The Graduate Union Newsletter — June 2016 —
W elcome
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to the
J une 2016 Newsletter
Graduate House Winter Ball
GU Collegiate Monthly Luncheon with Dr Judith Paphazy Coming Monthly Lucheon Speakers
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22
Features Action: Make My Degree Fossil Free The Art of Preservation
University Sector News Innovation The Creative Benefits of Walking Extracurricular: The Case of the Aussie Battler
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Academic and Professional Development Meetings Listings for April 2016
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Puzzles
Stories at Graduate House Why We Need a Womens’ Museum
Discovering Melbourne
13
Reviews
Engineering Students’ Presentations
April Women’s Forum May Monthly Luncheon
16
The Graduate House Project, an update
Resident and Member News:
31
Feedback
The Affliction of Pedantry by Mac Nicoll Everyone Has Value by Paul Oon, Resident Resident Research: Cecilia Liando Dispatches from the Ball Committee
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Graduate Hous e Winte r Ball July 22nd2016, 6:30pm until late Resident Members* Graduate Students Non-Resident Members** Concession General Public
*
$45 $55 $65 $110 $120
Book before June 15th for a 10% discount. ** The same price applies for up to three guests. *** RSVP by July 20th 2016.
6:30pm - Assorted CanapĂŠs Mushroom arancini balls with spicy tomato salsa Meat balls in spicy BBQ sauce Smoked salmon with dill sour cream on a cucumber disc 7:30pm - Mains Beef eye fillet with peppercorn sauce and creamy mash Grilled chicken breast with goat cheese sauce 8:15pm - Dessert Apple strudel with ice cream Grilled poached pear with ice cream & chocolate sauce
For booking information, contact Graduate House by phone on (03) 9347 3428, by email at admingh@graduatehouse.com.au, or visit us in person at 220 Leicester Street, Calrton 3053.
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GU Collegiate
We invite you, Members and non-members, to attend the coming events.
JUNE M O N T H LY LU N C H E O N
12:00 midday for 12:30pm
We d n e s d a y, 1 s t Guest speaker Dr Judith Paphazy will speak about “Resilience, an essential ingredient in 21 st century living” R e s i d e nt Me mb e r s $ 1 0 , n o n - r e s i d e nt Me mb e r s $ 3 0 , g e n e r a l p u b l i c $ 4 0 , (concession $35).
BRIDGE NIGHTS
7:20pm for 7.30pm
We d n e s d a y, 1 s t , 8 t h , 1 5 t h , 2 2 n d , 2 9 t h Join a game or learn to play the card game Bridge. Enjoy a shared platter for supper, as well as tea and coffee. Me mb e r s $ 2 , n o n - m e mb e r s $ 5 .
I TA L I A N C O N V E R S AT I O N D I N N E R
6:00pm
Tu e s d a y, 7 t h , 2 1 s t Come along to dine while learning to speak Italian with an experienced teacher. Me mb e r s $ 1 5 , n o n - m e mb e r s $ 2 0 .
F R I D AY D R I N K S a n d D I N N E R
6:00pm to 8.00pm
Fr i d a y, 1 0 t h An ideal convival end-of-week wind-down, come along with colleagues for drinks and stay for dinner. B a r a n d d i n i n g r o o m p r i c e s a p p ly.
S P E C I A L M O R N I N G B R E A K FA S T
7:30am to 8.30am
Tu e s d a y, 1 4 t h Non-resident members are welcome to join Resident Members for a hearty breakfast . Fr e e f o r R e s i d e nt m e mb e r s , n o n - r e s i d e nt Me mb e r s $ 1 5 .
WOMEN’S FORUM
10:00am for 10:30am
We d n e s d a y, 1 5 t h The topic for June is “What is a good friend?” Join the ladies for the discussion and stay for lunch if desired. Fo r u m i s f r e e . Lu n c h i s at Me mb e r a n d n o n - m e mb e r p r i c e s . www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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JULY highlight WINTER BALL Graduate Hous e Winte r Ball July 22nd2016, 6:30pm until late Resident Members* Graduate Students Non-Resident Members** Concession General Public
$45 $55 $65 $110 $120
Book before June 15th for a 10% discount. The same price applies for up to three guests. *** RSVP by July 20th 2016.
*
**
6:30pm - Assorted Canapés Mushroom arancini balls with spicy tomato salsa Meat balls in spicy BBQ sauce Smoked salmon with dill sour cream on a cucumber disc 7:30pm - Mains Beef eye fillet with peppercorn sauce and creamy mash Grilled chicken breast with goat cheese sauce 8:15pm - Dessert Apple strudel with ice cream Grilled poached pear with ice cream & chocolate sauce
For booking information, contact Graduate House by phone on (03) 9347 3428, by email at admingh@graduatehouse.com.au, or visit us in person at 220 Leicester Street, Calrton 3053.
12:00 midday for 12:30pm
Fr i d a y, 2 2 n d For a night you can experience a winter palace at Graduate House annual ball. A night of whimsy for Members and non-Members alike. R e s i d e nt Me mb e r s $ 4 5 , G r a d u at e S t u d e nt s $ 5 5 , No n - R e s i d e nt Me mb e r s $65, Concession $110, General Public $120.
AUGUST highlight M O N T H LY LU N C H E O N
12:00 midday for 12:30pm
We d n e s d a y, 3 r d The speaker for the August Luncheon is Professor John Roberts who will speak about “How is digital dexterity changing marketing?” R e s i d e nt Me mb e r s $ 1 0 , n o n - r e s i d e nt Me mb e r s $ 3 0 , g e n e r a l p u b l i c $ 4 0 , (concession $35).
Book Now via our website, by phone 03 9347 3428, by email to admingh@graduatehouse.com.au or at the venue, 220 Leicester Street, Carlton.
www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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The Monthly Luncheon with
Dr Judith Paphazy Resilience, an essential ingredient in 21st century living
Wednesday June 1st
12:00 noon for 12.30pm
Resident Members $10 Non-Resident Members $30 General Public $40 Concession $35 RSVP by Monday, May 30th ABN 55610664963
220 Leicester Street, Carlton, 3053 (03) 9347 3428 admingh@graduatehouse.com.au www.graduatehouse.com.au
IAR No. A0023234B
www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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Dr Judith Paphazy Resilience, an essential ingredient in 21st century living Dr Judith Paphazy is a consultant psychologist in private practice in Melbourne. She is a former teacher and administrator and her background covers a broad spectrum of professional skills and community interests. These include authoring books, programs on national radio and television appearances, regular newspaper articles as well as assisting young people, families, schools, organisations and corporations. She maintains a special interest in helping street/homeless youth and mentoring single mothers. Judith has worked in all levels of education, in mental health, with an AFL football team and has consulted to a broad range of businesses. She is a member of a number of professional colleges and is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences. Her work in Resilience Promotion with the late Professor Grotberg, through the International Council of Psychologists, has resulted in this program being taken up by countries all over the world. Using her ‘Resilience the Fourth R’ as a template Judith has changed the culture in a number of Australian schools by forming them into communities where fair play and caring for each other become common practice . The focus of all her work has been to improve the lives of young people and families, especially those who are alienated from society. ABN 55610664963
IAR No. A0023234B
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Action: Make My Degree Fossil Free Words, Fossil Free Melbourne University
After 3 days of camping, 20 minutes of nudity, and 16 hours of shutting down the University’s Administration Building, Fossil Free Melbourne University walked away knowing that our University can no longer ignore the will of our community to see divestment through to the end. At 7:05 am on the morning of the 20th April, students barricaded the entrances to the Raymond Priestley, (university administration) Building. Leaving the fire exits clear the students put large oil barrels in front of the 3 main entrances and attached themselves with chains. They then quickly filled the barrels with quick set cement making them extremely difficult to move. Ten people sat on the steps in front of two additional doors to seal off all non-emergency exits Around 8 am, staff started turning up. Many were supportive, most seemed bemused, and a few were clearly upset and let us know about it. This action was intended to be disruptive and unfortunately staff members’ days were caught in the middle of our plans. However shutting down a university building for a day is far less disruptive than what climate change is already doing to people lives - bushfires, floods, coral bleaching, losing Pacific islands – the impacts of climate change are serious and urgent and we need to treat them as such. At 6pm the university finally came down to negotiate the terms of ending the blockade and packing up the camp. We secured a meeting with Robert Johanson and Allan Tait, two key financial decision makers on the University Council. Before this meeting, we demanded that the university would comprehensively explain the barriers they face in committing to divest, thereby allowing us to speak strongly to these perceived obstacles in the meeting. The University has also agreed to open a dialogue about fuller transparency surrounding the sustainability plan process in a separate meeting. We also won the right to have a stall on the campout lawn for the following 2 days of the week so we could keep the campus community up to date on the campaign. More importantly, over those three days we came to realise just how many people on campus care deeply about climate change and want the uni to divest. We had a mega media day with stories in The Age, The Australian, The Herald Sun, New Matilda, ABC News, The Daily Mail, and Channel 9 news. We trended on Facebook for a whole day. We’ve doubled our team of passionate and skilled-up students and alumni, making us more ready than ever to meet the next challenges in this journey towards climate justice. We want to thank everyone who has supported us over the last few weeks, days, and years. This is a fight between organised power and organised money, and together, we’re winning. *The opinions expressed within do not necesasrily represent those of The Graduate Union, its staff or members. But we do believe in free speech. www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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FEATURES
The Art of Preservation In conversation with Dr Leah Day 2016 Member of the Order of Australia for service to community history In 2004 a major supermarket chain ventured to buy some land in Mittagong, a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. It was also around this time that Leah Day was completing her Doctoral studies and realised that the site the chain was intending to purchase was a former Iron Works site. When the Heritage Office of New South Wales came into the picture, the chain had to do an archaeological dig based on Primary information that Dr Day had such as land types, maps, various plans and newspaper articles.
Dr Day was heavily involved with this process, becoming the Heritage Consultant for the chain and producing interpretative signage, as well as ensuring that the relics were fenced off, clearly labelled with heritage signs. Last year she also worked with the local Wingecarribee Shire Council and installed heritage signs all around Mittagong on 11 sites that had a connection to the Iron Works, where the Iron Works had given land, by a Mittagong Lake which was an old damn for the Iron Works and land for the Churches. This is where the $25,000 from the supermarket chain went to. Dr Days says that her involvement with the Iron Works is something that she is most proud of. “I had plans, maps and things but nothing specific to say those buildings were there,” she said. “When the archaeologists found the remains, that was such a highlight because it could have gone the other way – they might have found nothing,” she said. $3.5 million was spent on the archaeological site by the supermarket chain. They didn’t want to be involved at first, but then they came on board and accepted it, and they paid to have it restored.
Dr Leah Day
The first day the archaeological dig started they found remnants of the first Iron Works in Australia. “That was very exciting, being an historian and watching how the archaeologists did their work each day,” she said. The supermarket chain preserved the relics they found and 60% are now in their underground car park in Mittagong at the Highlands Market Place or have been saved.
But what made them change their mind? It was due to the Heritage Office deeming it a heritage site of significance because of the possibility of the Iron Works being there. The site was ultimately protected by The Heritage Act 1977 (NSW). Dr Day is a proud resident of Mittagong, doing what she can to ensure the preservation of its beautiful history. In 1996 she produced the book, Mittagong’s
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Interpretative signage at the Iron Works site in Mittagong, NSW. Image courtesy of Dr Day.
Picturesque History, and in 1997 she wrote Beautiful Bowral: Pictorial Celebration. She was then invited to The University of New England to complete a graduate course in Heritage Studies. “I got the bug to do more research and writing,” she said. “I did a Master of Letters in History, and I wrote a dissertation on the quarries of Mount Gibraltar which track our quarries and I’m one of the participants there.” In 2002 she then commenced her PhD at The University of Technology in Sydney due to her strong interest in the Fitz Roy Iron Works in Mittagong. Her dissertation focused on Enoch Hughes, who built the Iron Works, and had quite the career in iron works and brick making. Hughes, however, faced some financial strife later down the track. Dr Day was awarded her Doctorate in 2011. “I’ve had an interesting life,” she says. “I have a family and I was involved in family history, and I was involved in establishing a history society called the Clout Descendants Society. It was about in 1989 I think.” At that time there were numerous Clout groups conducting independent research, and it was Dr Day’s idea to form one group that shared
ideas and research. Her passion for history and research also led to her involvement in the Mittagong Catholic Church (St Michael’s Church) and was going to pen yet another book, but while that didn’t pan out as she had planned, she started writing the Mittagong Picturesque History. “I had no qualifications. I had no historical background to do that, I just have a love of that town and want to present something,” she said. Her passion was then rewarded when three local businessmen bought her a computer so that she could do all this work. “I had a lot of community support.” She has also completed research for a book on the Fitz Roy Iron Works about the history as well as the archaeological dig. On top of that she was involved in saving three acres of Trust Land in Mittagong. The land was given to the people in the 1880s, but somehow in 1960, a bowling club was illegally erected upon the ground due to the Deed papers miraculously disappearing. Years later, in 2004 the council closed the bowling club because it fell into liquidation. This prompted the Council to write a report, claiming that they ‘did not know’ how the land was acquired.
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“I knew there was a background to the Iron Works and I found a Deed of Trust and that threw a spanner into the works,” said Dr Day. “For 11 years there’s been involvement of myself and other people in trying to save that land as a public recreation reserve which was deemed under the trust.”
“I really enjoy what I do. I have a wonderfully supportive family. My husband is very supportive and I have a daughter who has a PhD in history as well and so we shared our research together and went off to archives and so on, and so that interest is a wonderful family interest for me as well.”
Last year the council knocked the building down. Today contractors are finally at the site with whom Dr Day will meet to ensure the land transforms into a community park.
As our interview came to a close, I couldn’t help but ask: what can we do to preserve history, to take notice, and take better care of it? Dr Day replied without hesitation:
Her great contributions to community history were recognised in 2016 when she received notification that she had been appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia.
“Historians, or people in the community should be aware of the past history of a town. Perhaps what the buildings in the town, and various aspects of the town meant to others, so that we can continue to preserve those items through lobbying council and making sure that heritage buildings aren’t knocked down, which is often the case, and that a heritage is preserved.”
“I’m very delighted with the award and it has spurred me on to continue,” she said. “It means a great deal to me because it was totally unexpected. I had no idea until I received a letter from the Governor-General in December. I’ve been researching history and have been involved in the Mittagong community for 40 years since about 1976 in different aspects of the community. I’m quite dedicated to it and devoted, and I’ve put a lot of effort into it so it’s a reward that I wasn’t expecting but I’m very thrilled to accept.”
This story may make you think about Sustainable Development Goal 15. What are your thoughts?
Don’t forget to peruse the Graduate House blog for other exclusive content and stories of note. http://bit.ly/AroundGraduateHouse
Across the Seas, travel entries by David Sparks
Graduate Pathway Story, Thatchana Ramalu
Former Councillor and current Member David Sparks takes us through his time in Norway.
Learn of the Graduate Pathway of Thatchana Ramalu, Mechanical Engineer from the University of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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FEATURES
Discovering Melbourne We are very proud to have such a disparate and varied membership. Graduate Union Members are all over Australia and the world. This month we present to you the latest Melbourne gems that should be explored, whether you are temporarily passing though the world’s most livable city, or you reside here.
Bibliotherapy, The School of Life 669 Bourke Street, Melbourne
It has been shown that books have the power to develop our sense of empathy, and to let us see the world through someone else’s eyes. But according to bibliotherapists, they also have the ability to address the things that worry us, challenge us, and inspire us. Book a session to learn more about the power of literature in your life.
Tivoli Road Bakery
3 Tivoli Rd, South Yarra
Like the lemon madeleines from Proust’s Swann’s Way, the pastries of Tivoli Road Bakery are delicious enough to transport you to a happier time. From the classic Eccles cake, to contemporary takes on puffy goodness and more, Tivoli Road Bakery is worth the tram ride!
Brahma Kumaris
256 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
The Brahma Kumaris on Brunswick Street offers free foundation courses in Raja Yoga Mediation. Why not give it a try?
Parliament House Top of Spring Street
On the days that parliament is not sitting, free tours of Parliament are offered to the public. Group tours are also available on sitting days during Question Time st 9am, 10am, 11am, 1.30pm, and 3pm and 7.45pm (only Tuesday and Wednesday nights). If you have any recommendations for places or events of interest for our Members and Residents, email publications@graduatehouse.com.au
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REVIEWS
Women’s Forum Review Wednesday, 20 th April, 2016
“Has Handwriting reached the full stop?”
The following are salient points discussed at this forum. 1
The very limited survey of those present revealed that only one person had actually penned a handwritten letter. The others had used handwriting for signatures on official documents only. 2
Points raised from individual contributions revealed the feeling that while the use of personal handwriting was declining, it did reflect feelings and personality in a way rarely possible in typed documents. 3
Personal handwriting tends to allow expressions of feeling (see point 2 above) that is not always evident in typed documents or quickly composed and despatched emails. 4
People are more likely to keep (and archive handwritten letters and documents) in a readily accessible form than is the case with computer generated material (e.g. handwritten letters from children or deceased loved ones.) Personal diaries have a special place here.
5
Those involved in researching original documents (particularly young people who have been educated in the IT world) frequently find it difficult, if not impossible deciphering personal handwriting – i.e., they have not learned to read “running writing, cursive script or linked letters” as handwriting has been known in the pre-computer age. 6
Institutions and close contact within families will often be evident in the style and form of handwriting styles e.g. occasionally a particular school will influence students in the style of handwriting they use. 7
For all who mourn the declining use of handwriting a more positive closing thought was offered – when handwriting finally disappears it may return one day as a “craft” to be learned and taught as has been the case with long forgotten crafts such as crochet, lace-making and woodwork.
The next forum is on 15th June, with the topic “What is a Good friend?”. The forum is free. Lunch is at Member and non-member prices. www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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REVIEWS
May Monthly Luncheon Wednesday, 6th April 2016
Paul Southwick, Corporate Writer New challenges - old wisdom in organisational evolution able to write to this child to discover whether he was indeed the son of the man that Paul was so keen to learn more about. As it turned out, he was and he remembered Paul’s father. How could that even be possible, questioned Paul, knowing that his son would have been only four or five at the time. The son remembered a birthday present that Paul’s father had given him, and had instilled in him a memory to this day. As the plot unraveled, that man revealed he had photos from the time, and ventured to send Paul photos in the chance that he could spot his father.
After spending the beginning of his business life climbing the corporate ladder from company secretary to Chief Financial Officer, Pual Southwick decided to write. He became a lifetime observationalist, coming in useful when tracking down the intriguing history of his father’s earlier days as a pilot during WWII. Paul spent some time during this Monthly Luncheon to tell the story of his career path, family history, and how the past can inform and shape a better future. Paul’s father was a pilot during WWII, and was billeted with a family in New Jersey after receiving some time off. The father of this family turned out to be an accountant for the Rockefellers, later becoming CEO of Coopers (today PwC). Southwick’s father travelled with the family and was treated like royalty. 70 years later Paul went on a mission to find this man. After some initial research, he discovered his handwritten census form from 1940, that listed all his children, but only one was living. Thrilled with the information he had found, Paul was
Months later, he sent Paul two video clips one of which, to Paul’s delight included footage of his father, a 22 year old pilot, before he had married, before he had a family, and before he had moved to Wellington. Inspired by this turn of events, Paul wrote a story that was then published by the New Zealand Herald, and later was picked up by a US media outlet. Imbued with the spirit of narrative, Paul enrolled in a freelance journalism course, and with that began his journalistic career. Along with his work in helping owners to sell their businesses, which, explained Paul is a lot of communications work such as brand positioning and so on, he also gained his pilot’s license. The first article he wrote looked at some of the differences between business in Australia and New Zealand. It’s strikingly different, he explained. The difference boils down to two tests to be accepted in polite society and in business in the two countries. In New Zealand there is the ‘decent person’ test. You have to be a decent person in business. If one is to transgress politeness, you may never return to business. In Australia, there is the ‘fair-go test’,
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the only difference being that if transgressed, you may return to business. Australia, noted Paul, is a little more forgiving. Another article that Paul wrote was loosely based on the theory of combinatory play – the more activities that you engage with, outside of your immediate area of expertise, the more creative and better ideas your can come up with. Think of it as cross-pollination of ideas, or adding to the building blocks of your intellectual infrastructure. Paul referred to Sam Loyd’s Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles Tricks and Conundrums by Sam Lloyd who was renowned as being one of the greatest puzzle developers of all time, which is allegedly the origin of “live outside the box.” With this in mind, Paul’s article set out to suggest various activities that accountants could engage with to make them more interesting people. Journalism was on that list, along with working in charity. The most important people, he quoted, can be found within the arts and charity. He took us through his next article on manners in business and whether they matter. Through his research, he found that yes, most definitely, manners matter if you want to succeed in business. He explained that there are a lot of elements to politeness in business such as, for example, how do you conduct yourself if invited on a corporate jet? Treating people well, and conducting yourself in an appropriate manner is integral to the success of business and reputations. Think of the Apple Store, said Paul. They have reset the scene for other businesses around the world and in Australia due to their code of conduct (for those who haven’t been to an Apple Store, it is very unlikely for less than three attendants not to come up to you and ask if you need help.) Other Australian retailers have now started to play catch-up in this new wave of customer-centricity of which Apple is a key player. What should you do as a company if one of your employees gets terminally ill? This was the focus of another one of Paul’s articles. He told the story of his friend who had fallen extremely sick. After his friend’s passing, his wife and family didn’t hesitate to let everyone know of just how well the company that this man worked for, had treated him during his illness. Paul conducted some research and found that this was far from the norm for many other companies, some even making employees redundant or firing them when
they fell sick. Paul came to two conclusions: be a good employee because when sick more leave is required than an employee can be entitled to. Being a troublesome worker will not work in your favour later down the track. The second thing was that how a company treats a sick employee ultimately has a massive impact on a corporate brand. Just after that article was published, a former Commonwealth Bank employee who had suffered from depression after a death in the family was let go by the bank. However, that employee was insured with CommBank and his claim was refused by the bank, being judged fit for work by a Psychologist/GP connected to the bank. It was not until the ABC published that story, that he was paid his claim. The advantages that small businesses have over corporates, and how corporates can counter that, was the focus of another article “Beat the cookie cutter approach.” Five key issues arose from his research into corporates and how they can match small business: 1. Culture, culture, culture 2. Make job flexibility a reality for all employees 3. Empower staff – create little businesses within big businesses 4. Provide great professional development opportunities 5. Create and promote genuine social purpose. Within these articles there was a common thread – the old wisdoms that can help with new challenges: passion and authenticity, manners and decency, and stories about people. We pursue what we do because it gives us a sense of purpose, whatever that purpose may be. We ought to be civil and respectful because that is the foundation for any civil and decent society. We share stories of the great things that people do, to encourage others, to teach others and to keep alive the spirit of participatory culture and democracy. Thanks Paul for sharing your insights and work!
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RESIDENT AND MEMBER NEWS
The Affliction of Pedantry by Mac Nicoll
W
hat? Me a pedant? No way. I’m simply someone who thinks people should spell and write the Queen’s English as I do.
I guess it’s inevitable. I’ve spent years teaching high school students how to avoid the ubiquitous apostrophe, explaining the difference between stationery and stationary, and wondering why they can’t distinguish between practice and practise. And there’s my Mother’s influence. Mum was still doing The Age crossword in her 90’s and she was so concerned for accuracy in language that she once wrote to Barry Jones pointing out that he had incorrectly used the subjunctive in a speech. What hope then did I have of avoiding this affliction of noticing spelling and grammar mistakes in a thousand places? I call it an affliction because I don’t particularly enjoy seeing these mistakes and I would be happy to overlook them but my eye seems to be drawn unerringly to confectionary, potatoe’s and all those other indications of human fallibility. You won’t be surprised by my reaction to the notice in our local park, where on my daily ride I glimpsed a shiny new sign, laminated on stone, with some five words on it. I had
eyes for only one … CEMETARY. I headed for home to check my dictionary, wondering if, in my years of teaching year 8 Spelling, I had missed an alternative spelling. No, there was no alternative. The new sign, in all its pristine glory, was wrong. I rang the local Council and gently pointed out the mistake, expecting that my short message left as a note on someone’s voice mail would be enough to effect a correction within the week. Days passed into weeks but the sign remained unchanged, bringing a daily shudder as I trundled past on my old Malvern Star. Three months later, in a further bout of civic responsibility, I phoned again, this time giving more precise information about the location of the sign. In a hardly subtle attempt at blackmail, I suggested that local teachers would soon be bringing students to inspect the sign in a SPOT THE MISTAKES assignment, hinting that this would not be good for the Council’s image. The sign remained, untouched … CEMETARY. Months later, I put my concern in writing and sought a reply. I wrote a detailed and respectful letter, including a map, and requested that the matter be brought to the attention of the appropriate staff member. And an answer came directly, with a promptness unexpected, and I felt that I was making now some progress with the sign. In speaking with
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the writer of the letter, who was most welcoming and not at all defensive, I discovered that faults in signs are not altogether rare and that the cost of changing this particular sign was hundreds of dollars. I enquired whether he would prefer me to creep round in the cover of darkness and make the necessary change at no cost to the Council. It was, after all, simply a matter of changing an A with an E. Assured that the change would be made, I felt my mission was accomplished. But still nothing happened. Months passed. Then, one day, I was shocked out of my resigned state when I glanced on the way past the offending sign. It was offending no longer. Someone, presumably an official, had corrected
the spelling ,and it glowed in the morning sunlight … CEMETERY. On reaching home I rang the Council officer and poured out my gratitude. He was grateful for the call, but in his honesty he said he was unaware that it had been fixed. So, I continue my daily rides, no longer irritated when I pass the sign. Rather, I am cheered by the experience which not only saw a correction of an official mistake but which also increased my appreciation of the complexity of fixing signs and my respect for one Council officer. With people like me on the loose, we need people like him in our municipal offices.
Everyone Has Value by Paul Oon, Resident Everyone possesses some value that you can benefit from - even you. But can you see it? I write this in the hope that someone younger than I am would see this advice, and recognise its truth – because it benefited me so greatly. “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” (Mark Twain) “Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.” (Will Durant)
of everything they did for me, and everything they had accomplished. My silly attitude was the result. As I grew older, and better appreciated their wisdom, I ended up swinging to the other extreme, and believed that they had to be right. They had, as a Chinese saying goes, “eaten more salt than I had eaten rice”. Excessively trusting in their wisdom, I tried my best to live up to all the ideals that they believed in. That too was a failure.
When I was younger, and my relationship with my parents was more fractious, I was convinced that my parents were stupid.
The truth was there were many things that they did not know about.
Actually they are quite brilliant.
Many issues that they were ignorant about.
But they are also very human.
They were merely human, after all.
But lost in my self-centeredness, I lost sight
When I started working, something similar happened.
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I met older colleagues whom I arrogantly despised, and quickly lost patience with.
Age has not dulled their ability to teach me about relationships.
But despising them, I missed the chance to learn from them.
And recognising that has benefitted me greatly. Truly, everyone has something that is of value to me.
Conversely, I also tried emulating those whom I respected, but came away disappointed. We were too different. Hence, not all advice was suitable for me. With the benefit of hindsight, I gradually realised: Everyone knows something, but no one knows everything. No one knows everything, but there is also no one who knows nothing. In fact, there is no one on earth who cannot teach us something. As long as they are able to communicate, they are able to teach us something that we lack. But this can be difficult to accept. We often let pride blind us to the potential of others, and suffer for it. But what is even more difficult to do is recognising exactly what it is that they are able to teach us. How often has it been when we underestimate others and suffer unnecessary loss? With the benefit of hindsight, I no longer idolise my parents like I used to. However, even to this day, some of my parents’ lessons still resonate with me. Like what to look out for in people, and what they reveal about them.
And if I recognise it, I can use it for my good and theirs. But here is the crux of the matter: Did you know that the reverse is equally true? Sure, everyone has something precious to give, and something of value to offer. But this is no reason for you to overestimate others and underestimate yourself! You might think that you are of little worth, but that is so not true! YOU have something of value to offer to others, no matter how hopeless you think you are. YOU have something of value to offer to YOU, no matter how hopeless you think you are. You are part of the solution. And sometimes, you must trust your gut, and believe in your insights. Don’t belittle yourself! Most of all, don’t chase yourself away from helping you!
Paul Oon: Former Educator. Presently a student under the Master of Marketing Communications program at the University of Melbourne. Writes on the topics of mental health and self-esteem, and sometimes on the state of education in Singapore. Aspiring copywriter.
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Resident Research: Cecilia Liando
Words, Cecilia Liando, Master of Interpreting and Translation Studies student (Indonesian stream) at Monash University Translation is known to a lot of people as an act of transferring messages from one language to another language, and one culture to another culture. However, in an increasingly mobile world, especially in multicultural societies such as Australia that consists of a lot of migrants from all over the world, this definition of translation is not valid anymore. Translating a literary text like the one that I’m doing for my Major Translation Project (a year-long research component in my Master’s program) updates this perception because the source text itself has two cultural and lingual elements inside of it and I’m translating it to a third language and culture. The source text itself is a short story titled The Boat, taken from a collection of short stories written by Nam Le, an Australian writer of Vietnamese descent who migrated to Australia as a refugee when he was less than one year old. He is also an alumnus of The University of Melbourne. The text has won many Australian and international awards including the 2009 Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award, 2009 Melbourne Prize of Literature, and 2010 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. It is written mainly in English, with words occasionally occurring in Vietnamese especially within the dialogues. Since my mother tongue is Indonesian, I’m translating it into Indonesian and will provide a critical introduction accompanying it.
of refugees has been a topical issue among all members of society and countries across the globe, I chose the text also partly because I feel like I need to describe and highlight the condition of refugees in boats, like in the story, to Indonesian people. Although it is fiction, I found through research that the conditions in the story mirror the conditions in real life. Hopefully in turn, Indonesians, especially policy makers, can think of better ways as to how to approach the issue of borders as well as refugees. Even though Indonesia was one of the first resettlement countries before Vietnamese refugees came to Australia, USA, UK and other places, there are a lot of Indonesian people who do not know this piece of history. My research aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It particularly addresses the tenth goal about reducing inequality within and among countries because my research aim is to inform general Indonesian readers and policy makers to pay more attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalised people, in this case ’boat people’. My research also addresses the sixteenth goal since it is promoting just, peaceful, and inclusive societies where boat people can be helped and eventually accepted. In doing my research, my supervisor, Professor Harry Aveling, helped by giving me a lot of suggestions in improving my translation and constructing arguments for critical introduction. As a professor who focuses his research in Malay and Indonesian translation, his input has been invaluable.
The content of the story is interesting. It describes the journey of a girl on a boat to an unknown location (the story indicates that she most probably will go to Australia) to flee Vietnam after the Communists invade the southern part of Vietnam during the Vietnamese Civil War, one of the greatest mass exoduses of the past. The conditions of the people on the boat were appalling. As the issue www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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Dispatches from the Ball Committee We are very excited to announce that this year’s ball will be in partnership with the Royal Women’s Hospital Foundation (RWHF). This new partnership means that 50% of all ticket sales raised from the ball will be directed towards the RWHF. Additionally, we have created a new sponsorship option for the ball which will allow funds to be directed solely to the Women’s. The Women’s Foundation is pleased to be partnering with The Graduate Union to further our aim of delivering better health outcomes for women and newborns,” said Jan Chisholm, CEO of the Foundation. “Not only are we neighbours in the Parkville precinct but both organisations have a long history of inclusiveness and empowering women to achieve academically and have control over their health and wellbeing,” she added. Chisholm expressed her gratitude towards The Graduate Union, and outlined that the funds raised from the ball will go towards provision of health information services at the Women’s. Any harmonious relationship requires values to align. The Women’s and the Graduate Union share various important values which will ensure the success of this partnership. “In everything we do at the Women’s we value courage, passion, discovery and respect. The values of The Graduate Union are directly aligned with those of the Women’s. Both organisations are inclusive, socially conscious and enquiring,” said Jan. We are both excited to see what the future will bring in light of this new collaboration. Jan explained that facilities at the Women’s, such as their Health Information Centre could be a benefit for Graduate House Residents. “We’ve discussed presentations from our researchers and clinicians and we’ll be making sure that Graduate Union members know exactly how funds raised through this year’s Ball are being use to benefit women in Victoria and beyond,” said Jan.
The Women’s is Australia’s first and largest public hospital for women. Over 70,000 women received care at their facility last year and around 9,000 babies were born at the Women’s. They conduct internationally acknowledged research into women’s and newborn health and have a strong commitment to reaching out to and advocating for the needs of disadvantaged women. “We advocate and lead on sensitive women’s health issues including addressing violence against women as a health issue and improving access to sexual and reproductive healthcare,” said Jan. Early in her career, Jan Chisholm made the decision to work in the not-for-profit sector and act as an agent of change. She specialised in fundraising and has worked for organisations as diverse as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the UK, Greenpeace and Vision Australia. “Creating powerful change by harnessing the generosity of our donors and linking that to supports for our beneficiaries is a great job,” she said.
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The Women’s at 20 Flemington Road She said that at the Women’s she feels like she has found her place and having the chance to partner with people like the team at Graduate House is a privilege as she knows how much impact the partnership can have for women in Victoria and beyond.
“I am really happy to see that the funds raised from this ball are going to such a great cause,” said Jaimy. “I think that the Women’s plays an invaluable role in our community, and I am happy to see that the Graduate Union is doing what it can to support it.”
“I feel incredibly proud to be leading the development of the Women’s Foundation at this time.”
For sponsorship enquiries, ticketing and more, please:
The Ball Committee is composed of Residents, namely Julia, Florence, and Hui Ping Yaw, along with GU staff Eliah, Jaimy, and Diana. The committee is advancing rapidly, having planned a series of events for the night, a menu, and much more.
We look forward to inviting you to The Graduate House Ball 2016!
email: admingh@graduatehouse.com.au call: 9347 3428
“It has been great planning the Ball,” said Eliah. “I am part of the committee every year, but this year it is very exciting to begin our new relationship with the Women’s Foundation.”
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Innovation
The Creative Benefits of Walking
Image: Scholastica, walking/FlickrCC
From an early age Genevan philosopher and writer Rousseau developed a passion for walking; finding delight especially from the journeys guided by chance: peripatetic randomness, “the pleasures of going one knows not where.” Such walks allowed his mind to wander as he penned in his Reveries of the Solitary Walker, introducing us to 10 ‘walks’ from Rousseau’s autobiographical musings toward the end of his life. Through his walks, Rousseau delved deep into self-reflection and self-analysis, rejoicing in his freedom to “converse with [his] soul.” “There is something about walking that animates and activates my ideas; I can hardly think when I am still; my body must move if mind is to do the same,” wrote Rousseau. Fast forward to 2014 where French Philosopher Frederic Gros released his book A Philosophy of Walking also speaking of the mind-freeing quality of walking. “A long walk,” writes Gros, “allows us to commune with the sublime.” He notes the flâneur, coming from French meaning to stroll or to lounge, the casual saunter,
roaming the many pathways of a city, observing, musing, pondering, and contemplative walking. This type is similar to that of Rousseau’s walking: a propellant for mind-freeing, “you’re doing nothing when you walk, nothing but walking,” writes Gros, “but having nothing to do but walk makes it possible to recover the pure sensation of being, to rediscover the simply joy of existing… It is at this point where our mind is free.” When we walk, the mind walks also – it roams its own grey paths to find ends that were known but not consciously realised: The good idea, the creative potential wedged inside the deep recesses of our mental workspace. Walk yourself, and you walk your mind along some new creative pathways. There is scientific validity to this as well, for example in a study by Oppezzo and Schwartz 2014, it was found that walking improved divergent thinking – the more creative form of thinking, the thought process used to generate ideas by exploring many different possible solutions, as opposed to convergent thinking, like finding the single answer for a mathematical equation. The researchers found that walking had a large effect on
creativity, and their participants benefited creatively from walking compared to sitting. Whether walking to sitting, vice versa, walking indoors, outdoors on a predetermined path, or on a treadmill indoors, the participants who walked produced more creative responses to their creativity tests. In all of the tests 81 per cent, 88 per cent, and 100 per cent of participants were more creative walking than sitting. And 100 per cent of those who walked outside generated at least one novel high-quality response compared with 50 per cent of those seated inside. It was merely the physical act of walking which saw this increase in creativity, as the authors noted, “walking has a very specific benefit — the improvement of creativity … When there is a premium on generating new ideas in the workday, it should be beneficial to incorporate walks.” Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Give your ideas some legs: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition.
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Extracurricular
The Case of the Aussie Battler
Image: Tim J Keegan, Lake Hume in Vic / FlickrCC
Monday 9th May, Q&A charged the nation with a few comments from a simple question from audience member Duncan Storrar. He asked the panel, “I’ve got a disability and low education, that means I’ve spent my whole life working off the minimum wage. You’re going to lift the tax-free threshold for rich people. If you lift my tax-free threshold, that changes my life. That means that I get to say to my little girls ‘daddy’s not broke this weekend, we can go to the pictures’. Rich people don’t even notice their tax-free threshold lift. Why don’t I get it, why do they get it?” The Minister for Small Business Kelly O’Dwyer responded with the usual Newspeak. The Coalition is looking to “grow the pie”. Tax cuts to businesses and high earners can, down the track, stimulate job creation. Panel member and AI Group CEO Innes Willox took a different approach. “Duncan, I’ll be harsh in my message. If you’re on the minimum wage with a family, you would not pay much tax, if any at all.” “Not everyone can win out of every budget, every time,” said Willox.
The response from the panel displayed the division between lawyers, policy makers and politicians, but yet, not a single person on that panel offered any empathy to the man that singlehandedly put a face to the Federal budget. Duncan Storrar exemplified the case of the Aussie Battler. The divide began: Within a few minutes the hashtag trend #IstandwithDuncan caused a social media meltdown and triggered an undignified dissection of Storrar’s life from the media. On the one hand, thousands of Australians supported Duncan and even pledged up to $60,000 within three days to a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for Duncan and his family. “Buy Duncan Storrar a Toaster” was the campaign, a play on Kelly O’Dwyer’s comment about $6,000 commercial toasters. “Best wishes mate, I know what it’s like,” wrote one donor, “Hey Duncan. Your speech really moved me. Here’s money for movie tickets. Enjoy,” wrote another. Around May 12th our participatory democracy collided with a media witchunt. Reports came out detailing Duncan’s situation: Q&A star Duncan Storrar exposed as thug as public raise $60,000 screeched
The Herald Sun (who by the way in 2013-14 didn’t pay any tax). The reports detailed that Duncan works sporadically as a truckdriver, receives AUSTUDY payments, and allegedly has a criminal record. The crowdfunding campaign came to a halt. The biggest problem here, however, is that a lot of us get lost in the mud-slinging smear campaigns that besmirch the reputation not only of Duncan, but of everyone else in his position. It can be hard to remain objective when we are saturated with reasons that can make us think and feel one way or another. But at the end of it all, Duncan represents the Aussie Battler. Hundreds and thousands of families live below the line, and thousands work for minimum wage. Innes Willox has lost sight of this and the many problems associated with being poor. This isn’t about left, right, thresholds, budgets, or anything else other than a culture of philanthropy that we should be practicing everyday, and that starts with giving Duncan, and people like Duncan a fair go. Duncan asked a legitimate question which hundreds and thousands of Australians were already asking: where’s my fair go? Indeed, where is it? Let’s not lose sight of that.
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Academic and Professional Development Meetings The following groups from The University of Melbourne have convened meetings, workshops and seminars at Graduate House in March 2016 Centre for Health Policy - Introduction to CostEffectiveness Analysis in Health and Practical Methods For Health Economic Evaluation 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st April 121 attendees
Department of Finance Lunch Meeting 4th, 15th, 22nd, 29th April 20 attendees
Department of Infrastructure Engineering Staff Meeting and Engineering Meeting 4th, 26th April 55 attendees
Office for Research Ethics and Integrity Workshop 4th April 60 attendees
Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Full Day Workshop 14th, 15th, 21st, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th April 171 attendees
University Services Values Focus Group 21st April 9 attendees
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 organise functions. Thank you for your patronage.
Formal Lunch
Arts Access Victoria (AAV) Training the Trainer 11th April 13 attendees
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) 7th April 18 attendees
Australian Asian Association (AAA) 4th April 6 attendees
Australian Film Base (AFB) 1 Month Film Course 5th, 11th April 15 attendees each day
Australian School of Applied Management (ASAM) 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th 21st, 22nd April 142 attendees each day
Career Education Association of Victoria (CEAV) - AGM and Workshop 5th, 12th, 14th April 30 attendees
Carlton Rotary - Heritage Cluster, Lunch and Board meetings 5th, 7th, 12th, 19th, 20th, 26th April 125 attendees
Carlton-Parkville Probus Club Inc 12th April 80 attendees
David McCredie Celebration of John McCredie’s Life 1st April 26 attendees
Environment Protection Authority (EPA)Victoria 15th, 20th April 22 attendees
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Academic and Professional Development Meetings
Group Lunch
Formal Lunch
Fire Light Consulting Constructive Dissent Training 27th, 28th April 40 attendees
ICF (International Coach Federation) Victoria Branch 21st April 15 attendees
John Cain The John Cain Foundation Lunch 6th April 60 attendees
Marilyn Cobain The Victorian Fellows Lunch 7th April 12 attendees
Melba Group 1st, 29th March 35 attendees
Rotary Club of Melbourne - Toorak 2 Group 28th April 20 attendees
Modern Greek Teachers Association of Victoria (MGTAV) 12th, 26th April 10 attendees
Order of St. John Evening Meeting 4th April 8 attendees
Organisation Development Australia (ODA) - To disrupt or be disrupted 27th April 20 attendees
Programmed Electrical Technologies (PET) - Investing in YOU 11th April 26 attendees
Retired Veterinarians Luncheon 27th April 27 attendees
School Library Association of Victoria A Workshop for all School Library Staff 29th April 56 attendees
Social Education Victoria (SEV) Committee Meeting 20th April 12 attendees
Social Work Department Writing Group 5th April 10 attendees
Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) 21st April 6 attendees
The Graduate Union Collegiate Events and Governance Meetings 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th April
Turkish Teachers Association of Victoria (TTAV) 7th April 10 attendees
Uniseed Management Pty Ltd Uniseed/UIIT Board Meeting 15th April 8 attendees
UNSW Canberra at ADFA Laser Safety Course - Level 1 & 2 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th April 40 attendees
Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) - Board meeting No.41 28th April 20 attendees
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Puzzles
Mind benders for our Members
Sudoku Sudoku is an 81 square grid comprising of nine square blocks, each with nine cells. To complete this puzzle, all blank cells must be filled with a number between and including 1 and 9. Each number can only appear once in each nine celled block, row and column.
Last edition’s results
Kakuro Use the numbers 1 to 9 to fill the empty cells so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the clue on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on top. Each number can only be used once per row/column.
Last edition’s results
Please note that there might be more answer combinations possible.
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Cryptic Crossword
Across 1. 7. 8. 9. 10. 12. 14. 16.
Sweet stuff made from purple yams? (5,5) Recommend a lawyer (8) Reduced energy? Charming! (4) Scorch most of map (4) Awkward redhead may be stuck (7) They have lots to sell (11) How old clothes are? Rubbish! (7) His Worship, while delayed, finally went quickly (4) 19. Endless disgrace is not real (4) 20. Anti-hero’s novel being broadcast (2,3,3) 21. Singer who could make big snob cry (4,6)
Down 1. Extremely miserable detectives turned up for doctor (5) 2. Dull experts and flipping spies (7) 3. Cheese used by well-fed Americans? (4) 4. Submissive bearing (8) 5. Family member, about fifty, in French article (5) 6. Capital cheers up birds (6) 11. Fight in ring? (4-4) 12. Lack of interest, in a way, on the fourth of July (6) 13. Fast, say (7) 15. Italian child ignoring no Disney film (5) 17. Flower is found within 24 hours (5) 18. Beginning, not ending, as celebrity (4)
Last edition’s results Across: 7. Clairdelune 8. Edward 9. Remote 10. Acting 12. Carmen 13. Aga 14. Pastel 16. Scatty 18. Skiing 20. Intent 22. Nightporter
Down: 1. Acid 2. Safari 3. Prodigal 4. Herr 5. Summer 6. Seatbelt 11. Clanking 12. Castiron 15. Twinge 17. Astute 19. Goth 21. Norm
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Why We Need a Womens’ Museum Graduate Union Member Mary R Owen wants to remember these women through a Womens’ Museum at The State Library of Victoria. For the last few years, she has been proactively engaging with the Victorian government, at local and federal levels to try and get their attention. She recently wrote and subsequently spoke with Bill Shorten at an event telling him to pay attention to what women advise and to consult with his mother-in-law, Quentin Bryce, with whom Owen worked on a government advisory committee in Canberra in the early seventies. She admires her immensely. Mr Shorten, explained Owen, then steered her over to his wife and daughter and had quite a chat with them all, giving them copies of what she has written to political parties on what they should be doing. “I don’t know whether he’ll take any notice but I think it helps just to keep reminding them that women vote and are concerned about making ends meet and coping with education and health for their families,” said Owen. The only recordings ever made of Tasmanian Aboriginal song and speech were by Fanny Cochrane Smith in 1889 at a concert in her honour. These recordings are still held at the Tasmanian Musem and Art Gallery, Cochrane’s name living on to this day. Every day, every where women and their achievements, past and present are honoured. We walk past buildings and wings, their names a nod to the women that worked hard to make a difference. The Alicy Hoy building at The University of Melbourne was named after the respected academic, the Lousie Berta Dyer music library was named after the noted Melbourneborn patron of the music and arts as well as a noted pianist. The Lady Mary Eleanor Symon building at The University of Adelaide is named after the renowned philanthropist who generously gave to many charities around the world. But yet there are those women who miss out on the acknowledgements and accolades, their names forgotten but not disappeared. Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, rural or urban, it would be a cultural disgrace to leave the accomplishments of these women unrecognised.
Mary Owen is earnest when speaking to her over the phone. At 95, her conviction, vigour and enthusiasm towards doing what she can to establish a Women’s Museum is beyond commendable. I ask her what encouraged her to begin such a venture. “I don’t think my aunt had the attention that she deserved,” said Owen. Her aunt Margaret Withers was a painter from Sandringham. She’s made contact with many organisations to try and get some help. She’s trying, for example, to write a memoir about her aunt Margaret. A few years ago she wrote a letter to a local organisation to try and get volunteers to help her with research. I’m nearly 89 and I thought – another 4 years if I’m lucky and I am never going to finish this memoir by myself and it should be published, so I am appealing to you for help... I’m not going to last forever, so am anxious to get this going. “But that was just where I started and I want to ensure
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that papers and memorabilia about the many women who have made an enormous contribution to our history through voluntary work in many areas are not lost when those women die and their loved ones may just put them in the rubbish box,” she says. “I want to make sure that women are given the recognition they deserve.” For the moment, she’s not anxious to get any particular items into the museum but she certainly does want to ensure that the Victorian Government takes responsibility for installing and maintaining the women’s museum, particularly at the State Library of Victoria. The library was recently allocated $55.4 million from the government to go towards refurbishment and updating. The library will then raise a remainder of $27.6 million.
“We must carry forward the work of the women who came before us and ensure our daughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacle to their achievements and no remaining ceilings to shatter.” Recognition can encourage the longevity of a legacy. The longer that we spend debating gender equality, the more time that we lose to honour the women who have paved the way for future generations to follow in their footsteps. Ask not what women can do for us, but rather like Mary Owen, ask what we can do for women.
This story may make you think about Sustainable Development Goal 5. What are your thoughts?
As I glance at her business card, I am somehow reminded of Barrack Obama’s Presidential Proclamation during Womens History Month in 2011:
The Graduate House Project, an update In our May newsletter we introduced you to the Engineering students who will be undertaking a research project at Graduate House, involving the use of hempcrete in the installation of a partition wall. One group with Junaid Ahmed Awan and Muhammad Moman Shahzad is investigating the strength of the hemp limecrete and increasing the fire resistance of hemp limecrete. They updated Graduate House on their current progress saying that after going through their initial literature review, they have decided to find material to increase the strength and fire resistance of the hemp limecrete.
A sample of hempcrete
“To increase the strength we will be doing testing with inserting some cement content and also we have shortlisted materials like bamboo leaf ash and textile fiber waste to enhance its strength,” they said. For Fire resistance, they have chosen polypropylene as the material which can enhance the overall fire resistance, although very little work has been done on the fire resistance, they intend to do detailed work in this particular field. Stay tuned for further updates on the hempcrete project at Graduate House! Hemp in various forms www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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Engineering Students’ Presentations
UoM staff say: Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering Thanks Graduate House
Masters students from the Melbourne School of Engineering presented their ongoing research into sustainable infrastructure. It was a full day of presentations, as Engineering Masters students milled around the Main Building, preparing for their presentations. Some students could even be seen running through their presentations at University Square, trying to get some calm before the storm. The students were reporting on their research and analyses into various infrastructure projects around the world from The Westgate Bridge to the Panama Canal. Andrew, who is currently completing his Masters in Civil Engineering, looked at the sustainability of the Westgate Bridge, in particular looking at some of the reasons for its major collapse in 1970. “The history of the bridge is huge,” said Andrew. “The lack of risk management was probably the biggest thing just because of the collapse that could have been prevented – there were not 1 but 500 mistakes – little wonder why it collapsed!” he added. The next stage of his project, he explained was to focus on addressing the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Another group looked at the North South Pipeline. Known as the Sugarloaf pipeline, the line is currently non-operational and will only be used to supply drinking water when storages are extremely low, or when needed for local fire fighting. Francis was in charge of the environmental aspect of
his project, especially in regards to the flora and fauna around this area. He looked at the endangered species there, to see if this project would affect their lives, and to discuss the sustainability. A look into major rail projects and the CBD car ban was also presented. This group looked at the sustainability of each project. “We looked at positives and negatives of implementing the projects. We used our sustainability models, and we found with the rail project that with construction it has a few drawbacks, and with environmental impacts,” said one group member. “But we’re getting passengers away from the crowded Swanston Street corridor to the underground where there’s no traffic.” The Love Your Laneways project, initiated by the City of Melbourne, an attempt to revitalise our beloved laneways, was also looked at by a number of groups. The City of Melbourne program recruits ‘”laneway champions” to address laneway aspects such as waste management, stormwater issues and infrastructure such as public lights and road surfaces. “We’re looking at the Love Your Laneways program and what kinds of services it provides, how it goes about improving business development in the city by looking at Melbourne Place as an example,” said group member Hannah Hubbard. The group provided recommendations on how to improve some of the things that might go in the way of developing that laneway, as well as looking at how the laneway policy goes about implementing these ideas in terms of greening the laneway, opening up the space for business and access for pedestrians.
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“We found that overall it would increase the walkability of the inner-city and make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to get around off the busy thoroughfares,” said Hubbard. Conducting fieldwork they found that currently the laneway is mainly used as a service driveway. While there is a restaurant, hairdressers and other unique businesses, they don’t have any street space. “You could license tables for the street, give them more street presence, and you could definitely green the space,” said Hubbard. “But at the same time it’s a very shaded area so we don’t know how well vegetation would grow in there.” While vertical gardens are very beneficial environmentally many laneways in the CBD are shaded or surrounded by highrise buildings which may mean that vertical gardens or greenery are not a suitable solution for those particular locations. Another important consideration was whether disabling vehicular access to the laneway, which is currently used mainly for service deliveries and parking, could be detrimental in anyway, like for example interfering with emergency services.
Furthermore, there’s no connection between the plan and actual urban planning regulations about high-rise development in the city. So in theory you could invest money into making a beautiful space but then a highrise developer could buy the site around it and build a 50 storey building on there and suddenly you’ve got a wind tunnel and people don’t want to be there. As engineering students, what are some things that they would like to Melbourne City invest in? Improving social spaces was top of the list. “Definitely improving it as a social space for people to be able to walk in and to feel as though they’re not in this congested environment,” said Nadia. “The laneways that have opened up but do not allow cars have become huge tourist areas and are really successful.” Well done from all of us at Graduate House for a well organised presentation series!
Dining Room Feedback We really enjoy the Bistro as it, it is friendly, with efficient service, good variety of tasty food and pleasant, peaceful atmosphere. Well done! - Wendy Graham On behalf of the CECV Pathways and Transition Team, just to convey our very sincere and grateful thanks for all your assistance and support in ensuring that the professional learning events for the Team ran so smoothly and so successfully last Thursday. It is always a pleasure to work with the staff at Graduate House. It is also reassuring to know, from our perspective, that all our needs will be taken care of so professionally, with an outstanding level of service in every respect. It was great to be able to meet with you again before the events, just to double check the details and clarify arrangements, and seek your expert advice directly. This was also a fantastic help with organising the finer points from our end, such as the signs and the room layout for the various events. Please convey our sincere thanks to all staff involved for the very warm welcome and the hospitality and support extended throughout the two days to both the Team members and also the participants and the presenters, making the professional learning events such an enjoyable experience. In sincere appreciation, Jenny (on behalf of the CECV Pathways and Transition Team) The lucky feedback-giver for April is John Johnson who won a bottle of Emeri De Botoli Chardonnay Pinot Noir
Your feedback is important Submit a Dining Room Feedback Form to be in the monthly draw and in the running for the year-end prize of a $500 Coles Myers Gift Voucher www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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www.graduatehouse.com.au | ABN: 55610 664 963 | Incorporated Association Registration No. A0023234B
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