Impact 2023

Impact 2023

PHILANTHROPY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA

We acknowledge the Palawa/Pakana of lutruwita/Tasmania and Gadigal people of Sydney, the traditional owners of the land upon which we live and work. We pay respects to Elders past and present as the knowledge holders and sharers. We honour their strong culture and knowledge as vital to the self-determination, wellbeing and resilience of their communities. We stand for a future that profoundly respects and acknowledges Aboriginal perspectives, culture, language and history.

From the Vice-Chancellor

The Australian Universities Accord Final Report was released earlier this year, presenting a clear picture of how higher education needs to evolve to meet the future needs of our society.

Thirty years ago, as the need for more people to be tertiary educated started to grow substantially, Australia’s education policy changed dramatically and drove the evolution from an elite to a mass high education system. In many ways we are still working though the implications of that change. Now we are about to embark on an equally profound change.

The Accord shows that within 25 years, 80 per cent of all jobs will require tertiary education qualifications from a university or TAFE. That means 90 per cent of school students will need to go to university or TAFE. To meet those targets Australian higher education will need to be available to anyone and to see high levels of participation from the many currently underrepresented groups in our community rise dramatically.

This is especially important for Tasmania, where we have very low participation and completion rates in our secondary schools and University. This affects all of us, with consequences right across our economy and communities. If we don’t address our low attainment rates Tasmania will fall even further behind the rest of the nation on measures of life expectancy, income, health, and productivity.

Inequality is already stark here, where a short 20km drive from Hobart’s centre to Bridgewater sees life expectancy drop 20 years (from 87 to 67). To address that kind of inequality the Accord focuses on increased educational participation and success for these communities while maintaining high standards.

Complementing this is the Accord’s emphasis on impactful research. With the University of Tasmania already deeply focused on impact, this is a welcome affirmation of our mission. Like us, the Accord realises that having impact relies on collaborating with people with a shared commitment to making a difference – no one can do this alone.

This magazine is full of wonderful examples of what working together like this can achieve – from the scholarships that provide much needed access to the University to research projects that are making a real difference. It shows what the future of higher education must look like, and I’m grateful to you and each of our benefactors who are helping shape that future.

With this strong momentum in place, and the Accord’s affirmation and support, it is a very good time to be pursuing our shared efforts to make a difference here on the island.

Tasmania’s wellbeing and prosperity depends on it.

Professor Rufus Black Vice-Chancellor

We value your support

“Remember, everyone’s path is unique, and it’s ok to make your own way … The financial assistance (from my scholarship) has allowed me to excel academically while contributing to the Tasmanian community.” 2023 scholarship student

Reading thankyou messages from scholarship students as they reflect on their experiences and the impact of philanthropic support on their lives is a uniquely rewarding part of my role and a powerful reminder of how philanthropy can change futures.

2023 was a year of profound change to philanthropy at the University of Tasmania. Significant work has been undertaken on contemporising the oversight and stewardship of gifts. Through the generosity of our benefactors the University now manages a portfolio of philanthropic funds worth $120 million, providing vital income that enables us to deliver on our mission in tangible ways. This includes funding scholarships and prizes to support our students and ensure the widest possible access to quality higher education, alongside high-impact research projects, and the infrastructure that underpins these aims.

Supporting our work is the reporting, governance and national benchmarking we undertake, ensuring that your gifts are well managed and stewarded in accordance with donor wishes. Of note in 2023 was the significant increase in donations. Philanthropic income nearly doubled from the previous year with our community particularly interested in funding globally significant sustainability projects.

Gifts in Wills continue to inspire with the permanent legacy they leave in honour of donors’ interests and passions. Last year the establishment of the Limestone Valley How Family Trust, formed through a significant bequest, will see medical research funded for generations to come.

To continue to meet these challenges and to focus our philanthropic work, the University has started an ambitious $50 million, five-year fundraising campaign: Sustain. This campaign will provide clear pathways for our alumni, donors and friends to join us in our aspiration to engender meaningful action in areas we know matter to our community. These areas include a sustainable planet; conserving our unique flora and fauna; ensuring student access to education; supporting medical research that makes a difference to Tasmanian and the world; and fostering creativity.

Such support will have lasting impacts far beyond this generation.

The shared stories of deep and meaningful partnerships that follow in this magazine are only possible because of the generosity of our donor community. Alongside our researchers and scholars I offer our profound thanks.

Rebecca Cuthill Director, Advancement

A rising tide lifts all boats

How a $1 million private donation – the largest single gift in support of University of Tasmania scholarships – is set to change countless lives in Tasmania’s West, North-West and King Island.

Findlay Wright is exactly the kind of student Dr Ian and Jill Wilson hoped to assist when they provided a $1 million endowment toward scholarships at the University of Tasmania.

Moving from North-West Tasmania to Hobart to study Findlay was doing three jobs to pay for rent, bills and general living expenses, impacting on her ability to study and on her wellbeing.

“I remember being in arrears with rent which was so stressful,” Findlay said.

“When the scholarship came, the motivation gain and the stress relieved was so noticeable. I think without it I probably would not have seen myself completing my first year.”

For Ian and Jill, university scholarships paved the way to greater opportunities, opportunities they were keen to share with a new generation of Tasmanian students. The University was deeply saddened to receive news of Jill’s passing in November.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said the generosity of Ian and Jill is both inspirational and humbling.

"This endowment will support hundreds of future students at the University of Tasmania and will deliver tangible benefits for those students and indeed for the State for many years to come,” Professor Black said.

Findlay is the first student to receive the $10,000-a-year scholarship, which provides support to students from the West, North-West and King Island to study at the University in any discipline for the duration of their degree.

It is the largest single donation for scholarships received by the University and is intended to improve access for students experiencing financial barriers to entering tertiary study. From 2024, it is planned that three students will receive the scholarship each year.

Ian says the Jill and Ian Wilson Scholarship, which will continue in perpetuity, stems from a desire to “give back in some way”.

He says the scholarship was set up to see recipients “take new ideas back to their communities and become local leaders, whether as nurses, school teachers, scientists, engineers, professionals, primary producers or business people. They will make a difference and be role models for the next generation.

“Everyone who gets to University will help ‘raise all boats’ in the country, either directly or indirectly by setting an example or providing inspiration,” Ian said. It’s a fitting image for a man who grew up in Burnie never far from the water, watching the rising tide lift all the boats at once.

Ian graduated from the University of Tasmania with Honours in Science in 1973 followed by a PhD in physics in 1977. He worked as a physicist at CSIRO working his way up to Chief Research Scientist and Deputy Chief of his division. The opportunity to commercialise his research led to a spin-off company with a team of engineers and scientists making airborne equipment for remote sensing.

Jill (BA Dip Ed 1969) likewise had a strong association with the North-West, having taught English and French at Smithton High School, her first placement following her teaching degree. She went on to retrain as a librarian.

Although she had a scholarship to study teaching at the University, she didn’t have income or a scholarship during her retraining.

“I ate a lot of tomato soup and lived in a big share house – I needed a student loan at one point,” Jill said earlier in 2023.

She went on to work at the University’s Morris Miller Library, before becoming the acquisitions librarian at the State Library of Victoria, where she was in charge of the book budget, including bequests. She later moved to Monash University Library.

“I hope the students who receive our scholarship will be passionate about their subjects and can spend more time studying and less time working part time,” she said.

For Findlay, the scholarship has been life-changing.

▲ Dr Ian and Jill Wilson

◀ Scholarship recipient Findlay Wright

“The generosity of Jill and Ian Wilson helped me get back on track and become much more motivated and free up some time!’ she said.

In October 2023, Ian and Jill wrote of the experience of seeing the first student benefit from the endowment, “We are delighted the University has selected Findlay as the first recipient of our scholarship.

“She is exactly the kind of student we had in mind when we established the scholarship with the aim of improving access to the University.”

Literacy roundtables encourage Tasmanian solutions

Thanks to support from the Cuthill Family Foundation, researchers, policy-makers and community representatives came together at the University’s Inveresk campus in August 2023 on a mission to improve literacy levels in Tasmania.

A report by the Australian Education Union estimates 50 per cent of Tasmania’s population has inadequate reading skills for their daily life.

Seeing the need for solutions, a two-day symposium – the Cuthill Family Foundation Early Years Literacy Roundtables – was held in August to inform policy and deliver tailored programs on the ground.

Hosted by the School of Education with philanthropic support from the Cuthill Family Foundation, the roundtables brought together researchers; educators, including speech pathologists, teachers and principals; key local and national organisations; other allied health professionals and community-based literacy programs. Panellists included experts from the University of Tasmania, Monash University, Murdoch University, Aboriginal literacy specialists and government representatives. The interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue achieved will be a key impact going forward.

▼ Taroona Primary School bush class | Image: Oi Studios

“Literacy in our increasingly complex society involves much more than reading and writing,” said Professor Duhn, an expert in early years education from the University of Tasmania.

“Research tells us that we urgently need to address literacy as the ability to create meaning from a wide range of sources.”

She added that a key message at the roundtables was that if children feel heard, they are more likely to become engaged and to learn. Other keys to success identified were the need to focus on connections between students and their various teachers, as well as encouraging children.

University of Tasmania Lecturer in Early Childhood Education Dr Lauren Armstrong said the roundtables also raised the important issue that not all communities across the State have access to the same resources, highlighting the need to listen to communities and develop programs tailored to regions.

Dr Armstrong said roundtable participants agreed there should be an emphasis on the first thousand days of a child’s life.

Nichola Harris, a board member of the Cuthill Family Foundation, said she was pleased the roundtables had initiated a discussion about effective and evidence-based literacy instruction and intervention that will support children in Tasmania.

“Literacy is a basic human right and it is vital we promote language and emergent literacy skills as well as have supports in place to identify and support at-risk children in their early years,” she said.

“The challenge now is to ensure that all children in the State have access to a high level of support that is driven by evidence alongside the needs and wants of their local communities.”

The Cuthill Family Foundation is an independent philanthropic fund established by Harvey and Suzanne Cuthill. Based in Tasmania, it has an ongoing commitment to engage with local projects around education, health, the environment and the arts.

Business focus thrives on the North-West

A shared passion for the North-West runs deep for business student Vincent McDonagh and the organisation supporting his scholarship.

For Vincent McDonagh, receiving the 2023 Business Northwest Bursary has not only eased financial pressures, it has provided valuable connections with the business community.

“I went to the Business Northwest meeting and spoke, and ever since then I’ve been getting a lot of comments from business people in the community who heard the presentation and were interested to talk more,” he said.

As well as studying an Accelerated Bachelor of Business at the University of Tasmania, Vincent is working as an Undergraduate Accountant for Grange Resources for twenty hours a week. The role provides him with a broad background in finance and insights into the company, which employs about 650 people in the region. A keen runner and bike rider, he said working in remote locations like Savage River offers unique access to wild places, including runs through nature.

“I’ve spent almost all my life in the North-West,” he said, adding that he appreciates the sense of community.

Prior to his undergraduate role at Grange, Vincent worked in agriculture, accommodation and for retail company West Pine Ag. He also assisted with the growth of the Penguin Pantry and the creation of a Penguin Pantry coffee outlet.

▲ Ian Jones (left), President of Business Northwest, with Vincent McDonagh (right) | Image: Michael Cannon, DesignEye Creative

Before starting his business degree, he began an engineering degree at the University and was awarded 1st Place in the 2019 UTAS Science and Engineering Awards (Senior Division).

Ian Jones, President of Business Northwest, a division of the Burnie Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the organisation was pleased to be providing the $3,000 scholarship.

“It is intended to help young students get the education they require to move themselves into the business workplace,” he said.

“It also assists business people in the area because they get to know quality graduates – upgrading the talent pool for local businesses.”

Ian, who was also born and raised in Burnie, has a small business and corporate background that has taken him to Sydney and China, where he spent a decade. He is the Chairperson for Clean Energy Tasmania.

He said local business owners, who collectively supported the scholarship through their Business Northwest membership, were very pleased to hear of Vincent’s experiences through his studies, the undergraduate program at Grange Resources, and what the scholarship has meant for him.

Trust helps secure future of Tasmanian environment

“If we looked after our land, we would be able to produce healthy food and therefore healthy people – it is that simple!” John Roberts

John Roberts was a man who practiced what he preached. A life on the land as an orchardist then a sheep grazier instilled in him the importance of looking after the environment.

He saw the need to prevent soil degradation, protect waterways, plant trees and shrubs to prevent erosion, and educate the next generation about the importance of looking after the land.

It is fitting then that towards the end of his life he set up the JM Roberts Charitable Trust to address important environmental and agricultural issues and help educate young people about the importance of landcare.

Trustee Steven Hernyk said, “He was a man before his time and certainly took sustainability to another level in establishing the trust during his lifetime.”

John’s vision was clear: "If we looked after our land, we would be able to produce healthy food and therefore healthy people – it is that simple!"

Started in 2003, the trust continues to make a difference to Tasmania and young Tasmanians through scholarships and seed funding to advance sustainable agriculture at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), a specialist institute at the University of Tasmania.

Funding for the JM Roberts and TIA Nuffield Scholarship for Young Leaders in Sustainable Agriculture assists recipients working on projects which support sustainable outcomes for land, water, plants and animals in Tasmania.

Recipient Max Edgley, cultivation manager at Tasmanian Botanics, one of Australia’s leading medicinal cannabis producers and manufacturers, said the scholarship enabled him to bring valuable knowledge home from Europe and America.

“I visited about forty facilities and learned about cannabis production in places where the industries are more mature, as well as countries where it is still developing,” he said.

“It enabled me to see the trends in cultivation and where production technologies might go in future so we can figure out what is the best pathway forward here.”

Max said a future direction that leading companies are taking is sustainability, something Tasmania is well placed to achieve given the State’s access to renewable power.

Another recent recipient was Charles Downie whose travels included the US, Canada and the Netherlands. His conversations with farmers in these markets revealed that effective training and skilled staff were often more important than technological fixes for solving workforce challenges.

Director of TIA Professor Mike Rose said the benefits of the generous support from the trust are two-fold.

“The funding of the Nuffield scholars brings to Tasmania a vision of what is happening internationally, with benefits for Tasmanian farmers,” Professor Rose said.

“The scholars report the results of their travels to TIA staff and its industry development team, who communicate with thousands of Tasmanian farmers each year.

“Secondly, the funding enables early-stage projects dedicated to soil health and the environment to get off the ground in TIA, underpinning the production and sustainability of the State’s agricultural sector.”

The trust is also supporting education through the JM Roberts Springboard to Higher Education program. The Springboard program encourages students to continue into senior secondary school and tertiary study. Since 2017, the trust has provided 18 scholarships to students from schools including Oatlands, Campbell Town and Cressy District High Schools. A number of these students have gone on to university to study a range of subjects.

Giving back to our seas

How a Canadian environmental scientist with a passion for diving found her way to Tasmania with the help of a scholarship made possible through a generous bequest.

Hobart is a long way from Alberta, Canada, but for University of Tasmania PhD student Kianna Gallagher it is just the ticket for a project investigating the relationship between humans and oceans.

Kianna is particularly interested in how people can act with reciprocity towards the oceans, a give and take that can benefit both people and nature. Examples include the State’s emerging kelp industry that could occur alongside projects to restore kelp forests. She will also explore the long-standing relationship between humans and abalone.

“Tasmania is a very conducive environment for research,” said Kianna, who highlights the daily interactions she has with researchers working in the natural environment. She notes too the history of environmental conflict in the State.

“I’m looking at the opposite of that conflict by focussing instead on how we can look at positive ways forward,” she said, adding that she hopes to break down some of the black and white thinking about human interactions with nature.

▲ PhD student and Richard Ernest Glazebrook Environment Scholarship recipient Kianna Gallagher Image: Bliss Sandhu

“The narrative has been to plot environmentalists against fishers, for example, but the core of my PhD research is to highlight that the two are often not mutually exclusive, that you can be a fisher and a steward of that environment,” she said.

A crucial source of support for Kianna’s research has been the Richard Ernest Glazebrook Environment Scholarship, an endowed award established thanks to gift in Will from passionate environmental advocate the late Richard Glazebrook.

Richard was an active campaigner dedicated to Tasmania's natural environment and an advocate for Aboriginal people. It was Richard’s wish to support a scholarship that assists postgraduate students researching environmental justice in decision making about developments planned for the State. Equally, he wanted to support evidence-based scientific research into development impacts on Tasmania’s natural ecosystems and threatened species, including research into remedies to negative environmental impacts. This has been achieved by working with his trustees to honour his intentions.

Kianna is the inaugural recipient of the scholarship (2023–2024), which she said has enabled her to focus on her research without the additional worries of finances, especially given the additional expenses that come with moving countries as an international student.

The focus of Kianna’s research during the scholarship will be on the social and ecological considerations for the emerging kelp industry in Tasmania. It’s just one of the case studies she hopes her PhD will reveal are shining lights for a better way to interact with our oceans and the broader natural world.

Leaving a gift in your Will is a powerful and lasting statement of your life, passion and values. Your generosity can make a vital impact for future generations. To find out more or for contact details please visit utas.edu.au/bequest

Our Bequest Society recognises donors who have confirmed their intention to leave a bequest to the University of Tasmania in their Will.

▲ Richard Ernest Glazebrook

▶ Kianna Gallagher studies interactions between people and the ocean Image: Bliss Sandhu

Tasmanian fisheries forensics technology set to improve global catch management

With an ever-increasing hunger for seafood globally, finding low-cost but effective ways of monitoring catches has never been more important to ensure sustainability.

In 2020, global wild capture fisheries production was estimated at 90.3 million tonnes, valued at $141 billion USD, according to a 2022 report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). However, Dr Madeline Green from the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) says large data gaps remain in terms of which species are being caught and in what numbers.

Finding ways of ensuring these diverse fisheries remain viable into the future has been reliant on time-consuming monitoring methods, including logbook data, observers aboard fishing trips, patrol vessels, and tagging programs.

Now a new, inexpensive and accurate method that Dr Green has developed could be added to this suite of management and monitoring tools to collect data more efficiently.

The method involves DNA sequencing (or fingerprinting), similar to what is used to forensically solve crimes.

In this new application, samples are taken from the brine water from fishing vessels’ holding tanks, or potentially vessel freezers, to determine what species of fish have been caught.

According to Dr Green, specialised methods were successfully developed to extract DNA from the traces left behind in the brine water, and all but the rarest species that had been in the holding tank were correctly identified. With new funding from Oceankind*, granted by the University of Tasmania Foundation USA, these techniques are being refined, and the technology is being scaled up.

Dr Green says the long-term goal is to roll out the molecular monitoring technology across a whole fishery to enhance data collection, improving knowledge about what is being caught, including illegal catches.

“This enables us to understand who is catching what and how that influences ecosystems,” said Dr Green, who has participated as an observer in international fisheries meetings and seen first-hand the critical need for more data.

“In the Indian Ocean Tuna Fishery for example, 50 per cent of all the sharks taken as bycatch and then sold are not known at a species, genus or family level,” she said.

“We don’t know at that large scale what kind of sharks are being caught, so we don’t have a good understanding of how threatened those species really are.”

It is possible that in the future, this technique may also be adapted and applied to determining how many fish are being caught, but Dr Green’s first focus is species identification.

“If we were to resolve species identification for a number of fisheries, we can better understand the impact that fishery is having on an ecosystem and then manage accordingly. You can’t manage what you don’t know,” she said.

“Lower GDP countries have less capacity for high-tech monitoring. These new methods are quite low tech and cost-effective when compared with buying a patrol boat.”

Dr Green said seeing the early success of identifying species has given her hope. “What we are doing is more than data gathering – our results can be used by policy makers and fisheries managers to improve ecosystem health and fish population management so we have sustainable fisheries for the future.”

*Oceankind is a US-based philanthropic organisation whose mission is to improve the health of global ocean ecosystems while supporting the livelihoods of people who rely on them.

It seeks to advance the policy, science, and technology necessary to reverse the growing threats facing our oceans.

▶ Dr Madeline Green | Image: Peter W Allen

Saving Tassie’s iconic species

From the land to the sea, philanthropy is making a difference in the fight to save endangered species, which is a key goal of the University. Generous gifts to research into two precious species – the Tasmanian devil and the red handfish – are examples of the positive impact that is possible.

Tasmanian devils and emerging researchers benefit from long-term donor passion

For pharmacist Roger Tall, encountering Tasmanian devils was a regular part of growing up in Orford on the East Coast of Tasmania.

“We frequently sighted devils up and down the East Coast,” he said, describing camping trips and excursions during his high school years and, later, during his university studies in science and pharmacy.

He says he was always very conscious of the disappearance of the Tasmanian tiger (thylacine).

“Sadly, we had already lost one iconic species and we didn’t want to lose another simply due to a lack of research funding,” he said.

Roger’s background in the sciences and pharmacy meant he understood the importance of studying genetics and the role of vaccination in the fight against the facial tumour disease that was decimating the devil population.

As a result, he and his wife, Maxeme, have committed over half a million dollars to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal, unprecedented philanthropic support for Tasmanian devils that will underpin research by PhD students and bring together key academics to find solutions to the challenges facing the species. Roger and Maxeme also support undergraduate scholarships, including the Tall Foundation Dr Eric Guiler Tasmanian Devil Honours Scholarship.

“Education is the key to everything. It’s as simple as that. It is especially relevant in Tasmania which has not had a good record of students finishing Year 12 or going onto tertiary education compared to the other states,” Roger said.

“Maxeme and I are keen to assist in turning that around and are particularly in favour of awarding honours scholarships in the hope that students will progress to PhD studies and undertake valuable individual research projects.”

Roger and Maxeme like to think that the students they have supported have become part of their extended family.

“I have always maintained that the act of giving is as much for the giver as for the receiver,” Roger said. “People tend to underestimate the pleasure in giving and seeing the consequences of that giving.”

Associate Professor Andrew Flies provides regular updates to the couple on the impact of their significant support, which is seeing a step-change in devil research.

"The Tall’s generous support has enabled an expanded research program and supported emerging scientists studying how devil facial tumour cells evade the immune system, how the devil immune system is regulated, and more recently how to improve our experimental vaccine,” Associate Professor Flies said.

Extending a helping hand

A tiny marine anglerfish, found only in waters off Tasmania and near extinction with just 100 remaining in the wild, is being given a better chance at survival thanks to a funding partnership announced in Hobart in 2023.

The Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species (FAME) committed just over $1 million over four years to the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) to help recover the red handfish from the brink of extinction.

The challenge is formidable, according to Dr Jemina Stuart-Smith who is co-head the Handfish Conservation Project. “The threat to its survival is imminent and with so few surviving fish, time is of the essence. We are extremely grateful to FAME for the funding commitment at this critical point in what is an ongoing and demanding conservation project,” Dr Stuart-Smith said.

FAME’s CEO, Mrs Tracy McNamara, says that the Foundation is delighted to partner in a project that stands a strong chance of preventing a species from becoming extinct.

In recent good news, twenty-one red handfish hatchlings arrived a month before Christmas thanks to a breeding program which this new support has made possible.

“Despite being a small clutch, this is actually equivalent to a quarter of the known wild red handfish population in Tasmania," said Dr Andrew Trotter, who co-leads the conservation breeding program at IMAS.

"It’s very encouraging to have successfully bred the species in captivity in two consecutive breeding seasons.”

▲ Red handfish mum guarding her eggs at day 14 Image: Andrea Williamson

◀ Maxeme Tall on a Tasmanian devil research field trip

A vital gift for hearts and minds

Thanks to visionary donors, vital studies by the Menzies Institute for Medical Research into two pressing environmental and health challenges have received a significant boost.

There are few issues that are as fundamental to our survival as the quality of the air we breathe, or the ability of our body to receive oxygen and nutrients, and remove waste.

A generous donation from the Sohn Hearts & Minds Investment Leaders Conference will fast-track investigations into two related challenges to these needs: air pollution and cardiovascular diseases.

Dr Nicolas Borchers-Arriagada was recently appointed the inaugural Sohn Hearts & Minds Research Fellow in the Environmental Health Research group at Menzies.

Led by public health physician and environmental epidemiologist Professor Fay Johnston, the team investigates bushfires, climate change, air quality, the health impacts of wood smoke and other airborne hazards.

Dr Borchers-Arriagada has lived in two of the most heavily polluted cities in the Americas, Santiago and Mexico City, and knows all too well the impact of air pollution on people’s health.

▲ (Above/Right) Dr Nicolas Borchers-Arriagada and Professor Fay Johnston | Image: Oi Studios

With a background in engineering and environmental sciences, he uses economic assessments and health impact modelling to evaluate the impact of smoke.

Dr Borchers-Arriagada moved to Tasmania from Chile in 2018 after hearing about the exciting ecosystem of researchers conducting globally significant work from Tasmania for the world. Not long after he arrived in Hobart, dry lightning strikes ignited bushfires and heavy smoke blanketed the south of the island for weeks. It was a crucial time for researchers to study the environmental and health impacts of the fires.

“Understanding the way we can reduce the impact of smoke is going to become increasingly important with climate change because we know there will be more conditions conducive to fires, which means more smoke,”

Dr Borchers-Arriagada said.

“I am developing a model for fire managers to better predict smoke from planned burns and I’m also looking at the likely impact of climate change with a focus on informing decision-making.”

Thanks to the support of donors, Dr Borchers-Arriagada will continue this important work.

Last year Tasmania also hosted the Sohn Hearts & Minds Investment Leaders Conference, which harnesses the collective power of private and corporate philanthropy to fund medical research.

It left a lasting legacy on the island with a $1 million donation to Menzies.

Hearts & Minds Investments CEO Paul Rayson said its growing national footprint ensured all Australians benefit from life-saving research no matter where they live.

“When the conference was held in Hobart it was an excellent opportunity to invest in a Tasmanian-based institute,” Mr Rayson said.

“Menzies was selected for its strong track record of globally significant research.”

Professor Johnston, who addressed the conference and has made significant global contributions to our understanding of the health impacts of bushfire smoke, said, “Globally, air pollution is the single most important environmental cause of cardiovascular illness and death.

“The generous philanthropic donations are enabling us to train the next generation of researchers in the crucial – and increasingly important – area of environmental determinants of health and illness.”

A second fellowship focused on improving the cardiovascular health of Tasmanians will be announced shortly.

It coincides with the launch of the Menzies new Cardiovascular Research Flagship, which conducts research into diseases of the heart, brain and vascular system.

The Director of Menzies, Professor Tracey Dickson, said that more than 30,000 Tasmanians were living with the ongoing effects of heart disease or stroke.

“Tasmania has the highest rate of heart disease in Australia and this flagship will work with the community to raise awareness and treatment for risk factors and promote better cardiovascular health in our community,”

Professor Dickson said.

“We are grateful to our donors, partners and collaborators who support our medical research, which aims to ensure Tasmanians can live healthier, longer and better lives.”

Nurturing home-grown medical research

A deep care for their community and the belief in a brighter future are driving forces to support medical research, education and innovation.

Sustained support crucial to medical research

Alan Rees watched as his father, the pre-eminent landscape painter the late Lloyd Frederic Rees AC CMG, lost his vision to macular degeneration.

Years later the artist’s only son developed a form of the same eye disease, but medical advances meant there was a treatment to preserve his sight. Big breakthroughs like these are often only possible with philanthropic support.

It’s with this knowledge that Alan and wife Jan donate to the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania. 2023 marked 25 years since their first gift.

The pair are part of a special group of people who give regularly, which helps Menzies plan for the future, and ensures momentum on promising projects.

Alan and Jan describe their decision to support Menzies as personal, philosophical and practical.

“When Dad had macular degeneration there was no treatment and now my sight can be preserved by an injection in the eye,” Alan said.

Alan and Jan have four children and they would like to see the next generation enjoy healthier lives, free from the illnesses that have afflicted their predecessors.

Philanthropy has also been a feature of their family history.

“Most people know my father as an artist,” Alan said.

“However, he was also a civic-minded person who felt his role as a member of society acutely and did quite a few things to improve the physical environment during his lifetime.”

Lloyd famously convinced a council to introduce the first pedestrian mall in NSW and raised money for a waterfall in Sydney. The couple also want to show their support for home-grown research efforts.

“We remember when Menzies was first proposed and people were worried that Tasmania would not be able to carry out medical research because it was too costly and the State was too small, however, it has become a leader in population health research,” Alan said.

“We have been very pleased to play a small part in its success.”

Following her heart with the gift of art

For Rose McCarthy giving has gone full circle.

The 66-year-old grandmother of six enrolled in a free online course run by the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre during the pandemic.

“My father had Parkinson’s disease and both my parents ended up in aged care in the last few years of their life,” Rose said.

“I spent a lot of time visiting them and I had a lot of exposure to residents with dementia.

“I like old people and I think they have a lot to offer.”

After completing two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Rose enrolled in a tuition-free Diploma of Dementia Care at the University of Tasmania.

“I felt very privileged to be able to study for no fees, so when I completed the diploma, I made a donation to cover the costs.

“The work that Wicking does is so worthwhile and I thought that if I could make a contribution then I should.

“Hopefully it helps ensure more people can benefit from the courses, so we can better support people as they age.”

Rose soon found a way to apply her new knowledge. She established an arts engagement program for people with dementia. Called Remembering with Art, the program is held at the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) in NSW.

“Engaging with art can be a stimulus for people, activating emotional, intellectual and sensory responses,” she said.

Now, once a month, a small group of residents journey by bus to the gallery to discuss and reminisce about art.

In addition to her donation to Wicking, Rose has built a powerful program that is benefiting her community, thanks to being gifted a tertiary education.

The Wicking Dementia Centre is at the forefront of translational research of relevance to people living with dementia and their caregivers. It undertakes multidisciplinary research around key themes of care, cause and prevention of dementia.

▶ NERAM Remembering with Art program activities Image: Alexis Rickards

◀ Alan and Jan Rees | Image: Oi Studios

The art of making a difference

Supporting the arts gives us the chance to re-imagine the past, define the present and shape the future.

Gifting the joy of music

Accessibility to the arts was an important driver for former University of Tasmania Deputy Chancellor, business leader and alumnus Dr Rod Roberts and Mrs Cecile Roberts when they established the Ossa Music Prize.

“We want to ensure classical music is accessible to regional audiences and reward talented musicians, which is why the prize winner is provided with support to perform concerts in regional Tasmania,” Dr Roberts said.

Since it was established, six students have had the privilege of starring in state-wide concerts and countless Tasmanians living in the North, North-West and East Coast regions have been given the opportunity to attend the performances.

The 2023 Ossa Music Prize winner and pianist Sarah Chick said the chance to tour Tasmania was an incredible opportunity to develop as a solo artist.

“I realised how much I love sharing and performing music,” Sarah said.

“It was an experience that I’ll never forget and I will always have a deep gratitude for those who made it possible.”

The tour included a special West Coast Concert in Queenstown thanks to the generosity of another donor, Christian Stoermer.

He supports the arts and cultural excellence at the University of Tasmania in honour of his late mother, Margaret, who was an avid musician and singer.

He also established the Margaret Stoermer Prize for best Third-Year or Honours Performer.

Mr Stoermer believes that supporting philanthropy and the University makes the world a better place for future generations.

A more unusual donation was that of a donated vibraphone that hums within the Hedberg, Hobart's world-class performing arts precinct. The instrument was a bequest from the late Andrew Robert Young (DipMus ’02).

“Unusual gifts like this vibraphone enrich the teaching and learning of students at the University,” Head of Music Dr Arabella Teniswood-Harvey said.

▲ Ossa prize 2023 recipient Sarah Chick | Image: Oi Studios

Green family generosity lives on

Another significant and treasured gift to the University consists of artworks, books, documents and maps that will have a profound impact on students, staff and the broader community.

Caroline Johnston, with the support of her siblings, arranged the generous donation on behalf of her parents, the late Joan Green OAM and Dick Green AM, who helped establish the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) and were strong supporters of the arts and built heritage.

The family felt these gifts were appropriate to add to the already rich partnership with the University reflected in the two Green Family Awards: The Dick and Joan Green Family Award for Tasmanian History, and the Green Family Architecture Design Studio Award.

The University gratefully received the 75 items, including a set of hand-coloured aquatints by convict artist Joseph Lycett, engravings by artist John Skinner Prout and several books, such as Citizenship for the Aborigines: A National Aboriginal Policy (1944) by A.P. Elkin.

“This material provides opportunities for our students and visitors to further interrogate our understanding of history, through multiple critical perspectives,” the University of Tasmania’s Director of Curatorial and Cultural Collections, Caine Chennatt, said.

An exhibit showcasing a selection of artworks donated by the Green family is currently on display in the Morris Miller Library foyer in Hobart. The exhibit will see the family's ongoing generosity directly impact students, researchers and all who walk past.

▲ Caroline Johnston at opening of the exhibit, Morris Miller Library Image: Library and Cultural Collections

▶ The vibraphone at the Hedberg | Image: Oi Studios

Telescopic visionary

How a chance find in a defunct space observatory in Canada led businessman Caisey Harlingten to build a telescope that was to become central to the University of Tasmania’s Space Program.

Family camping trips in the wilds of British Columbia were a formative time for entrepreneur and keen astronomer Caisey Harlingten. Lying on his back and gazing up at the night sky, he became captivated by space.

“Looking up at the deep, dark, starry sky, which you do not see in the city, I was a goner,” Caisey said.

“We used to live near a planetarium, which I frequented regularly in my twenties, so it went from there.”

Some years later, interested in building a telescope, Caisey visited Vancouver Island’s Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, which was by then defunct, and literally tripped over a large box.

Inside was a large glass mirror that had been there for over twenty years, but was too heavy to move. Its owner was the University of Tasmania, which had sent the mirror to Canada for polishing at the specialist facility.

Keen to purchase the mirror to build his own telescope, Caisey was put in touch with the University’s Dr John Greenhill, an astrophysicist who had led operations at the optical telescope facility at Hobart’s Mt Canopus. The Mt Canopus facility was under threat of decreased use due to light pollution from the city, so the University sold the mirror to Caisey.

Caisey then worked with a company in British Columbia to build a large telescope that incorporated the mirror. What he did next had not been part of the original plan. He donated the $1.5M telescope back to the University of Tasmania.

“It needed a home,” he said of the telescope that was to become the centrepiece for Tasmania’s Greenhill Observatory, named after Dr Greenhill (BScHons ’60, PhD ’67). The facility, built in 2013, wouldn’t have existed without the telescope, which is one of the largest in Australia.

Located at Bisdee Tier near Kempton in Tasmania’s Southern Midlands, the observatory has a clear view of the “deep, dark, starry sky” that so enthralled Caisey as a boy. The site has since been enhanced by Caisey’s donation of a second telescope, the Harlingten 50cm telescope, in 2022.

Caisey, a stock broker by training, went on to study astronomy at Manchester University in the UK, and now lives in Aylsham, Norfolk. His extraordinary support of the University’s space research was acknowledged at the tenth anniversary of the Greenhill Observatory in December 2023, an event that also celebrated the opening of the Harlingten 50cm telescope. In recognition of his contributions, Caisey has recently been made a Fellow of the University of Tasmania.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said Caisey’s donation of telescopes to the University of Tasmania has allowed students and scholars alike to further their understanding of the universe in which we live and have access to world-class equipment for their studies.

“We thank Caisey for his extraordinary commitment to the University’s space program and the advancement of science which, while living on the other side of the world, has involved deep engagement with key members of the University’s team and the provision of very substantial and imaginative support to help realise that vision,” Professor Black said.

Director of Greenhill Observatory Professor Andrew Cole said the creation of the observatory has also opened up new avenues for University space researchers and their government and commercial partners, who have taken advantage of the excellent location to develop infrastructure for communications and tracking of satellites, space junk, and potentially hazardous objects such as small asteroids. “These activities build on the long history of radio astronomy expertise at the University, but could not have been undertaken without the newly-developed site,” he said.

◀ Greenhill Observatory, Bisdee Tier, Southern Tasmania | Image: Oi Studios

▶ (L-R) Christine Hooper, Dr Tony Sprent AM and Caisey Harlingten

The impact of your generosity

Thanks to your generosity, we have achieved outstanding outcomes over the last year.

Your support has changed the lives of students who would otherwise not be able to attend university, while celebrating success through scholarships, prizes and fellowships. It has also underpinned the research we need to tackle pressing concerns, from medical research to environmental restoration and beyond. Thank you.

2,730

Total donors

$120M

Philanthropic funds under management across the University

668

New and continuing students supported by philanthropic scholarships, prizes and fellowships

$18.6M

Total donations

$5.4M

Received from bequests

$14M

Total donations supporting transformational research

▲ Riawunna Garden in the newly opened River's Edge building, Inveresk, Launceston

University Foundation Committee

We are grateful to University Foundation Committee (UFC) members for volunteering their time and expertise in overseeing philanthropic management at the University.

The University Foundation Committee (UFC) is a committee of the Council of the University of Tasmania. It was established to ensure that the University’s philanthropic practices and policies are consistent with its mission and goals and that trusts and funds provided through philanthropy are compliant with the wishes of donors, used for educational, research and other purposes of the University.

We would like to extend our thanks to members of the UFC who volunteer their time to provide oversight and governance of philanthropic activity at the University.

Noteworthy last year were briefings on a Philanthropic Feasibility Study exploring the University's future potential for fundraising; a Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) annual review survey to measure and provide insight into philanthropic support and alumni relations for higher education institutions in Australia; and the strategy refresh for the Advancement Office, which aims to deliver an ambitious program of activation for alumni and philanthropy over the coming five years.

Additionally, the UFC was pleased to be advised that an external audit of philanthropic funds confirmed donor wishes had been upheld and funds disbursed in accordance with agreed uses.

At the conclusion of the November meeting, committee members formally farewelled long-serving committee member Dr Damian Bugg AM KC. As a founding member of the UFC, Damian has provided a clear but ambitious plan for the committee and steered it towards a greater detail of reporting. He played a pivotal role in establishing a framework of trust in relation to the management of donors’ funds. We thank Damian for his considerable experience and wisdom and for his significant contributions to the University. Alice Herbon, ex officio staff member, was also recognised for her contribution, following her departure in late 2023. Alice was involved in the review of endowed funds and maintained a strong interest in ensuring donor wishes were realised.

▼ Committee members (L-R): Rebecca Cuthill, Professor Rufus Black, Susan Gough, Dr David Warren, Dr Damian Bugg AM KC, Associate Professor Ashley Townsend (Absent: Edward Kemp and Alice Herbon) | Image: Peter W. Allen

Thank you for your support of the University of Tasmania

We value your contributions and recognise donors’ generosity online in annual donor lists and giving membership categories at utas.edu.au/donors

For more information contact us: utas.edu.au/giving university.giving@utas.edu.au

+61 3 6226 1920

University of Tasmania Private Bag 40 Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia