THE SEAHORSE | 15
HON. PATRICIA FORSYTHE Bachelor of Arts 1973
The Honourable Patricia Forsythe was a member of NSW Parliament from 1991-2006. She spent 10 years on the Opposition frontbench in a variety of shadow portfolios including Community Services and Education and Training, and influenced policy across the State. The highly sought-after speaker and panellist started her career as a high school teacher before moving into politics. Since late 2006, as Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber, Patricia has worked to enhance Sydney’s competitiveness as a global city. Through her advocacy the Chamber has become the leading voice of business in Sydney. Patricia represents the Chamber on a wide cross-section of key government committees and boards, particularly those focused on lifting Sydney’s positioning in transport, planning, tourism, and major events. She is also an active member of boards in the government and not-for-profit sectors, giving her time to Destination NSW, the Council of Macquarie University, the Hunter Development Corporation, the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network Board, Business Events Sydney and Cricket NSW. Patricia is a former member of the Hunter Medical Research Institute Board and the Anglican Board of Mission.
SERVING MY COUNTRY
BY THE HON. DATO PADUKA AR. H. IDRIS ABAS ALUMNI AWARD FOR NATIONAL LEADERSHIP RECIPIENT After graduating from the University of Newcastle with my Bachelor of Architecture (Hons), I returned home and was excited to serve my country Brunei Darussalam as one of its pioneer architects. I was so grateful to the Government of His Majesty the Sultan Dan Yang DiPertuan for granting me the scholarship to study in Australia and obviously I was bonded to work for the Government of His Majesty. Being a pioneer, I am also one of the founding members of our professional body, the Institution of Surveyors, Engineers and Architects, which we formed together with engineers and quantity surveyors. I was elected and re-elected several times as Chairman of the Architect Division for over 20 years and eventually became the President of the Institution. I developed my skills as the leader in that profession by being the Chairman and the President. Being an architect, we always play the role as the main coordinator for the project and this provided me the training and experience as team leader. My leadership skills gave me the confidence to establish my own practice, Arkitek Idris, in 1985. Working in a non-government organisation, I was determined to be a leader in my profession and the business world at the same time. I joined the local Chamber of Commerce to get myself associated with the business community. As I proved my deliverables successfully in my professional practices and my leadership in the professional Institution, I was also elected President of the Chamber. By then, I had led the country as a representative in global business forums and conferences including the ASEAN Chamber of Commerce activities. I was officially appointed
by the Government to represent the country as Member of the APEC Business Advisory Council. At the same time, I was also entrusted to be a member of various Government Authority bodies such as the Board for Municipality and the University Brunei Darussalam Council, where I was able to contribute in an advisory capacity. Besides developing and advancing my own profession and business activities, I am looking into how to make a more sustainable future for the next generations. My passion in developing youth to be better citizens encourages me to help the Scouts movement where we can train young children to be involved in Scouts activities. After being elected as the President of our National Scouts Association, I am even more committed to provide them with good leadership. The training and knowledge I acquired from the University of Newcastle, which I highly appreciated, has helped me to achieve what I have and be who I am today.