan (TC 1977), Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976) Gini Skinner (TC 1978), Margie Gillespie (TC 1978) Jane Goddard (TC 1976), Penny Pengilley (TC 1977) Kammy Cordner Hunt (TC 1977), Nic Cooper (TC 1978), Rena Geroe (TC 1978) Sophie Gardiner, Tim Gardiner (TC 1978) Tony McGeehan, Julia Sleigh (TC 1977)
TRINITY TODAY SYDNEY GATHERING
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Ashley Wallace (TC 2010), Alena Broesder (TC 2012), Julia Garside (TC 2009), William Adamson (TC 2011) Amelia McKinnon (TC 2010), Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976), Jack Watts (TC 2006) Frank Macindoe (TC 1976), Jenny Gage Traill, Michael Traill (TC 1979) Kat Mills (TC 2011), Imogen Dewey (TC 2009), Kiki Dhitavat (TC 2007) Nola Oddie, Geoff Oddie (TC 1952), Ian Marschner (TC 1984), Simone Marschner Ruby Crysell (née Ponsford, TC 1981), Katrina Weir (née Mills, TC 1981), Lisa McSweeney (née Stewart, TC 1981) Scott Charles (TC 1986), Callum Forbes (TC 2009), George Morrison (TC 2011)
IN T ERN AT ION AL ALUMN I EV EN T S
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: SINGAPORE Bryan Tan (TC 2004), Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976), Joy Wang (TCFS 2002), Katherine Ng (TC 2003), Alan Schmoll (TC 1998) LONDON Ange Johnson (TC 2001), Julie Grills (TC 1989), Annabel Reid (TC 1998) LONDON Cressida Griffith (TC 2000), Tim Daniel (TC 1998), Ben Namdarian (TC 1998) SINGAPORE Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976), Isabel Cheong, James Murray (TC 1990) SINGAPORE My Trinity Connect group KUALA LUMPUR Natasha Thiagarajah (TC 2014), Jia Kho (TC 2016)
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TRINIT Y TODAY C EL E B RATORY LU NCH FOR 50+
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Andrew Prentice (TC 1962), Bryan Keon-Cohen (TC 1966) Arthur Day (TC 1952), Hilary Day Bill Cowan (TC 1963), Felicity Moore, Scott Charles (TC 1986) Charles ‘Chicka’ Clark (TC 1941), Essie Marendy Ian Donaldson (TC 1954) John Calder (TC 1960) with the choristers Sir Roderick Carnegie (TC 1951)
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DRIN KS UN DER T HE OAK
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Annie McMichael (TC 2013), Bianka Covic (TC 2014), Jack Young (TC 2013) Ariani Anwar (TC 2008), Michael Wyles (TC 2009), Ted Wyles (TC 2016) Bill Cowan (TC 1963), Imogen Cowan (TC 2013), John Roberts (TC 1963), David Harper (TC 1963) Dick Sutcliffe (TC 1957), John Calder (TC 1960), John Freeman (TC 1957), Taffy Jones (TC 1957) John King (TC 1961), Angus Smallwood (TC 1987), Claire Gray, Heather King Rachael Farquhar (TC 2013), Gretel Hayden (TC 2013), Campbell Cooke (TC 2012) William Edwards (TC 1980), Arabella Georges (TC 1980)
TRINITY TODAY S U MME R S OI RÉ E
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Kay Attali, Marita O’Keefe, Jennifer Wraight Andrew Gourlay, Lauren Threlfall Bruce Munro (TC 1959), Judy Munro Carole Hinchcliff (née Taylor, TC 1978) Phoebe Edwards, Ruby Smith, Alex Toussaint-Jackson James Permezel (TC 2015), Louise Gourlay Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976), Campbell Bairstow
YOUN GISH ALUMN I DRIN KS
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Andrew Meagher (TC 1999), Mark Leslie (TC 2001), Michael Wyles (TC 2009) Emily Wilson (TC 1999) Liz Chong (TC 2004), Alix Roberts (TC 2009), Antonia Morris (TC 2009) Pip Lamb (TC 2002), Alice Braden (TC 2002), Jane Reid (TC 2002) Jane Lovell (TC 2006)
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TRINIT Y TODAY OBITUARIES
The life of a careerdriven sportsman
Flying the Norwegian flag
JOHN FORREST HAYMEN CLARK AM (TC 1952) 31 January 1933 – 21 July 2018
THOROLD “THORRY” HARVEY GUNNERSEN AM (TC 1954) 29 November 1940 – 4 February 2018
John Clark was not only a career man, but also a keen sportsman and active member of the community. At Melbourne Grammar School, he served as a prefect and was football captain. He entered Trinity College in 1952 and joined the football team as a ‘bustling’ half-back, being named among the best-on-ground in all four games that year. John also helped Trinity secure its third intercollegiate athletics shield in a row in 1954, winning the long jump and 100-yard dash. He also helped out the rugby team, although clearly unfamiliar with the game. On being told he was to play five-eighth, he asked ‘Fiveeighths of what?’ After graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering, John Clark began a career at BHP. During this time he rose from cadet in 1959 to become the third-highest ranking executive in the company. This included BHP’s executive general manager of corporate affairs from 1987–94. He also served as the general manager of human resources from 1985–87, where he oversaw the entire company workforce of about 70 000 people with specific responsibility for executive succession and development. John’s earlier roles at BHP included general manager at the Port Kembla Steelworks (1982–85), general manager at Whyalla (1980–82), manager of personnel and training (1969–73) and superintendent of No. 2 open hearth plant at Port Kembla (1967–68). Later in his career, John was a director of Foster’s Brewing Group from 1992 and United Energy from 1995. In New Zealand, he was a director at Penihana Nominees (1984–93) and New Zealand Steel Holdings (1992–93). John was also engaged in community life and was a director of The Australian Ballet centre, board member of Earthwatch Australia, member of the council of the Australian Ballet School, member of the Refugee Council of Australia, executive committee chairman for the Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Foundation, and chairman of the Melbourne Grammar School council. John was made a fellow of the University of Wollongong in 1986 and was appointed a member of the Order of Australia in 1995 for service to industry and commerce. A collaborative and dedicated leader, John always found time for his family. He married Janet Alexander in 1960 and they had five children: Charles (TC 1980), Nicholas (TC 1981), Sarah (TC 1984), Jonathan (TC 1988) and Peter (TC 1990). John’s younger brother Sandy entered Trinity in 1963.
Thorry Gunnersen attended Geelong Grammar as a boarder from 1948. Thorry was then a non-resident at Trinity College in 1959 but moved in for the following year. He was a member of the First XVIII and appeared as Captain Whit in Jonson’s Bartholomew Fair – the College play in 1960. Thorry graduated in commerce from the University of Melbourne and undertook further study at the University of Southampton in England, where he spent time sailing the Solent. He was a teacher at Ballarat Grammar School then taught economics at La Trobe University. The great-grandson of Captain Gunner Gunnersen, a Norwegian Baltic pine trader who made three trips to Australia as master of the Helga in the 1870s, Thorry was proud of his Norwegian heritage. Upon settling in Australia, Gunner entered into various partnerships in timber import, forestry and sawmilling. A family company was founded in 1879, now known as Gunnersen Timbermark. After the early death of his father, Thorry joined the business and shared management with his brother Peter. He went on to become executive chairman. Within the industry, Thorry served on many committees, including as chairman and founding director of the National Association of Forest Industries formed in 1986, and chairman of the Forest and Wood Products Research Development Corporation from 2000 to 2006. He was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2002 for service to the forestery industry, particularly to sustainable resource management and the welfare of timber communities. The Gunnersens kept a house, ‘The Moorings’, at Mount Eliza, where a Norwegian flag always flew. The house overlooked the Davey’s Bay Yacht Club, which Thorry joined in the mid-1950s. He served on its committee for many years and was rear commodore. He asked Peter Joubert, Professor of Engineering at the University of Melbourne, to design a 42-foot oceanracing sloop and Thorry sailed Tilting at Windmills in 13 Sydney to Hobart races. In 2009, Thorry was awarded the Romola Cup by the Royal Cruising Club in England for a 112-day cruise along the coast of Norway. Thorry married three times and had five children, one of who, Jenny, entered Trinity in 1982. During a long illness Thorry was sustained by innumerable expressions of love, not only from his family, but also by the countless loyal friends he had attracted through his warmth, generous hospitality, joie de vivre, humour and intellect.
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TRINITY TODAY
A quest to make tomorrow better DR GEOFFREY NORMAN VAUGHAN AO (TC 1956) 9 April 1933 – 4 January 2018 Geoff Vaughan was born in Sydney and attended Homebush Boys High School. After graduating with a Master of Science from the University of Sydney, Geoff moved to Melbourne for doctoral study on chemotherapy for tuberculosis. He was a resident tutor in chemistry at Trinity College from 1956 to 1958 and non-resident tutor until 1962. He rowed in the Elliot Fours and played squash, but his real skill was rugby. He joined the University of Melbourne rugby club and was captain of the Victorian state team. His stature was such that in a college rugby game in 1956, it’s said his ‘very presence was almost enough to cause Ormond to return to the Fawkner Park dressing shed’. In 1957, Geoff was selected for the Wallabies national team as prop forward. He played six international matches. Three of these were on tour against England, two in Scotland and France in February/March 1958, and three at home against New Zealand later the same year, where he was vice‑captain. Geoff began his career in 1961 as a lecturer in medicinal chemistry at the Victorian College of Pharmacy. He rose to head of department, and from 1979 to 1986 he was dean. As director of the Chisholm Institute of Technical and Further Education, he oversaw its merger with Monash University in 1990, where he was deputy vice-chancellor (research) until 1992. Geoff’s final position was as CEO of the Australian Government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration. In the 2006 Queen’s Birthday Honours list, Geoff was appointed officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to scientific research, innovation and education. The present dean of pharmacy at Monash, Bill Charman, recalled that Geoff was a leader with great vision. ‘He was generous to those he worked with, and always saw opportunities that made tomorrow better. He had a big personality, and it was always enjoyable to be with him,’ he says. Geoff created a PhD scholarship at Monash and was also a donor to Trinity College and the University of Melbourne. In 1959, he married Jennie Billing, an agriculture graduate and former resident at Janet Clarke Hall. One of their four children, Michael (TC 1985), attended Trinity.
VALETE We are saddened to acknowledge the passing of the following alumni and friends of the College. Mr Trevor Norman BRADLEY (TC non-res 2012) Revd Richard Stephen CHERRY (TC non-res 1952) Mr John Forrest Haymen CLARK AM (TC 1952) Mr Gavin McGregor COTTRELL (TC 1959) Dr Richard John GILMOUR-SMITH (TC 1963) Mr Thorold Harvey GUNNERSEN AM (TC 1959) Prof Emeritus Peter David Hensman GODFREY CBE (Director of Music 1990-91) Mr Edward Paul HOBSON (TC 1966) Revd Robert Sherwood HOUGHTON (TC 1944) Dr Anthony Robert JOSKE (TC non-res 1966) Dr Bruce Eric KENT (TC 1950) Mr KOH Zen Dylan (TCFS 2018) Ms Jennifer Christina LANS (TCFS staff member) Mr Donald James MACKINNON (TC 1947) Mr John Norman MANN (TC 1946) Mr Alan Lee MURRAY (TC 1951) Dr Edward Donough Adair O’BRIEN (TC 1960) Mr Glen L PIKE (TC 1966) Mr David Harris PREST AM (Director of Foundation Studies 1999-2001) Mr Frederick ROBILLIARD (TCFS staff member) Mr Neil Roderick Goldsbrough ROBERTSON (TC 1974) Dr Stuart John Hunt SHEPHERD AM (TC 1946) Revd Alfred William STRINGER (TC 1948) Dr Edith Morna STURROCK AM (TC non-res 1986) Mr Samuel Peter SYMONS (TC 2010) Dr Morison THWAITES (TC 1948) Dr John Collier TRINCA (TC non-res 1937) Dr Geoffrey Norman VAUGHAN AO (TC 1956) Mr Hector Home WALKER (TC 1951) Mr Peter John WETHERALL (Member of Investment Committee Nov 2015–Jan 2018)
O B I T U A R I E S BY D R P E T E R CA M P B E L L
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Annual giving 2018
TRINIT Y TODAY CROSSWORD
Can you help change someone’s life?
DR PE TE R CA M PB E L L, 2018
AC ROSS
DOW N
8
Shooting star (6)
9
1
Electronic dance music (6)
Edible snail (8)
2
Milton: “Paradise ____” (8)
3
Relating to the coloured part of the eye (6)
10 Trump’s 1987 bestseller (3,3,2,3,4) 13
Yale’s home state (11)
14
4
Streaming service (7)
Alternative to Downs (3)
16
“Farewell” mon ami (5)
5
Australian ’80s rock band with hit “Electric Blue” (8)
18
Bright gem (5)
21
Shakespearean queen (3)
6
“In his master’s steps he ___” (4)
22
1973 horror film starring Ellen Burstyn (3,8)
7
Jedi grand master (4)
25
What managers climb (9,6)
11
What rights or pay should be (5)
28
Someone on your side (8)
29
Age of the youngest nonagenarian (6)
12
Composer of “Liebestraum” (5)
15
A funny strip (5)
16
Fossilised resin (5)
17
Otherworldy (8)
19
Converting data from one form to another (8)
20
Falcon (7)
23
What you need to be to use 4-Down (6)
24
Slender (6)
26
Crude group (4)
27
Philosophical movement after Modernism, for short (2-2)
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The pages of this magazine show that Trinity touches the lives of many, and that our students and alumni go on to do wonderful things. This confirms we are fulfilling our mission to create a better world. We recognise that a better world can mean many things, so empower our students to find their place of influence, no matter where or how small. To do this we rely on the generous financial support of our alumni and friends of the College. If Trinity College has positively touched your life – whether it be through career opportunities, the inspiration of ideas, the development of friendships or the creation of memories that make you smile – please consider giving back. You can donate via the Trinity College website using our secure online form at trinity.unimelb.edu.au/donate or by cutting out and posting this form to: Advancement Office Trinity College 100 Royal Parade Parkville, VIC 3052
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