JUNE
2021
THE GRADUATE UNION NEWSLETTER
GRADUATE HOUSE IS CLOSED Due to the 7 day lockdown announced in Victoria on Thursday, 27th May, Graduate House will be closed from Friday, 28th May until Thursday, 3rd June midnight (subject to changes).
WHAT’S ON
We thank you for your understanding and look forward to having you back once it is safe to do so. In the meantime, all Collegiate events listed below that were to have occurred during the lockdown period are cancelled.
ITALIAN CONVERSATION LUNCH
Tuesday, 1st, 15th June 12:00pm – 2:00pm Dine while learning to speak Italian with an experienced teacher. Members $12.00, non-members $20.
JUNE MONTHLY LUNCHEON
Wednesday, 2nd June 12:00pm for 12:30pm start with Professor Alfred Poulos. Dine in: Members $35, non-members $40. Virtual attendance: Members $10, non-members $15.
BRIDGE NIGHT Wednesday, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th June 7:15pm – 9:30pm Do you enjoy a sociable game of duplicate bridge? Register at reception. All levels of bridge players welcome. Player fees: Members $2, non-members $5. Food and beverages at bar prices.
SPECIAL MORNING BREAKFAST
Tuesday, 8th June 7:30am - 8:30am Non-resident Members are welcome to join Resident Members for a hearty breakfast at Graduate House. Free for Resident Members, Non-resident Members $20.
WOMEN’S FORUM
Wednesday, 16th June 10:00am for 10:30am start with the topic ‘Is our democracy under threat’ The Women’s Forum group welcomes new participants and ideas. Discussions are held in an informal and friendly atmosphere. The Forum is free and is followed by lunch in the dining room at usual prices. THERE IS NO MONTHLY LUNCHEON IN JULY
AUGUST MONTHLY LUNCHEON
Wednesday, 4th August 12:00pm for 12:30pm start with Mr Michael Headberry. Dine in: Members $35, non-members $40. Virtual attendance: Members $10, non-members $15. BOOK NOW: www.graduatehouse.com.au I (03) 9347 3428 I admingh@graduatehouse.com.au
CONTENTS INTERNATIONAL DAYS 4 June FEATURES 16 Graduate Residences Network by Dr Ian Walker 20 Why we choose to lead — Leadership Victoria’s Williamson Leadership Program 22 My Graduate Pathway Yousef Shadid REVIEW 26 May Monthly Luncheon – Rhonda Boyle 30 May College Table – Jesse Moors MEMBERS’ CONTRIBUTION 33 The Paintings of Marg Nicoll 34 Plancks and Parsecs by Member Peter Cockrum 46 The Ocean by Life Member, Louis A Coutts ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS 37 Listing from January to April 2021 GRADUATE HOUSE NEWS 40 Inner City News at Graduate House 40 ATSE VIC Division Event: Medical devices - Transforming lives 41 John Cain Foundation Monthly Luncheon in June GU COLLEGIATE 42 June Monthly Luncheon – Professor Alfred Poulos 43 August Monthly Luncheon – Mr Michael Headberry PROMOTIONS 44 Graduate House – Affordable and safe accommodation for patients, hospital visitors and medical staff 46 Graduate House is Open and Safe — Meet Face-to-Face! 47 Graduate House Dine-in and Takeaway 48 Office Rentals 49 Room Types, Prices and Features INNOVATION 50 Reducing Food Waste
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INTERNATIONAL DAYS JUNE IN TERNATI O NAL DAYS
Accordingly, improved active transport is not only healthy, it is also equitable and cost-effective. Parents and parent figures play a critical role in Additionally the bicycle: the rearing of children. The Global Day of Parents is to recognise this role and that of the family in • is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of nurturing and protecting children, and in enabling transportation; an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding for the full and harmonious development of each • ican serve as a tool for development and as a child’s personality. Established in 2012, this Day is means not just of transportation but also of to appreciate the selfless commitment to children access to education, health care and sport; and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this • user synergy fosters creativity and social relationship by parents and parent figures. engagement and gives the user an immediate awareness of the local environment; and
1st June – Global Day of Parents
• is a symbol of sustainable transportation and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate. 3rd June – World Bicycle Day World Bicycle Day is to acknowledge the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, and its use as a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation, fostering environmental stewardship and health. The Day encourages the use of the bicycle as a means of fostering sustainable development, strengthening education, including physical education, for children and young people, promoting health, preventing disease, promoting tolerance, mutual understanding and respect and facilitating social inclusion and a culture of peace. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), safe infrastructure for walking and cycling is a pathway for achieving greater health equity as these activities reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, diabetes, and even death. 4
4th June – International Day Innocent Children Victims Aggression
of of
The Graça Machel report drew global attention to the devastating impact of armed conflict on children and led to the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its Optional Protocol and the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. Violations perpetrated against
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children have, in many conflict zones, increased. International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is to protect the 250 million children living in conflict regions from targeting by violent extremists, to promote international humanitarian and human rights law, and to ensure accountability for violations of the rights of children. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a masterplan to secure a better future for children, and includes a specific target (16.2) to end all forms of violence against children, as well as ending the abuse, neglect and exploitation of children in several other violence-related targets.
5th June – International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing occurs on the high seas and in areas within national jurisdiction. It concerns all aspects and stages of the capture and utilisation of fish, and it is sometimes associated with organised crime. IUU fishing undermines national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks and, as a consequence, inhibits progress towards achieving the goals of longterm sustainability and responsibility. International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing marks the official entry into force of the Port State Measures Agreement and is to regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices. The voluntary FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries sets out the means for effective conservation, management and development of living aquatic resources, with due respect for the ecosystem and biodiversity. Next year, 2022, is the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, with the focus on smallscale fishermen and women who comprise 90% of the world’s fisheries work force.
5th June – World Environment Day World Environment Day was established in 1974 to lift awareness and action on the environment, addressing issues such as marine pollution, excessive land clearing, global warming, sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. Celebrated in more than 143 countries, the theme for 2021 is Beat Plastic Pollution. We produce about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste each year. Of the more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic produced since the early 1950s, 60% has ended in either a landfill or the natural environment. More than 99% of plastics are produced from chemicals derived from oil, natural gas and coal — all of which are dirty, nonrenewable resources. If current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic industry could account for 20% of the world’s total oil consumption. Single-use plastic products are everywhere and have become integral to the daily lives of those who live in consumerbased societies. A staggering 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans every year with obvious detrimental effects on this vast ecosystem.
6th June – Russian Language Day Established by UNESCO in 2010, Russian Language Day marks the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin, the founder of modern Russian literary language. Russian, an East Slavic language, is the official language in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and is spoken throughout the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Baltic states. The most geographically widespread language in Eurasia, 5
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258 million people are estimated to speak Russian, 8th June – World Oceans Day making it the seventh-most spoken language in the world by number of native speakers. It is one of the World Oceans Day began in 2009 and is to celebrate the role of the oceans in our everyday life and six official languages of the United Nations. inspire action to protect the ocean and sustainably use marine resources. The 2021 celebration of this day is significant as it is the first year of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Proclaimed by the United Nations, 2021-2030 is the decade to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework to transform ocean science into innovative solutions and sustain ocean science 7th June – World Food Safety Day institutions and infrastructure in times of crisis. As outlined by the World Health Organization As outlined in the Implementation Plan for this (WHO), access to sufficient amounts of safe decade, the ocean is under threat. Land-based and and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and sea-based activities affect over 40% of the ocean’s promoting good health. Unsafe food containing surface. Deoxygenation is creating ocean dead zones harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical and harmful algal blooms are generating significant substances, causes more than 200 diseases, ranging risks for human health and economies. Live coral from diarrhoea to cancers. An estimated 600 million cover, which harbours significant biodiversity and – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after provides coastal protection and livelihoods, has eating contaminated food and 420,000 die every year nearly halved in the last 150 years. This decade thus (120,000 of these being children under five years of involves a large-scale campaign of transformational age). US$110 billion is lost each year in productivity ocean science to empower and engage stakeholders and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food across disciplines, geographies and generations and in low- and middle-income countries. Unsafe food to meet the following challenges:
creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, • understand and map land and sea-based particularly affecting infants, young children, the sources of pollutants and their potential impacts elderly and the sick. Foodborne diseases impede on human health and ocean ecosystems, and socioeconomic development by straining health develop solutions to remove or mitigate them; care systems, and harming national economies, • understand the effects of multiple stressors tourism and trade. With food supply chains crossing on ocean ecosystems, and develop solutions multiple national borders, collaboration between to monitor, protect, manage and restore governments, producers and consumers helps ecosystems and their biodiversity under ensure food safety. First observed in 2019, World changing environmental, social and climate Food Safety Day is thus to ensure that the food we conditions; consume is safe and will not cause ill-health, to • generate knowledge, support innovation mainstream food safety in the public agenda and to and develop solutions to optimise the role of reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally. the ocean in sustainably feeding the world’s population under changing environmental, social and climate conditions; • generate knowledge, support innovation and develop solutions for equitable and sustainable development of the ocean economy under changing environmental, social and climate conditions;
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• enhance understanding of the ocean-climate nexus and generate knowledge and solutions to mitigate, adapt and build resilience to the effects of climate change across all geographies and at all scales, and to improve services including predictions, for the ocean, climate and weather; • enhance multi-hazard early warning services for all geophysical, ecological, biological, weather, climate and anthropogenic related ocean and coastal hazards, and mainstream community preparedness and resilience; • ensure a sustainable ocean observing system across all ocean basins that delivers accessible, timely and actionable data and information to all users; • through multi-stakeholder collaboration, develop a comprehensive digital representation of the ocean, including a dynamic ocean map, which provides free and open access for exploring, discovering ad visualising past, current and future ocean conditions in a manger relevant to diverse stakeholders; • ensure comprehensive capacity development and equitable access to data, information, knowledge and technology access across all aspects of ocean science and for all stakeholders; • ensure that the multiple values and services of the ocean for human wellbeing, culture and sustainable development are widely understood, and identify and overcome barriers to behaviour change required for a step change in humanity’s relationship with the ocean.
12th June – World Day against Child Labour Children are classified as child labourers when they are either too young to work, or are involved in hazardous activities that may compromise their
physical, mental, social or educational development. In the least developed countries, slightly more than one in four children (ages 5 to 17) are engaged in labour that is considered detrimental to their health and development. Africa (72 million child labourers) and the Asia and the Pacific regions (62 million) account for 9/10 children in child labour worldwide. The remaining child labour population is divided among the Americas (11 million), Europe and Central Asia (6 million), and the Arab States (1 million). Child labour is concentrated primarily in agriculture (71%; fishing, forestry, livestock herding, aquaculture), services (17%) and the industrial sector (12%, including mining). World Day against Child Labour is to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it.
13th June – International Albinism Awareness Day Albinism is a rare, genetic difference which results in a lack of melanin in the hair, skin and eyes, causing vulnerability to the sun and bright light. The incidence varies from 1 in 1,000 on the African continent to 1 in 20,000 in Europe and North America. Persons with albinism are highly vulnerable to skin cancer — with some dying in their 30s because of inadequate access to life-saving measures such as health checks and sun-protective measures. Persons with albinism also face discrimination due to their skin colour, as well as their disability. Because of erroneous beliefs, myths and superstition in some countries, they are also at risk of attacks, persecution, injury and death. There have been hundreds of reports of attacks and killings of persons with albinism in 28 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in the past decade. In other regions, discrimination may consist of name-calling, persistent teasing and bullying, as well as abandonment and rejection by families. International Albinism Awareness 7
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Day is thus to celebrate the achievements and successes of persons with albinism worldwide, and to enable them to be free from stigma, discrimination, fear and violence.
services that give timely access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity, as well as a blood transfusion service based on voluntary non-remunerated blood donations. In Australia, blood (as well as tissue, organs, breast milk, and other life-saving biological products) can be donated to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. This is an Australia-wide network of over 100 donor centres receiving 1.5 million donations and undertaking 103,000 deliveries each year. To learn more about how you can help save lives through regular donations go to https://www.donateblood.com.au/. 15th June – World Awareness Day
14th June – World Blood Donor Day World Blood Donor Day was established in 2005 and designated as a special day to thank blood donors, to encourage more people to give blood freely and to raise awareness about the global need for safe blood and blood products. An important resource for planned treatments and urgent interventions, blood helps people live longer and with a higher quality of life. It is vital for treating the wounded during emergencies (natural disasters, accidents, armed conflicts, etc.) and has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and perinatal care. Key to an effective health system in any region is national coordination of blood 8
Elder
Abuse
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is to oppose abuse and suffering inflicted to some of our older generations. Governments, civil society and businesses participate through prevention strategies and policies, and by enforcing laws to address all aspects of elder abuse, and by enabling the greatest possible contribution of our elders to our world. Elder abuse is defined by the United Nations as a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person. A global social issue affecting the health and human rights of millions in developing and developed countries, elder abuse is typically hidden and under-reported globally. Though known prevalence rates range from 1% to 10%, the real extent of elder mistreatment is unknown. Primary health care and social service sectors need to be resourced appropriately to identify and deal with elder abuse, so that it ceases to be under-diagnosed and overlooked.
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15th June – World Youth Skills Day World Youth Skills Day is for people aged 15 to 24 years, as well as technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, and public and private sector stakeholders, to acknowledge and celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. Global Employment Trends for Youth 2020: Technology and the future of jobs shows an upward trend in the number of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET). For example, the NEET number rose from 259 to 267 million from 2016 to 2019, and is projected to rise to 273 million in 2021. Sustainable Development Goal 4 is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Key tasks to achieve SDG 4 include:
flows go to rural areas, where poverty and hunger are concentrated, and where remittances count the most. The Day is also for governments, the private sector and civil society to maximize the impact of remittances through individual and collective actions. A key initiative is the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (Objective 20) for the reduction of remittance transfer costs, and greater financial inclusion through remittances.
• access to affordable quality TVET; th June – • acquisition of technical and vocational skills for 17 employment, decent work and entrepreneurship; Drought Day
Desertification
and
Desertification and Drought Day (previously known as World Day to Combat Desertification • access for the vulnerable. and Drought) is to combat desertification and 16th June – International Day of Family to achieve land degradation neutrality through problem-solving, strong community involvement Remittances and cooperation. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable A remittance is a Development includes the intent to protect the planet transfer of money, from degradation, including through sustainable often by a foreign consumption and production, sustainably managing worker to an its natural resources and taking urgent action on individual in their climate change, so that it can support the needs of the home country. present and future generations. Goal 15 states the Money sent home resolve to halt and reverse land degradation. by migrants is one of Prevent desertification by: the largest financial inflows to developing • creating a “culture of prevention” – a change in countries, especially governments’ and peoples’ attitudes through with regard to labour-exporting countries. According improved incentives; to the World Bank, for example, in 2018, overall global remittance was US$689 billion, including • integrating land and water management by spreading the pressures of human activities; US$528 billion to developing countries. Remittances help families afford food, healthcare, and basic • protecting vegetative cover to protect soil from needs. International Day of Family Remittances wind and water erosion; (IDFR) is to recognise the contribution of over 200 million migrants to improve the lives of their 800 • more tightly integrating pastoral and cropping land use for a more efficient recycling of nutrients million family members back home. Half of these within the agricultural system; • elimination of gender disparity; and
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• using locally suitable technology combining • promoting clean energy for local restaurants traditional technology with selective transfer of (use gas and electricity instead of coal, use locally acceptable technology; natural gas rather than carbon); • giving institutional capacity, access to markets • showing sustainable gastronomy through TV and financial capital for local community and food cultural exhibitions for the food implementation, drawing on cultural history industry and farmers; and local knowledge and experience, reinforced • promoting green culture diets, and including by science; sustainability in dietary guidelines; and • turning to alternative livelihoods that do • Crop of the Month to promote the diversification not depend on traditional land uses, are less of crops in favour of underutilised traditional demanding on local land and natural resource crops, applying sustainable food production use; and and natural resource management practices. • creating economic opportunities in drylands, urban centres and areas outside drylands.
19th June – International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict Conflict-related sexual violence refers to rape, 18th June – Sustainable Gastronomy sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, Day forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced Gastronomy — the art of food — refers to local marriage and any other form of sexual violence of food and cuisine. Sustainability means not being comparable gravity perpetrated against women, wasteful of natural resources (with agriculture, men, girls or boys that is directly or indirectly linked fishing and food preparation) and continuing to a conflict. The term also encompasses trafficking into the future without being detrimental to our in persons when committed in situations of conflict environment or health. According to the Food and for the purpose of sexual violence or exploitation. It Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is under-reported. For example, for each conflict(FAO), sustainable gastronomy is thus cuisine related rape, 10 to 20 cases go undocumented. that takes into account where ingredients are International Day for the Elimination of Sexual from, how food is grown/sourced and how food Violence in Conflict is to raise awareness of the need gets to our markets and our plates. Sustainable to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence, to Gastronomy Day is to celebrate seasonal honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence ingredients and producers, preserve wildlife as around the world and to pay tribute to all those well as our culinary traditions, and raise awareness who have courageously devoted their lives to and of such global sustainable development measures lost their lives in standing up for the eradication as: of these crimes. The date commemorates the adoption of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008) • designating Creative Cities of Gastronomy condemning sexual violence as a tactic of war and (now 36 cities) within the UNESCO Creative an impediment to peacebuilding. Cities Network; 10
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20th June – World Refugee Day World Refugee Day is to acknowledge the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution, to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognise their resilience in rebuilding their lives. Established in 2001, the Day marks the anniversary of the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention which, together with the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), provides for international protection for refugees who do not have the protection of their own governments. At least 79.5 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are nearly 26 million refugees, around half of whom are under the age of 18.
day-arc relative to the equator. Two solstices occur annually. One is around 21st June and is referred to as the Winter Solstice (first day of winter; shortest day of the year) in the southern hemisphere and the Summer Solstice (first day of summer; longest day of the year) in the northern hemisphere. The other is 21st December – the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice respectively for the southern and northern hemispheres. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with seasons, harvests and livelihood, and are thus celebrated in various cultures. International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice is thus to acknowledge that these celebrations are an embodiment of the unity of the cultural heritage and centuries-long traditions, and play a role in strengthening the ties among peoples on the basis of mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good-neighbourliness.
21st June –International Day of Yoga
21st June – International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). As seen from Earth, the Sun’s daily path appears to stand still at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly
Derived from Sanskrit, the word ‘yoga’ means to join or to unite and refers to an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice towards the union of body and consciousness. International Day of Yoga was founded by the United Nations in 2014, to raise awareness of the benefits of practising yoga. As noted by the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, yoga is an invaluable gift from our ancient tradition … it is a way to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests using this Day also to reduce physical inactivity, which is among the top ten leading causes of death worldwide, and a key risk factor for non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. 11
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• decent work and equal pay; • education and training opportunities; • empowerment measures for widows to support themselves and their families (and addressing social stigmas that create exclusion, and discriminatory or harmful practices); and 21st June –World Music Day
• peacebuilding and reconciliation processes to ensure that they contribute to sustainable peace and security.
World Music Day, also known as Make Music Day and Fête de la Musique, was launched in France in 1982. Designed as a free celebration of music around the world, it encourages all to ‘make their own music’ to promote peace and spread goodwill through music; and is celebrated in more than 1,000 cities in 130 countries across the world. “Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in rd emotions, and if it’s in the bones it’s in the bones.” – 23 June – United Nations Public Service Day Keith Richards, guitarist, The Rolling Stones
23rd June – International Widows Day Of the estimated 258 million widows globally, near one in ten live in extreme poverty and many face the additional problems of violence, ill-health and conflict-related situations. Established in 2011, International Widows Day is to listen to the voices and experiences of widows and to achieve full rights and recognition for widows. Governments are to uphold international law, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Women need additionally to be educated and supported in access to:
Public service refers to the supplying of a commodity (e.g., water, electricity, gas) or service (e.g., welfare, transportation) to any or all members of a community, in the public interest and (usually) under government employment. Public Service Day is to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community, highlight the contribution of public service in the development process, recognise the work of public servants, and encourage the pursuit of careers in the public sector. Each year also, the United Nations (UN) recognises the contributions of public institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through the UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA). Nominations for 2021 are now closed but prepare for 2022 - nominations close November 2021.
• a fair share of their inheritance, land and 25th June – Day of the Seafarer productive resources; Day of the Seafarer is to recognise the contribution • pensions and social protections that are not made by 1.5 million seafarers to international trade based on marital status alone; and the world economy, often at great personal 12
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cost to themselves and their families. Ships carry the methamphetamine market is growing in more than 90% of world trade safely, efficiently and Afghanistan and Iraq; with minimal impact on the environment. Issues • cannabis use is on the rise in most jurisdictions facing the modern-day seafarer include piracy, fair where non-medical use has been legalised; treatment of seafarers at ports, and the provision of appropriate facilities and comforts while seafarers • poorer people face a greater risk of drug use are at sea. disorders; • the most used drug is cannabis, with an estimated 192 million people using this drug in 2018; • opioids were used by 58 million people in 2018 and accounted for 66% of the estimated 167,000 deaths related to drug use disorders in 2017 and 50% of the 42 millions years (or 21 million years) lost due to disability or early death, attributed to drug use; • more than 11 million people inject drugs, with 1.4 million living with HIV, 5.5 million with hepatitis C and 1.2 million with both hepatitis C and HIV; and • heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine traffickers have varied routes and continue to develop new trading patterns. 26th June – International Day against International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking Trafficking is to strengthen action and cooperation to free the world from drug abuse and to raise The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs (UNODC) counters illegal drugs, organised crime, represent to society. corruption and terrorism globally. According to the World Drug Report, a global overview of the supply and demand of opiates, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances: • drug use is on the rise, with an estimated 269 million users in 2018 (5.3 per cent of the global population); • urbanisation is a driving factor in current and June – United Nations future drug markets; 26th International Day in Support of • increasing wealth is linked to rising drug use, but Victims of Torture the poorest suffer the largest burden of disorders; Torture and other forms of cruel, degrading and • new potentially harmful opioids are on inhuman treatment seek to annihilate personality the increase, as is the non-medical use of and deny the inherent dignity of a human being. pharmaceutical drugs; Though prohibited under international law and • synthetic drugs are replacing opiates in totally unjustified, torture persists in all regions of Central Asia and the Russian Federation and the world. Its pervasive consequences go beyond 13
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vile acts on an individual and can be transmitted through generations, leading to cycles of violence. The systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity. International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is to eradicate torture and for the effective functioning of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Donate to the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture administered by the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva, a unique victim-focused mechanism that channels funding for the assistance to victims of torture and their families. The term ‘torture’ means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing her for an act she or a third person has committed or is
suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing them or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.” — Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984, art. 1, para.1). 27th June – Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day According the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), formal and informal Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) make up over 90% of all firms and, on average, account for 70% of total employment and 50% of GDP. Micro-, Smalland Medium-sized Enterprises Day is thus to raise public awareness of their contribution to sustainable development and the global economy. With 600 million jobs needed by 2030 to absorb the growing global workforce, MSME development is a high priority for many governments around the world. Increasing annual investments in MSMEs by $1 trillion would yield disproportionate dividends in terms of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
29th June – International Day of the Tropics The Earth’s tropics lie roughly in the middle of the globe between the latitude lines of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; and include the Equator and parts of North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Tropical locations are typically warm, experience little 14
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seasonal change in day-to-day temperature and development, access to justice for all, and have high rainfalls, the seasonality of the latter building effective, accountable institutions at all increasing with distance from the equator. The levels. International Day of the Tropics is to celebrate the diversity of the tropics and to address challenges in these regions that include population growth, with the region hosting most of the world’s people and two-thirds of its children by 2050, and undernourishment and slum conditions, both higher in the Tropics than in the rest of the world.
30th June – International Asteroid 30th June – International Day of Day Parliamentarism An asteroid is a body of rock that orbits the sun. Parliament is a 14th century English term Large numbers of asteroids are found between derived from Anglo-Norman and coming from the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. International the 11th century Old French parlement, from Asteroid Day, founded in 2016, is to observe each parler, meaning “to talk”. In modern politics year at the international level the anniversary and history, a parliament is a legislative body of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian of government (similar to a senate, synod or Federation on 30th June 1908 and to raise congress) commonly used in countries that are awareness about the asteroid impact hazard. current or former monarchies. A cornerstone of Witnesses reported seeing a bluish light moving democracy, parliaments represent the voice of the across the sky, followed by the loud blast from people, pass laws, allocate funds to implement the Tunguska asteroid in the atmosphere (the laws and policies, and hold governments to asteroid never striking earth) and the flattening account. Working with the Inter-Parliamentary of 80 million trees over 2,150 square kilometres Union (IPU) — the Day recognising the of forest. According to NASA’s Centre for Neardate of the IPU’s establishment in 1889 — Earth Objects (NEOs), there are more than parliaments also link international and national 16,000 near earth asteroids. The International agendas, ensuring that governments implement Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) uses wellinternational treaties and agreements that they defined communication plans and protocols to sign up to. In countries emerging from conflict, assist in the analysis of possible consequences of parliaments can foster a peaceful transition to an asteroid impact and to support the planning a functioning democracy by healing divisions of mitigation responses. The Space Mission in society through dialogue and cooperation. Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) is an interInternational Day of Parliamentarism is to space agency forum that identifies technologies recognise the role of parliaments in national needed for near-Earth Object deflection, and plans and strategies and in ensuring greater aims to build consensus on recommendations transparency and accountability at national and for planetary defence measures. global levels, and towards achievement of Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals with peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable 15
FEATU RE S
Attendees at the Graduate Residences Network gathering at ANU in June 2019
“Postgraduate students’ experiences ... are not just affected by what happens in the classroom or the lab.” — Zyl Hovenga-Wauchope, former President, ANU Postgraduate & Research Students’ Association (PARSA) “The wellbeing of postgraduate research students is increasingly a topic of national concern ...” — Kelly Louise Preece, Researcher Development Manager, University of Exeter UK 1616
GRADUATE RESIDENCES NETWORK
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by Dr Ian Walker With increasing demand for postgraduate Forrest Hall to accommodate and support the accommodation and growing recognition of a range scholars. The Hall and Foundation are headed by of particular needs of both coursework and higher former UWA and La Trobe University VC Prof degree research postgraduate students, Australian Paul Johnson; universities and a number of residential colleges have • Graduate House – in Melbourne, Sir John in recent years established new facilities targeted at Monash was the first Chair of the Melbourne older and postgraduate students. Among the more University Graduate Association, established in collegiate in character: 1911, from which eventually came the purchase • Graduate House at St. Paul’s College, Sydney of old terrace houses in 1957 and the opening of University, opened in 2019; Graduate House in 1962, as a residential college for graduate students; • International House, Melbourne University,
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has a Graduate Wing with a Graduate Students’ • University House (“Oxbridge in the bush”) was Association established in 2015; opened at ANU by Prince Philip in 1954 to accommodate PhD students and staff in what St Thomas More College UWA (officially opened was then a graduate and research university in 1958, but took in its first residents – five of (there were no undergraduates until the them! – in 1955), where of 400 students, some Canberra University College merged with the 140 now form a Graduate Association; ANU in 1960); Sancta Sophia College at Sydney University • Kathleen Lumley College, named after the opened its Graduate House in 2014; sister of the then Chancellor of the University of the New College (Postgraduate) Village, UNSW, Adelaide, was established as a graduate residence opened in 2009, as did the Laurus Wing of in 1965, with the aim of bringing together Ursula Hall, ANU; postgraduate scholars from a range of different disciplines and backgrounds; St Hilda’s College, University of Melbourne, opened the Brian James Wing in 2007; • ANU Graduate House opened as ‘flat-style’
• Burgmann College ANU opened a Postgraduate Village in 2004;
accommodation in 1971, moving to new premises adjacent to University House in 1998 (administered by University House since 2002); and
• Forrest Hall at UWA – in 2013, Andrew and Nicola Forrest gave $65m for Research Foundation Scholarships for PhD and other researchers at • Toad Hall at the ANU opened in 1974, named from the English children’s novel The Wind in WA universities, and for the establishment of 17
FEATU RE S
the Willows by its first residents who protested against the Hall being named after a politician or such like and took their cue from the creek and willows at the back of the Hall. While Toad Hall initially accommodated mainly later year undergraduate students, it has since become a postgraduate and largely international residence, with a review in 2009 noting the need for increased care and support for, and engagement among, postgraduate students and that the Hall plays “host to many future leaders of foreign governments … and the potential risk to the University’s reputation of an unhappy residential experience cannot be understated”.
Many colleges and halls, lodges, villages and a range of mainly self-catered commercial developments accommodate a number of domestic and international post/graduate students; many live in good and bad off-campus rentals. Postgraduate Student Associations, including the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA), advocate for a number of these and other issues that challenge both domestic and international students in finding suitable accommodation. Nevertheless, more than just the provision of buildings, beds and bathrooms, university residences can play a significant role in helping to meet matters related to such things as:
College-style post/graduate residences overseas • include: • • Nuffield, Wolfson and Kellogg Colleges at Oxford; • Clare Hall and Darwin College at Cambridge; • the Graduate College at Princeton; • Abbey College at Otago University; and • Ustinov College at the University of Durham, which notes its focus as providing “a safe, supportive, motivating and enjoyable collegiate environment that nurtures global citizenship and enables its members to grow intellectually and socially”. The Harvard Graduate Halls and the Harvard Graduate Commons Program provide a variety of activities and events that foster community development, engagement and care across many cultures and disciplines. Oxford University has just established a new graduate college, Reuben College, the first new Oxbridge college since 1990 (established on the Radcliffe Science Library site, and taking in its first residents in the 2021-2022 academic year).
isolation and loneliness; mental as well as physical health and wellbeing (in May 2019, the first international conference on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Postgraduate Researchers was held in Brighton, UK);
• higher degree research supervision and the sharing of HDR experiences; • sponsor obligations and expectations; • visa and work difficulties; • separation from partners, families and friends, and from the familiarity of home cultures; and • the provision of safety and a real sense of community, enjoyment and belonging (This has been an even greater need during the COVID-19 pandemic period, with many international students unable to return home and greatly challenged by the loss of work opportunities etc. Both domestic and international students have had their research and course programs significantly disrupted).
The sharing of research across disciplines and of a As with undergraduate residences, there must be a range of backgrounds and experiences across cultures range of accommodation options for postgraduate is enriching, adds value to the university experience, students that meet issues around such things as: and can be both career and life rewarding. • affordability and proximity to campus; University Colleges Australia (UCA) is developing
• desire for greater independence and for a less a Graduate Residences Network that will facilitate disrupted lifestyle; and the sharing of ideas, programs, challenges and opportunities in residential life for post/graduate • partner and family needs. students across our universities and beyond. An 18
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initial gathering of leaders of graduate residences (and residences that include graduates) was held at University & Graduate Houses ANU on 12th and 13th June 2019. Some 20 or so members joined with the ANU Acting DVC Academic, the Acting Dean of Higher Degree Research, the Vice-President of the ANU Postgraduate & Research Students’ Association, postgraduate students and the President and Secretary of NAAUC, to discuss these matters related to postgraduate residence. With COVID-19 restrictions, there was a ZOOM gathering of the Network in August 2020, which included a recorded message from the ANU Vice-Chancellor and Nobel Laureate, Professor Brian Schmidt AC FRS. It is hoped that the Graduate Residences Network will further develop and that there will be a growing mix of online, hybrid and in-person gatherings in future.
New College (Postgraduate) Village, UNSW
Graduate House, Sancta Sophia College, Sydney
*** This article is based on an article written for the Asia-Pacific Student Accommodation Association (APSAA) Journal Student Accommodation, June 2019. Further information may be obtained from Dr Ian Walker at ian.walker@anu.edu.au or Ms Deborah Pugh atexecutiveofficer@universitycollegesaustralia. edu.au. Dr Ian Walker has been Head of Toad Hall ANU since 2010 and was President of University Colleges Australia (UCA) 2014-2016. He is a former Head of Ursula Hall ANU, and Principal of The Kensington Colleges and Dean at New College UNSW. See the May 2021 Newsletter for a feature story on Dr Walker.
Graduate House, Melbourne
Forrest Hall, UWA
Nuffield College, Oxford
Toad Hall, ANU
Ustinov College, Durham
Kathleen Lumley College, Adelaide
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WHY WE CHOOSE TO LEAD — Leadership Victoria’s Williamson Leadership Program FEATU RE S
Leaders are in significant positions of power. How we act, practice self-care, the decisions we make, the direction we provide and our purpose impacts others. Williamson brings together leaders from diverse backgrounds and it was clear throughout the year that there was one strong cord that bound Below, Williamson 2019 Alumnus, Michelle us. We all shared a keen desire to master our craft Crawford (CEO, Concern Australia), shares her as leaders so as to positively impact the complex world that is constantly changing. reflections on her Williamson year. “To lead is a verb, it’s something you do. It is about While we sought to build on our experience, gifts, the provision of guidance and direction, and is an talents and innate ability to lead, we accepted the intentional act. As a noun, purpose relates to the challenge to constantly review the lens through reason for which something is done. Inequality and which we look at things, and to seek out unusual injustice are an ongoing challenge for Australia voices as we lead. Every year, 60 Victorians participate in Leadership Victoria’s Williamson Leadership Program - a unique, immersive year-long program that expands the way participants see the world and changes the way they exercise leadership.
and beyond. Against this backdrop, the 2019 Williamson Leadership Program participants were challenged to reflect on the act of leading. We were provided with privileged access to a diverse range of guests and experiences that have provided opportunities for growth, often through discomfort. 20
A key ingredient to leading with purpose is understanding the WHY of our choice to lead.
Exploring our own leadership through the ‘Harthill’s Stages of Consciousness’ provided invaluable insight into the individual action logics which shape our actions and growth as leaders. Exploring our immunity to change, applying
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adaptive leadership principles to complex challenges, along with the rich and diverse experiences throughout the year contributed to a deeper exploration of purpose.
of determination as a leader takes us beyond an act and moves into measurable impact. I’m intensely grateful for the Williamson 2019 year, and resolve to listen with my ear, eyes, heart and undivided Throughout the year I had cause to reflect on attention as I lead with purpose.” the leaders I have worked with and observed, along with the leader that I aspire to be. The Leadership Victoria’s purpose is to foster overwhelming insight has been – authentic. leadership that inspires, connects and transforms Purpose cannot be contrived. I believe it is essential to find your passion - your raison d’être. Throughout the year I found that the feedback I have sought from trusted peers, colleagues and friends as contributions for the various exercises we have undertaken has been incredibly affirming, highlighting my passionate approach to leadership, while challenging me to step into the authority of leading – to own the privilege and continue on a path of purposefulness as a leader who is emotionally, intellectually and culturally relevant.
through programs such as the Williamson Leadership Program. The belief is that by enabling purposeful leadership - leadership that contributes towards positive economic, social and environmental impact - their vision for a stronger society will be realised.
Applications are now open for the Williamson Leadership Program for 2022. The closing date is the 2nd of August 2021. For more information, visit https://www.leadershipvictoria.org/program/ The Chinese character for LISTEN is a key marker williamson-leadership-program/ of my desire to lead with purpose. To seize a sense 21
FEATU FEATURE RE S
Yousef Shadid, founder and director of GradShip, met recently with our CEO/Head of College to speak about his recent No 1 Best Seller on Amazon ‘The GradGate: Why you are more employable than you think”. 22
YOUSEF SHADID MY GRADUATE PATHWAY
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Vital Stats: Name/Qualifications/Accreditations/ who are proactive about their job search early in Publications their degree are miles ahead of their peers by the Bachelor of Business / Best-Selling Author / Top graduation year.
What is your earliest memory of having an What was your educational background? What interest in your field? did you study at university and why did you This is an interesting one. Since my field is now in choose this course? the employability of graduates, my earliest memory I initially started an engineering degree before would have to be the struggles of finding a job transferring and completing a Bachelor of without experience in my final year of studies. 50 Australian Professional
Business at Swinburne University. I did not exactly I applied for hundreds of jobs, only to never hear know what I wanted to do, and that is exactly why back or get the generic “We regret to inform you” I loved the exposure I had in my Business degree. email without any feedback. I definitely remember What did you learn during your tertiary those emails! education – not just academically, but what ideas did you form and what perceptions? Did any of your views change significantly when you went to university?
What has been your pathway since graduating? What was your first job after graduation and how did that job prepare you for your later positions? Any lessons learnt?
I learned a lot about the importance of soft skills such as communication and networking. Currently, there is a big emphasis on academic performance but not enough on getting involved on-campus with extracurricular activities.
So to my point about starting early about employability, I was actually late to job applications and missed all the graduate deadlines as I started applying after April, which is when most graduate programs close.
I also learned that a student’s employability starts I was fortunate enough to be part of the mid-year from the very first day on campus, and students graduate intake at one of the Big-4 Consulting 23
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firms. The first job (being a graduate program) was a wonderful opportunity to get some exposure to the client environment, and the training I had in the first few months definitely prepared me for future roles.
am both blessed and grateful to have their support on my journey. What were some of your major milestones? • both the preparation for and the finishing of the Melbourne Marathon; • being named a Swinburne Emerging Leader upon graduation; • establishing my own business (GradShip) in the middle of a pandemic, • getting my self-published book “The GradGate” to a best seller on Amazon; and • recently featuring in Australia’s Top 50 Professionals Magazine. What is the most important thing that can make you successful at your job?
What are the goals of your company/organisation and what are you trying to achieve? “Enhancing graduates’ employability” is our mission at GradShip. Nowadays, very few students graduate with an idea of what they want to do, or how to find a job if they do know that. We equip them with the tools that make them more employable, such as communication and networking techniques, resume writing, LinkedIn, interview preparations, and so on. Who has been the biggest influence on your life and what lessons did that person teach you? Definitely my parents! As migrants in Australia, both have worked hard in what was a challenging environment for them, just so that they could provide me and my siblings with the best education and opportunities. I have learned so much from them in terms of perseverance, dedication and work ethic, and I 24
Having faced multiple job rejections as a graduate, the most important aspect for me is empathy. I can talk all day to graduates about job applications and interviews, but unless one understands and addresses the psychological and emotional frustrations of the graduate journey, the advice will not be complete and authentic. I always do my best to connect with graduates on a human level.
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What is your next goal? Do you have an ultimate goal that you are working towards?
you will recall the university days as your best, so make sure you make the most of it.
I am working towards making GradShip the • Read “The GradGate”: Obviously, it’s my baby, #1 Graduate Employability provider in Australia. but this easy read will save you months of We are only Melbourne-based now but I am frustrations with job rejections, do yourself a confident that we will get there in due time. favour and action the advice to see how you are more employable than you think! What advice would you give graduates? So many topics to cover here, but to summarise: • Network, network, network: Your ability to make genuine connections with people will undoubtedly shape your future opportunities, so get involved early. I would single out LinkedIn as the most accessible professional networking platform, for professionals and graduates alike.
What do you like doing when you are not working?
I enjoy exercising, spending time with the family, as well as learning Spanish to know more about Latin American culture.
On the networking theme, I accept every connection request I get on LinkedIn, so please feel free to connect there as I would love to know • Embrace your journey: Whether you find a job more about your stories! before graduating or months after, you should To purchase Yousef ’s book The GradGate: You embrace the uniqueness of your journey. are more employable than you think go to https:// Months and years after finding your first job amzn.to/3bkqvfb. 25
MAY MONTHLY LUNCHEON REVIEW R EVIEW
Rhonda Boyle
late Professor Max Cooke. The Team of Pianists are Artists-In-Residence for the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Ltd. at Glenfern, the National Trust‘s Centre for the Arts and Culture, in East St Kilda. In 2007, and serendipitously while online, she discovered Donison-Steinbuhler (DS) keyboards with narrower keys. None were available in Australia at the time, but David Steinbuhler came to Australia in 2008 and measured her grand piano for the new keyboard. In 2009, Rhonda thus became the first person to import this keyboard, a DS5.5® which is approximately 7/8th of the normal width.
At our 5th May Monthly Luncheon, Rhonda Boyle spoke to: The ‘one size fits all’ piano keyboard causes much pain and injury and prevents most pianists form reaching their musical potential: A revolution is needed! Rhonda began with a question to the audience: How many play or have played the piano? – and about 50% raised their hands. She then went on to explain that she played piano as a child but always knew that her hands were too small to become a serious performer. She pursued a career in government in a variety of fields (policy, environmental science, strategic planning), before returning to piano lessons in 1999 with the brilliant Robert Chamberlain, a well-known performer in Melbourne and partner in Melbourne’s Team of Pianists, founded by the 26
This experience prompted her to get involved in the research on hand and keyboard sizes, and thence to presenting at international conferences and setting up the website: smallpianokeyboards.org which summarises the scientific basis for narrower keyboards. Making information relevant and freely accessible is her main priority. In 2013, she co-founded the movement known as PASK (Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards) with Professor Carol Leone from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and Erica Booker, a Sydney-based piano teacher. The goal of PASK is to convince piano manufacturers to begin producing piano keyboards in three standard sizes: the current ‘large’ size (6.5 inch octave) and two additional sizes with narrower keys: DS6.0® and DS5.5® with 6.0 inch and 5.5 inch octaves respectively. She is now a director of the DS Standard Foundation, created by David Steinbuhler who converted the Steinbuhler business to a not-for-profit.
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Of historical interest, and up until the late nineteenth century, pianos generally had narrower keys than today. Famous composers, such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin, thus composed and played on these pianos with narrower keys. Gender roles were strict in the 1800s. Piano playing, like sewing and needlework, was an important accomplishment for females, however they were not encouraged to perform outside the home and were to play only ‘feminine’ repertoire. In contrast, men were encouraged to perform in public and become virtuosos. In the late 1800s, this led to famous male virtuosos with large hands having a strong influence on piano manufacturing. Major piano companies built large concert halls to show-case their products and featured such pianists as Franz Liszt. Bigger pianos with wider keys were made for these venues and narrower keys were phased out by the 1880s. The piano is one of the very few musical instruments that do not have alternative sizes available to suit the performer. Dr Barbara Lister-Sink is one of the key influencer’s in the PASK movement. As Professor of Piano, Artistic Director of the School of Music and Director of the Music Graduate Program at Salem College in North Carolina, Barbara is an internationally acclaimed performer and Steinway artist, and a global leader in injury-preventive keyboard technique. Her research indicates that females, with their smaller hands, face twice the risk of injury as males. There is an extensive body of literature on medical disorders and pain related to piano playing, with strong epidemiological and clinical evidence of small hand span being a significant risk factor. For example, Sakai (1992, 2002) found hand size to be a risk factor for piano-related pain and injury – with Japanese pianists at a disadvantage compared with American and European pianists – and that playing octaves and chords involves hyperabduction of the thumb and fifth finger, which in turn affects the wrist, potentially causing de Quervain’s disease or other overuse problems.
A ‘small hand’ is defined as one with a thumb to fifth finger span of less than 8.5 inches (21.6 cm) and/or a second to fifth finger span of less than 6 inches (15.2 cm). As defined by Rhonda’s research, the current benchmark for ‘small hands’ is that the pianist is at risk of injury, may suffer pain, cannot play all the repertoire they would like to, faces increased practice times just to reach an acceptable level (but often below what they would be capable of musically), and has a significantly curtailed enjoyment and career.
The one-inch difference between the averages for men and women – slightly more than one piano key – is critical! It is the difference between being able to play fast passages of octaves and large chords without pain or tension and being able to just play a 10th – or not. With conventional 6.5” (16.5 cm) octave keyboards as the only choice, 24% of males and 87% of females have ‘small hands’. However, if all three keyboard sizes were made widely available (DS6.5, DS6.0®, DS5.5®) the ‘small hands’ problem would almost disappear – no males and only 11% of females would have ‘small hands’. Pianists with hand spans less than 8.0” (20.32cm; Zone A and 50% of Zone B in the above diagram) are almost never seen on concert platforms. If they are, they tend to focus on a restricted repertoire, such as Baroque or early Classical. This latter effect is shown in the following bar chart which illustrates the percentage of female prize winners across various elite international competitions. 27
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While most competitions require a wide range of repertoire or focus on composers where a big hand span is an advantage, it can be seen that women do very well in the Bach and Mozart competitions as the works of those composers do not require a large hand span. The same gender imbalance pattern is not obvious in violin competition results, nor in top level string quartets or the strings and woodwinds sections of symphony orchestras! Mrs Boyle then went on to outline the industry barriers to making available a range of keyboard sizes. The piano manufacturing industry is also steeped in ‘tradition’ – especially for classical pianists. As Rhonda explained “How could they admit that the current keyboard dating back to the 1880s does not suit a majority of pianists?”
Mass production of three rather than one keyboard size requires major up-front investment. Though there are design challenges with acoustics – the basic piano design since the 1880s not being wellsuited to narrower keys – these could be overcome with today’s technology. Previous limited efforts were failures: Yamaha and Kawai offered narrower keyboards in the 1990s but released these only in small grand pianos – not an ideal model to start with – and sold them only in Japan. The focus 28
was on short-term sales – with these small grands being placed in stores – rather than on a strategic approach involving engagement with teachers and pianists. From the perspective of pianists and teachers, there are a range of ‘barriers’ due to perceptions, misinformation and a lack of opportunities to play on narrower keys. Many point to the ‘problem’ of having to adapt to a different size and to swap between sizes, and thus to losing the ability to play on a conventional keyboard. There is no basis for these concerns – adapting is surprisingly quick and easy! Indeed, pianists frustrated with their hand size for many years, having suffered injury and unsympathetic teachers, find the experience of a correctly ‘fitted’ keyboard to be a revelation and even become angry when they realise all the wasted effort in the past. Teachers lack knowledge of the relationship between hand size, piano keyboard sizes and the effects on performance and health. Those who say that “it’s all about technique” have often never had to deal with the problem themselves; and some continue to promote the ‘no pain, no gain’ approach, rather than acknowledging and understanding that the keyboard is the problem! Pianists are often not encouraged to speak out about pain, so many suffer in silence and often have to avoid certain repertoire. Other well-riposted myths (all easily disproven) include that ‘a smaller keyboard will mean an inferior instrument’ (there is no difference to the sound!) and ‘there are examples of successful pianists who have ‘small hands’’ – when there is no accepted shared definition of ‘small hands’, and the hand
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spans of these successful pianists have never been placed in the context of the statistical information as described above. Men with so-called ‘small hands’ often have hand spans well above the female average.
impact of personal stories. She keeps good records of the expanding network of supporters, attempts to follow up with every person, remains neutral across different manufacturers and brands, places emphasis on making information freely accessible Lack of access to smaller keyboards is a key issue. and provides as-needed help to manufacturers. Pianists cannot try out and play these pianos and Respecting confidential information is, naturally, thus come to understand the issues. They are also not an imperative. available for exams and competitions, or in concert PASK is a network based totally on trust. People venues – of concern to teachers. Yet, keyboards can come into and go from the network. There is thus readily be changed in an acoustic grand piano in a need to be pivoting constantly and grasping just a few minutes, as demonstrated for the Dallas opportunities. Rhonda believes that her public piano competition where contestants have a choice service background has given her the skills and of DS keyboards. experiences that are needed when working with The cost of custom-made retrofit keyboards is high; this network, for example: – project management, Rhonda explaining that a custom-made retrofit for policy analysis, setting goals, developing strategies, an acoustic grand pianos costs between ~$15,000 stakeholder management, dealing with the media, data management, and survey design and statistics and $20,000. – the latter with the support of her husband Robin Pianists and teachers often want to find reasons why who lectured in statistics at Deakin University. it is not a good idea to teach/play on different sized keyboards. There remains, for example, a stigma In terms of the current state of play, there are two for pianists with ‘small hands’ that can have a real digital projects in development in the United States impact on performing careers. Players prefer to and Europe and an online international festival ‘silently’ put in much personal investment in work- in May 2021 via a renewed impetus from a recent around solutions. Some, bizarrely, purport that it is connection with New York pianist Hannah Reimann. ‘cheating’ – yet it is generally accepted that skiers In Australia, there is a DS6.0® keyboard on loan need to vary the length of their skis and for runners for 18 months from the DS Standard Foundation to vary the size of their shoes! Many pianists, (established by the Steinbuhler company in 2018) particularly when younger, do not want to choose to the Australian National Academy of Music. a keyboard that is not ‘normal’ within their group. Rhonda concluded her presentation by inviting Others adopt a ‘pointless masochistic’ approach: “I the audience to visit her website: http:// enjoy the challenge of finding ways to compensate”. smallpianokeyboards.org/ for more information, Overall, Rhonda described the challenge as a and to view a video that summarises many of the combination of a culture of denial in the ‘piano issues discussed in this presentation at: https://bit. world’ and an industry hesitant to break with ly/3toZHRa. tradition. Moving on to personal reflections and her current approach, Rhonda acknowledged the importance of solid evidence based on science (the foundation for the PASK campaign), and that she had learnt a lot about human psychology and the positive 29
COLLEGE TABLE REVIEW R EVIEW
Jesse Moors on ‘Financial markets and the Growth of the Mob Mentality”
Jesse Moors holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Melbourne and a Master of International Business from the Melbourne Business School. At our May College Table he met Members to discuss ‘Financial markets and the growth of the mob mentality’ over lunch.
and realising gains to their investors. Their belief is that many listed companies are susceptible to being momentarily oversold or undervalued due to herd mentality and market psychology.
Three years ago, he and his business partner Nick Quinn established their own business, Spatium Capital, a funds management firm, having worked on the strategy for this business after hours in the seven years prior while working full time for larger companies – Jesse in an international development and business strategy role, and Nick in international transfer pricing. With the backing of a seed investor, the Spatium Small Companies Fund, an open-ended unit trust, was launched.
Defining herd (or mob) mentality as the tendency for investors to follow and copy what other investors are doing, based largely on emotions, instinct and the advice of ‘friends’, Jesse noted an increase in these types of investment decisions that are neither rational nor based on objective independent analyses. This phenomenon has been studied by behavioural scientists since the later part of the 20th century and is a crucial component in the psychological influence and bias assessments by Jesse and Nick when identifying relevant stocks to buy and sell.
Jesse explained that the Spatium Small Companies Fund investment focus is on the top 300 Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed companies, with a heavy bias to the 101-300 ‘small caps’ companies. These ‘small cap’ companies often have a market capitalisation of between $450 million and $4.5 billion. In and of itself, this segment of the top 300 ASX listed companies tends to be less scrutinised and monitored by large research teams, therefore creating greater opportunity for price dislocations to arise.
Moving to the explanation of why there has been this increase in mob or herd mentality, Jesse spoke firstly to ETFs – exchange-traded funds. ETFs are managed funds that can be treated like shares in that they can be bought and sold on an exchange (e.g., the ASX). Most are ‘passive’ investments – that is, the fund manager tracks the value of an index such as Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P500) or a commodity (e.g., gold), and thereby seeks to return the same value as if you were to be invested in the index itself.
Another point of differentiation for the Spatium Small Companies Fund is the short term of holding bought stocks. Spatium Capital seeks to pick stocks according to key principles and holds them on average for 30 to 45 days before selling
Available since the late 1980’s, there are now over 7,500 ETFs globally. They are a main type of investment fund (5% of the total world investment funds) and are rebalanced at different time intervals (e.g., some are rebalanced monthly, quarterly or even annually).
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ETFs have become particularly popular for retail (also known as ‘individual’) investors who are (generally) not professional investors (that is, do not trade as their main job) and who trade, often in smaller amounts compared to institutional investors, through traditional or online brokerage firms or other types of investment accounts. This market is growing – in 2020 there were over one million active retail investors in Australia. According to the ASX Australian Investor Study 2020, 8% of next generation investors chose an ETF as their first ever investment, and 45% indicated intent to invest in ETFs over the next 12 months (second only to 83% intending to invest in shares). Though there are many benefits of ETFs – diversification, transparency, low cost, ease of trading – there are the many usual risks of any other investment type – market/sector (e.g.,
if the S&P500 falls so too does the value of the ETF investment), currency (e.g., international ETFs face currency movement [exchange] risks), liquidity (e.g., if the ETF invests in non-liquid assets, they cannot readily be ‘cashed’), tracking (e.g., buying and selling when the ETF is not trading at the net asset value due to such factors as illiquidity, fees and taxes) and taxation. Mr Moors then spoke to the increasing role of the online and mobile world of influence on investment decisions (e.g., see the 2013 Cogent Research study). The so-called ‘fear and greed index’, developed by CNNMoney to measure the effect of these two emotions on trading behaviour and prices, is used by some investors to gauge potential underpricing (fear leading to stocks trading below value) and over-pricing (greed fuelling stocks being bid above what they should be worth). This 31
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index has historically been a reliable indicator of significant changes in equity markets and is just one tool that might be used to make investment decisions. According to the Financial Review, for example, the first quarter of 2021 has seen ‘investors, executives and boards’ who 12 months ago ‘fretted over how companies would survive a potential depression’ now showing ‘a sense of confidence and appetite for risk we haven’t seen in years’ and thus the very real risk of ‘blow-ups’. Unsurprisingly, the year of remote working has seen an explosion in the number and use of digital sources for information. Investors are consuming and sharing more rich media content than ever before, particularly through blogs, online forums, videos and social media. Some decisions are thus being made by what are termed ‘social media hordes’. An alarming example was seen recently for retailer GameStop where a Reddit thread – the socalled ‘front page of the internet’ aggregating social news, web content ratings and online discussions – community of amateur investors collaborated to drive share prices well above appropriate market values. They have since fluctuated violently with many later-stage investors bearing the brunt of the negative swings.
Towards the conclusion on the lunch, it was observed that Jesse provided the required ‘this is not advice’ statement to questions that were seeking such. He also consistently referred to other professional services that might be better approached for said advice. This lead to a discussion of the multitude of terms for these different advisors and thus the confusion for individual investors in working out who to approach and for what purpose in this world of investments, superannuation funds, estates, trusts, private ancillary funds (PAFs), donations, bequests, et cetera; as well as on who should be approached: your accountant, lawyer, financial advisor, an asset allocator, a company that manages self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs), an investment portfolio manager, a trustee firm, et cetara, et cetera.
Of course, then this led to a discussion on ‘trust’. In a world of behavioural manipulation, and particularly, for the ‘naïve investor’, there are those who pounce and take advantage. There are also those advisors and service professionals who may not have the social skills for such manipulation but who have the expertise! (We do not really care about the bedside manner of the surgeon, for The discussion then turned to the roles of Artificial example, we just want the surgeon to do the best Intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Agents (IAs) job). on financial investment markets. From humble In conclusion, Jesse referred also to the positive origins in the 1960s with mathematicians focusing aspects of ‘mob mentality’ on the financial markets, on Bayesian statistics for stock market prediction pointing, in particular, to the many from all and auditing, and expert systems coming more generations who seek investments aligned to what to the fore in the 1980s, AI is now enabling mass they want to achieve for their communities and analysis at a scale that is not possible for humans. the world. Environmental, social, and governance AI is used by financial institutions to generate and (ESG) criteria – a set of standards for companies gain insights from large and varied data sets, to as ‘stewards’ – are, for example, analysed more predict and forecast trends and to propel business frequently by these socially conscious investors to model innovation and disruption. screen potential investments. This has seen many Jesse also pointed to the juncture between social investment companies create portfolios that have media and AI, noting that we are all under less emphasis on non-ESG responsible company scrutiny online – our searches, our purchases, shares. our responses to surveys, our patterns with online use. As such, we can be targeted with ‘hot stock tips’ that match our demographic, our suburb, the footy team we follow, our preferred food and beverages, our clothing and other choices, et cetera. 32
M E M B E R S’ CO N T RIBUT IO N
Pansies on Orange 2004 — Marg Nicoll
Open Road 1999 — Marg Nicoll
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MEM BE RS’ CO NTRI BUT I ON
PLANCKS AND PARSECS by Member Peter Cockrum
With two adult children, four grandchildren and his approach to a good age, Member Peter Cockrum wanted to give his family a simple-to-understand book, and thus legacy, about this journey from the Barossa Valley to Principal Experimental Scientist at CSIRO, as well as an insight into what occupies his mind when thinking about life and the universe.
At CSIRO, Peter found a role model in distinguished toxicologist Claude C. J. Culvenor at the Division of Organic Chemistry, who headed chemical studies into poisonous plants which caused disease in farm animals, collaborating with the Division of Animal Health. Peter worked with Claude for more than 20 years (until Claude’s retirement) rising to his Just before his birth, Peter’s parents were living career ceiling of Principal Experimental Scientist in Brisbane – his father on the staff of General and leaving in his fifties to pursue other interests in MacArthur. At that time, the Japanese were a travel, sales and time shares before retirement. frightening presence in northern parts of Australia, The legacy publication for Peter’s family is entitled so Peter’s Mother went to stay with relatives in ‘Getting this Far: Between a Planck and a Parsec’ Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley and Peter was (and we thank Peter for donating a copy of this to thence born in a hospital in the neighbouring town our Graduate House library). It is short, with three of Angaston. clearly articulated chapters and a conclusion, as Shortly after his birth, his father joined his mother well as a good reading list of books, all of which are and they moved to Mildura, where he and another on his bookshelves at home!
ran the Sunraysia Daily Newspaper, before settling Chapter 1 gives homage to one of Peter’s heroes, in Melbourne and taking a job at The Age for the Albert Einstein, and points to two great scientific remainder of his working life. theories of the 20th Century: Relativity and Moving through various schools in his primary and Quantum Theory. Springing almost fully formed secondary education years, Peter describes himself from the brain of Albert Einstein, Special Relativity as “a very poor student” who left Camberwell High links mass and energy by the speed of light (E=mc2) School without finishing his matriculation to take while General Relativity links time and space into up a Junior Technical Assistant position in the a 4-dimensional continuum, with gravity being CSIRO Division of Animal Health in Parkville. the warping of the continuum such that masses He clarifies, however, that he “improved with time” proportionately move towards each other following and went on to undertake a Master’s Degree in the path of lowest energy. Expressing these concepts Toxicology at RMIT in his forties and topping the mathematically, Einstein predicted that the universe was expanding – indeed this was later course in practical subjects. 34
M E M B E R S’ CO N T RIBUT IO N
confirmed by Edwin Hubble who was inspired by the work of Henrietta Leavitt who had established that stars of similar structure shone with similar brightness and so, by measuring their brightness as we observe them, a scale of distance between us and them could be developed – and this led to the retrospective tracking of this growth to find that the universe began some 13.8 billion years ago.
and recommends reading ‘Reality is not what is seems’ (progressing science from pre-Christian Greece to present day and making the case for Quantum Gravity) and ‘The order of time’ (showing that time does not exist at a fundamental level in the universe). Rovelli’s well known formula (∆S ≥ 0), showing that we cannot go back in time (e.g., we can scramble but not unscramble an egg) and that Entropy (S), representing the degree of disorder in a system, always increases, led him to propose that a localised condition of heightened entropy provided the precondition for, and powered, the evolution of life!
Peter then gives a brief definition of a parsec as the largest unit of length we use (about 3.26 light years or 31 trillion kilometres) and explains that expansion since the beginning of the universe means that the distance from earth to the discernible edge of the universe is about 46 billion light years with its Chapter 3 moves to two “C”s – Conservation and sphere (our Cosmos) being 96 billion light years Climate Change with Peter noting that we have across. vast eons of time ahead of us before Earth is to be Quantum Theory originated towards the end of the subsumed into the sun, which, in turn will contract 19th century with Max Planck in Berlin developing to a White Dwarf star! Planck units – length 1.62x10-35m – to describe the smallest measurements possible to make. The Theory explores the fundamental structure of the universe and its particles and waves with two major theories contending for description of the universe at this Planck scale: String Theory and Quantum (Loop) Gravity. Euclidean geometry breaks down into ‘Quantum Foam’ at the interface between Relativity and Quantum mechanics with gravity not (yet) shown to be quantum in nature.
With respect to climate change, Peter points to the example of the planet Venus not being able to sequester carbon dioxide back into its crust (due to lack of water) and thus a rampant greenhouse effect and surface temperatures high enough to melt lead! On Earth, water dissolves the volcanic-released CO2 enabling its re-entry to the Earth’s crust as carbonate salts, and trees return CO2 to the crust to become oil and coal (over a time scale of billions of years). With humans releasing vast amounts of As Peter observes, we homo sapiens (at 1-2m in CO2 so quickly, the sequestering process cannot height) lie approximately 70% of the way along keep up and the greenhouse effect will inevitably an axis from smallest (1.62x10-35m) to largest kick in to make the earth uninhabitable. (1x1015m) and are thus 10 trillion times closer to the Turning to conservation, Peter notes that the size of the cosmos than we are to the fundamental replacement of swathes of native bushland with units of spacetime. monoculture farming practices is changing Chapter 2 brings us back “down to Earth”, a environments, diverting water and inserting 4.5-billion-year-old entity that experienced fertilizers and pesticides. He describes this ‘abiogenesis’ – living things emerging from non- as “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” living precursors – to bring ‘life’ here about 4 billion because there is a reserve of unexplored bio-active years ago. Peter points to a 1953 study by Miller compounds that might be used for sustainable (supervised by Harold C. Urey) who simulated agriculture, as well as to develop medicines. primitive ocean, atmosphere and lightning (by He concludes by noting that ‘Ignorance, greed, pulsing electrical charges into a mixture of warm corruption and love of power are ubiquitous water and gases) to produce amino acids, the characteristics of groups of Homo sapiens, like it or not …’ and expressing his fervent hope that “we chemical building blocks of life. evolve beyond them’. Here also Peter introduces another hero, Carlo i Miller, S. L. (1953) “Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Rovelli (an Italian theoretical physicist and writer), Primitive Earth Conditions” Science. 117 (3046): 528–529. 35
MEM BE RS’ CO NTRI BUT I ON
THE OCEAN Oh! ever deepening dark and secret ocean in some unvirtuous union with the night conceiving of a vast conspiracy to renew your mighty assaults on the sand. — Life Member, Louis A Coutts
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ACA D E M IC A N D PR O FE S S IO N A L D EVE LO PM E N T MEET INGS
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS
The following groups f rom The University of Melbourne have convened meetings, workshops and events at Graduate House during the months of January till April 2021.
Academic Administration, UoM
Architecture Building & Planning Faculty
Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity
Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network ( AURIN)
26th March 58 attendees
16th Feb, 5th March 24 attendees
28th January, 9 , 10 , 11th, 12th February 29 attendees
15th, 23rd February, 1st March, 20th April 36 attendees
Centre for Digital Transformation of Health
Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety (CDMPS)
Chancellery Research & Enterprise
Committee of Convocation
16th Feb, 5th March 21 attendees
22nd April 7 attendees
23rd March, 20th April 40 attendees
17th March 10 attendees
Department of Infrastructure Engineering
Early Childhood Education and Care
Faculty of Medicine,Dentistry & Health Sciences
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health - Centre for Health Equity
3rd February, 13th April 44 attendees
10th February 13 attendees
10th March, 26th April 19 attendees
26th February 12 attendees
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health - GBD Group
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Melbourne University Car Club Inc
Melbourne Veterinary School - Dairy Resident Catch Up
22nd, 23rd March, 24th, 25th March 36 attendees
19th March 15 attendees
24th March 20 attendees
29th, 30th March 18 attendees
Nossal Institute for Global Health Planning Day
Research Innovation and Commercialisation
University of
Melbourne BD & I
UoM Commercial (MSPACE)
3rd March 12 attendees
30th April 6 attendees
22nd, 27th April 47 attendees
27th April 27 attendees
th
th
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ACAD EMI C AND PROF E SSI ON A L DEVE LOPME N T M E E T IN G S
The patronage of organisation Members in charitable, not-for-profit, government and professional development sectors is acknowledged, as is that of our many Members who hold their functions at Graduate House.
Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) Victorian Chapter
Association of German Teachers of Victoria Inc. (AGTV)
Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE)
Australian Centre for Career Education (CEAV)
10th February, 10th March 16 attendees
11th February 15 attendees
11th March, 8th April 112 attendees
29th, 30th, 31st March, 12th, 13th, 14th April 103 attendees
Australian Hemp Manufacturing Company
Australian School of Applied Management (ASAM)
Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Victoria
CFMEU Manufacturing Division
31st March 6 attendees
9th, 10th February 22 attendees
9th March 15 attendees
22nd April 25 attendees
City of Melbourne
Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
International Coach Federation (ICF) Australasia Southern States
Institute of Senior Officers of Victorian Education Services
18th March, 29th April 30 attendees
19th, 20th, 21st, 26th April 55 attendees
29th January, 2nd April 14 attendees
11th February, 27th April 31 attendees
Ladies Lunch
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League of Women Voters Victoria (LWVV)
Melba Group
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
Principals Association of Victoria
16th March, 12th April 22 attendees
26th February, 26th March, 30th April 67 attendees
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th February, 122 attendees
31st March 12 attendees
MosaicLab Planning Day
Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller
Parkville Conference of St Vincent de Paul
28th January 7 attendees
1st February, 1st March, 7th, 23rd April 46 attendees
15th February, 15th March, 19th April 30 attendees
ACA D E M IC A N D PR O FE S S IO N A L D EVE LO PM E N T MEET INGS
Paul Harris Society Lunch
Per Capita Inc. The John Cain Foundation Lunch
Phoenix Australia
23rd April 26 attendees
17th March, 14th, 21st April 103 attendees
27th April 12 attendees
Probus Club of Carlton Parkville
Retired Veterinarians Group
Ripponlea Institute VET Applied Language: PD Day
Rotary Club of Carlton Parkville
9th February, 9th March, 12th April 154 attendees
28th April 26 attendees
22nd March 75 attendees
23rd March, 27th April 54 attendees
Royal Australian Chemical Institute
Social Education Victoria (SEV) Committee Meeting
Strata Community Association, Victoria
Turkish Teachers Association of Victoria
2nd February 9 attendees
16th March 11 attendees
26th March 42 attendees
10th April 35 attendees
The Graduate Union Collegiate Events and Governance Meetings
University Lodge Meeting
Victorian State Secondary Past Principals’ Association
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 22nd, 24th February, 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 24th, 26th, 31st March, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 20th, 21st, 28th April
9th February 6 attendees
25th March 31 attendees
Feedback It is always a breeze when organising our event at Graduate House and that’s what keeps us coming back. It can’t get any much easier. We are never held up by anything on your side. You have everything in place and are ready to act. The function rooms are perfect for our purpose and the food was excellent as always. The staff are always helpful and we always feel so welcome and supported for anything we need for our meeting. I find it so comforting as I know everything will be taken care of and any last minute requests are met with a committed resolve to deliver. Thank you!!! — From Catherine Gosling, AGTV 39
G RAD UATE HO USE N EWS
Inner City News @GraduateHouse Copies of the Inner City Newspaper are now available in the foyer of Graduate House. Published monthly by Hyperlocal News, the newspaper focuses on stories around East Melbourne, Carlton and Parkville.
ATSE VIC Division Event: Medical devices - Transforming lives Fellows and guests are invited to join Professor Tony Burkitt and Brendan Fafiani for an engaging talk on the commercialisation of medical devices, hosted by ATSE’s Victorian Division. The translation of research into commercial outcomes is arduous and requires engagement well beyond the academic domain. Engineers and technologists are needed, but so is commercial expertise. The presentations will discuss the hurdles that must be overcome to bring a research proposal to market.
This is an in-person event (the event is free, dinner to Professor Anthony Burkitt Professor of Bio-Signals and Bio-Systems follow at $30.50 is optional) or you can watch online. University of Melbourne To attend the event please register early to avoid disappointment as the venue has limited capacity. Fellows are encouraged to circulate the event information to their networks.
Event: Medical devices – Transforming lives Presented by: ATSE Victorian Division Date: Thursday, 3rd June 2021 Event type: Online only (changed due to lockdown) Times: 6:30-7:30pm AEST — Webinar Cost: Free
Brendan Fafiani Chief Executive Officer Cyban
REGISTER: HTTPS://BIT.LY/3F42F9Y 40
G R A D UAT E H O USE NEWS
Join Professor John Langmore and Dr Tania Miletic to discuss the launch of the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne.
About this event Launched in April 2021, the Initiative for Peacebuilding brings together research, teaching, and policy development from a wide range of disciplines to support effective engagement in conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the Indo-Pacific region.
Your ticket will include a luncheon from 12:30pm followed by a speech from Professor Langmore and Dr Miletic and then a conversation with Emma Dawson from 1pm.
The Initiative for Peacebuilding will provide Australia with a nationally based, regionally grounded, high-quality, professional nongovernment peace centre. The Initiative’s mission is to promote multidisciplinary research, teaching, policy development to support effective engagement in conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the Indo-Pacific region.
Date and time
Come along to hear Professor Langmore and Dr Miletic from the Initiative discuss how this project that will enable Australia to embrace its place in the world.
Wednesday, 16th June 2021 12:30-1:30pm AEST Location Graduate House 220 Leicester Street, Carlton For more information: http://bit.ly/PCLangmoreMiletic
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G U COL L EGI ATE
Monthly Luncheon P O ST P ON E D PR OF E S S OR A L F R E D P OU L O S
The Secret Life of Chemicals Born in Australia of Greek parents, Professor Alfred Poulos has worked in universities, research institutes and hospitals in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. Alfred has a PhD from London University, a law degree from Adelaide University and a professorship from Adelaide University, for his research into genetic diseases, fats and fat metabolism. He held the position of Chief Medical Scientist at the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, for many years and has published over 150 papers in international scientific and medical journals. He is a current member of the Alfred Health Ethics Committee, reviewing research projects for Alfred Health and Alfred Research Alliance partners.
While Professor Poulos’ medical and scientific research has been wide and varied, it has chiefly focused on the role fats play in health and disease. His recent interests are in nutrition, and in the chemical pollutants present in our food, water and the environment. This interest led to his publication of The Silent Threat, a book that provides consumers with information on the source of many of these chemicals as well as their possible effects on our health. He has self-published five other titles including Weight Loss: Navigating the Maze of Strategies, Olive Oil – Everything You Want to Know, Organic Food – A Guide for Consumers and Fish Oils – Everything You Want to Know – the latter coauthored with Dr Stephen Hardy. He is a passionate foodie and home cook, bakes his own bread and shops weekly at the Queen Victoria Market.
This event was to be held at Graduate House on the 3rd June with the usual 12:00NOON arrival for 12:30pm start (Online: 1:15pm logon 1:10pm) It is POSTPONED. We hope to advise our readers of the new date for this presentation soon. Graduate House 220 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053 Online Booking: to be advised Phone: (03) 9347 3428 Email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au for enquiries about the new date. Dine in Pricing: Members $35, non-members $40 Virtual Attendance Pricing: Members $10, non-members $15
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G U COLLEGIAT E
Monthly Luncheon W E DN E SDAY, 4 T H AU G U ST M IC HA E L H E A DB E R RY
Michael is a foundation student of Monash University and heads up the Alumni Group named The Monash Pioneers, comprising students from the first five years (1961-1965). His professional life included the cofounding of the Australian Centre for Retail Studies at the David Syme Business School at Monash University and, from 1995 to 2014, Managing Director of Retail Synergy Group Pty Ltd. Michael is a member of Military History and Heritage Victoria, the Spirit of Australia Foundation, an Affiliate Member of Box Hill RSL Sub- Branch and a recognised authority on Sir John Monash. In 2013 he initiated the Sir John Monash Sculptural Project at Monash University and chaired the Project Board. The statue by Peter Corlett OAM was unveiled by the then Governor of Victoria the Honourable Alex Chernov AC QC in April 2015.
Sir John is depicted in civilian dress in recognition of his lifelong legacy and multi-disciplinary achievements. In 2016, former Deputy Prime Minister the late Tim Fischer AC approached Michael to Chair the newly formed Saluting Monash Council in Victoria, a position he continues to hold. The aim of this Council is to secure an Honorary Field Marshal rank for Sir John. The presentation entitled “John Monash- Australia’s National Possession” will summarise his life’s achievements in the disciplines of Engineering, Law, Science, Medicine, the Arts, Education, Business, Military Command and as a Community leader. The focus will be on his personal values, motivations, personality, humanism and behavioural style as elements in understanding John Monash, the Man (and a Founder of The Graduate Union in 1911).
12:00NOON arrival for 12:30pm start (Online: 1:15pm Please logon 1:10pm) Graduate House 220 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053 Online Booking: to be advised Phone: (03) 9347 3428 Email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au Dine in Pricing: Members $35, non-members $40 Virtual Attendance Pricing: Members $10, non-members $15
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PROMOTI O NS
Graduate House Affordable and safe accommodation for patients, hospital visitors and medical staff — Melbourne CBD Need a place to stay while having, or recuperating from, specialist medical or surgical treatment? Visiting a loved one in hospital? Consider Graduate House. Graduate House:
Patients
•
offers accommodation for patients, families, friends and carers;
Graduate House is suitable for: •
the period before full-stay admission;
•
is affordable, safe and trusted with friendly, welcoming and genuinely caring professional staff;
•
after discharge to recuperate and while arranging for transport home; and
•
•
is suitable for those from regional Victoria, outer metropolitan Melbourne and interstate;
out-patient consultations and treatments (cancer therapy; day surgery; dialysis, dental, mental health, etc.).
•
has variable stay durations, from one to a few nights or weeks;
Schemes that subsidise patient accommodation: •
Victoria: Ph: 1300 737 073 https://bit.ly/3cgdEKp
•
is clean, with quiet rooms, and comfortable communal areas;
•
•
has breakfast and weekday dinners included, and delicious, healthy food;
Tasmania: Ph: (03) 6222 8225 www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/hospital/ptas
•
•
has car parking – secure and cheap with online booking/payment and contactless automatic car plate recognition; is within walking distance of the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Royal Women’s Hospital, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and St. Vincent’s Hospital; and
NSW: Ph: 1800 478 227 www.health.nsw.gov.au/transport
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South Australia: Ph: 1300 341 684 https://bit.ly/3l65NTZ
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Western Australia: http://bit.ly/3rJYeVq
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Northern Territory: http://bit.ly/3eDuUfo
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ACT: https://bit.ly/3etUzr5
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is a tram ride to the Epworth and Alfred Hospitals. Alison and Richard Harcourt sent thanks to Graduate House for the hospitality they received during a ‘respite’ stay. “We appreciate the courteous and helpful approach shown by all members of the staff. All the comfortable and well-equipped apartments that we occupied faced on to University Square. “Thank you, Graduate House.”
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Visitors and Hospital Staff Graduate House is suitable for: •
parents with children in hospital;
•
families and friends supporting loved ones in hospital; and
•
carers, allied health, medical and NDIS support staff.
To make a booking or for any enquiries, please go to: www.graduatehouse.com.au/medistays/ or contact us on +61 3 9347 3428 or admingh@graduatehouse.com.au.
PR O M OT IO NS
Pricing (per night) Single and double rooms (without kitchens) as well as self-contained apartments are available. Prices range from $125 to $185. *for Members, prices range from $105 to $155
Royal Children’s Hospital Royal Women’s Hospital
Royal Melbourne Hospital
The University of Melbourne
Comprehensive Cancer Centre Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Epworth Hospital
Alfred Hospital
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PROMOTI O NS
G R AD UATE HOU S E IS OPEN (after this lockdown) AND SAFE Need a break from online video meetings? (Yes, it’s exhausting!) Craving real live person face-toface 3D interactions?
Graduate House has: • meeting and function services – flexible and tailored room configurations for 2 to >100 people;
Have your meeting or function face-to-face and safely at Graduate House; or book a table in our • ‘hybrid’ meeting capability – good audio, dining room and court yard for an informal meal video, technical support for in-person and/or and get together. online (Zoom, Teams, Webex, etc.) meetings; We are COVIDSafe and adhere strictly to, and • excellent catering and service – delicious have experience with, capacity limits, physical and healthy food*, friendly, welcoming and distancing, hygiene, cleanliness. professional staff; • membership options for greater affordability – a ‘Ritz’ experience but at a charity price; • car parking – secure and cheap with online booking/payment and contactless automatic car plate recognition; • accommodation – interstate and regional delegates can book to stay for a few nights in a clean, safe, quiet college room, with breakfast and weekday dinners included; and • offices to rent temporarily – to enable onsite event/function preparation. These singleperson well-ventilated spaces are clean, quiet and convenient. To make a booking or for any enquiries, please contact our Hospitality Manager, Rosie Ellul on +61 3 9347 3428 or rosie.ellul@graduatehouse.com.au.
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* Catering for events not held at Graduate House but within this education precinct may also be provided (subject to sufficient notice) – morning and afternoon teas, working lunches and grazing platters.
PR O M OT IO NS
Graduate House
Dining Room is now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
GRADUATE HOUSE IS NOW AVAILABLE ON
DOORDASH, DELIVEROO, MENULOG AND UBER EATS DOORDASH: HTTP://BIT.LY/2NMWQZV DELIVEROO: MENULOG: UBER EATS:
HTTP://BIT.LY/3P8NK0N HTTPS://BIT.LY/3O01Z6W HTTPS://BIT.LY/397C9JI
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PROMOTI O NS
Office Rentals Book a day, a week, a month – the hours you need! Offices are in the iconic Gladstone terraces on University Square. Close to public transport stops (trams, buses), and with on-site secure bike and car parking, they are a short walk away from Melbourne’s CBD, The University of Melbourne and RMIT. Separate single user offices are available. Each has a desk, a lamp, shelving and a cupboard. The majority also have a basin. This means no open plan spaces, no lifts and low numbers sharing washrooms and staff facilities – thus COVIDSafe! Booking your Office Space at Graduate House To ask about renting offices at Graduate House – a one-off booking or something more regular (e.g., two days a week) or longer term – please telephone or email. We have humans at the end of the phone (03 9347 3428) from Monday to Friday between 8:00AM to 6:00PM who will check availability on the spot and talk you through the options. If you call after hours, leave a message with your phone number and we will return your call on the next workday. We have a similar turnaround for emails to admingh@graduatehouse.com.au.
Offices are available between 8:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday. Minimum booking of one day. Subject to requirements, offices may be available at other times. Services included in the rental fee, and options that can be added: • reception services, including contact tracing records (included)
Indicative office rental fees:
• post/package receipt and inform services (included)
• 1 to 5 days = $85 per day
• Internet Wi-Fi^ (included, and with upgrade options)
• 6 days up to 3 months (90 days) = $70 per day
• casual meeting and breakout spaces (included subject to capacity limits and availability)
• 3 to 6 months (91-180 days) = $60 per day
• office services (e.g., printing, meeting scheduling, website) (option) • event/function areas and management (option) • breakfast, lunch, dinner and other catering (option) • café bar and BBQ facilities (option) • vending machine • regular cleaning and sanitising (included) • shower facilities (option) • secure bicycle shelter (included) * Car Parking fees apply (and are not included in the rent). ^ Standard Wi-Fi (suitable for web browsing and emails) is provided for free. Packages are available for the connection of additional devices and for higher speeds – contact us by phone (+61 3 9347 3428) or email (admingh@graduatehouse.com.au), or visit us at reception to ask about the costs for different plans.
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• car parking (option)* Get in touch! Phone: +61 3 9347 3428 Email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au
PR O M OT IO NS
Room Types, Prices and Features The safest place to stay in Melbourne
• Single room private bathrooms
• Bed linen
• Double room private bathrooms
• Weekly housekeeping
• Stella Langford large/medium apartments
• Utilities (electricity, gas, water) included in rent
• Double rooms with separate lounge and private bathrooms
• Short term accommodation – one night, a few weeks
• Barkly Place and Barry Street apartments
• Long term accommodation – months, semesters, years
• Wi-Fi
Barkly Place and Barry Street
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INNOVATION REDUCING FOOD WASTE IN N OVATI O N
Large amounts of food are being discarded each day as supermarkets load off their produce that has passed its best-before date. Some restaurants, cafes, fresh produce shops and bakeries are also disposing uneaten meals and foods for the same reason. Each year, one-third of all food produced worldwide is thrown away. In Australia, food waste is costing the economy AUD$20 billion each year and with 35% of household bins being food waste, this can escalate into a huge problem. Over 5 million tonnes of food end up as landfills, yet nearly four million people experience food insecurity each year. Since it’s launch in Melbourne in August 2018, the Bring Me Home app, has saved over 4,400 meals from the landfill and made it onto SmartCompany’s Top 10 Startups to Watch in 2019.
Home app is very user friendly. When users sign up, they will be shown a selection of businesses and their locations offering discounted prices on their food. They will also see the time when these items become available to be picked up. When the order and payment has been made, they will then receive a digital receipt to be shown as verification when picking up their item. “Delivery is not offered because we want people to feel like a hero every time they go to the shop to rescue their meal. And, we have a points scheme that rewards people for using our app by providing instant cashback for their next meal,” she says. The only setback however, is that users will not be getting a set menu because the food that the eating establishment have available may vary. Instead, Kou explained that the app manages expectations by listing what to expect from the order, such as three rice paper rolls for the price of five. “It’s when you get to the restaurant that you can pick, for example, what kind of rolls you want.” “Everyday, the leftover items might be different,” Kou added. “So we want to make the venue’s job easier by allowing that flexibility.
“Melbourne food app Bring Me Home wants to curb food waste by monetising the surplus food leftover by retailers at the end of each day”. Jane Kou, Founder and CEO explains. “It’s a food rescue app that connects customers to retailers with surplus food, and we want to remove the stigma behind leftover food. It’s not subpar in quality or gross, just unsold. And it is just as good, giving To read more, go to: https://hivelife.com/bringcustomers access to food they may not normally be me-home/ able to afford through heavily discounted prices.” Bring Me Home app can be downloaded at https:// Similar to the very successful ‘Too Good To Go” www.bringmehome.com.au/ app launched in Copenhagen in 2015, Bring Me 50
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