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The Melbourne Graduate December 2013

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The Melbourne Graduate

THE MELBOURNE GRADUATE The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc.

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 1


The Melbourne Graduate

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Henry Ford (1863 – 1947)

Editorial and Photography

Shirley Ho, Eliah Castiello, Zac Matthews. All other images are used with permission and are the direct property of the publication from which they were obtained.

Printing

City Copy

The Melbourne Graduate December 2013 – Volume 68, Number 3 Periodical Newsletter of The Graduate Union Print Post Approved PP337834/00022 Incorporated Association Registration Number A0023234B October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 2


The Melbourne Graduate Contents

ADDRESSES President Chair of Council CEO and Head of College

4 5 6

REMEMBERING Dr Thomas Ronald Albert Davey

8

TWENTY YEAR ANNIVERSARY Mrs Rosie Ellul 11 MEMBERSHIP New Members, Valete and Donations The Life Span of Membership Our Members Call to Arms

14 16 17 36

OUR COLLEGE EVENTS Finance Seminars 37 Monthly Luncheons 38 Twilight Lectures 40 Sunday Music Concerts 41 OUR PATRONS Acknowledgement of Patronage 42

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 3


The Melbourne Graduate from the President I am honoured to have served The Graduate Union as your President for the past twelve months. During this first year of my three year term, I have met many of our Members and come to learn a great deal more about what makes this organisation unique. I thank our hardworking staff and Council, together with all our Members who continue to support The Graduate Union during this exciting period of growth. I would like to thank my predecessor as President, The Honorable John Cain. I also thank the Chair of our Council, The Honorable Justice Tony Pagone for his leadership and valued contribution. I also thank Mr David Sparks for the wonderful contribution he made as our previous Chair of Council. He continues to support us very strongly as a member of Council and as the Chair of our Fundraising and Benefactions Working Party. Dr Kerry Bennett also deserves special thanks for her tremendous work as our CEO and Head of College. Each Member of the Graduate Union is important to our success as an association, college and meeting place for graduates. Our strength is our diverse membership of graduates with a wide range of ages, professions and community involvement both at home and internationally. The blending of such diversity has not only characterised our organisation for the last 102 years but underpins our success. Our resident postgraduate students and senior visiting academics from many countries enjoy our hospitality and support and will eventually return to their home countries with wonderful memories of The Graduate Union, The University of Melbourne and Australia and its people. The value of this international friendship is incalculable. The College also has a strong engagement with the general Melbourne community by hosting conferences and events for over 350 organisations and groups and forms an important bridge from the community to The University of Melbourne. I hope that you enjoy reading the stories provided by our Members in this edition of The Melbourne Graduate. Each of these Members has taken the time to share an aspect of their involvement with The Graduate Union and of their individual ‘graduate pathway’. They give us an indication of what brings and keeps us together in this Union; and showcase a membership that acknowledges and respects the privilege of education and gives back to our ‘global village’. I hold true to this latter responsibility and hope always to be in a position to support other Members in honouring the privilege of education – one that we all know is not afforded to many of the world’s population. Many Members give valued donations of time, money, expertise and support to The Graduate Union. Others send in letters of encouragement and news, email us, post comments on social media and telephone us with suggestions for improvements or snippets of academic or historical significance. Each of these interactions is a valued and welcomed contribution and a demonstration of an engaged membership committed to our continued existence. As the current stewards, I thus encourage all Members to remain true to core values that enable us to thrive as a membership association and not-for-profit charity which is here for the purposes of advancing education and for wider public benefit. For those Members who have not been in to Graduate House for a while, I encourage you to come in for a function or for a meal to experience the incredible transformation of recent years. I look forward to meeting you and working further with you as we strengthen our local engagement and global network. All the best for the festive season and for the New Year.

Major-General Professor Jeffrey V. Rosenfeld AM, OBE, CStJ President of The Graduate Union

October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 4


The Melbourne Graduate from the Chair of Council As Members may recall, I commenced as Chair of Council on the 12th June this year, succeeding Mr David Sparks to whom I wish to extend my gratitude, on behalf of this association. Appointed as Chair mid-2010, David instigated governance and financial control reform, and a renewed focus on membership growth and engagement. His achievements are significant, and include the centenary year of celebrations in 2011, the initiation and completion of a three year program of governance reform and major buildings and facilities projects (e.g., the rewiring of the William Berry Wing, the installation of 100 reverse-cycle air conditioners and the Stella Langford Wing ground floor installation) and the introduction of sound internal controls for transparency and accountability to Members and to regulators at state and federal levels. Fortunately, David continues his generous contributions of time and expertise on Council, on the newly named Membership and Marketing Committee and as Chair of the Fundraising and Benefactions working party. Over the next few months this latter working party will be increasingly active and visible. I thus urge all Members to support upcoming solution-finding exercises and campaigns to raise significant funds to pay off our mortgages (we need a minimum of $7M), to build additional facilities behind the William Berry Wing (222-238 Leicester Street) and on the main building (216-220 Leicester Street), and to develop a robust and sustainable endowment program of scholarships, fellowships and achievement awards. In extending my condolences to the family of Honorary Life Member, Dr Ron Davey, particularly to his wife Kathleen and son John who have provided remembrance texts for this edition of the Melbourne Graduate, I wish also to acknowledge Dr Davey’s significant contributions to The Graduate Union as a Councillor of both our association and of The University of Melbourne during the 1980s. We are most fortunate to have received a generous bequest from Dr Davey which, as agreed with the family, will be used to fund urgently required repairs of the roofs of our heritage terraces. Such bequests are very important for our association. We need and use them for fundamental projects which enable us to provide a college and meeting place which is safe, secure and of good standard. I thus ask that all Members consider The Graduate Union in their wills. We honour all bequests. In this case, the terrace roofs are now named the Davey Lofts. Your Council and its committees continue a strong program of reform and development. Working closely with our CEO/Head of College and our dedicated and hardworking staff, we have continued to maintain high levels of occupancy, to meet the high demand for our meeting services and to provide a comprehensive and successful program of GU Collegiate functions for our different membership cohorts. For 2014, and in addition to the roof repairs, we are planning a continuation of the rolling refurbishment program across all three wings, a short to medium-term refurbishment of the residents’ kitchen and the installation of small refrigeration units in the residential rooms of the main building. We are revising our regulations and the election kit, and have adopted a number of well-researched policies relating to budget development, debt management, investment, information security and acceptable use, privacy and human resource management issues. Our analysis of the results from the survey of Members and other stakeholders earlier this year continues and we are developing further strategies to attract, recruit and retain graduates to membership. I look forward to your support in contacting your graduate networks and encouraging their contributions both here in Melbourne and throughout the world.

The Hon Justice Tony (Gaetano) Pagone Chair of the Council of The Graduate Union October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 5


The Melbourne Graduate from the CEO and Head of College To ensure that The Graduate Union remains relevant and that it continues to be viable and thriving over the long term, we have undertaken a comprehensive strategic planning process, focusing on long term sustainability, together with growth and development potentials, and the accountability of the stewards of this association. We have examined our raison d’être, our place in an ever-changing market, aspirational goals, relevant governance structures and evaluation mechanisms. The planning has involved a detailed analysis of the likely impacts on the organisation over the next few years, the application of contingency and forward thinking to each impact, and the identification of five priorities and associated result areas (shown opposite). Our renewed vision is that The Graduate Union is renowned as the pre-eminent Australian membership association of graduates of universities from around the world, living, meeting and learning within a vibrant and active collegium which advances education and its application for the good of society. Our renewed mission is that The Graduate Union brings together graduates - from graduation and through post-graduate study, careers and retirement - in an active international membership network, residential college and meeting place for the socially responsible advancement and application of education. We have defined how we work to achieve our principle purpose of advancing education for the benefit of the community as follows: • by providing high quality accommodation in Australia for graduates in order to promote and foster post-graduate study, research and career development and learning, collegiality and collaboration between graduates for the benefit of the education, research and not-for-profit sectors in Australia; • by providing meeting facilities and services in Australia for the academic, research and not-for-profit sectors; • by promoting and bringing together graduates through membership, so that educational, professional, cultural and social relations and networks are fostered and maintained, including by way of hosting networking functions, lectures and events in Australia; hosting and promoting lectures from members and guest lecturers; and publishing (in a newsletter, magazine, blog or any other form of publication) to support, develop and promote academic achievement following graduation, career development for graduates, and business achievements, volunteer work and beneficial work in the community by graduates; and • by developing a community that otherwise supports and sustains academic, career and social experiences, lifelong sharing of knowledge and skills, and educational outcomes for the wider public benefit. We seek now to realise further our vision, mission and purpose. Strategies have been identified for each key result area and in accordance with the results of the Member and Stakeholder Survey and the Organisational Culture Inventory™ undertaken earlier this year. I applaud and thank my staff. They have understood and embraced the need to develop rigorous business systems to meet our rapid expansion and further anticipated growth; and meet regularly to contribute to business and budget planning. I thank also our President, the Chair of Council and the many other Members who contribute to our governance for the tremendous amount of support that they all give to our association. Dear members, all the very best to you and yours over the festive season and I look forward to seeing you, hearing from you, learning of your achievements and working with you in 2014.

Dr Kerry Bennett CEO and Head of College October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 6


The Melbourne Graduate Priorities Advancement Priorities and major projects

Result Areas New initiatives are bringing in major revenue. Existing services are generating revenue at or near ceiling levels. Major funds have been secured from bequests, donations and other endowment sources.

Financial stability

Quality college and meeting facilities

Sound financial controls and risk mitigation and management. Unqualified audit reports.

Understand, communicate with and meet the markets for membership, accommodation and meeting services. Implement a systematic, strategic and bestpractice approach to raising major funds. Continue with transparent and accountable financial control reform and policy development. Structure and manage loans within the capacity of business operations.

Financial performance that enables both operations and development.

Manage a budget that allows for current operations, capital expenditure and development initiatives to meet current and future graduate markets.

Facilities that are appropriate, safe and healthy for accommodation, meeting and social activities and for staff.

Benchmark, control for, monitor and report on market attractiveness, safety and quality of facilities for accommodation, meeting services and collegiate functions.

An established reputation in graduate sectors of international good standing.

Capitalise on the multidisciplinary and multinational resident and non-resident membership to develop collectively collegiate programs for local and international good.

Currency and relevancy in the rules and regulations of the organisation. Regulatory requirements of the Australian Charities and Not-forprofits Commission are met. Demonstrable reform and quality control with governance.

Membership, organisational development and culture

Establish a system of business development from idea generation and feasibility analysis, to implementation and evaluation.

Debt management.

Expansion and redevelopment of facilities to meet increased graduate numbers and requirements. Effective and well-structured governance

Strategies

Increasing number of Members who are contributing actively to, and benefiting from, The Graduate Union.

Develop major expansion, purchase and redevelopment plans. Review and refine the rules and regulations of the organisation regularly. Meet recording, reporting and governance regulatory requirements. Implement recommendations of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 governance and financial control reviews.

Bring together minds from different career stages, cultures and disciplines into networks of education, contribution and influence.

The Graduate Union is wellknown and highly respected locally and internationally.

Market and communicate services, benefits and new developments in a targeted, responsive, systematic and contemporary manner.

Employees are engaged, productive and trained for current and future business requirements.

Foster and audit employee engagement, productivity, professional development, health and safety.

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 7


The Melbourne Graduate Dr Thomas Ronald Albert Davey (1 925 - 2013)

October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 8


The Melbourne Graduate Dr Thomas Ronald Albert Davey We are saddenend by the news that Dr Thomas Ronald Albert Davey passed away on the 7th January, 2013 at the age of 87 years. Our condolences are extended to the Davey Family. We are honoured and grateful to have received remembrance texts from Dr Davey’s wife, Kathleen, and his son, John, for this edition of The Melbourne Graduate. Dr Davey was a significant and long term contributor to The Graduate Union. The page opposite is from a 1998 volume of The Melbourne Graduate written by the then Chairman of Council, John Sayers, for the award of Honorary Life Membership to Dr Davey in November 1997. In this citation it is explained that Dr Davey joined The Graduate Union fifty years ago in 1963 just one year after the opening of Graduate House (July 1962) for seven residents. Dr Davey was well known internationally as an extractive metallurgical engineer. His first degree, a Bachelor of Science, was awarded in 1944, followed in 1945 by a Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering with Honours, in 1954 by a Master of Metallurgical Engineering in the same field and by a Doctorate in Applied Science. All were from The University of Melbourne. His thesis, published in 1967, is entitled Investigations into refining of base metals, and is available in the University Library [ID 26754960]. Following his Honours degree, he worked for seven years on research and development for lead smelting and refining at BHAS, Port Pirie in Victoria, and for three years as a betriebsingenieur (operational engineer) with the Hamburg based Norddeutsche Affinerie (now Aurubis, the largest copper producer in Europe) on the refining and smelting of complex materials, receiving the inaugural Gold Medal of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) in 1955. He then worked for Dr Ron Davey circa 1955 the Imperial Smelting Corporation (now within Rio Tinto) as a development metallurgist for one year and for three years as consultant and head of process development (1960-1963). Dr Davey enjoyed theoretical research and its application for high temperature chemisty, for determining fundamental data in liquid metals and in the refining of metals, especially lead, zinc and tin. After working at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in the mid to late sixties, where he piloted a rotary-furnace tin-smelting process which was later developed into a high-intensity smelting process known as SiroSmelt, he joined the Metallurgy Faculty of the Colorado School of Mines as a Professor (1969-1972) during which time (and ongoing) he served on AIME committees, including the World Advisory Committee on Lead-Zinc Symposium (1968-1970) and the Awards and the Lead-Zinc-Tin committees (1969-1992). After his academic post in Colorado he became an independent consultant for such major companies as Cominco, Asarco and Britannia Refined Metals. With over 60 technical papers and 26 patents which have contributed to improved operating plants, Dr Davey is considered one of the world’s most distinguished metallurgical scientists and engineers. He has been honoured through such awards as the 1988 President’s Medal of the AusIMM (The Minerals Institute, a professional body which represents those in the global minerals industry) and a 1988 TMS EPD (The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, Extraction and Processing Division) Distinguished Lecturer award. In adidtion to his generous contributions to The Graduate Union as a Councillor, Chairman of Council and Vice President, Dr Davey was a member of the Council of The University of Melbourne (1981-1986) and of the University’s then-named Patents Committee, as well as Visiting Professor.

Dr Ron Davey, 1970, when Professor of Metallurgical Engineering, Metallurgy Faculty, Colorado School of Mines.

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 9


The Melbourne Graduate The Davey Lofts Ron married Kathleen Ann Bonython in 1954. They had a son, John, and two daughters, Lucy and Julia; and have four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Mrs Davey has kindly provided this remembrance text. In July 1954, Ron and I left Australia by ship. It sailed across the Bight to Perth, then on to Columbo, then through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean Sea to Marseille where we disembarked. We took a train across the Alps to Munich, where we bought a small car and toured parts of Europe, before settling in Hamburg where Ron had a position as a research metallurgist. John, our son, was born in Hamburg in 1956, on a night when the temperature was minus 30 degrees. Money for us was not plentiful in Hamburg so Ron arranged a position with a firm in Bristol. We sailed one April morning from Calais through mist and rain, but as we approached Dover, the weather was Dr Davey in more recent years. beautiful and the white cliffs looked magnificent. In 1957, housing in Bristrol was hard to find, but finally we rented a tiny house which had a small back garden. It was a lovely place for us and the baby to be in the summer. We stayed eighteen months in Bristol and then travelled by ship to Australia. We lived at Port Pirie where Ron had work at the big smelter. We were there for only two years before we went back to Bristol. This time we purchased a comfortable house. Our daughter Lucy was born in a lovely old building fronting on the famous ‘Downs’. The Downs are the many green spaces all around the city. Our next move was to Melbourne where Ron worked at the CSIRO. We bought a house at Glen Waverley where Ron had a productive vegetable and flower garden. Our second daughter Julia was born in Glen Waverley, but when she was two years old we went to live in America. The School of Mines in Golden was where Ron worked and we all enjoyed our time in Colorado. After four years we were back in Australia again and living in a newly built home designed by Ron. I know that Ron enjoyed his long association with The Graduate Union where he made many fine friendships. I would like to thank Dr Kerry Bennett for the feature she has presented of Ron’s involvement with The Graduate Union.

The newly named Davey Lofts.

Mr John Davey gave a $50K bequest to The Graduate Union from the estate of his father, Dr Davey. This has been put towards the terrace wing roofs from 222 to 234 Leciester Street. We are grateful for this generous gift to our newly named Davey Lofts and the following remembrance from John.

In retirement, Dad was able to spend more time on his music-writing, using a high-quality computerised system. I had the pleasure of collaborating with him on the arranging of many of his pieces for orchestra and also vocal settings. We made several recordings, both instrumental and in partnership with some very fine vocalists. Dad enjoyed distributing these to friends and family where they received much appreciation. He was passionately interested in The Graduate Union as many of you will know, and I join my mother in thanking you for this acknowledgement of his contribution to your organisation.

October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 10


The Melbourne Graduate Twenty Year Anniversary - Mrs Rosie Ellul On the 2nd October, 2013, at the October Monthly luncheon, a special presentation was made to acknowledge and award a dedicated staff member who has made a significant contribution to The Graduate Union for the past twenty years.

Citation on the occasion of presenting a Certificate of Appreciation for twenty (20) years of dedicated service to The Graduate Union to

Rosie Ellul We are pleased to welcome Rosie’s family to this special occasion: her husband, Ray Ellul, Rosie’s parents Carmelo and Nina Briencat and Rosie’s son, Matthew Ellul. Rosie started here in October 1993 as a casual staff member for the housekeeping team. At that time, Rosie’s son and daughter were still in school and she was looking for a few hours of work within school hours. After a quick interview she was offered the job by the then Assistant Warden and House Manager, Fran O’Brien. She started immediately and has retained a position with The Graduate Union since. As is the tradition, Rosie quickly came to learn about many of the departments of Graduate House, and though officially assigned to housekeeping, worked in all areas, including in administration, in the dining room and in the kitchen. This was not the start of the relationship between Rosie and Graduate House. Rosie is carrying on the family tradition of long service, her mother, Nina Brincat, having worked for more than twenty years, from 1972 to 1993, in the kitchen. Rosie herself remembers as a young girl coming here during school holidays with her mother and sitting in Barbara Funder’s chair and even occasionally on the knees of the first Secretary Warden, William (Bill) Berry.

Rosie Ellul in 1993.

Rosie’s first time as a Monthly Luncheon diner with (from left) Margaret Schintler, Nina Brincat (Rosie’s mother), Matthew Ellul (son), Carmelo Briencat (father) and Ray Ellul (her husband).

Rosie is known for her beautiful smile, warm hospitality and caring nature.

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 11


The Melbourne Graduate Mrs Rosie Ellul With the opening of the main building and the resulting increased use of Graduate House for the ground floor dining and Ian Potter and Stillwell meeting rooms, Rosie took on a full time position as the Conference Supervisor and quickly adapted to the expansion, developing quality systems and processes, and coaching her front-of-house team. She is one of the prime reasons for the warm culture and welcoming feel of the dining room and meeting services. She has welcomed many a Member or guest to lunch or dinner - many of our loyal bistro patrons return here because of Rosie’s hospitality - and many others to our Monthly Luncheons and Twilight Lectures, as well as to the many attendees at the academic and professional development meetings hosted by organisations and groups here at Graduate House. With completion of the Stella Langford Wing, and the addition of more meeting rooms, Rosie was promoted to Hospitality Manager in 2011. Graduate House has never been busier, and Rosie and her team now host around 2,000 people each month who come in for seminars, meetings, conferences and research forums. For the first time in twenty years, I invite Mrs Rosie Ellul to dine with Members at this Monthly Luncheon. Mr Daniel Clark Operations Manager

The front cover of The Melbourne Graduate, February, 1994, farewelling Rosie’s mother, Nina Brincat, on her retirement.

Tributes and congratulation messages from all over Australia and the world were conveyed to Rosie at her first monthly luncheon as a diner. President – Major General Professor Jeffrey V Rosenfeld AM OBE CStJ The President conveyed that he had been intending to attend today to give a personal message to Rosie and her family but is unfortunately an apology. He extended his gratitude, on behalf of The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Incorporated, to Rosie for her many years of dedicated service and her contribution to the success of this organisation today.

October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 12

With former staff of Graduate House, from left, Rosie Ellul, Brenda Greaney, Margaret Blair and Margaret Schintler.


The Melbourne Graduate Mrs Rosie Ellul Chair of Council – The Hon Justice Tony (Gaetano) Pagone The Hon Justice Pagone was overseas but requested that his personal greetings and best wishes be conveyed to Rosie. He indicated that her many years of service is praiseworthy and that she deserves a medal. He was sorry not to have been at the luncheon in person and acknowledged that she has seen this organisation through many challenges and periods. He empathised with her having to work with the current CEO/Head of College (and on this latter point, clarified that this was intended as a joke!). Rotary – Keith Ryall and Paul Carlin Keith Ryall and Paul Carlin of Carlton Rotary Club which meets at Graduate House every Tuesday, relayed their apologies, and extended their very best wishes and hopes that Rosie enjoyed her first ever monthly luncheon! Paul Carlin wrote: I have a very high regard for Rosie and I believe she has been a very significant person in giving our club the best service possible. I would be a keen supporter of recognising her service. Immediate Past Chair – Mr David Sparks Dear Rosie, I understand that something special is planned for you during the Wednesday luncheon today. As we are currently in Stockholm from where we will later today depart to Japan, there is possibility that I may confuse our time difference and spill the beans if I send this email directly to you. Hence it will reach you via Kerry. Prue and I know that you will enjoy the celebration particularly in the presence of the Wednesday luncheon audience who have enjoyed for many years your hospitality, attention to detail and great personality. We wish we were there to experience with you your wonderful milestone. Best wishes, David and Prue. Honorary Life Member – Barbara Funder Correspondence dated 24th September, 2013. I am delighted to know that we are presently celebrating Rosie’s twenty years of service to Graduate House. In so many ways, domestic, office and now as supervisor of the conference and dining area at Graduate House, Rosie’s warm personality and efficiency have enhanced these areas of our College. But this goes back further for me; her mother Nina Brincat (who is here today) was with us for many years in the domestic area. It was said in our newsletter to members that “the day really began at Graduate House, when Nina cooked breakfast, and the lovely aromas from the kitchen acted as a stimulant drawing sleepy residents to the dining room.” Another very early memory is of Rosie as a baby being brought in by her mother and being nursed by the then Warden, Bill Berry. Rosie’s unique, friendly management style in the dining area is frequently praised by members as attested in the notes of appreciation in the monthly newsletter. The Brincat/Ellul association with Graduate House is truly a family affair – congratulations Rosie. From the CEO/Head of College and staff at Graduate House: Congratulations Rosie and we look forward to the next 20 years with you!

Rosie with her mother, Nina Brincat (right), Honorary Life Member Barbara Funder and Margaret Schintler.

Rosie with Suzata Manadhar, Marwa Tantawy and Bill Mihelakis.

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 13


The Melbourne Graduate Membership, Valete and Donations New Members We extend a warm welcome to new Members of the Association.

Regular Members

Resident Members

Mr Chris Hubbard

Ms Emma Brisson Ms Margi Brown Ash Dr Sabeeh-ur-Rehman Butt Mr Anthony Crocker Professor Karen Day Dr Gerard De Jong Dr James Duce Mr Behrooz Eftekhar Dr Waleed El Dawlatly Ms Catherine Evans Dr Rona Francisco Mr Eduardo Garin Dr Nayana George Mrs Kaberi Gomes Professor Alan Grafen Mr Andrew Harris Mr Kingsley Hayns Dr Sonia Henriques Mrs Robny Honey Mr Wasan Kanchanamukda Dr Shinji Kaneshashi Mr Kibeum (Jason) Kim Dr Albert Kwok Mr Fook Choy Lau Ms Yunil Lee Ms Cecilia Liando Ms Mayuko Maekawa Mr Julian Felipe Manera Ms Kylie Martin Ms Julia Melanson Ms Samantha Micciulla Mr Huang Min Dr Aye Sun Mon Ms Erika Mori

Mrs Barbara Nicole Dr Deborah Seifert

Associate Members Mr Richard Dixon Ms Joanna Toomey

Life Members Professor Stephen Duckett Dr Margaret Robinson

Organisation Members International Assocation of Public Participation Australasia Melbourne Materials Institute

Resident Members Mr Samuel Aboagye Mr Desh Aggarwal Ms Ashlyn Allen Saud Alrakhayes Dr Shahzaib Anwar Mr Yuzo Baba Dr Julia Baldwin Mr Ajay Bharija Dr Muhammed Bhyat Ms Sandra Bohlinger

October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 14


The Melbourne Graduate Membership, Valete and Donations

Resident Members Mr Thomas Morton Mr Christian Muise Miss Bulungo Mwilambwe Dr Syeda Naqvi Mr Darien Narain Ms Daria Nevstrueva Professor Hidekazu Nishida Professor Andrew Pendleton Mr Oriol Porta Olivares Ms Mallory Purdy Mrs Ziriu Qui Mrs Carolina (Ana) Ramos De Magalhaes Dr Katharina Roeltgen Miss Ruwei Ruan Professor Scott Russell Professor Mario Rutten Dr Amber Safdar Mr Joerg Schlaepfer Dr Abdul Shaikh Dr Anneke Shea Ms Claire Smith Mrs Natalia Soerjadi Mr Shaheer Tarin Dr Pavan Thaneeru Dr Shoma Vidyadharan Professor Regine Von Kiltzing Ms Iryna Volynets Ms Edwina Watson Miss Annabella Williams Mr Eric Yang Mr Zhaoguo Yue Mr Jerry Zhu

Valete We extend condolences to the family and friends of Life Members deceased. The year of joining The Graduate Union is indicated.

Justice Assoc Prof Henry Connell (1950) Mr James Dunstan (1952) Mr Ronald Johnston (1955) Mr Victor Joyce (1973) Lady Winifred Lush (1953) Mr Richard McArthur (1974) Mr John McCann (1968) Mrs Merlie Merchant (1957) Dr Ada Margery Smith (1955) Mr John Stephens (1976) Dr John Williams (1954)

Donations We are grateful for donations from: Mr Leonard Bailey Miss Elizabeth Butt Mrs Grietje Croll Dr Thomas R. A. Davey Mr Leo Dawes Mrs Margaret Dean Professor Zeger Degraeve Ms Barbara Funder Mrs Elizabeth Sevior Ms Cecelia Liando Dr Geoffrey Vaughan Mr Brian Webb

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 15


The Melbourne Graduate The Life Span of Membership Our Membership comprises non-resident, resident and organisation Members. Thank you to Members for sharing their graduate stories in this edition of The Melbourne Graduate.

• just graduated • early in a career • in post graduate study

our Graduate Members

• mid-career • in a caring role • returning to study

• late in a career • retired • in volunteer work

the Gift of Membership

• at graduation from an undergraduate or postgraduate degree; • to acknowledge achievement (e.g., new job, a promotion, charitable work, new baby, new house); and • at retirement or with downsizing.

October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 16


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Juan Carlos Cerón, Resident Member 2012 Juan Carlos is an Ecuadorian Chemical Engineer and holds a Masters degree in Business Administration. He is now studying a Master in Energy Systems at The University of Melbourne. Juan is a passionate engineer who is focused on the control and optimisation of process, and on the identification and control of the environmental, safety and occupational security aspects of engineering. Having graduated in 2009 from the Ecuadorian Central University with Honours, Juan was awarded the 2009 Chemical Engineering Promotion Medal. After a period working in the oil industry, Juan set up his own consultancy in 2012. His firm provides assessment in quality control and management services to a wide range of organisations, as well as advice and tutoring on quality control tools, processing statistical analysis, chemical processes and environmental management. Through this consultancy, he has gained industry expertise and knowledge in such diverse fields as oil, transportation, government services, education and energy generation and distribution. Juan decided to come to Australia to specialise in Energy Systems in order to help with development in his country, particularly to learn more about the application of efficient solutions to meet the increasing energy demand and sustainable growth of major Ecuadorian corporations. In July 2013, Juan was elected President of the Board of the Master of Energy Systems Association, Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne in recognition of his generous collaboration with his peers. He considers The University of Melbourne to be one of the best universities in the world; and The Graduate Union, the best accommodation college as it provides him with the opportunity to meet people from all around the world, and to reside in a comfortable, modern facility with an optimal studying environment.

Quality, Health, Safety and Equipment (QHSE) field work with an Ecuadorian construction company in the Drago Oil Field (Sucumbios, Ecuador).

Juan on a visit with the Master of Energy Systems students to AGL Loy Yang which provides ~30% of the state of Victoria’s electricity.

Juan undertaking a Quality and Environmental Assessment for an Ecuadorian airline (Esmeraldas, Ecuador).

Graduate Union Tutor Program Juan Carlos is a member of the Graduate Union Tutor Team and offers tutorials to undergraduate and postgraduate students in Energy Systems Management, Power Generation, Quality Control, Identification of Environmental Aspects, Chemical Processing, Process Statistical Control, Basic and Advanced Inorganic Chemistry and Thermodynamics. He is also offering language tutorials in Spanish.

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 17


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Kenneth Gin, Life Member since 1946 My name is Kenneth Gin, a Chinese born in Melbourne in 1924.Igraduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE) degree from The University of Melbourne in 1945. Engineering as a career was a natural choice for me as my mathematics was strong and I was always interested in why and how things worked. In 1945, job openings were scarce and I joined Scott and Furphy Engineers after five months of waiting. My ten years with the firm provided me with valuable experience in water supply, sewerage and municipal works. Though I was being considered for a partnership in the firm, after marrying Dr Wee Kit Lee (a Medico from Singapore) in 1956, I took the major decision to venture overseas into unknown Singapore! Arriving February 1956, I joined Hume Industries Singapore Limited where my main task was to take charge of the site manufacture of pre-stressed concrete beams and the erection of these beams for the two thousand foot long Merdeka Bridge. I became an expert in prestressed concrete!

Kenneth Gin with his wife Dr Wee Kit Gin (nĂŠe Lee)

The major turning point in my life was my appointment as the Deputy Director of the Public Works Department The Argus announcement 6th February, 1956. (PWD) in 1959. This was the department responsible for roads, highways, drainage, sewerage, schools, hospitals, public buildings, airport expansions and many other Merdeka Bridge, Singapore infrastructure projects. There were seventy engineers and thirty architects working in the PWD. The Panisland Expressway and the Mass Rapid Transit System were two major projects initiated during my period. I was with the PWD for seven years, with the last three years as Director. On the professional side, I was elected Founder President of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore, in 1966. In that same year, I was appointed General Manager of the Public Utilities Board (PUB). The PUB dealt with the supply and distribution of electricity, water and gas for Singapore. These supplies had to increase rapidly in order to keep up with increasingly high demands from industries that had been attracted to Singapore. My appointment required the concurrent agreement of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), which was established in 1944 as the original institution of the World Bank Group, as a pre-condition for a thirty million dollar loan for the Jurong Power Station and a twenty-five million dollar loan for the Johore River Water Scheme. These were very large loans in the 1960’s. The PUB had 140 professional engineers. October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 18


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members In 1970, I returned to the private sector, joining Singapore Land Limited as its General Manager. The firm dealt with residential housing, office buildings and a hotel. Then in 1973, I became the first General Manager of the Sentosa Development Corporation, which was set up by the Singapore government to develop Sentosa Island as a tourist attraction. This development required the provision of such major infrastructure as roads, drainage and sewerage, as well as a detailed investigation of the feasibility and viability of a number of different tourist attraction projects, which included a Monorail, an 18 hole Golf course, a Coralarium, a Gun Museum and Lagoons, to mention a few. In 1976, I made a major decision to start my own engineering consultancy firm. I have been a sole practitioneer since then, with the exception of a nine-month break in 1978 to be involved in an Asian Development Bank project. Heading the Australian engineering team, we were tasked to undertake a feasibility study for the relocation of the Brickfield Marshalling Yards in Kuala Lumpur. My main consultancy work was for new development works and extensions for the Mobil Oil Refinery in Singapore which had a total contract sum of $1.8 billion. Other works included new factories and extensions. I also undertook arbitration work. One of these projects involved my position as a tribunal arbitrator during the Paris ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) dispute of US$2.98 million for power stations in Indonesia. The case was held in Hong Kong and the award made in 1982. I was also an arbitrator for a consultant’s claim for an additional $12 million for fees for sewage treatment works. This was awarded in 1999. I feel exceedingly fortunate to have gained practical experience across many diverse fields and to have covered so many different and major engineering works from all perspectives. It has been most satisfying to have been involved in the planning and design of these projects and, in many cases, seeing the completion of works which have directly or indirectly benefited mankind. It may be of interest to know that in addition to myself, my wife and two children are graduates from The University of Melbourne. My wife, Dr Wee Kit Gin (then with surname Lee) obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 1955 and my civil engineer son, Kevin Gin, obtained his Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in 1987. Currently an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS), my daughter, Karina Gin, obtained her Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering in 1988 from The University of Melbourne. Since then she has obtained her Master of Engineering from the National University in Singapore in 1991 and her Doctor of Science (ScD) jointly from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1996. My other daughter, Karolyn Gin, was a Singapore President’s Scholar and obtained her legal papers from Oxford University in 1990. She now works in the Civil Justice Division of the Legal Service Commission in Singapore.

Life Member Kenneth Gin and his wife Dr Wee Kit Gin, with Marian Schoen and Professor Mareels in Singapore in 2011.

This picture is of my wife and me meeting members of The University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Engineering (MSE) during their 150th Anniversary visit to Malaysia and Singapore in August of 2011. Later that day we attended the Dean’s Lecture hosted by Professor Chan Eng Soon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS) where my daughter, as mentioned above, is an Associate Professor.

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The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Allan David Main, Member 2009 We thank Mr Main for this recollections of Dr Phillip Law, the latter of whom gave a large bequest to The Graduate Union in 2011. I happened to mention to the CEO and Head of College, Dr Kerry Bennett, how it was a pity that I was not able to attend the Phillip Law dinner held after the annual general meeting in August 2012, where people who had known Dr Phillip Law spoke about him. It was because I could have mentioned that I knew him at an earlier stage. Dr Bennett suggested that I should write about him for this publication. I first met Dr Phillip Law when he was my demonstrator in Natural Philosophy, a subject that later came to be termed Physics. At one time, I also watched him win the Australian amateur boxing championship. I mentioned this to a friend whilst looking at his plaque in the Phillip Law Members’ Lounge, and he said that Phillip Law had taught him boxing when he was a kid. As they say, it is a small world. The last time I saw Phillip was when he was the presenter of a film of the Antarctic expeditions at the Melbourne Film Festival.

Allan Main enjoying pre-luncheon drinks in the Phillip Law Member’s Lounge. Both Allan and wife Suzette Rowena attend the Graduate Union Monthly Luncheons regularly.

Dr Phillip Law was a member of the University Ski Club. Even though the Club had a lodge at Mt Hotham, he did not stay there. He would take new members of the Antarctic expeditions to Mt. Hotham to teach them skiing. On those trips, they stayed at the Cosmic Ray Hut which was built at Mt. Hotham as the highest convenient place to study cosmic rays. Cosmic rays were part of the subject of Dr Law’s research. There used to be a painting in the lodge by his wife Nell. The painting was about the polar ships, the Nella Dan and Magga Dan at the Mawson base. These ships were in port for the first time together. Unfortunately, the painting was stolen from the lodge one summer. It would seem that the Nella Dan was named after Mrs Phillip Law. She was the first woman to visit the Antarctic mainland when she went on the changeover trip in 1961 as an official artist. There is another painting in the lodge, however, done by Dr Law himself. It was part of the lodge when it had been completed until the first floor level.

Stine Hasselholt, Resident Member 2012 I come from the land of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. A small dot on the globe, Denmark is easily missed unless you were lucky enough to grow up there. Out in the world, we are well known as the producers of LEGO and here in Australia as the home country of the architect Jørn Utzon, who designed the iconic Sydney Opera House. I lived the first eighteen years of my life in Randers on the mainland of Jutland. When I got accepted for the Master of Veterinary Medicine degree - a combination of undergraduate and postgraduate studies - at the University of Copenhagen, I moved to the capital city of Zealand. After I obtained my degree in 2010 with specialisation in biomedicine, I worked briefly as a veterinarian at a small animal hospital. It was an experience having to put all the knowledge you have gathered over five and a half years into October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 20

This is me working in the histology lab at the Melbourne Brain Centre preparing sections for staining.


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members practice and although it was a very rewarding job, it was also hard at times. I was fortunate enough to be offered a position to undertake a PhD in Pharmacology at the Section of Experimental Animal Models, Department of Veterinary Disease Biology at The University of Copenhagen. Currently, I am working on a project about Vitamin C deficiency and am using a guinea pig model to study the impact of pre-natal or postnatal deficiency of this micronutrient on the developing brain. I am completely fascinated by the complexity and plasticity of the brain and am truly happy to have been given the opportunity to work within a field that really interests me. As part of my studies I am visiting the neuropharmacology laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at The University of Melbourne for six months. It is very exciting to be part of a different scientific environment and I have met so many passionate and inspiring researchers here. Furthermore, the University offers a broad spectrum of interesting seminars and useful workshops. It is a great place to deepen your understanding of your field of research and get new perspectives. Apart from being a centre for sharing of knowledge and networking, Melbourne is a city with atmosphere and a wide range of cultural activities and opportunities. I am a member of The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and the Melbourne University Choral Society and feel privileged to have participated in concerts with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Hamer Hall, and with The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra at Town Hall, as well as at the Shrine of Remembrance on Anzac Day, in St Paul’s Cathedral and at Deakin Edge at Federation Square. It is a different way of experiencing this charming city and a great addition to nature hikes, arcade walks and wildlife spotting. The choice of Graduate House as my ‘home away from home’ was very deliberate. In Scandinavia, we do not have residential colleges like those in Australia. Therefore, this is the opportunity to become part of a type of community I had previously only read about and seen in movies as being fantastic. Now, after having lived at Graduate House for a little over six months I can say with honesty, that I have been glad I made the right decision from day one. I could tell a thousand stories of all the wonderful, caring and exciting people I have met in my short time here, but I think a photo can say more than a thousand words. I will limit myself and just say the following “Graduate House is unique because of the people who currently live here, used to live here or in some way feel a connection to this historic, traditional place. It has been an experience of a lifetime and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

I am here (on the right) with my three good friends from Graduate House on one of our many excursions, bird watching in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. From left: Ilya Lazarev, Filipp Esselborn and Mattias Björnmalm.

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The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Ruth Wingate Bright, Life Member 2003 Ruth Bright (nee Ruth Ockenden) was born in London in 1929. It was during the Cold War that Ruth’s father was offered a research job in Australia and her family moved from England to Melbourne on the 23rd April, 1948, a date she remembers well because they went to the Anzac Day service at St Paul’s Cathedral. Ruth began studies at The University of Melbourne that same year. Having left boarding school in 1947 and with school friends scattered all over the globe, she had no trouble in adapting to her new life in Australia and to making friends at The University. Deciding on a change from science to music, she Dr Ruth Bright and Dr Desmond Bright. spent six months undertaking the first year of a Diploma in Music to prepare for entry to a Bachelor of Music degree in 1948. During her first week she joined the Melbourne University Choral Society having been invited because she had been in a choir in England. It was there that she met Des (Desmond) who was secretary at that time. It wasn’t love at first sight. He had completed his engineering degree, was finishing a degree in mathematics and had started a PhD in engineering. However, love came through and they began dating by the end of 1949, meeting regularly in the university library to listen to records. When she was in school, Ruth had dreams of pursuing medicine; music, at that time being more of a hobby. However, with the academic switch from science to music, and Ruth becoming a piano teacher, she found great satisfaction helping children not only to become good pianists but also to gain confidence and self-esteem. Ruth was teaching music when she learnt of a crowded psychiatric hospital in Adelaide which had locked-up wards and only one social worker. Pondering on the potential to contribute with music, she approached the facility for employment and was fortunate to have been interviewed by a forward thinking psychiatrist, Brian Shea, who said that he wanted music in the hospital but linked to treatment rather than as entertainment. Ruth took on the challenge, put together a therapeutic plan and positioned herself as a therapist. Music therapy was largely unknown in Australia at that time. Soon after, Ruth moved to Sydney with Des because he had been transferred through his work. Serendipitously, Brian Shea had also come to Sydney for a Royal Commission and so asked Ruth to initiate music sessions in what were called the ‘male refractory wards’ notorious at that time for housing the ‘worst’. In those days, individual people in these institutions mattered very little and were not given the option to ‘choose’. Ruth thus initiated the concept of ‘choice’, the first being that the men were asked to decide whether or not to come to her music sessions. The second choice was of the music that they would like to hear. Choosing and learning to choose became a cornerstone of her therapy. Since these early days, Ruth has utilised music therapy in many ways. One approach is to play improvised music to reflect on one’s mood. For instance, rather than suppressing and hiding anger, improvisation with an emotional theme can be a therapeutic technique to trigger and release emotions. Ruth also used the composing skills she had learnt from her time with the church choir. She worked with the Children’s Theatre at The University of Melbourne, composing music for their plays, encouraging the children to work in mime so that each character had their own theme and individualised interaction with the music. In 1966, Ruth presented her first paper to The Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists on Music Matters. In this, she proposed that music is not only a useful therapeutic tool in psychiatry, but also in other fields such as neurology and geriatrics. At that time, she was working in stroke rehabilitation and

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The Melbourne Graduate Our Members doing a lot of research in multiple sclerosis. She was also working as a volunteer in a new geriatric unit in Hornsby and used this latter experience to inform her first book entitled Music in Geriatric Care. Her children were still young so she wrote it at night while they were asleep and on a manual typewriter. Ruth sent the manuscript to Angus and Robertson where it was received by the then editor (and politician) Bob Debus, whom Ruth describes as ‘terribly encouraging’. The book was published in 1972 and sold so well that the whole first edition was sold out. Reflecting the colour of the book’s cover, and to this day, it is referred to in America as the bright orange book. In 1974, Ruth gave lectures in geriatrics and music therapy to the medical students of Professor Brocklehurst in Manchester. During this trip overseas, she toured hospitals to promote music therapy and to learn of its ‘state-of-play’ as a recognised discipline. Subsequently, Ruth and Professor Denise Grocke, the Director of the National Music Therapy Research Unit, organised the first music therapy conference in Australia in 1975 and established the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA), having also prepared the draft constitution which came into effect a year later at the second music therapy conference. Ruth continues her long association with the AMTA, and held the position of President from 1990 to 1993. Dr Bright has lectured internationally at conferences in Japan, France, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, America, Canada, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Together with Professor Grocke she has researched the history of the discipline, finding earlier contributions to music therapy in Australia: the International Society for Musical Therapeutics which had been established in the 1920s but folded in the early years of World War II; and The Red Cross, which introduced music for therapy in hospitals following this same war. Ruth says that while she has had no specific goals for her career, her journey has been tremendously rewarding and fun, if not involving Ruth at her piano. much hard work! She explains that her most gratifying accomplishments were probably linked to a man called Berkeley, the head of psychiatric services who helped get music therapy established, the work she is currently doing in grief and loss and the books that she has published. Ruth describes herself as someone with determination for the right causes coupled with sensitivity to human need. For her, happiness comes from knowing that something she does is benefitting someone else. She says: I feel I am happiest if I have a balance in life of worthwhile things that I am doing and I often wonder how I am going to be when I eventually retire. I will be thinking “what will I do next?” Ruth and Des celebrated their golden wedding anniversary recently. Reflecting on their fifty years of marriage, Ruth explains that it has been a shared journey and that she could not have achieved so much without the tremendous support of her husband. The Brights have two children, a daughter and son, and two grandchildren. The Brights visit Melbourne and stay at Graduate House regularly. The University of Melbourne holds a significant place in their hearts, and they maintain close ties and contribute to the University’s Annual Appeal, donating funds to the library, cultural collections and research; and through the Heritage Society. As they say: We also support it not only because we think it is a splendid university but it was our studies that started us off on extended and successful careers. The University planted in both of us the belief that we must always have the courage to seek new knowledge and new ideas, and break new ground.

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The Melbourne Graduate Our Members We congratulate Dr Ruth Bright on being awarded the Dublin Prize in 2012. This prestigious prize is awarded once every five to ten years to students or graduates of The University of Melbourne in recognition of their outstanding contribution to art, music, literature or science. First established as a £260 trust fund in 1892 in acknowledgement of the tercentenary of the founding of The University of Dublin, previous winners of the Dublin Prize include Professor Geoffrey Blainey, Sir Keith Hancock, Professor Emeritus Chris WallaceCrabbe and Vincent Buckley. Awarded also an Honorary Doctor of Music in 2002 by The University of Melbourne, Ruth plans to use the prize money to attend Music Therapy and Gerontology conferences. This story is adapted from http://wisewomensworld.com/ wiseWomen/RuthBright.htm Music therapy in Australia Music therapy is a recognised discipline and profession with an Dr Ruth Bright with her honorary degree, established Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The Australian Dr Katrina Skewes (in tree), Dr Denise Music Therapy Association (AMTA) is the peak and registration Grocke and Dr Clare O’Callaghan (left). body in Australia, representing more than 500 members. The University of Melbourne established the first training program for music therapy in 1978. Today, it offers the AMTA accredited Master of Music Therapy (by coursework or by blended learning), as well as a Graduate Diploma in Guided Imagery and Music. The National Music Therapy Research Unit, established in 1999, is also at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. The University of Western Sydney (allied with the Nordoff Robbins Centre) offers a Master of Creative Music Therapy and the University of Queensland took in its last intake for its Master’s program this year.

Debbie Sim, Resident Member 2012 Moving to Melbourne to study has been an ironically amazing experience, to be away from the familiar, away from my family and friends, and to explore in a fresh and new environment. I would like to convey my warmest regards and appreciation to all the lovely staff at Graduate House for making this place a second home for me. Thanks too for the change in menu, the food has been exceptional. I would also like to thank the maintenance staff - George, Ray and Scottie - for giving generous help when Tatiana Bispo and I required tools and space to make the silicone mould and construct the garden bed for the Oh Wow Biomass Walkway outside the Zoology Department at The University of Melbourne. In this photograph, you see a part of this walkway. I am in the cap and Tatiana is at the front. Thank you also to Anne, Anna, Sheila and Stana for making my room clean and liveable every week. October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 24

Debbie and Tatiana with other Resident Members (from left) Shiau Ching Wong, Tram Ho, Valeria Mena, Cheng (Cherry) Cheng, Summer Lu and Dominic Siu.


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members David Budden, Resident Member 2013 A systems biology and machine learning researcher from the small country town of Muswellbrook in New South Wales, David Budden is undertaking his PhD in Systems and Computational Biology at The University of Melbourne. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Computer) / Bachelor of Computer Science combined degree with Honours at the University of Newcastle (UNEW) in 2012. David’s current research is in partnership with the National Information and Communications Technology Australia (NICTA) Victorian Research Laboratory and he has previously held research positions with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Information and Communication Technology Centre, the Hunter Medical Research Institute and the UNEW’s Interdisciplinary Machine Learning Research Group. His research is predominantly in the areas of computer vision, machine learning and robotics. Since 2011, David has been a member of UNEW’s NUbots robot soccer competition team which has participated in the annual international RoboCup since 2002, focusing his research during this period on computer vision, bipedal locomotion and machine learning and optimisation. During his 20122013 research internship with the CSIRO Adaptive Systems group in Sydney, he became a member of the CSIRO/Saber Astronautics Gliders2013 Robocup team which placed overall fourth and fifth at RoboCup 2012 (Mexico City) and 2013 (Eindhoven), respectively. His improvements to the particle filter framework yielded a 38% to 201% improvement in the performance of the Gliders’ selflocalisation system. David is also employed as a casual academic at The University of Melbourne tutoring in digital systems design, having held equivalent positions at the UNEW from 2010 to 2012. As a former student representative for both NuBots playing soccer. computer engineering and computer science, David took an active role in the improvement of degree and course quality. He advocates for university students to seek opportunities that are beyond those explicitly required through enrolment. His website (www. davidbudden.com) is well worth a visit as it gives insight into his current research, as well as showing opportunities offered by The University of Melbourne in engineering and computer science and providing more general advice for students to improve technical skills and to broaden their versatility as future professionals. In October 2013, David was nominated for the Melbourne School of Engineering (MSE) Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning by the Head of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department. The application for this award involved two stages. The first was to detail his teaching experience and techniques with focus on how he motivated and inspired his students. The second stage involved a ten minute presentation whereby each of the six finalists, including David, were required to provide to the judging panel some insight into ‘what our classes are like’. The Graduate Union extends its congratulations to David for being one of the three successful awardees. He describes the experience as being rewarding because it provided also a unique opportunity to learn new styles and techniques from the five other applicants, whom he regards as the MSE’s best young academics, and the potential to adopt new ideas into his classes. David is appreciative of this initiative by the MSE and of the continual support, development and recognition of casual tutors and demonstrators provided by The University of Melbourne.

David Budden with a determined NuBot. October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 25


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members David Fitzpatrick, Life Member 1962 I have belatedly realised that I have now been a Member of The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne for more than fifty years. This being an anniversary, I thought it reasonable to identify and reflect upon in my story below. My education was entirely via the Victorian state school system, attending in turn, South West Brunswick State School, Moreland Central School and the final four years at University High School (UHS) matriculating in 1954 in the science stream. UHS is located on Story Street in Parkville just over Royal Parade from The University of Melbourne and many of us were privileged to make the transition over the road to study in various faculties of what was then the only university in the state of Victoria. Fifty years later in 2004, Joan Kirner and June Factor organised and co-chaired a very enjoyable fifty year re-union dinner at University House attended by about fifty survivors of our year. Encouraged by my patent attorney father and mother who both left school at age fifteen, I enrolled in the Faculty of Science having been awarded a free place by the University. Along the way I discovered the Melbourne University Basketball Club (MUBC) of which I was invited to become a member and I played with them for six years. In 1956, during the University long vacation, I was press ganged into the Australian Army to do the then current version of National Service, defending the hills of Watsonia. An exception was made that year in that all the university students were in the same unit, so I was to meet and train with many students that I otherwise would not have known. Subsequently I also served for three further years in the Melbourne University Regiment as Private Fitzpatrick 3/756778. The year 1956 was more significant for other reasons including the completed construction of the Beaurepaire Sports Centre. It was later used for training by the MUBC and other university sporting bodies. This construction was made possible by a generous gift from former Australian Olympic swimmer Sir Frank Beaurepaire, at an amount of 200,000 Australian pounds. At that time, it was the largest single donation ever received by the University. In March of that same year, I travelled to compete in the Intervarsity Basketball tournament held in Sydney. Later in November, official black and white television transmission commenced in Victoria and everywhere else in Australia. Last but far from least, in November, Melbourne was invaded by athletes and visitors from throughout the world to compete or otherwise participate in the Olympic Games. Melbourne became truly an international city and became the focus of the world for a couple of weeks. It was the first Olympic Games held in the Southern Hemisphere and outside of Europe and North America. The Games opened on the 22nd November and ended on the 6th December. They became known as the friendly games and in the closing ceremony the athletes strolled intermingled rather than marching in national teams twice around the stadium track, a tradition that has continued thereafter. I was fortunate to obtain tickets for good seats on two afternoon sessions of athletics at the MCG which was the main stadium. In the fullness of time I completed my final exams in November 1958, majoring in physics. That evening my father asked about my plans. I responded that a holiday might be a good idea. He quietly asked what I would use for money. Finding me stumped for an answer he suggested I come into the office and work until Christmas. I accepted and ended up leaving on my retirement fifty-one years later on the 30th June, 2009. Meanwhile I studied for several years and became registered as a patent attorney and became a partner of the firm (Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick on 1st July, 1962. I must have thought I was on a good wicket because my first investment was to become a Member of The Graduate Union on that same day. David Fitzpatrick was a Councillor of the Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia from 1970 and President from 1979 to 1981. He was a member of the Board of Examiners of Patent Attorneys for nine years until 1982 and responsible for examination of patent specification drafting, trade mark law and the practice of patent attorneys. In the years to his retirement in 2009, David specialised in trade mark matters. He was a member of the Government Working Party that undertook a review of the Australian law that led to the current Trade Marks Act 1995. [Source: www.pof.com.au]

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The Melbourne Graduate Our Members My Jackpot Jumper prize A lot of water has passed under the bridge since that day, but I will now cut straight to the chase. In or about April 2013, I received a regular communication from The Graduate Union including a Membership Survey. The first part of the Survey boldly claimed that its content was protected by Copyright law. I paused to wonder what literary merit may be possessed by a mere survey document. Next was an introduction including an estimate that only ten minutes of my time would be required, an exhortation to provide frank and honest feedback and an assurance that the surveyor would not reveal my identity to The Graduate Union. Well, that was the clincher so I clicked on my stopwatch and set about providing my answers. The Graduate Union Merino Jumper

The initial questions were clear and simple with many rather like a multiple choice examination paper except that correct answers were much easier to provide than any examination I ever sat. The questions became intellectually more challenging and I became absorbed in my work, as you would, until eventually I reached the end game. Question 46 was not really a question but tantalizingly revealed that if I provided my email address I would be placed in a draw to win a prize which could be several free lunches, six bottles of wine, a one year free membership or a Graduate Union Merino Wool Pullover. Being an obese, reformed alcoholic Life Member, I nominated the pullover. As instructed, I then consigned the answered survey to the prepaid envelope supplied. I clicked off my stopwatch and the exercise had taken me precisely 51 minutes and 21 seconds. Obviously the surveyor did not allow for respondees of my characteristics. My personal assistant then mailed it by the last post to reach the surveyor by the 24th May, 2013 deadline. Consistent with my mature years, I then forgot all about it. On 4th June 2013, I was astonished to receive an email from Dr Kerry Bennett, CEO/Head of College of The Graduate Union, informing me that I had won a Graduate Union Merino Pullover for completing the survey. I was astonished because this was the first time that I had ever won anything of this kind. I was asked what size I would require, whether I would collect the jumper or prefer that it be sent via Australia Post. I was asked for my postal address which seemed strange since I been receiving mail from The Graduate Union for more than forty years. Then the penny dropped because I was informed that The Graduate Union has several members all called “David Fitzpatrick”. There it was, obviously a case of mistaken identity. I wondered when they would twig and cruelly take the prize from me. Unfortunately these events coincided with two bouts of eye surgery so my response was delayed. Eventually I compared my measurements with the size chart provided and to my horror I required size XXL and I emailed Dr Bennett accordingly. But there was no reaction. What could be wrong? By the end of July, the suspense was too much. I decide to craft a brief follow-up in the best diplomatic language I could muster. Still no reaction so I bit the bullet and re-sent the email to The Graduate Union’s administration. It transpired that the Union computer security was so suspicious of the sender that it was consigning my emails to the Junk Email Folder. In response, Dr Kerry offered a thousand apologies, assured me I would never be designated trash again and concluded saying “the jumper is in the post!!!!” You guessed it, I watched for the postman and the jumper actually arrived the very next day. With trepidation I tried it on and it is perfect, fitting me like a glove. Trouble is, I will have to acquire a new wardrobe to complement my new monogrammed jumper. I was most relieved to learn that my jumper prize was really mine to keep. So I sent a thank you email to Kerry thanking her for the super service. You guessed it , the recalcitrant computer slam dunked my email into the trash folder again. So that is the convoluted story of my Jackpot Jumper.

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The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Kay (Kinnear) Agnes Grose, Member 1962 In 1943 I came to teach in Robinvale, a tiny isolated hamlet barely twenty years old, formerly excised from an old pastoral lease. It had little to commend it save its position on a beautiful part of the Murray River and its year round sunshine. It lacked even the most basic services, like reticulated water, electricity and had only part-time telephone connection. It was wartime and the whole Mallee area was in drought. I never imagined that Robinvale would become my home. The drought ended, peace came and Robinvale district was opened as a “Golden Settlement” of irrigated vineyards. With the two hundred and fifty new settlers came hundreds of children. From a school enrolment of forty children, in five years it became more than four hundred and fifty. Everything was needed at once - housing, tradesmen, business, a hospital, an ambulance service, more school buildings, roads, electricity and so on. To bring these new things into being, a score of auxilliary committees sprang up and of course, like all the abled-bodied, I was part of several of them.

Kay on her graduation day in 1961.

At about 1950, the aboriginal people of the Muti Muti and Wadi Wadi clans who had been long dispersed from the area came “home”, settling in camps along the river. This added about two hundred to the population in the new Robinvale. It also spurred my interest in local history but it was not till post graduation that I was able to have time to develop a local historical society. Meanwhile, I had married, but having no children, I was able to devote some time to being a leader of Girl Guides. Guiding became a strong part of my life. I recently gained my sixty years service award as an adult member of Girl Guides Australia. I had enrolled at The University of Melbourne as an external student to do a Bachelor of Arts degree. This was arduous but an enormous pleasure, though I plodded along, gaining only one subject unit each year. Because of Robinvale’s remoteness and my full-time teaching work, I was never able to attend lectures or tutorials but worked from texts and notes of lectures. I often felt a great desire to be a part of day to day unversity life. My graduation in 1961 was, to me, a great occasion. I felt a great sense of achievement and privilege. Upon my graduation, I became a Member of The Graduate Union. I caught Bill Berry’s vision of a Graduate House that would be a centre for graduates with a further intention of providing accommodation for postgraduates from many sources who were undertaking specialist post-graduate studies. From a distance, I gave whatsoever support I could for the fulfillment of this goal. From being a trained primary teacher, I moved across to secondary teaching, specialising in teaching English. Literacy was of major importance to me. For a variety of reasons, students lacking basic literacy were being enrolled in secondary schools. Over a number of years, I tried a variety of approaches to help these students. I still follow with great interest every advancement made in teaching reading. My greatest joy in teaching was appreciation of English literature in all it’s variety. Having a little more time for personal interests, a friend and I establised a Robinvale Field Naturalists Club. We enjoyed the company of this group of enthusiasts learning about our natural environment and engaging in conservation projects. One of our projects was to have an area set aside as a reserve, an education area to study local native flora and fauna. I retired from teaching in 1981 but not to rest! I found myself fully occupied in community activities and also in demand as a tutor. Mainly free of charge, I tutored primary students learning to read and young adults applying to enter tertiary studies or employment. October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 28


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Always a part of my church, I worked with others in emergency relief, in welcoming migrants and in encouraging and assisting aboriginal people to develop self-confidence in controlling their own affairs through their co-operate community base. Almost fifty different nationalities make up the population of the five thousand that Robinvale district now has. Now, at 92 years of age, my activities have become limited to the Historical Society, the church responsibilities and some action for conservation. I also try to keep my mind alive with reading and connecting with the outside; and thus enjoy receiving news from The Graduate Union and my continued long-distance connection and commitment.

As shown above in a clipping from the local newspaper, Kay was honoured with the inaugural Citizen of the Year Award from the Swan Hill Shire Council on 26th January, 1991.

The clipping to the right is from The Robinvale Sentinel newspaper of Kay being presented in May, 2013 with a Certificate of Appreciation for sixty years with The Girl Guides Australia. As mentioned in this article, Kay took on the Guide Leader role when the first pack was established in 1951.

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The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Anne Mulholland, Life Member 1959 Anne is the third of four daughters born in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1935 to a Cornish mother, Edmee Goninan, and a Scottish father, Thomas Hamilton. Anne was educated at the local state primary school till the end of fourth class and later at Newcastle Girls’ Grammar School till the end of third year (Year 9) completing the school leaving certificate at Newcastle Girls’ High School. She entered the Women’s College at Sydney University in the Faculty of Arts with a Commonwealth scholarship in 1952 and graduated in 1955. With an ambition at the time (never fulfilled) to become an archaeologist, she describes the degree as an indulgent one focussed on studies in ancient history, archaeology (both classical and pre-historic) and anthropology. From the time of graduation, her career took many unanticipated, but always interesting, twists and turns. Her first job was as a secretary in the New South Wales Health Department. She then became an advertising copywriter for newspaper and radio. Marriage to James Mulholland came soon after and for the next ten years, Anne was a stay-at-home mother - the norm in those days - with four children.

Anne and James Mulholland at the Willam Berry Dinner in 2012

With the last child happily installed in school, Anne then spent a year as a kindergarten assistant which provided her with a wonderful opportunity to observe and appreciate the process and progress of early learning. There was just too little time to do so at home with four children under the age of five! After a brief period at home again, Anne then went back to the educational arena as a research assistant to Professor John Hunt at Monash University for three years, first working on a project to examine links between parental occupations and the years of formal education for their children and later on a curriculum development programme in Social Science for secondary school students in Years 7 and 8. When the Monash projects concluded, Anne was excited and motivated to pursue a career in teaching. In 1971, she enrolled as a mature age student in the first group of humanities (English and social studies) teachers to be trained by the then State College of Victoria in Hawthorn (formerly a technical institution only for the trades). During the training year, humanities students with a degree spent two days a week at the College and three days in charge of a class in a technical school, an ordeal by fire indeed for those not assisted by four teenagers at home who vetted every prepared lesson over the dinner table at home into such categories as “Boring!” and “Hit the bin immediately”. Anne found their “not bad” assessments to be worth a try (with acceptable modifications!). Following her formal studies, Anne spent five years at Swinburne Junior Technical School during which time (at the request of the principal on the basis that “You have four kids and thus should know what’s needed”) she designed and introduced a subject called Living Skills which she delivered twice a week to Year 7 and 8 students, receiving help along the way from a part-time programme run by Delys Sargent at the Social Biology Resources Centre (SBRC) at The University of Melbourne. In that period of our history, sex education had not been taught formally and, as you might imagine when teaching young lads, this proved to be an interesting challenge and with less help at home from aforementioned teenagers. By 1976, with an increasing number of teachers seeking assistance through her programme, Delys received permission from the Victorian Education Department to second a humanities teacher to assist her. As Anne had by then completed a second programme with Delys designed to teach the teachers, she was invited to join her team and worked at SBRC till the secondment was withdrawn at the end of 1980. During her October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 30


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members time at the Centre, Anne and Lawrence St Ledger (a teacher seconded from the Science Division in 1975), co-authored a report for the Education Department on “Health and Human Relationships Education” which outlined a rationale for this field as a school subject and suggested a basic outline for its content. Anne and Lawrence visited interested schools throughout Victoria meeting with parent organisations and school staff listening to their views and occasionally assisting in curriculum development appropriate to each school’s needs. During her time with SBRC, Anne completed a Anne and James in May, 2013 prior to the annual general meeting of The Graduate Union. Graduate Diploma of Educational Administration through State College, Hawthorn, as an evening student. In 1981, she resigned from the Education Department to join Toorak College, Mount Eliza, a school she had been consulting with since 1976 at the request of the then principal and Director of Studies. She introduced and taught in a living skills programme there for Year 7 to Year 10 till she retired from teaching in 1991. Since retirement, Anne has remained involved with the Archives group of the school. She also enjoys involvement with The Graduate Union through the monthly “Womens’ Forum”, volunteering for the mailouts and attending many of the GU Collegiate activities such as the Monthly Luncheons. Her other great interests and pleasure come from watching her nine grandchildren learn and shape their own lives.

John McLaren, Member 1959 For the first ten years of his career, John McLaren taught in country high schools in Yarrawonga, Wodonga and Kyabram. Then in 1966, he joined the staff of the then Secondary Teachers College (STC) where for five years he lectured in mediaeval and modern English literature, specialising in Australian literature. During this time, he and his wife formed the habit of dropping in from time to time for dinner at Graduate House, which also provided facilities and occasional seminars for STC staff.

John McLaren (right) with long time friend, Olive Hamilton, on his 81st birthday celebration at The Graduate Union.

After an interval of four years as Foundation Head of General Studies and Humanities at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (now the University of Southern Queensland) he was appointed to a similar position at Footscray Institute of Technology, where he has been ever since as it has developed into an integral part of Victoria University (VU) in western metropolitan Melbourne. He is now an Emeritus Professor in the College of Arts at VU. He has written many books, co-written a book on advanced education in Australia, and edited three collections of essays on literature, politics and related subjects. John has also been an editor of Australian Book Review and Overland.

John’s latest book, Melbourne: City of Words.

Melbourne: City of Words is the eleventh book he has written on education or literature. In this book, he examines the words of writers who have shared their perceptions of Melbourne, its conflicts and its celebrations, in their chosen literacy form and shows how this past lives on beneath today’s city, taking us to the boats that filled its harbour, the rivers that run beneath its streets and the ghosts who dance in its markets. This book offers its readers new ways of seeing the city within the city. October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 31


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Phoebe Kho, Resident Member 2009 I discovered Graduate House through The University of Melbourne International Student Handbook following the acceptance of my application for enrolment to undertake the PhD (Psychology) at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at The University of Melbourne. When I first arrived in Melbourne in October 2009, I was nervous with lots of uncertainties in terms of places to eat, shopping, public transportation, the level of friendliness of the people in Melbourne and many others that a new student would experience. However, my stay at Graduate House significantly alleviated these unnecessary fears and reservations. I was surprised to meet students from such a diverse range of countries at Graduate House. Their approachability, supportiveness and affection made it extremely easy for me to adapt well to my new surroundings within a short period of time. As this was my first trip to Melbourne and being away from Pheobe Kho my husband of nine years, I was indeed feeling isolated and lonely at the beginning. But I found it so breathtaking to be exposed to the multiple cultures, customs and traditions of my housemates from countries like Japan, China, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom, just to name a few. I felt so loved in this ‘new home’, with good people and a warm family feeling around ‘my house’. I also made many wonderful friends and some of these friendships are going to last forever. I must express my gratitude to Mrs Diana Bachman and Ms Shirley Ho, who were both extremely caring, thoughtful and helpful throughout my one year stay. They added even more comfort and cheerfulness to my stay with their all-time sweet and adorable smiles and joyful personalities. I was astounded by their work efficiency and most importantly, their affability to all the other residents to share the ups and downs despite the massive workload they must handle on a daily basis. I always looked forward to meeting these two lovely ladies to have a good chat with them. They have made my stay here so memorable. I left Graduate House after a year of stay to join my husband who has moved to Melbourne. But I remain closely in touch with friends I made at Graduate House and with both Diana and Shirley. Following the completion of my PhD this year, I started work at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital. My project examined the impact of traumatic brain injury on the psychological wellbeing and quality of life of individuals surviving the injury, with the hope to promote awareness about effective treatment approaches in brain injury rehabilitation. The primary aims were to generate useful information for healthcare professionals treating individuals with brain injury and to help survivors attain a meaningful and pleasurable life notwithstanding the severity of their injuries. I am currently attached to the Child Neuropsychology, Critical Care and Neurosciences Unit, working on several research projects that explore the effects of brain injury on

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Dr Pheobe Kho in Singapore outside Maybank Tower with sculptor Aw Tee Hong’s Chinese trader.


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members the development, wellbeing and life quality of children. I will soon continue my practice as a clinical psychologist in both hospital and rehabilitation settings. I am also exploring a post-doctorate opportunity to examine the connection between the brain and the heart, on how the heart affects brain functioning and the potential role of the heart to ‘awaken’ individuals in a comatose and/or vegetative state. Taken altogether, I am so glad that I chose to stay at the Graduate House for my first year in Melbourne. I must say I loved the loving, caring and supportive atmosphere of this residential college, which gives its residents an ‘at home’ feeling. Not merely is it a place of student housing, it also offers a lifestyle and culture that undoubtedly surpasses anything that you can imagine until your arrival. Academic, crosscultural, valuable friends and life skills - Graduate House has it all available for you! Personally, I would strongly recommend Graduate House to anyone who is after ample guidance on first arrival at a new place, and genuine love and care all through their entire studentship in university.

Anson Lim, Resident Member 2006 It’s amazing how time flies. Six years ago, I was a resident in Graduate House during my post graduate studies at Melbourne Business School. After spending five years in Melbourne, I am now back home here in Malaysia. Reflecting back to my favourite times in Melbourne, I enjoyed spending time at “home” in Graduate House’s cafeteria after classes. Being a quiet person, I must say thank you to Graduate House for giving me the opportunity to mix around and bond with my classmates and other students from various nationalitites and faculties. After years of travelling around, I made a decision to settle down with Kit Chan. We got married in July 2013 in Kuala Lumpur. Today, I work in a Bank in Kuala Lumpur and my wife is a psychiatrist in the hospital downtown. We are in the midst of building our new home which will only be completed next year. We hope to pay a visit to Melbourne in the near future and I hope to see some familiar faces in Graduate House.

The Graduate Union extends congratulations to Anson Lim and Kit Chan photographed above on their wedding day in July, 2013.

The article to the right was featured in the Our Story, Centenary Celebration 1911-2011 publication. October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 33


The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Organisation Development Australia (ODA) Incorporated in 1999, Organisation Development Australia (ODA) is the nation’s longest standing not-for-profit, professional association for organisational development. It was established by alumni of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and Swinburne University as a community of practice for post-graduate studies in organisation behaviour and organisation consulting; and remains being operated by dedicated volunteers from the membership base, some of whom on its Leadership Committee are shown below with the ODA President, Denis McIvor.

Denis McIvor

Carlos Schafer

Roma O’Callaghan

Peter Aughton

ODA uses the classic five-part 1969 definition (Beckhard, R. (1969) Organization Development: Strategies and Models, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.) of organisation development as being ‘an effort (1) planned, (2) organisation-wide, and (3) managed from the top to (4) increase organisation effectiveness and health through (5) planned interventions in the organisation’s ‘processes’, using behavioural science knowledge.’ The members of ODA, together with the 500 or so other non-member professionals who attend the forums, are from a variety of disciplines and roles, including managers, business owners, organisational development specialists, organisational psychologists, social science, human resources, students, executive coaches, management consultants, chief executive officers, learning and development, community workers and educators.

ODA meets monthly at Graduate House from February to (and including) November, alternating between the last Tuesday and Wednesday of the month, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. The meetings provide diverse perspectives from a wide range of sub-practices that include strategic planning and alignment, culture change and integration, mergers and acquisitions, organisation design, large group facilitation, leadership development, Renee Lock Graeme Mitchell appreciative inquiry, action research, group psychodynamics, psychological assessment, social-technical methods and gestalt (unified whole), to name a few. It is assumed that all participants are experts, each forum designed for topical learning, dialogue and networking in an informal and usually experiential setting, facilitated by guests or members. The forums held by ODA at Graduate House would be of interest to many of The Graduate Union’s Members, particularly those in their career stages. Looking at the 2013 program, for example, the event in November entitled ‘Exploring the emotional impact of organisational change’ facilitated by Andrew Mountford and Liz McAllon involved workshop activities on the management of emotions, such as fear, grief, sadness, anger, and worthlessness, that occur with organisational change (e.g., a take-over). The forum in October entitled Bouncing Back Better and Thriving in Tough Times by Cris Popp was on the so-called ‘Resilience Compass’ and an exploration of a Harvard Business Review (May 2002) statement: ‘More than education, more than experience, more than training, a person’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails. That’s true in the cancer ward, it’s true in the Olympics and it’s true in the boardroom.’ Another in September was entitled ‘Grow and restore trust to enhance productivity and performance’ by Stephen MR Covey who facilitated the exploration of how trust can be built (from scratch) or restored (if broken) to improve productivity and receptiveness to change, and lower staff turnover. We suggest registering for the free ODA newsletter at www.odaustralia.org so that you can hear about each monthly forum then feel very much welcome to participate. The Graduate Union acknowledges the patronage of ODA and applauds its Leadership Committee on another successful year of learning and development in this ever-complex field.

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The Melbourne Graduate Our Members Dependency and Structure Modelling (DSM)) On the 29th and 30th August, 2013, the Dependency and Structure Modelling Special Interest Group (DSMiSIG) held their 15th International DSM Conference in Melbourne at The Graduate Union. Every year the community of sixty academics and industry professionals who use dependency and structure modelling for improving processes and system architectures in engineering, business and manufacturing comes together somewhere in the world. This year, for the first time, this international event was in Australia. Many delegates from Europe, Japan, Korea, South America, Canada and the USA arrived to present their academic papers and posters but one delegate did not make it because he did not get his visa on time. Fortunately the setup of internet availability at the lectern made it possible to have a live presentation from Europe with questions and answers live between the presenter and the audience. The evening before the conference, a small number of early arrivers was treated to a finger food dinner and drinks. For some overseas participants, this was the first exposure to Australian lamb cutlets and Atlantic salmon! The first day of the conference was dedicated to Australian industry participants and many more arrived than originally expected. Two concurrent tutorials were held on the DSM methodology and at the end of the second day a small workshop for industry, as well as a poster and software tool demonstration room, were also in operation. This required last minute adjustments to the venue setup (Cochrane, Taylor and Hewlett rooms) but the Graduate House staff were not fazed by that at all and the rooms were adjusted quickly between the various sessions. The foyer to the three rooms in the Stella Langford Wing was used for morning teas and for small networking and ‘get-to-know-you’ meetings. We found that Graduate House staff was extremely helpful and responsive to our quite varied requirements, including delegate dietary requirements. The feedback we got from the delegates was fabulous and this means something to us, as many of the attending delegates are ‘hard core’ participants who have been at the annual DSM conferences over many years and in many countries. So we thank Rosie, Bill, Marwa and the team for their fantastic and professional help in the lead-up, during the conference and in the wrap-up of it. A great venue for our sixty DSMers.

The registration and information desk.

Poster and software tool room.

Morning tea in the foyer.

Dependency and Structure Modelling (DSM) supports complexity management by focusing on the relationships between elements of a complex system. At this year’s conference, a variety of topics was available in the different papers that were presented during the two days. Again, the participants came from all kinds of backgrounds, ranging from academia via consulting to different industries; and the topics covered included the application of matrix methodology, civil engineering, complex problem solving, the management of engineering design projects, knowledge management, modelling approaches and information acquisition, project and process managment, software engineering and system architectures. DSMers return to the northern hemisphere in July 2014 for the 16th International DSM Conference to be held in Paris. We hope for a return to Melbourne and The Graduate Union soon!

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The Melbourne Graduate Call to Arms The Graduate Union is in the initial stages of a campaign to raise major funds to eliminate debt and to progress big plans for the future. In seeking advice from Members, we aim to determine the best approach over the next year or so for this campaign. Here we provide a sample of the results of our preliminary research on why Members remain engaged with The Graduate Union and what we can do better to encourage donations and bequests of all sizes. Q. Why do you stay involved with The Graduate Union? What does The Graduate Union do best? • Intellectual stimulation emerges - it is not forced. • I feel comfortable here, a sense of belonging in a caring environment. • Conversations go quickly to a deeper level, rarely remaining superficial. • I am forever learning. • It is an ‘equaliser’ - I feel proud of my own achievements and not intimidated by those with a string of qualifications. • Coming to the realisation that my life experiences since graduation are a significant part also of my tertiary education. • It’s a great leveller of people. It provides a point of commonality that serves to unify people regardless of their background, age, sex, discipline or qualifications. • I feel grateful, loyal and a sense of responsibility for The Union’s continued success and growth. • It is owned by graduates. • It provides a safe, quiet environment with a friendly, welcoming and empathetic environment. • The communications and publications help me feel connected to people all around the world. • I am welcomed by name. • It provides a place for over 300 organisations to meet and make plans to improve our society. • It is a nurturing community that nurtures brilliant minds. Q. What would you give funds for? What is worth donating and giving to? • Recognition of achievements at all life stages through awards, scholarships, fellowships and sponsorships. • Acknowledgement of the ‘story’ behind my gift. • Buildings - preservation, expansion, construction and purchase. • A separate foundation which is administered prudently to provide a secure ongoing endowment and to direct funds intelligently. • A commitment to continued (and easy) giving - e.g., small donations through regular, automatically scheduled direct debits. • An organisation that is a good cause and a good place. • The concept of collegiality to achieve unification and social good. • An organisation that gives dignity and value to donations of all amounts, from a few dollars to a few more. • Ambassador roles - e.g., past-residents promoting the international collegium globally. • The forging of links with industry to advance careers and to advance industry. • Opportunities for integration between membership cohorts and inclusion of all Members. • Sponsorship of a learning series or a conference.

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The Melbourne Graduate College Events - Finance Seminars The Graduate Union is grateful to Peter Clark of DCA Advisors Pty Ltd. for conducting the 2013 Finance Seminar series. His expertise and experience, together with a wonderful presentation and interactive style, has been well received by Members, particularly those in careers and paying superannuation, and those in retirement. The first of Peter’s presentations was in February and entitled ‘The first of estate planning: what you need to know.’ In defining estate planning as working out the best way to distribute assets on death, taking into account family circumstances and income tax matters, Peter spoke to the circumstances that give rise to potential legal nightmares from wills. He explained that certain assets may not be estate assets, and may pass to another person through the operation of other laws. Dying without a will means that assets will be distributed in accordance with state laws. This may cause delays and additional costs in dealing with the estate, and children under eighteen years of age left without parents may have a guardian appointed by the state. To provide protection in bankruptcy and family court matters and to prevent beneficiaries from spending inheritances inappropriately, Peter explained testamentary trusts which he noted could also be used to make tax effective distributions to children under eighteen years of age. Cautioning that blended families require special estate planning attention, Peter spoke to the concept of Mutual Will and to the importance of drawing up powers of attorney. Peter gave the following advice: a solicitor can draw your will and power of attorney however it is important that tax consequences for the estate (if any), and for the beneficiaries, are taken into account. He suggested that having a tax plan in place prior to death is advisable so that you do not have to rule from the grave. ‘Tax-effective death’, the title of the April session, was with focus on how capital gains are taxed upon death in the hands of the executor or subsequently in the hands of the beneficiaries. Whilst Australia does not have death duties, it is acknowledged that there are ‘hidden death duties’ within the legislation. Peter pointed to the special circumstances surrounding charities, and beneficiaries who do not reside in Australia, noting the complex rules in relation to the main residence of the deceased. One strategy discussed was how to deal with capital gains during a lifetime rather than leaving a large tax debt to the beneficiaries. The option of making tax deductible gifts prior to death was also outlined. Superannuation entitlements can be subject to tax in the hands of dependants. Peter thus emphasised the importance of understanding superannuation statements to determine the tax free and taxable components of the balance; and outlined a few strategies to “re-weight” the taxable to tax free components, including cash-out, recontribution and dual pension options. To draw a will with appropriate acknowledgement of the tax consequences associated with estate assets, Peter stressed the need to choose a solicitor who has an understanding of the various taxes at play and/or to involve a tax adviser in the estate plan. ‘Self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs)’ was the title of the third session in July (the fourth in September being a recap of the year’s learning). Here Peter guided the audience through the establishment, costs, administration and trustee responsibilities of these funds, as well as the potentials for investment in property through SMSFs. He reinforced the learning experience for Members by providing case studies on SMSFs and some strategies to assist in lowering the taxation impacts. For 2014, Peter is again providing these free-to-Member sessions (non-members are welcome to attend and are asked to give a gold coin donation to The Graduate Union). In February, the target audience is of Members of any age, and the title is ‘Don’t put your head in the sand. It can be costly.’ The second and third sessions, targeted at older Members (together with their beneficiaries), as well as to Members with ageing parents/relatives, are entitled ‘Preparing to fund aged care’ (April) and ‘Taxation strategies for seniors’ (July). The final session is for Members in all life stages but the more so for those in careers, and is entitled ‘Risks and pitfalls with wealth creation’.

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The Melbourne Graduate College Events - Monthly Luncheons August - Tim Colebatch The significant rise in the economic growth rate in developing countries is a positive indication of improved living conditions and employment in these regions. China’s growth over the last thirty years has been the most resource intensive in world’s history, overtaking that seen in earlier times for Japan and Korea. China purchases raw materials, like steel and aluminium, from other countries for use in manufacturing. As a primary provider of these materials to China, this has affected Australia. Mineral prices are continuously rising and, in Tim’s view, nothing has been done to stop the rise in inflation because the government has relied on the dollar rising to keep inflation under control. Mining sector growth has been significant; as have been exports from manufacturing, particularly to Asia. Since 2002, exports have risen to $140 million, of which 77% is from mining. Economists predict a continuous healthy growth of 5%. United States, Europe and New Zealand have taken 30% of our export in the past decade but this is declining. China took 10% in 2002, tripling to 30% in 2012. Employment in these industries remains high, irrespective of ownership by off-shore parties. By not taking ownership, we are not at high risks of a volatile industry. Economic growth is not always a positive sign. Large cities in China are facing significant negative public health effects from over-pollution. Development must remain ecologically and economically sustainable, and growth must be distributed fairly. Tim sees a potential in the future for Australia to make small car and mechanical components, provided that contracts with overseas companies are high-volume, or if the parts are Australia inventions with potential for sustained patent and intellectual property income. Otherwise, his view is that, it is more cost effective to export the raw materials because our wages are high and uncompetitive for the conversion of raw materials to exportable products. Depending on the exchange rate, he also posits that it may be cheaper to buy from overseas than make cars in Australia.

September - Professor Chris Briggs While a skeleton may not reveal details like eye or skin colour, characteristics like age and gender are more than assumable from the shape and size of certain skeleton parts. The science of identifying details from skeletons, first proposed in 1878, was furthered significantly after World War II because of the need to identify casualties frequently. One of the first laboratories for the purpose of forensic anthropology was built in Argentina, and to this day The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team remains the leader in this field. Professor Briggs described the identification of remains and the determination of the time and cause of death, as a process undertaken in conjunction with a lot of other ‘ologists’ - pathologists, radiologists and odontologists, to name a few. With mass graves, for example, there are several steps taken by the team of professionals in the delicate process of collecting the bones, in identifying whether the bones are human or animal, in the somewhat macabre task of assembling a number of skeletons - which he equated to working on several jigsaw puzzles at the same time - and in ascertaining whether or not all the bones brought together in one skeleton are from one or more individual(s). Chris cited a case where a single human jaw was found amongst animal bones during the excavation at a development project on the Murray River. After detailed analysis, it was concluded that the excavators had inadvertently disturbed an aboriginal burial ground; and thus, as it was over 100 years old, a historical find. In relation to the bones of iconic outlaw Ned Kelly, Professor Briggs explained that when various sets of remains were being relocated from the old Melbourne Gaol during its redevelopment, some were nicked by some naughty neighbourhood kids, but that fortunately our constabulary reined in the majority of Ned’s remains (once again)! Showing images and x-rays of a near complete skeleton, Professor Briggs demonstrated how the bones were identified as being those of Ned Kelly. The neck bone fractures pointed clearly to a hanging and matched the published description of the event. However, it was the bullet holes and other fractures that spoke to the life of a man who was constantly being injured with his fight and flight existence before capture, internment and execution. October 2013 volume 68 No.3 Page 38


The Melbourne Graduate College Events - Monthly Luncheons October - Professor Stephen Duckett Health is a major portion of government spending and spending growth, with the majority being for hospitals, pharmaceuticals, primary care and medical services. Besides population growth, ageing and inflation, almost 66% of real health spending increases comes from other factors affecting public hospitals, medical services and medication. Stephen feels that these are changes by health professionals, rather than patient-driven changes. He suggested using a ‘compression of morbidity’ hypothesis, explaining that while the above 85 years age group may double, this group will have 25% less morbidity; and even though, yes, there will be a need to provide more public health services, the required change will be at the speed of a glacier rather than that of a tsunami. Referring to clauses from a recent KPMG consultancy recommendation for full outsourcing of services for the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Stephen explained that privatisation of the public health system is a ‘risk transfer’. Contracting risks were also inherent, particularly in describing the product, in specifying the asset and in managing the risk of failure, as has been demonstrated with such precedents as Robina, Modbury, La Trobe Regional Hospital and Port Macquarie. As also demonstrated, the longheld assumption that private hospitals are run more efficiently may be mislaid. Stephen presented solutions that included reorientation of the health system, refocussing on efficiency - which he emphasised as not being the same as budget cuts, especially in the context of unmet demand - and the elimination of waste. Touching on hospital efficiency, he used hip replacements as an example to illustrate the significant cost variations for exactly the same operation within and between hospitals, and within and between states and territories. Among other solutions, Professor Duckett called for a reduction in resistance from the medical profession, and for governments to put in the ‘hard yards’ to achieve sustainability. He acknowledges that while Australia has a good health system in international terms, it can still (and must) improve.

November - Professor Rob Mo odie Professor Rob Moodie first worked in refugee health care in the Sudan with Save the Children Fund and Médecins Sans Frontières, and later for Congress, the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in Central Australia. A former CEO of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth; 1998-2007), Rob has also worked for the Burnet Institute, the World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. He has been Chair of Melbourne Storm (2006-2010), and of the National Preventative Health Task Force (20082011) and now chairs the Federal Minister’s Men’s Health Reference Group, the Technical Advisory Panel of the Gates Foundation’s HIV prevention program in India and the Australia-India Taskforce on Tobacco Control (as co-Chair). On behalf of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Professor Moodie gave an informative and interesting presentation on ‘Profits and Pandemics’. He spoke about non-communicable disease (NCD) and the major contributors to NCDs, like alcohol, tobacco, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. He invited the audience to question where the responsibility for an individual’s health lay and compared the relative weights given to personal responsibility and to societal responsibility. Alcohol kills more people than Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), tuberculosis or malaria. Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and 366 million people live with type 2 (the acquired) diabetes. Rob presented an advertisement of a well-known soft drink company to highlight the brilliance of their marketing campaign in attracting young adults to be part of a popular culture - a culture that unfortunately contributes significantly to the NCD epidemic. He spoke of the difficulties faced by efforts in dealing with the big corporates, and that the imperative to go up against the business interests of powerful economic operators is one of the biggest challenges facing health promotion today. He concluded by highlighting that there is certainly hope in increasing the awareness of the dangers of these pandemics but that all of us need to play a part in taking ‘societal responsibility’ to bring about change at home, in schools and across our communities.

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The Melbourne Graduate College Events - Twilight Lecture September - Professor Zeger Degraeve Voted most energetic presenter in the history of Twilight Lectures, at least in the memory of many a Twilight Lecture attendee in the audience, Professor Degraeve moved about the room earnestly and intently to promote audience attention and their engagement in the learning of how good decisions are made, particularly by leaders. Using a thumbtack, cup and saucer as the analogy for a project, Zeger invited the audience to contribute $10 to become the project leader, and thence gain authority to decide on the position of the thumbtack, which was hidden and shaken under the cup. He explained tantalisingly that if the position of the thumbtack - tack pin pointing up or down - was guessed correctly, the business idea would be deemed a success and that the audience member who had bought into the idea would gain a profit. He also cautioned the audience, that if incorrect, the buyer would lose their $10 sunk cost. The challenge was taken up by Mr Casey Tan, who soon became known as ‘Courageous Mr Casey’. A large part of the lecture subsequently was dedicated to posturing as to whether or not our ‘Courageous Mr Casey’ had made a good or a bad decision. Statistics and probabilities were bandied, logic was flowing across white boards (most rapidly) and there was a palpable amount of audience gnashing of thoughts and intrepidation at being asked the next piercing question from our commanding presenter. The suspense, as to whether or not our Courageous Mr Casey had made the right decision to invest, built with each pace, with each joust, with each point splashed onto and into the audience’s riveted senses. In the meantime, there were salient lessons to be savoured. One was that good results come alongside bad, and that good decision-making can lead to bad results, just as bad decision-making can lead to good results. Decision-making with objectivity, thorough analysis and skill is thus in the world also of chance, luck, fate and the stars! Along similar lines, Zeger cautioned against correlating the decision-making skills of an employee (e.g., a manager in a company) with the outcomes of this decision-making (e.g., the success or failure of a major project assigned to this manager). Notwithstanding very good decisions based on the best analyses of available information, projects can fail. Zeger thus posed the question: If a CEO gives their best manager a project that, regardless of making the correct decisions, results in the company losing $10million, should that best manager be fired? Further, if the best manager, who made the best decisions, is subsequently fired, what happens the next time a project of a similar major size comes around? Should energy, resources and time then be spent on finding an external candidate or should the CEO go down the internal chain to the second, third or fourth best managers to those with less skill in decision-making? The night resulted in success for Courageous Mr Casey! His $10 investment paid off and he received a return of $30 plus the original $10. Mr Tan’s success was not a gamble at any point, as many of our attendees, when questioned, had suggested. Professor Degraeve explained quite thoroughly that there are statistical, algorithmic and logical decision-making processes that can be applied systematically in a business environment. As Mr Tan later put it: Aim, Alternatives, Attitude, Aptitude, Actions, Articulation, Audience and Achievements all govern the process of decision making and dictate the ability of a leader. Courageous Mr Casey received the new title of Generous Mr Casey after having donated his “investment” to The Graduate Union - thank you. The Graduate Union also extends gratitude to Professor Degraeve for his excellent and entertaining presentation and for his time in giving Members and guests insights of the process of decision-making.

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The Melbourne Graduate College Events - Sunday Music Concert August - Hoang Pham and Ji Won Kim With Hoang Pham on piano and Ji Won Kim on violin, these young and talented musicians gave a wonderful performance of spring flavoured music with pieces that brought a sense of adventure mixed with brisk tempo and fiery rhythms. With clever alternating of the melody and changes to the tempo and between piano and violin, highlights of the afternoon concert included Beethoven’s Spring Sonata for violin and piano and the Sonata Pathétique for solo piano, a passionate and dramatic work in which Beethoven further developed the sonata form and broke free from the classical constraints of Haydn and Mozart. following a practice popular in the past, Hoang played an improvised introduction to the Beethoven sonatas to ‘set the scene’. In between the two Beethoven works, the artists played Gounod’s Ave Maria, the famous transcription of the first prelude in Book 1 of Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues with the added melody line for violin, and Mendelssohn’s Spring Song. Also performed were four well known works by Chopin, including two masterly transcriptions in which the ‘singing’ line was transferred to the violin. The concert concluded with a Heifetz arrangement of one of Rachmaninoff’s Études-tableaux (‘study pictures’) which, as Hoang explained, ‘transfers the Russian composer’s finger busting piano writing to the violin in spectacular fashion’. The Graduate Union extends its congratulations to Hoang Pham who won the 2013 ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year in October. A similar, albeit belated, congratulations is sent to Ji Won Kim who won the Young Performers Award four years earlier, in 2009. It is an honour to have had this talented duo at Graduate House and we wish Hoang and Ji Won continuing and deserved accolades and success.

October - Ken Murray and Doug de Vries On Sunday 13th October, after a Spanish inspired lunch, Members and friends enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of guitar music from the Spanish and Brazillian traditions by master guitarists and specialists in these genres. Ken Murray has studied Spanish classical music and Doug De Vries, contemporary Brazilian. In addition to great skill and subtlety in their performance, the artists shared their knowledge by giving explanations of the background to each piece. They began with music from Brazil: Sergio Assad’s magical Tres Cenas Brasileiras (‘three Brazilian scenes’), with its complex rhythms and shifting harmonies evoking the spirit of Brazil. A waltz, Flor Das Aguas (‘flower waters’) by Marco Pereira, was followed by two choros (‘little laments’, a Brazilian music genre from 19th century Rio de Janeiro): Tua Imagen (‘your image’) by Camhoto da Paraiba and the famous Lingua de Preto (‘language of the slaves in Portugal from the 16th century’) by Honorino Lopes. We then moved to Spain with Francisco Tarrega’s quiet Lagrima (‘tears’), then Manuel de Falla’s Homenaje, a sad homage to Debussy. The next piece by Angel Barrios from Granada was La Petenera no ha Muerto (‘the Petenera - a very old song style - has not died’) which references traditional Flamenco music. Returning to Falla we heard The Millers Dance from The Three Cornered Hat, originally written for orchestra and the Ballet Russe, and the well known lively Dance from the opera La Vida Breve (‘the brief life’). We returned to Brazil for the last two numbers: Esmeraldino Salles’ Arabiando with its syncopated rhythms, and Jacob do Bandolim’s Santa Morena, a Spanish waltz with a Brazilian flavour. Following rousing applause, the performers graciously returned to the stage to treat a grateful audience to a brilliant sambe encore compilation sourced from 21st century popular culture. Thank you Ken and Doug!

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The Melbourne Graduate Acknowledgement of Patronage We thank our Organisation Members for their continued patronage.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

BELBIN

DAVID MORRIS CONSULTING

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The Melbourne Graduate Acknowledgement of Patronage

AUSTRALIAN ASIAN ASSOCIATION

RUSHALL CONSULTING GROUP

October 2013 volume 68 No. 3 Page 43


The Melbourne Graduate

THE GRADUATE UNION of The University of Melbourne Inc.

Australian Business Number: 55610664963 Incorporated Association Registration Number: A0023234B 220 Leicester Street, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia Telephone: +61 (0)3 9347 3428 Facsimile: +61 (0)3 9347 9981 www.graduatehouse.com.au admingh@graduatehouse.com.au

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