In Addition Newsletter from the Office of Advancement for alumni and supporters of UNE
April 2014 Volume 6 No 1
Recognising devoted service
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number of committed and exceptional UNE alumni were recognised in this year’s Australia Day honours. In this edition, you can read about Sister Pauline Coll who is helping protect people, especially women and children, from human trafficking; Dr Ross Thomas, an academic who continues to contribute significantly to the understanding and development of educational administration; and Robyn Gasparri, an advocate for women through her work as a supporter of charitable, youth and social welfare organisations. As an educator, Spencer Harvey contributed much to the lives of students and teachers, and he has continued his community involvement with gardening and history; Sue Bussell’s significant career in the aviation industry has enabled her to support other women in business; and Jim Dougherty has combined his love of surfing and sport with volunteer service through surf lifesaving. They have not looked for special recognition for what they do and are humbled by the interest in their activities. We hope you enjoy reading more about their contributions. UNE also has a system of awards for recognition of outstanding service to the University, professions and communities. Nominations for these awards are now open and we encourage you to put forward names of those who are deserving of recognition. Awards are: Distinguished Alumni Award Distinguished Graduate Fellow of the University Young Distinguished Alumni Award Alumni Achievement Award You can find details of how to nominate, who is eligible to nominate, who is eligible to receive these awards, and information on previous recipients at: alumni.une. edu.au/?page=awardcriteria or contact the Alumni Relations Officer on 02 6773 3365.
Top - L to R: Sister Pauline Coll, Dr Ross Thomas Middle - L to R: Robyn Gasparri, Spencer Harvey Bottom - L to R: Sue Bussell, Jim Dougherty
Re-formation of Melbourne Alumni Chapter
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articipants in informal meetings of Melbournebased alumni in February agreed on the value of establishing alumni meetings in Melbourne on a more formal basis. These meetings would aim at connecting (and re-connecting) alumni on an inter-personal level, and so building a sense of a UNE community
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in Melbourne. There could also be opportunities for the mentoring of recent graduates – and even current students – by alumni with established careers.
Melbourne-based alumni – and even those from farther afield in Victoria – who would like to be involved in this venture can register their interest by emailing alumni@une.edu.au
The meetings would enable alumni to keep in touch with the University through talks and reports on events, social functions, research projects and educational initiatives. And there would be opportunities for group members to actively support the work of the University through fund-raising and other activities.
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Recognising Devoted Service
Sister Pauline Coll Sister Pauline Coll, who holds a Diploma of Education from UNE, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her work in helping to protect people – especially women and children – from human trafficking. Sister Coll, who co-founded Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) in 2004 and served as its inaugural Chair from 2006 to 2011, was honoured on Australia Day for her “significant service to the Catholic Church in Australia” and as “an advocate for the protection of women and children – particularly in the Asia-Pacific region”.
collaborative underpinning, was needed so that those of us who helped establish it could then walk away when it was time and know that it would continue in all sorts of new and creative ways.”
Editor (1979-2011). In this position he played a significant role in the development of a discipline now recognised as vital to educational excellence.
The work of ACRATH includes helping to combat and prevent human rights violations related to human trafficking, raising awareness and sharing information about human trafficking, and offering services such as counselling, rehabilitation and reintegration programs for people who have been the victims of trafficking.
Ross graduated from UNE as a Doctor of Philosophy in 1973. Throughout his academic career he contributed to UNE’s leading role in the development of educational administration as an area of study and research. He went on to hold several senior positions at UNE, including Head of Department, Dean, and Associate Dean.
Sister Coll now lives at the BallyCara Village of Friends in Scarborough, Queensland, where she continues, she says, “to be a Good Samaritan woman in any way that might offer itself ”.
He has contributed his expertise to overseas institutions through appointments as Visiting Professor to the University of Toronto, Pennsylvania State University, the University of London, and the University of Brunei Darussalam.
For more information about the work of ACRATH, go to www.acrath.org.au; the AntiSlavery Australia Web site is at www.antislavery.org.au
In his retirement he remains active as a member of the editorial board of two international educational journals, and is an Honorary Professor at the Australian Centre for Educational Leadership.
She said the honour, although in her name, included all those who had worked with and supported her during the establishment and early years of ACRATH, and all those now “working quietly away” to protect the dignity of people affected by human trafficking. Sister Coll is a Sister of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict. Her work within the community – with a particular emphasis on education and social justice – has included many years’ service as an educator in primary and secondary schools, and service in various Catholic ministries with a communitydevelopment and inter-congregational focus. She is the recipient of several awards for her outstanding work in the pursuit of peace, freedom, and social justice. She said she believed that collaboration with a range of organisations and individuals was fundamental to the foundation and development of ACRATH. “I had a dream,” she said, “that such an organisation, with such
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Ross started his career as a teacher at the Queensland School for the Deaf and Blind, and maintains a life-long interest in the education and welfare of children with disabilities.
For his “significant service to education through the study and advancement of educational administration” Ross was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on Australia Day 2014.
Ross Thomas The academic study of educational administration was in its infancy when Ross Thomas began postgraduate studies in the field at UNE in 1968, following his appointment as Lecturer in the University’s Department of Education. It was in 1968 too that he joined the editorial team of the Journal of Educational Administration, founded only five years before by his UNE supervisor Professor Bill Walker, who established the discipline of educational administration in Australia. Ross’s 44-year involvement in the production of the pioneering Journal culminated in a 33-year period as its
“All of this would not have been possible without the wonderful support and encouragement of my wife Jenny,” Ross said. “After several years as full-time mother to our five children she devoted her professional career to teaching children with disabilities in Armidale – first at Mirambeena Special School and then as founding Head of the Special Education Department at Armidale High School.” Following her retirement from teaching Jenny worked as a Research Fellow at UNE. Both she and their son Alex are UNE graduates – Jenny holding a Master of Education degree (2001) and Alex a Bachelor of Arts degree (2000).
Institute. Her continuing involvement with Lifeline as a Board Member has brought her particular satisfaction. “It’s a privilege to work with such a wonderful organisation,” she said. She and her husband Walter, a retired Government Statistician, have four married daughters and 15 grandchildren. “Throughout my career Walter has been a fantastic support,” Robyn said. “It’s been a real partnership.” Photo courtesy of The Weekly Times
Robyn Gaspari Robyn Gaspari was studying for an Arts degree at UNE as a mature-age student in the late 1980s when she began to run training courses in conflict resolution as part of the Conflict Resolution Network. This venture, which led to a career as Managing Director of her own consulting company, was part of a broad concern for social harmony that had been fostered by her earlier employment as a cancer support worker and chaplain at Royal North Shore Hospital. Her energetic involvement in a wide range of community-based organisations over many years has been an expression of that concern. Robyn graduated from UNE as a Bachelor of Arts in 1990. On Australia Day 2014 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her “significant service to the community – particularly women”, and her work as “a supporter of charitable, youth and social welfare organisations”. “I’ve always been interested in women’s affairs,” Robyn said. It was an interest that took her to the United Nations in New York in 2004 as an adviser to the Australian Government delegation to the UN Commission for the Status of Women and as a member of UNIFEM Australia. “It was wonderful to be included in that delegation,” she said. Now Vice-President of the Australian Women’s Coalition, she has served as the organisation’s Treasurer, President and Secretary. She is also an Executive Member of the National Council of Women NSW. Robyn, who brings what she calls a “family perspective” to her advocacy for women, has a special concern for drought-affected rural families – and homeless people both young and old. She has held several senior positions within both Zonta International and Rotary International, and is currently President of the Zonta Club of Macquarie and a Member of the Rotary Leadership
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to have been associated with them.” Spencer has lived in Bathurst ever since he took up a position as Principal of Bathurst Demonstration School in 1971. In the pursuit of his two main interests – gardening and history – he has contributed much to the Bathurst community. He gained an Advanced Certificate of Urban Horticulture and became an accredited garden judge. A Life Member and Executive Member of Bathurst Gardeners’ Club, he served for many years as the club’s President, and as an organiser of the Bathurst Garden Spectacular. In 2008 he was awarded the President of the Garden Clubs of Australia Award for Outstanding Service by an Individual to Gardening and/or Horticulture. Spencer was project manager for the development of the awardwinning “sensory garden” at Bathurst Independent Living Skills – a community centre for adults with an intellectual disability.
Spencer Harvey Spencer Harvey, who studied through UNE while working as a teacher and principal in NSW schools in the 1960s and ‘70s, has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the community and to education. Holding Bachelor of Arts and Master of Educational Administration degrees from UNE, Spencer’s distinguished career in education continued with work as an Inspector of Schools, and then as Assistant Director of Education and Director of Human Resources for the Western NSW Region. After retiring from the Education Department in 1991 he passed on his wealth of knowledge and experience to students at Charles Sturt University (CSU), where he served as an Associate Lecturer in Education for 10 years. A graduate of Bathurst Teachers’ College, he was presented with a Distinguished Alumnus Award by CSU in 2001 for his service and commitment to education in the Central West of NSW and to the University’s Faculty of Education. “I loved teaching, and still regard myself as a teacher,” he said. “This Australia Day award is partly due to the wonderful teachers of the region. I am very proud
His interest in all aspects of the Bathurst community has led to the writing of four books of local history. Among them are The History of the Bathurst Eisteddfod Society (a society of which he was President for many years), and The Roses of Miss Traill’s House. (He has been a volunteer at Miss Traill’s House, a National Trust property, since 2002.) Spencer’s wife Beryl (nee Wagner) is a graduate of Armidale Teachers’ College; they have four sons, eleven grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren. “Without Beryl,” he said, “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this.”
Save the date Adelaide On Tuesday, 13 May, Amanda Williamson, from UNE’s School of Law, will be speaking on the Bulga case (Bulga v Rio Tinto) which, while about a town stopping an open cut coal mine expansion, has considerable relevance to coal seam gas. It is also a topic of significant appeal to non-lawyers. 7:00 for 7:30 am at Saracen’s. The seminar will also be available through video link at the UNE Future Campus at Parramatta. More details.
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role as Executive Manager of Industrial Relations. “In this role I manage a team of very high-achieving lawyers and industrial relations managers,” she said. “In an environment as challenging as the aviation industry it’s intensely interesting and enjoyable.” “My husband Ian Renn has been an enormous support,” Sue said, “even driving me up to my residential schools at UNE in those early years. I’m very proud of – and grateful to – Ian and our sons David and Andrew.”
Sue Bussell
On Australia Day this year she was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her “significant service to industrial relations, as a supporter of women in business, and to the aviation sector”.
Her interest in industrial relations was deepened – and put into historical context – by her study of Australian History at UNE, where one of her lecturers was Russel Ward. After graduating in 1984 Sue took up a position as Federal Industrial Officer for the Australian Postal and Telecommunications Union, and then moved back to the aviation industry as Employee Relations Manager at Ansett Australia. Her service to industrial relations has included an appointment as a Commissioner in the Victorian Industrial Relations Commission in 1992-93. “It was a wonderful opportunity to enhance my knowledge of industrial relations,” she said. In 1994 Sue re-joined the staff of Qantas Airways, where she has held a series of senior management positions culminating in her present
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He is proud of the organisation’s record of volunteer service along Australia’s beaches, and emphasises “the enormous value of volunteering – of all kinds – to local communities”. His community service is not limited to surf lifesaving. He has been a committee member of Grafton and District Business Development Board for more than 20 years, and was a member of the Finance Committee of St Mary’s Catholic Parish, Grafton, for 15 years. As a Chartered Accountant holding senior executive positions within the Grafton-based Westlawn Group of finance companies, Jim is intimately involved in the Group’s sponsorship and support of many charitable community organisations. He was also involved as a volunteer in the administration and activities of local swimming and soccer clubs during the years when his four children were participating.
Sue Bussell was working as a flight attendant and as a union official for the Flight Attendants Association of Australia while she was studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree at UNE.
Sue began work as a Qantas flight attendant at a time when female flight attendants (or “air hostesses”) could not hold supervisory positions and did not receive salaries equal to those of their male counterparts. She played a leading role in the campaign to redress those inequalities and remains, she said, “very proud” of its success.
Member of both. “Surf lifesaving is an organisation that allows you to combine community service with sport and recreational activity,” he said.
“The Australia Day award was a surprise – and an honour,” he said. Jim Dougherty James William Dougherty was named on Australia Day as the recipient of a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) “for services to lifesaving and the community”. Jim Dougherty has been a member of Yamba Surf Club since 1966, taking on many roles, including those of Secretary for ten years and President for four years. He follows in the footsteps of his father, who also served as President of the club. He has also been Yamba Surf Club’s coach for many years producing a number of Australian champions – including his own son, Hugh. Originally from Grafton, Jim was a member of the UNE community from 1972 to 1975, during which time he was a resident of St Albert’s College, playing in the College’s First XV while undertaking an economics degree program. He graduated in 1975 and continued on to complete a Diploma in Financial Management before beginning work with Touche Ross and Co. Chartered Accountants in Sydney. He returned to Grafton at the end of 1977. Over the years Jim has held many leading positions within Surf Life Saving NSW as well as his Yamba club, and is now a Life
Jim has been supported over the years by his wife Cathy (nee Morrissey), a member of Austin College’s first intake of residents in 1972, who also completed an Economics degree – as well as a Diploma of Education – over the years 1972-1975.
Save the date Armidale On 12 May, Bruce Bonyhady AM will be presenting a public seminar at UNE on the development and implementation of public policy using the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as an example. As Chair of the NDIS, Bruce has an intimate knowledge of how this came about and a perspective that will be of interest to many. The seminar will also be available through video link at the UNE Future Campus at Parramatta. More details. The seminar will be followed by dinner at Booloominbah when Bruce will speak on his family connections to Armidale and why we should be involved in our communities. More details.
Let your light shine through
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he University of New England Council has acknowledged links to the past and the future with the announcement that UNE’s new state-of-the-art residential complex will again bear the name of Wright College. After more than twenty years since the demolition of the original five residential blocks known as Wright College, the new college is being established at the same location. UNE Chancellor, The Hon. John Watkins, said the new Wright College would deliver the best combination of modern facilities for current students, linking them to the strong collegiate culture of UNE and the heritage of the historic Wright College. “UNE aspires to become Australia’s preeminent collegiate university by building on the student experience. The reinstallation of a Wright College is a powerful symbol of UNE’s commitment to maintaining its strong collegiate tradition,” Mr Watkins said. “The University is extremely proud of the formative lifestyle and experience we provide and the new Wright College will build on those traditions to deliver expanded residential facilities to meet the needs of our on-campus students. “The new college is a building project for the future - a modern residential complex with a sustainable and environmentally friendly design, offering a range of accommodation options including facilities for disabled students.” Mr Watkins said the University had plenty of suggestions about potential names for the new college with the ‘Redmen’ - alumni of Wright College - showing strong enthusiasm for reinstalling their old residence.
“The University received more than 30 submissions directly from former Wright College residents in support of the proposal, each highlighting the importance they placed on their own collegiate experience. “The former Wright College Association has reformed in anticipation of the new college, and the members are already offering support and leadership for students through involvement in the new Senior Common Room. “This means that when our new students move into the new Wright College in April, they will enjoy a ready-made community of support, in addition to the most modern residential facilities on-campus.” To contact the Wright College Association, please email alumni@une.edu.au Take a virtual tour of the new facilities.
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Alumni Profile - Cornelia Cohrs
Ashley Emmerton, Cornelia Cohrs and Sanaz Alian Cornelia Cohrs drew on her personal experience and research findings when she spoke about the development of “global competence in leadership” at a meeting of the Armidale Alumni Chapter in March. In addressing the question “What makes me tick?” Cornelia explained that, at the age of seven, she had politely told her parents to emigrate. She prepared herself by learning several languages – becoming competent in six and speaking four fluently. Her overseas experience started with secondary school in California at the age of 17. It was when she was working as an au pair for the family of a German CEO of a multinational corporation in Paris that she began to understand the importance of global leadership roles.
Cornelia has lived in eight countries – including England, where she gained a BA Honours degree in International Management, and Mexico, where she worked for the German car maker Volkswagen in marketing and public relations. She worked, too, on educational projects, and as a teacher of German. Deciding to explore the administrative side of education, she came to Australia to undertake a Master’s degree in Educational Administration. “I came here because of UNE’s excellent reputation in the field,” she said. “My professors at UNE impressed me so much that I wanted to be just like them.” After working as an assistant to the director of a German bank and at a university in Mexico, Cornelia found herself drawn once again to the field of global leadership to study at UNE for a doctorate in this field.
Her UNE research has involved sustained observation of the work of two global leaders of a multinational German company, and interviewing 28 others. “There’s a lack of such global leaders, but a high demand for them by multinational companies,” Cornelia said. “Global leadership increases a company’s effectiveness and efficiency, reduces cross-cultural misunderstanding and conflict, and enhances creativity.”
UNE Convocation
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UNE Alumni Networking
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Korea Australia Alumni Welcomes You
Did you know? Australian Embassy Seoul is expanding the Korea Australia Alumni (KAA) project. This year, one of the Embassy’s main goals is to encourage more students to join the KAA, so they are not only trying to enhance the relationship with key universities, but also updating the KAA website with new event details. The KAA serves as a high-profile umbrella alumni organisation with the purpose of promoting Australian education via the success of alumni, and supporting alumni in Korea through business and social networking. The KAA has currently over 1,500 members working as professionals in a variety of sectors throughout the Republic of Korea and membership is growing rapidly. Join today! Click here to see what other countries have umbrella alumni associations. www.facebook.com/koreaaustraliaalumni
The Academic Apple Tree by David Farrell David Farrell grew up on a large farm in the middle of Ireland, and in the next few years of his life crisscrossed the world from British Columbia, to the Flinders Ranges, New Zealand, and then back in Canada. It was while working as a technician with Canada Forestry that he suddenly realised what he wanted to do, which was academia. His entertaining book continues with an account of his time at the University of New England clambering up the “academic apple tree”. Many changes happened during those eventful years in the Faculty of Rural Science and this is an insider’s view. After leaving UNE in 1994, David started a new working life in Brisbane, where the drama of getting his “ecoegg” commercialised brings the book to a colourful conclusion. This ebook can be purchased for $US2.99 on Amazon, Apple, Google Play and Kobo
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RAFT RAFT polymerisation was ranked in the top ten of discoveries likely to win the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, ahead of the eventual winner (http://blog.chembark. com/2013/10/05/predictionsfor-the-2013-nobel-prize-inchemistry/). RAFT (Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer) is a process invented by CSIRO in 1998 and developed in partnership with Du Pont. It is a breakthrough in the synthesis of tailored polymers or plastics. The resultant materials have been commercialised in biomedical, chemical, personal care, agricultural and energy industries. Dr Daniel Keddie from the School of Science and Technology at UNE has worked and published research findings with the inventors of this technology at CSIRO in Melbourne. In 2014 he published a review on RAFT polymerisation in the highly prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry, Chemical Society Reviews (http://pubs.rsc. org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2013/CS/ C3CS60290G#!divAbstract). In recognition of the significance of this work, Dr Keddie was asked to provide the original cover art for the journal issue, a stylised description of the RAFT process.
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Office of Advancement Contact Us Anita Taylor, Director +61 2 6773 2365 amtaylor@une.edu.au Jennifer Miller, Alumni Relations +61 2 6773 3365 alumni@une.edu.au Kate Jones, Donor Relations +61 2 6773 3876 kjones25@une.edu.au Janette Morgan, Donor Accounts +61 2 6773 1991 janette.morgan@une.edu.au Jocelyn Colyvas, Advancement Services +61 2 6773 2870 advance@une.edu.au Kylie McCarthy, UNE Foundation +61 2 6773 5049 foundation@une.edu.au
Contributions If you would like to contribute to future editions of ‘In Addition’ we would love to hear from you!
Publication Information Published by the University of New England ABN 75 792 454 315 ISSN 1836-7003 Published April 2014
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Print Post PP255003/09396 PO Box U32 University of New England Armidale NSW 2351 If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please phone +61 2 6773 2870.