THE MELBOURNE GRADUATE Vol. 69 No. 1
April, 2016
Annual Report 2015-2016 The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc.
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Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
Annual Report of The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Incorporated Editorial: The Publications Team Printed by: City Copy
The Melbourne Graduate April 2016 – Volume 69, Number 1 Periodical Publication of The Graduate Union Print Post Approved PP337834/00022 Incorporated Association Registration Number A0023234B
graduateunionannualreport • 2
Contents The President’s Message
4
The Chair of Council’s Message
5
The CEO/Head of College’s Message
6
Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals
8
2016-2018 Strategic Plan
9
2015 Councillor Attendance
10
Council Members
11
Governance and Nominations
12
Graduate Union Council Election
15
Membership and Marketing
17
Membership in 2015
44
Bequests and Donations
50
Our Members
58
Awards
75
Graduate Union College Alumni
83
Buildings and Facilities
85
Meet the Team
88
Finance and Audit
98
Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2015
100
Independent Auditor’s Report
115
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The President’s Message It is a privilege to have been appointed the 16th President of The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne. I feel humbled to follow in the footsteps of a great Australian in Major General Professor Jeffrey V Rosenfeld AM OBE KStJ who was President from 2012 to 2015, and take this opportunity to thank Professor Rosenfeld for his outstanding service to this Association and to wish him the greatest success as Foundation Director of the Monash Institute of Medical Engineering (MIME). Since 'handover' at the August 2015 Thank You Donors Luncheon, I have very much enjoyed learning more about this 105 year old Association and the potential for graduates to engage and to use their collective skills, intelligence and innovation. In the recently released Graduate Union Strategic Plan (2016-2018), we commit to growth in vibrancy, membership and network engagement, and influence. We aim to provide platforms for Members to connect readily to satellite groups of influence and innovation around the world and to be renowned globally for delivery of activities that advance education for the benefit of the community. I am thus pleased to be working closely with your Council, staff and Members to progress the structuring of these platforms. Late last year, I extended invitations to a number of people in high office to become Honorary Members. I am delighted to announce a most positive response and to welcome to our Association, Ambassadors to Australia from countries across the world, Australian Ambassadors based overseas, five current Justices of the High Court of Australia, including the Chief Justice, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory. I look forward to welcoming them more formally over the coming year and to learning more about how we might engage with these distinguished people to further our shared purposes. I have also been meeting with early-to-mid career graduates here and overseas to link them into both established and emerging 'Tents' of Variety the Children's Charity, some here in Australia and New Zealand and others across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. At one of the most recent, as part of The University of Melbourne Global Alumni Celebrations in 30 cities, I met with the MBS Alumni Jakarta, including a past resident of Graduate House. I see tremendous potential for Members of The Graduate Union to be linked seamlessly to Variety Tents around the globe, to learn how to establish, manage, lead and govern a Variety Tent, and to contribute, as they can, to raising funds for children (our future) in their local regions. I also see potential in establishing graduate-level project teams to develop innovative practical equipment, programs and experiences that could be rolled out internationally through our vast Variety network. Please get in touch if you also see this potential! In due course our programs will widen to include a range of other social responsibility causes. The Graduate Union has committed, for example, to the 17 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (see page 8). I thus strongly encourage all Members here in Australia and overseas to participate actively. Collectively and particularly through each of our communities around the world, we have the numbers, the brains and the ability - indeed the responsibility - to tackle these tasks and to be successful in achieving each of these very necessary goals.
Dr Ken V Loughnan AO President of The Graduate Union graduateunionannualreport • 4
The Chair of Council’s Message I am honoured and delighted to commence this report by welcoming our 16th President as Dr Ken V Loughnan AO. Dr Loughnan is a most distinguished Australian and we are very fortunate to have him come on board as our new President. He is the International Vice-President of Variety The Children’s Charity and brings significant international corporate governance experience, strong leadership and influential networks. Our membership is already seeing the benefits from Dr Loughnan's global and outward-looking approach and we look forward to continuing to strengthen connections and to explore opportunities locally and internationally. I extend also gratitude and a farewell to our 15th President, Major General Professor Jeffrey V Rosenfeld AM, OBE, KStJ who contributed much during this three-year term. We have been very fortunate to have someone of such international renown and standing working with us over the successful period of his tenure. During 2015, Mr Andre Cleghorn, Ms Cheryl Kidston and Mrs Glenda Fisher retired from Council having served this Association for 16, 11 and 9 years, respectively. I would like to recognise these long term contributions during a period of significant growth for our Association, particularly with the construction of the central wing (216-220 Leicester Street) in 2005 and the Stella Langford Wing (210-214 Leicester Street) in 2010. I wish them all the very best and am enjoying seeing them come into Graduate House to enjoy the fruits of their labour! Critical to our current success has been the work of your Council, subcommittees and working parties. We continue to reap the harvest of these women and men who have been willing to serve this Association, meeting regularly to make the major decisions that allow our Association to run so effectively. Thank you to all whom have served so faithfully. I am honoured to have been appointed Chair of Council for this second term and to work thus with people who are forward-thinking, experienced and dedicated. As is made evident in this publication, 2015 has been productive and active. We successfully met the key priorities of our 2013-2015 Strategic Plan and have adopted the 2016-2018 Strategic Plan, so entering an exciting new period of opportunity and potential. Good progress has been made on our Master Plan and we have commenced also a 50-year blueprint. Our Culture of Philanthropy is firmly in place and we have now dedicated operational resources to grow our advancement capabilities. Following on from the very successful 2015 Annual Appeal, I invite your support for the 2016 Annual Appeal, which is to build our endowment reserves, and for the Graduate House Society which is for those providing for our Association in their wills. The Graduate Union remains a well-managed Association that is committed to growth, improvement, transparency and accountability. I pay tribute to the result, quality-control and growth oriented operational team at Graduate House and applaud their dedication and hard work. I look forward to learning of the results from the survey and thank Members for their contributions, no matter how small, and for their engagement from near and afar. We are sustained because you are involved.
Mr Rhys Watson Chair of the Council of The Graduate Union
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The CEO/Head of College’s Message I am pleased to present to Members our Annual Report for the year 1st January to 31st December, 2015, and to report that the results are sound and that the Association is positioned well for growth and increasing influence. Financial results The Financial Report for the year ended 31 December, 2015 shows a small operating surplus and a strong asset position. The results reflect the underlying strength and resilience of each of our service divisions - membership, residential accommodation and academic and professional development meetings. We have continued to restructure our borrowings to take advantage of favourable interest rates and to protect against unfavourable movements through a fixed rate hedging structure. The loan principal and interest expenses are reduced and we have capacity to access funds to invest in growth strategies. Strategic achievements We have met each of the strategic priorities in our 2013-2015 Strategic Plan. 1. We have put in place the fundamentals to enable advancement and major projects. We have an increasingly robust system of business development from idea generation, value proposition and feasibility analysis, to implementation and evaluation. We understand, communicate with and meet the markets for membership, accommodation and meeting services. We have begun to implement a systematic, strategic and ‘best-practice’ approach to raising major funds through bequests, donations and other endowment sources. 2. We have achieved financial stability and are now poised and positioned for growth. Our financial controls and risk mitigation and management strategies are sound and stringent. We have implemented all recommendations from governance and accounting reviews. Following a rigorous financial modelling and negotiation period we have refinanced and achieved debt reduction. The budget structure is designed to allow for current operations, capital expenditure and development initiatives to meet current and future graduate markets. 3. Ours is a quality college with quality meeting facilities. Graduate House is without parallel internationally. Our quality facilities are appropriate and safe for accommodation, meeting and social activities and we hold an established reputation in graduate sectors of international good standing. We regularly benchmark, control for, monitor and report on market attractiveness, safety and quality of facilities for accommodation, meeting services and collegiate functions. Average occupancy over 2015 was 94.21% and over 730 people resided here throughout the year. We are developing and evaluating major expansion, purchase and redevelopment plans and opportunities to meet increased graduate numbers and requirements. 4. We have effective and well-structured governance. We review and refine the rules and regulations of the organisation regularly to ensure currency, responsivity to Member needs and feedback, and relevancy. We meet recording, reporting and governance regulatory requirements of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (Cth); and continue both to develop new policies and to review existing policies and internal controls.
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5. Our membership is engaged, we focus on organisational development and we have a positive learning culture. Our multidisciplinary, globally-based membership engages with us to develop collegiate programs for local and international good. We have committed to the 17 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in September 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly. In 2015, more than 270 not-for-profit convenors booked over 1,080 events which saw nearly 23,000 delegates come in to Graduate House to progress their education, research, societal and government goals. Through GU Collegiate and the Graduate House Student Group we continue an engaging programme of research, education, cultural and social activities. We have a strong team of College Tutors, as well as continuing representation of Resident Members on Council subcommittees, specifically on the Membership and Marketing and the Buildings and Facilities committees. We market and communicate services, benefits and new developments in a targeted, responsive, systematic and contemporary manner. Here in Melbourne and across the globe, our capacity to bring together minds from different career stages, cultures and disciplines into networks of education, contribution and influence is increasing. Strategic and Master Planning The 2016-2018 Strategic Plan shown, in brief, on page 9 has been developed through a number of forums, with market analyses and forecasting and by drawing on the feedback from a variety of sources. It is the culmination of the last few years of setting the foundations and getting the fundamentals right so that we can step confidently to this new phase in the history of our Association - one of expansion, both of our facilities and of our reach and influence. We continue to develop a two-component ten-year Master Plan. The G-House component is to reflect the major infrastructure, buildings and facilities projects. The G-Union component relates to major people-based activities for delivering the Association’s purposes of supporting education and social good. From the aspirational to the practical, feasible and structured, the Master Plan will reflect our commitment to sustain and grow the business model(s) to meet the needs of the Association’s stakeholders, to be prepared for financial, resourcing and governance requirements of significant projects and to show potential major funders a considered, feasible and inspiring vision. Major changes are afoot in the immediate vicinity of Graduate House. The Parkville station will be on Grattan Street between Leicester Street and Royal Parade after a long period of construction. University Square is being 'Reimagined' as greener and more sustainable, with less roads and concrete. Leicester Street is to become a park lane. We are now in 'Capital City Zone' and are seeing major works on the corner of Grattan and Swanston Streets with 'Carlton Connect' on the old Royal Women's Hospital site and re-location of The University of Melbourne's Student Union to the 1888 Building. Beyond Graduate House, we are working well with a number of like-minded organisations, including 17Goals and FRAmericas with which we are collaborating to advance the SDGs. I thank our President for providing us with an unprecedented opportunity to link in to the 'Tents' of Variety the Children's Charity and welcome the ongoing discussions with a number of other international and locally-based associations to progress shared values and purposes. I thank, in particular, the staff here at Graduate House. They work hard, with strong ethics and professionalism, and always with good cheer. I thank the many members of Council, subcommittees and working parties who volunteer a great deal of their time to make this Association the success it is. I remain grateful always to Members, past, present and future, for making this such a vibrant, engaged and influential society.
Dr Kerry M B Bennett CEO and Head of College
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Sustainable Development Goals This membership association exists to advance education for social good. It invites your commitment to the 17 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. See www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals
We have the collective intelligence, capacity and influence to do this rather than just to talk about it.
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2016-2018 Strategic Plan Priority
Key Result areas Innovative influential membership
Graduate House is the place and Graduate Union the network in which graduates want and need to be. Members connect readily to satellite groups of influence and innovation around the world. The Association is renowned globally for delivery of activities that advance education for the benefit of the community.
Benefaction
Council is driving advancement and the engagement of influential networks with the Association. Major funds have been secured from bequests, donations and other endowment sources. G-House and G-Union major projects are ‘ready-to-go’. The crowd funding site generates support for education and innovation.
The 50-year blueprint for the way forward is robust and Planned and achieved major in action. projects Facilities at Graduate House are expanded and meet market demand and expectations. There is at least one other ‘House’ site. Plans and policies are innovative, developed with timeliness and implemented to give measurable benefits to the Association. Well-managed finances and mitigated risk
Sound financial controls, risk mitigation and management and unqualified audit reports. Debt reduction. Financial performance that enables both operations and development.
Effective responsive stewardship
Sound and productive relationships are with like-minded groups working towards education for social good. Council is renowned globally for leadership and ethics in governance. Representation of the membership on Council and its subcommittees. Currency and relevancy in the purposes, rules, regulations and operations of the organisation.
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2015 Councillor Attendance Your Council works hard to sustain and grow our Association. Many of your Council Members attend Graduate House for meetings weekly, contributing much more than indicated in the schedule of governance meetings from the 1st January to 31st December 2015, shown in the table below. The University of Melbourne also contributes significantly, and our gratitude is extended to the Vice-Chancellor’s representatives on Council, Joanne Ligouris and Sarah Banks, and to Siôn Lutley who served three years with us, for their dedicated and professional service to governance and our Association. Elected Watson, R A Kidston, C A Vice-Chair to May Davis OAM, R K Vice-Chair from June Batrouney, J J to February Cleghorn, A G to May Cobbin, P E Corcoran, V to January Cowie, D G M from June Fisher, G J to May Green, J M from June Kelleher, M R from June Ryall, K F Santalucia, L Sparks, D N Co-opted or Appointed Fitzgerald, F from December Wetherall, P J Vice Chancellor Representatives Banks, S from October Ligouris, J
Total
%
21
91
Council P A 7 7
M&M P A 4 3
B&F P A 4 3
5
71
4
2
13
87
7
7
1
50
1
0
7
88
4
4
11
73
7
6
13
87
7
6
4
4
50
4
1
2
7
88
3
3
6
86
3
3
2
1
12
80
7
6
4
4
15
100
7
7
18
95
7
7
1
100
1
1
13
87
7
5
1
100
1
1
6
55
7
4
2 4 2
2
2 2
2
G&N P A 4 4 1
1
4
4
1
1
4
3
1 4
2
4
4
3
2
2
1
2
2
4
2
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
4
4
2
4
4
2
2
4
4
4
4
3
2
Lutley, S to February M&M B&F G&N F&A P A
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F&A P A 4 4
Membership and Marketing committee Buildings and Facilities committee Governance and Nominations committee Finance and Audit committee Possible number of meetings that could be attended Actual number attended from 1st January, 2015 to 31st December, 2015 Chair of Council or committee in period before AGM (late May) Chair of Council or committee in period after AGM Chair of Council or committee for the whole of 2015
Council Members 2015 - 2016
Dr Ken V Loughnan AO
Cr Rhys Watson
Cr Kingsley Davis
Cr David Sparks
Cr Keith Ryall
Cr David Cowie
Cr Leo Santalucia
Cr Phillip Cobbin
Cr Mary kelleher
Cr John Green
President
Chair of Finance and Audit Committee
Chair of Council
Vice Chair of Council and Chair of Governance and Nominations Committee
Chair of Building and Facilities Committee
Chair of membership and marketing Committee
Vice Chancellor Representatives from The University Of Melbourne
Cr Faith Fitzgerald
from December
Cr Viv Nguyen
from April 2016
Cr Jo Ligouris
Cr Sarah Banks
from December
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Governance and Nominations Governance and Nominations Committee
As set out in Regulation 2, clause 29.2, the general role of the Governance and Nominations Committee is to support the Council of The Graduate Union by establishing excellence in governance practice, formulating and reviewing policies and practices relating to the effectiveness of Council and of Council subcommittees, and Council succession planning. More specifically, the subcommittee is to: • oversee Council’s compliance with its governance obligations established by external regulatory authorities; • determine, review and recommend improvements to governance policies; • review and recommend changes to the structure and functioning of Council and of Council subcommittees for effective governance; • facilitate the understanding by Council Members of their governance role and responsibilities; • safeguard the process for annual updating of the strategic plan; • research and recommend improvements to the proceedings of Council in relation to meetings, written resolutions of Council Members, Council Members’ interests and minutes and registers; • ensure reviews of the terms of reference for each subcommittee at least once every two years; • ensure reviews of the performance of each subcommittee at least once each year • ensure Council Members are provided with information about professional development opportunities; • monitor adherence to Regulation 1 (see below); and • establish and pursue a procedure for identifying and securing suitable future candidates for election or co-option to Council.
Governance Standards
Council and Council Members are required to adhere to the governance standards prescribed under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (Cth). The Governance and Nominations committee monitors and makes policies to ensure adherence to these standards as provided in Regulation 1 under the headings of: (a) purposes and not-for-profit nature of the Association; (b) accountability to Members; (c) compliance with Australian laws; (d) suitability of Officers; (e) duties of Officers; and (f) governance values, ethics and behaviours of the Association.
Rules and Regulations
New Rules were adopted by Members at the 2014 annual General Meeting and approved on the 12th June, 2014 by the Registrar of Incorporated Associations Victoria. At a special General Meeting on the 31st March, 2015 Members resolved to amend one of these new rules (54.3) to provide for elected Council Members to have a maximum tenure of three (3) consecutive terms on Council. Additionally, this rule was amended to operate retrospectively to apply to and include all terms served by Council Members prior to the commencement of the operation of the new Rules on the 12th June, 2014.
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At the subsequent annual General Meeting on the 28th May, 2015 Members participated in healthy debate on motions for further amendments to the Rules of the Association. One Special Resolution was to amend rule 54.3 to include reference to those Council members who had been co-opted or appointed. The other Special Resolution was to amend rule 42.1(b) to include proxy voting. The required majority of 75% (rule 43.1) was not obtained for either Special Resolution. Council acknowledged that issues relating to voting and participation at meetings were of paramount importance to Members. The Governance and Nominations committee was thence tasked to review the rules relating to the use of technology at General Meetings and to consider the inclusion of provisions for voting by postal ballot for Special Resolutions which deal with major issues and for which a high Member voting participation rate is desired. From this review, the committee has developed amendments which are to be put as Special Resolutions at the 26th May, 2016 annual General Meeting. During 2015 the Governance and Nominations committee has been continuing a review of the Association’s regulations since Council adopted consequential amendments in December, 2014. The focus of this review has been on how and when officers (chairs and vice-chairs) are appointed to each subcommittee, the roles and responsibilities of each subcommittee, reminders to Members on the proposal of motions for General Meetings, the timing by which and the form in which those motions need to be proposed, and the consequential amendments required should further amendments to the Rules be approved.
Composition of Council In 2015 we farewelled Major General Professor Jeffrey V Rosenfeld AM OBE KStJ as our 15th President (2012 to 2015) and wished him all the best in his appointment as Founding Director of Medical Engineering at the Monash Institute of Medical Engineering, among his other prestigious appointments. Professor Rosenfeld is pictured here (right) receiving the Association’s award of Signal Honour presented to him by Dr Ken V Loughnan AO at the Donor’s Thank You Lunch on the 16th August, 2015. We were immensely honoured to announce Dr Ken V Loughnan AO as our 16th President. Dr Loughnan is International Vice President of Variety The Children’s Charity and a company director in both public and private sectors around the world. He has chaired entities in the United States, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, the Sub Continent, South Asia, North Asia, New Zealand and the Pacific Region. Dr Loughnan was Chair of the Skilled Group, and for almost 20 years, Chair of the Bureau of Emergency Services in Victoria. He is Deputy Chair of Defence Council Victoria and of the Victoria Police Corporate Advisory Group. We welcome Dr Loughnan AO and look forward to working with him to establish strong and enduring links internationally, particularly through Variety the Children’s Charity.
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The long and dedicated service of retiring Council members was acknowledged with awards presented at the 2015 annual General Meeting. Pictured from left to right are Mr Andre Cleghorn who joined Council in 1999, Mrs Glenda Fisher who joined in 2006 and Ms Cheryl Kidston who joined in 2004. These Members have given countless hours of their time, energy and expertise on a voluntary basis. Thank you. The Rules provide for up to three appointments to Council. Through this process Council appointed Mr Peter Wetherall, one of Australia’s top investment executives and a Rhodes Scholar, for a one year term. During this time Mr Wetherall contributed significantly to Council, the Finance and Audit committee, the Membership and Marketing committee and the Fundraising and Benefactions working party. We are grateful for the expertise and professionalism brought during Mr Wetherall’s term on Council. Council is pleased to have appointed Mrs Faith Fitzgerald to Council for a one year term commencing December 2015. A principal of Whole Systems Work and the founding Secretary of the John Cain Foundation, a progressive think tank contributing to the public polity in Victoria and nationally, which meets at Graduate House monthly, Mrs Fitzgerald brings strong education, government and industry experience having tripled the revenue of RMIT Training Pty Ltd while its CEO for eight years, contributed to the success of a large defence business across Australia, the US and the UK as International Marketing Manager, and held a number of senior executive positions within the Victorian public service. We thank Mr Siôn Lutley for three years (2012 to 2015) of service to our Council, to the Membership and Marketing committee and to the Fundraising and Benefactions working party as one of the two nominees of The Vice-Chancellor of The University of Melbourne. Mr Lutley is the Executive Director of Advancement for The University of Melbourne and has been of tremendous support during the Association’s development of robust systems and practices for fundraising and benefaction. We are pleased to welcome the incoming Vice-Chancellor’s nominee, Mrs Sarah Banks, Deputy Director of Alumni Relations. Mrs Banks has a strong background in the university sector as well as the corporate arena, specialising in roles including alumni, communications, advancement, careers and employment, recruitment, training and education. She has demonstrated skills in leading, developing and implementing alumni relations programs and engagement strategies. This expertise-base will be crucial for the continued success of our advancement programs. I thank the 2015 committee members - Jennifer Batrouney QC (Chair to March), Cheryl Kidston (Vice-Chair to May), John Green (Vice-Chair from August), Phillip Cobbin, Brendan Grabau, Ben Green, Leo Santalucia, David Sparks and Rhys Watson - as well as the secretariat and administration staff at Graduate House. Cr Kingsley Davis OAM Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee graduateunionannualreport • 14
Graduate Union Council Election A Notice of Election was forwarded to Members in late January calling for nominations to fill three positions on Council. At the close of nominations on Thursday, 17th March 2016, three valid nominations had been received. These were from:
Mirabelli, Vincent John *Ryall, Keith Francis *Santalucia, Leonardo
An asterisk indicates a retiring Council Member who had sought re-election. Since there are three vacancies to be filled on Council, I advise that a ballot will not be necessary and that the above-listed successful candidates will be declared elected at the Annual General Meeting scheduled for 26th May 2016. The term of office for these appointments will be until the Annual General Meeting in 2019.
Personal Statements from Candidates The personal statements, which follow, have been standardised only by listing the surname first, followed by other names, the listing of degrees and diplomas and the inclusion of the names of the proposer and seconder of the candidate. A complete listing of Council membership during 2015-16 is available under the About Us tab on The Graduate Union website www.graduatehouse.com.au. Ronald G Ritchie Returning Officer MIRABELLI, Vincent John, B.Juris, LLB Proposer – The Hon Justice Gaetano Pagone Seconder – Thomas Charles Nantz I am a Senior Consultant with MDM Lawyers and have practiced in the areas of commercial, civil and common law litigation since 1975. I am a director of various companies and was previously on the board of CO.AS.IT. I am a member of the Law Institute of Victoria, CO.AS.IT, the RACV City Club, the East Melbourne Group and the Australian Italian Lawyers Association. I am grateful for my university education at The University of Melbourne and am passionate about the needs of graduates at all career stages. Across all sectors, postgraduate education through life is essential in today’s competitive job market and to maintain the agility of mind needed to work with people from different disciplines globally. I hope to contribute to The Graduate Union with not only my legal and governance expertise, but also by tapping into my national and global networks for the benefit of earlier career graduates.
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Personal Statements from Candidates *RYALL, Keith Francis, BSc, DipEd, BEd, GradDip Proposer – Paul Clement Carlin Seconder – John Anthony Seymour Broughton Keith’s interest in the development of young graduates started in 1972 when he established a Human Resources function with the Australian Wheat Board. In 1978, he was headhunted to Arthur Andersen/Andersen Consulting to establish an HR function, with the emphasis on recruitment and retention of accounting, finance, business and IT graduates. In 1988, he was the inaugural Secretary/Treasurer of the Australian Association of Graduate Employers Ltd and the following year, National President. Keith completed a B.Sc.Dip.Ed. Melbourne University (1966), a B.Ed. Monash University (1972) and a Grad.Dip. in HR RMIT University (1974). He was resident at International House (I. H.), University of Melbourne (1963-65) and later served on the I. H. College Council from 1994-2008. Keith is also a Past District Governor (2011-2012) for Rotary International District 9800. He is passionate about the future of the Graduate Union and the wonderful facilities of Graduate House and proudly stands for re-election. *SANTALUCIA, Leonardo, BBus, GradDipPA Proposer – Kingsley Davis OAM Seconder – David George Mein Cowie A life member since 2007 and a Councillor since 2011, I have been fortunate enough to not only enjoy the benefits of the association but also contribute to some of its direction and governance in recent years. With over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, strategic planning, financial and customer relationship roles in property, financial services and general insurance industries, I offer strong business acumen and a vast knowledge in the corporate governance and stewardship of mutual entities to design and drive strategic change. If re-elected to Council, I believe I can continue to contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of the Graduate Union Council by ensuring the interests of members and residents are acknowledged and enriched in order to achieve the agreed goals and objectives that flow from our Mission of embracing academic, cultural and general diversity within a secure and collegiate environment.
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Membership and Marketing Membership and Marketing Committee
As set out in Regulation 2, clause 30.2, the general role of the Membership and Marketing committee is to oversee the maintenance and growth of the Association’s membership, and the development and promotion of new or improved programs or services. More specifically, the subcommittee is to: • advise Council on the development of new or improved services or programs that strengthen The Association’s offerings to Resident Members, non-resident Members and the general public; • advise Council on marketing and communications strategies to increase Member numbers and Member participation; • review the fees, charges and conditions for membership and recommend any changes for adoption by Council; • monitor Member satisfaction with the Association’s services and facilities; • oversee the management of significant awards to, and recognitions of, Members and staff; • oversee advancement initiatives such as benefaction, sponsorship and fundraising; • review and recommend to Council any updates to policies relating to the conduct of Members; and • review membership applications in accordance with the Association’s membership policy.
Membership
As at 31st December, 2015, The Graduate Union had 2,033 Members as compared to 2,055 by the end of 2014. Though the number of Life Subscriber Members continues to decrease, we were delighted with the positive response to our campaign to take up Life Subscriber membership in the second half of 2015.
Comparison of the number of Members in each category by the close of years 2014 and 2015.
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The number of Members in other divisions has remained relatively stable, with a slight increase in Regular (non-resident, including Associate) Member, and slight decreases in Resident and Organisation Member numbers. Not shown in the previous bar graph are the numbers of Honorary Life, non-resident Graduate Student and the new Honorary Members of high office who had accepted the invitation extended by our President.
The number of new Members admitted each month of 2014 (lighter blue) and 2015 (darker blue).
A total of 256 new Members was admitted in 2015 (336 in 2014). The above chart shows the number of Members who joined each month. The lower number of new Members was due to a lower number of new Resident Members (see bar chart below) which in turn was attributed to the timing of payment for subscriptions (some in the year prior to entry to college) and to a higher number of residents staying for longer periods. Reassuringly, occupancy averaged 94.21% as compared to 90.96% in 2014.
The number of new Members admitted per division in 2014 (darker blue) and 2015 (lighter blue). graduateunionannualreport • 18
Learning from Members - Past, Present, Future
The first formal survey of Members was undertaken in 2013 to gain feedback from Members on the range of activities undertaken by The Graduate Union in order to better understand the value provided so that it may continually attract new members, improve the services offered, and provide ongoing value in order to retain existing members. In summary, the results were that: • with 70% of Members aged over 60 years at that time, there were obvious implications for membership growth and retention; • with 40% of new Members having heard about The Graduate Union through The University of Melbourne website and housing service, new marketing and recruitment strategies were necessary; • with 59% of Members joining the Association to access the residential facilities, other benefits and services needed to be highlighted as well; and • with 48% of new Members either unsure or not intending to renew, membership retention strategies were critical. As advised in 2013, we planned to undertake repeat major surveys in a three-year cycle, and in parallel with the strategic planning and the Organisational Culture Inventory cycles. To prepare for the release of this second survey in 2016, we thus began its design in 2015. Part of this process was to get in touch with previous Members whom had resigned or not-renewed their subscriptions in the years prior to 2011. We thus sent a letter informing these previous Members of the new directions of the Association and inviting their answers to three open-ended statements: 1. The main reason(s) why I have not continued as a Member is/are …… 2. I would consider re-joining or offering my support in other ways if …… 3. In my view, the focus for the Association, the ‘union’ and the ‘house’ over the next ten years should be on …… We were delighted to receive responses that reflected the intelligence, qualifications and experience that characterises our diverse membership. We learnt that such factors as distance from Graduate House, age, disability/illness, being busy with other life matters, together with the quality and relevance of our previous service offerings and 'politics', were factors that contributed to the decision to resign or not to rejoin. Pleasingly, a number of the respondents have since rejoined, having learnt a little more about the improvements and new directions achieved over the last few years. Additionally, we gained good intel for the design of our 2016 Survey and for our tenyear Master Plan through the responses to the third statement which included: • continue as is, building on achievements; • education and support for graduates; • connect graduates to research, leaders and networks; and • events, talks of interest, socialising, outings and travel of relevance for graduates. The 2016 survey was sent out early in the year and we very much look forward to comparing the results against the 2013 baselines and to continuing to improve our approach to marketing, recruitment and retention.
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Website
2015 saw comprehensive development of the new Graduate Union website launched early 2016. Ease of use for all visitors to the site was carefully considered, and so the website was designed deliberately to allow visitors firstly to find information quickly, and secondly to act upon that information. This ensures that visitor goals are reached far quicker than before. New inclusions that facilitate this process include ‘call to action’ buttons (e.g., learn more, book now, dine here) which leads users straight to a relevant form.
A popular feature of the new website is a coming events calendar. Users can select their preferred view (calendar form, list view in per month or day) and browse our event listings, easily booking their places online. Another feature is the publications library. We have integrated with ISSUU, a digital publication viewing platform which allows our site visitors to browse through all of our publications online through a sophisticated and user-friendly interface with features including full-page view, zoom and sharing. This also means that our publications, and more importantly stories about our Members, Association and College can be shared with a larger audience, thus increasing our reach. Our new site also enables online membership applications, fee payments and renewals, feedback and contact, accommodation availability and applications for residency, merchandise purchasing, booking to attend GU Collegiate and other functions, car park bookings, as well as donations.
graduateunionannualreport • 20
Social Media
Our online presence is continually being built upon. Currently our main social media channels are YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Google+. Social media is an integral component of any communications / digital marketing strategy, and an essential tool for brand awareness, development and community management. Each social media channel has content tailored specifically for its unique audience, as visitors to each social media channel consume information differently. For Facebook and Google+, the content is on current happenings within Graduate House – from information on coming and past events, graduate profiles and testimonials, to photos, editorial excerpts and links of note. Our page provides a glimpse of life from Graduate House, simultaneously promoting our offerings. It is tailored to engage our current Residents and Members. Linkedin reports on Graduate House events and functions. This content is tailored more towards potential sponsors and members. Our Twitter account serves dual purposes. Firstly to share information from Graduate House, as well as sharing the information that represents our objectives. Secondly, we also connect with our guests, reciprocal associations, sponsors, and entities and individuals who align with Graduate House thinking, thereby engaging and expanding our online network. Our YouTube account focuses on sharing the latest videos from our many speakers from our events such as monthly luncheons, college tables and lectures. This content is aimed at all – Residents, Members and the general public, and provides an audio-visual understanding of the educational aims and ideas of Graduate House. Engagement levels, impressions and followers are showing steady increases month to month. As at December 2015, the numbers, together with the percentage increase since December 2014 are as follows:
584 22%
192
18.2%
96
51%
575 28%
6,484 27%
How I can make a difference
In support of the Association’s commitment to the UN 2030 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our social media campaign, “How I can make a difference” saw individuals writing down the many ways, however small or large, that they contribute to a better world. Photos were taken of the participants and shared on social media. The success of this campaign was reflected through increased engagement with our social media. The importance of this campaign, however, related more to sharing the message that The Graduate Union takes seriously the goals, and that we intend as a global society to address them actively.
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Communications
We continue to make improvements to all communication platforms. In addition to continuous improvements to the design and content of our monthly newsletters, we have further strengthened communications between staff and Resident Members, by sending out a weekly e-newsletter which highlights coming events relevant to residents, graduate funding and employment opportunities, and other important information that staff need to relay to residents. It is an efficient communication that reduces the number of emails sent to Residents within a week, and that ensures Residents are up to date with current happenings. The purchase of a wide screen television in the main entrance foyer has allowed for attractive advertisements and messages to be displayed throughout the day. Its position also ensures that there is a greater visibility of the material that mainly includes event advertisements and highlights some of the member benefits such as bistro lunches, dinners and details about membership. The new website has also allowed for the initiation of the Graduate House blog. The blog is the home of exclusive online content with categories including ‘Resident Research,’ ‘Our Members,’ and ‘Professor Profiles,’ as well as content from the print newsletters. Sharing print content enables a single article to be easily disseminated online with a much wider audience.
graduateunionannualreport • 22
Meeting Services
2015 has been a successful and busy year accommodating 1,080 small and large meetings and functions - an increase of 46 (4.45%) on the previous year. A total of 277 convenors booked with us - a 9.06% increase compared to 2014 - and their events were attended by 22,788 attendees - an 8.87% increase. These figures are exclusive of GU Collegiate events, governance meetings and individuals/groups frequenting the dining room and bar.
Indigenous Research Protocol with the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes (CAUL) and Monash Sustainability Institute (MSI).
The organisations range from alumni groups, schools, research units and faculties from various universities, to groups from the charitable and notfor-profit sectors and government departments at state and federal levels. An extraordinary record month was Melbourne Teachers College 1966 Intake reunited at Graduate House. November with 110 bookings. Friday, 6th November was the most outstanding day of that month with back to back bookings from morning till late at night. We remember this day in particular for the beautiful celebration at an afternoon cocktail party of 150 guests organised by Frank Balsamo and his family to remember the life of his beautiful wife Eileen who sadly, had passed away the week earlier. That evening also saw Council Member Keith Ryall celebrating his 70th birthday. The event was a cocktail party of about 40 guests comprising primarily of past and present members of the Rotary Club of Carlton.
UoM Commercial delegation from China purchasing GH merchandise
The Association of French Teachers in Victoria (AFTV) Incorporated also held their annual general meeting on the same evening. This was followed by a cocktail party of 50 guests.
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Other notable events during 2015 included the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) Research Repositories Community Event held over two days on the 12th and 13th of November with eighty attendees each day. The opening address from the Executive Director of the World Confederation of Open Access Repositories, Kathleen Shearer in Germany, was on the Building of a Global Knowledge Commons and was via Skype. Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Group held The First 1000 Days Scientific Symposium on the 2nd April 2015, the first of a four part series on the impact of early life interventions across the life span and in different regions of Australia; and attended by more than 100 participants from thirty different institutions. The next three symposiums were of equal success and magnitude. The second, The First 1000 Days Researchers’ Forum, focused on data collection and management. The third, the Community Governance Symposium, was on how to engage families with strength-based approaches, and the final symposium, Policy and Implementers, was to identify ways in which policy processes can respond to the evidence generated from First 1000 Days sites. We are grateful to the many organisations that use our facility regularly. The Australian School of Applied Management (ASAM) had 35 bookings throughout the year to deliver a vast range of courses in leadership, management and organisational development. UoM Commercial, a wholly owned company of The University of Melbourne that makes the University accessible to commercial organisations, industry and government, had 109 bookings in 2015. These included events for the Network of Schools - with members drawn from across government, independent and Catholic schools in regional and metropolitan areas at primary, secondary and P-12 levels - and for education in such areas as palliative care, thermography, communications and engagement, oncology, clinical teaching, curriculum leadership and clinical allergy. Monthly bookings were also made by Organisational Development Australia (ODA) - an association of professionals contributing to the development of humane and effective workplaces - and The Turkish Teachers Association of Victoria (TTAV) which aims to facilitate communication and cooperation between teachers of Turkish background, and to promote research and instruction in the field of language pedagogy, Turkish linguistics and Turkish literature. Regular bookings were also made by the Modern Greek Teacher’s Association of Victoria (MGTAV) which represents more than 150 teachers of Greek language; and provides resources and services to all schools where Greek language and culture is offered and provided. The MGTAV also organises conferences, workshops and seminars for teachers and students.
graduateunionannualreport • 24
The 1966 Chemical Engineers Reunion
The logos for some of the organisations that used our facilities in 2015 are shown on these two pages, and illustrate that we are assisting other not-for-profits with their charters also for the advancement of education for community benefit.
ACCE
Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association
Mosaic Lab
National Excellence in School Leadership Initiative National Council of Women of Victoria AUSTRALIA-CHINA ASSOCIATION
RUSHALL CONSULTING GROUP
CHIT CHAT
Council of Professional Teaching Associations of Victoria
Melbourne North Police Station
Modern Greek Teachers Association of Victoria
CATHOLIC EDUCATION
David Morris Consulting
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MELBA Group
AUSTRALIAN ASIAN ASSOCIATION
Strucomp P/L
Carlton Garden Primary School International Education Association
Transfield Services graduateunionannualreport • 26
Slavery Links
Birthdays at Graduate House Some milestone birthday celebrations of our Life Members were also held here at Graduate House over 2015. We hope that you had a wonderful celebration.
Happy Birthday Keith, Wazalia, Betty, and The Rotary Club of Carlton!
Christmas In July The Christmas In July promotion attracted many patrons over the five Wednesday luncheons. Additionally, we held an evening Christmas In July function (on the 10th) which was well attended - and much enjoyed - by Resident and non-resident Members.
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GU Collegiate
GU Collegiate events are, and have always been, in existence to foster intellectual stimulation for a diverse (multi-age, multi-cultural, multi-discipline) audience. Our events for 2015 adhered to this respectable tradition. The Monthly Luncheons commenced in February. There was a diverse range of speakers from historians (Captain Cook with Loretta Sullivan and Alberta Hornsby), art historians (The Art of Travel with Kenneth Park), veterans (U is for Unity, University, Union and Us with Brigadier Bob Slater), religious leaders (Win Happiness with Father Bob Maguire) and more (see the following pages for further elaboration). For the GU Tastings and Twilight Lectures of 2015 we were very proud to partner with the Rotary Club of Carlton and to have 'Health, Happiness and Wellbeing' as the series theme. We again welcomed our regional food and wine producers to showcase their excellent wares to the Melbourne-based and international attending audience. The College Tables, introduced in 2014, continued in 2015 with great fervour. The sessions were reasonably well attended, and provoked stimulating discussion from a wide range of facilitators including Professor Nick Haslam, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Dr Angus Campbell, Senior Lecturer in ruminant medicine and production, Professor Omar Foda of the School of Mathematics and Statistics and many more. Day trips continued in 2015 with an adventure to Healesville Sanctuary and a trip to the Yarra Valley Wineries. Other Resident Member focused activities included the Graduate Union Ball ‘A Formal Masquerade’ organised by the Resident Ball Committee, with special thanks to Julia Melanson and Liliana Bray. The table opposite shows attendance rates according to membership division throughout the year for some of these events. It does not list the regular self-organising groups: Bridge Night (1x per week, 4-20 people), Friday Drinks and Dinner (1x per month, 1020), Italian Conversation Dinner (1x per fortnight; 4-10) and the Women’s Forum (1x month; 6-20). Similarly, it does not list the Resident Member events which now include Research Talks, welcome tables, cultural and special occasion events and excursions. For 2015, there were approximately 135 GU Collegiate functions. For the 29 tabled opposite, the total attendance number was 1,443 for the year - 341 Life Subscriber Members, 243 Regular and Associate Members, 317 Resident Members and 432 nonmembers. The average attendance was 52 (range 7-195).
graduateunionannualreport • 28
Life Regular Resident non Members Members Members Members Total
Events and Participation February Monthly Luncheon
February
GU Tastings and Twilight Lecture March Monthly Luncheon
March
27
18
-
18
63
5
4
11
32
52
12
11
3
8
34
-
110
2
112
3
3
4
13
1
10
2
13
14
2
17
45
Welcome BBQ College Table - Psychology
3
Day Trip to Yarra Valley Wineries April Monthly Luncheon
April
12
Influenza Vaccination Day
Bookings managed by BUPA
College Table - Marketing
110
3
3
2
8
16
20
10
2
11
43
GU Tastings and Twilight Lecture
8
9
8
17
42
College Table - Veterinary Science
7
1
1
5
14
Annual General Meeting Dinner
20
12
6
18
56
May Monthly Luncheon
May
June Monthly Luncheon
June
17
13
4
18
52
Residents’ Christmas in July
July
1
4
45
9
59
9
5
28
42
16
7
12
38
GU Tastings and Twilight Lecture August Monthly Luncheon
August
Day Trip to Healesville Sanctuary
3 15
15
Donor Thank You Luncheon
35
25
3
42
105
College Table - International Studies
6
3
1
5
15
16
12
1
12
41
6
2
1
2
11
22
17
5
21
65
28
20
50
3
7
September Monthly Luncheon
September
College Table - Maths and Physics October Monthly Luncheon
October
The Second GU Annual Ball
2
College Table - Literature/Writing
3
1
November Monthly Luncheon
November
14
12
1
5
32
Chairman’s Cocktail Party
December
57
40
21
77
195
20
16
31
36
103
Members’ Christmas Party
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Culinary Section and the Bar Exclusive of the catering provided for academic and professional development meeting services and GU Collegiate outlined in the previous sections (for >24,000 delegates and attendees), the total number of meals prepared in 2015 was, again, over 70,000, an average of just under 200 per day. Resident Member meals (seven breakfasts and five meals each week) comprise up to 94% of these meals, with the remaining meals being for a regular clientele of non-resident Members, non-members and Loyalty Card holders seen often in Graduate House for lunch, morning and afternoon teas, predinner cocktails and dinner.
Guests at the Chairman’s Cocktail Party
Residents at the Yarra Valley
Members at the AGM
The Hon Ted Baillieu presenting at the Donors' Thank You Luncheon
The 2015 Masquerade Ball
Bistro Lunch
graduateunionannualreport • 30
2015 Monthly Luncheons February 4th Associate Professor Peter Verhezen
Gifts, corruption and philanthropy in an ambiguous world
The intricacies of gift-giving are complex. There are bribes, there are gifts for good wishes and gifts to establish relationships, whether socially or in business. Peter Verhezen shared his insights into the giving of gifts, explaining that through the altruistic act that is giving, large corporations can sustain their systems, maximising profits but not necessarily sustaining anything. The moral of the story: givers advance the world, takers advance themselves but hold the world back.
March 4th Dr Bethia Wilson
Staging a life: Learning, Leaving, Leading and Laughing All the Way in the Public Interest
What incentive is there for good behaviour if there is no potential to stave off execution? Dr Wilson condemns capital punishment. With a background in criminal law, she believes in the important purpose in criminal law to offer and achieve rehabilitation. Capital punishment thwarts this purpose. This is why it is important to establish communities and to grow positive leaders because through the richness and diversity of perspectives and opinions we can achieve unity in this diversity and share public consensus with those in charge.
April 1st Loretta Sullivan and Alberta Hornsby Captain Cook and the Guugu Yimithirr Endeavour River 1770, the True Story
Loretta Sullivan, President of the Cooktown Re-enactment Association, and Alberta Hornsby, a Guugu Yimithirr woman and Vice President of the Association, presented the true story of the 48-day stay of Captain James Cook and 85 crew members on the banks of the Waalumbaal Birri repairing their ship, His Majesty’s Bark Endeavour, after it had run aground on 17th June, 1770. Through narratives passed down the generations and studies of the journals of James Cook, Joseph Banks and Sydney Parkinson, Loretta and Alberta illustrated a shared history which was thought provoking and surprising.
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2015 Monthly Luncheons May 6th Dr Vicki White
Population based studies relating to cancer – preventing adolescents from smoking; examining differences in cancer treatment and exploring patients’ experiences of care
Dr Vicki White’s presentation on population based studies relating to cancer touched on concerns on how to prevent the young from smoking, the trends in adolescent smoking and what tobacco control policies were introduced to reduce smoking among youths. She spoke about examining cancer treatment patterns, whether all cancer patients receive up-to-date evidence-based care and lastly on exploring what areas of care are needed to improve the quality care of all patients.
June 3rd Father Bob Maguire
Fantasy Spurs Social Activism
For Father Bob fantasy spurs social activism because when we start to think outside of our experiences, lives, and ‘boxes’, we can start to see what is missing – not only from our lives, but the lives of those around us. This lateral thinking and action sparks a return to common sense, decency and a deeper consideration of those around us. Father Bob took us on our journey through the importance of spiritual enlightenment but in a way that is applicable to today’s modern society.
August 5th John Walsh
Disadvantaged Youth and the Ever Increasing Slippery Slope
The work of the Bridge of Hope Foundation helps at-risk individuals by providing them with the tools that they will need to overcome the various barriers - such as social exclusion and disadvantage - prohibiting them from leading rewarding lives. John delivered an earnest missive that surfaced some of the underlying bureaucratic complexities in an equally complex social justice system that his Foundation aims to address.
graduateunionannualreport • 32
2015 Monthly Luncheons September 2nd Professor Jeremy Oates
Timor-Leste, what can be done to reduce the mortality and morbidity of childbirth?
The tumultuous history that ravished the socio-political integrity of Timor-Leste heavily impacted medical institutions, with rates of child morbidity and maternal mortality reaching alarming highs. Professor Oates and his team, along with Rotary District 9800 (City of Melbourne) and Rotary International Chicago, set up a series of practical workshops to teach doctors and midwives in Timor-Leste current obstetric practices to help reduce these distressing morbidity and mortality rates.
October 7th Kenneth Park The art of travel
Curator, art historian, lecturer and inveterate traveller Kenneth Park took us through the itinerary of his welltravelled life. Starting in Panama City, he detailed the journey of the Sea Cloud II cruise ship to Cuba, then Sri Lanka, showing us an image of the great fortress of Sigiriya, India and the opulence of Udaipur’s Lake Palace, and on through USA, England, Berlin, and finally to Petra and the Dead Sea. Park captivated our audience with his inspiring photography, facts and tidbits of the world around us.
November 11th Brigadier Bob Slater AM
‘U’ is for University, Union, Uniform, Unity and Us
Held on Remembrance Day, Brigadier Bob Slater reminded us of the importance of honouring those who served Australia in Gallipoli. Brigadier Slater detailed the realities of war, such as the various roles for doctors and dentists on the frontline, and the major part played by universities in recruiting soldiers during the war. Coming a little closer to home we discovered some of those conscripted had resided in the terraces of Graduate House, Leicester Street, and across the Square in Barry Street.
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Women’s Forum Female graduates come together on the third Wednesday of each month to discuss current affairs and contemporary society. Each session of the Women’s Forum lasts for about ninety minutes with the discussion often continuing over a dining room lunch. Below are some of the notes from each forum convened over 2015.
18th February Competition versus cooperation Competition implies that there will
be winners and losers. Co-operation usually involves a combined effort to provide a mutually acceptable outcome. Unfortunately, competition has become an integral part of our society and most young people learn from a very early age to compete with each other for attention.
18th March Youth and their future As our generation ages, the positions of leadership
pass inevitably to the young. In every adult role (e.g., parenting, political, educational, business or social leadership) the lessons learned from life experience should not be underestimated. Young people, particularly teens and those in their early 20s, are still maturing and, in most cases, have limited life experience, a capacity which is vital for dealing effectively with the realities of life.
15th April Raising the public profile for worthy women The statistics for public awards
are 20% women and 80% men. Frequently the awards for men are for achievements within the context of their paid employment which provides the support of secretarial staff and attention from public media sources. Perhaps it is time to focus on the many women whose achievements are less public and often taken for granted.
20th May Nominating women for awards The Melba Women Group and the Women’s
Forum ladies came together in a joint Workshop to discuss how to nominate women for awards. The attendees learnt not only to familiarise themselves with the nomination process, but also to inspire action on a worthwhile cause. Discussion included what constitutes a good nominee and that an individual should not merely be nominated for their regular work but be acknowledged for work done beyond a regular call of duty, such as volunteering. The process includes forms to be filled and the gathering of supporting materials such as citations, details of referees, and any other material to support the application. When writing an application, it is important to know what level of award is deserved. Anyone can nominate an Australian citizen for an award, even a family member.
17th June War - what for? War is inevitable - people in any group have different
agendas and different upbringings, education and life experiences - but sometimes justification is scant with war seeming to basically come down to ego, greed, need, arrogance or any number of human foibles led by ambitious or single-minded people. It is a feature of human nature to grapple with controversy and the victims of war are those who sacrifice life or limb or peace of mind, together with the families left to deal with these losses.
graduateunionannualreport • 34
Women’s Forum 15th July Should we question the recipients of and reasons for Australian awards and
honours? It is often assumed that recipients of Australian awards are people who are in paid, high profile positions in office. This view needs to be balanced by the fact that regardless of the background circumstances, recipients must accept responsibility for outcomes, successful or otherwise. While the receipt of an award usually brings personal recognition, prestige and kudos there is not always any personal gain attached to an award, financially or professionally. The influence of media reporting can be extremely significant in the way the public views any individual award.
19th August Attitudes towards 'the hand-out'
mentality of our society It seems obvious that the handout mentality is developed very early in life - the initial years of the human infant are entirely dependant on the adult. Over protective adults will offer more than is needed, and this gratification may lead to higher expectation in later life. In any society, about 15 percent of the population will need support. If this figure rises, perhaps the welfare services need to be reviewed to ensure limited resources are available to the helpless rather than the entitled.
16th September Who cares for the carers? Care is needed
in many situations (e.g., road trauma and community violence, Alzheimer's disease, etc.). Those assuming the roles of carers need to know what kind of support is available. Carers need a more public profile for support groups. One of the most valuable support mechanisms for carers is a group of trusted friends or an agency. Respite from the situation is a necessary source of relief - a time when a carer is relieved of responsibility and the person needing care is looked after by qualified people.
21st October The plight of the homeless More rental properties
are beyond the reach of those on low incomes and those existing on welfare payments, while some take to the streets to escape domestic violence. As with human traits in any society, appropriate education in living skills may be the answer; as will the skill of developing selfconfidence and self reliance with support to improve their standard of living.
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18th November How much is too much? This
topic elicited a great deal of emotions and a wide variety of contexts, such as, the demands of being a full time carer, great inheritance, styles of parenting, rules and regulations, etc. Useful advice was "the standard you pass is the one you accept." While few of us are in the position to right the wrongs of the world, each of us is able to influence those close to us by words and worthy examples of our behaviour.
19th December End-of-year session to share
laughter A coming together for a good laugh and some reminiscing.
The Women’s Forum is free and for women of any age, life stage and ethnicity. It is a morning event on the scheduled third Wednesday of each month from February to December and is convened usually in the Anderson Room.
The Graduate Union thanks the many women, and particularly Anne Mulholland, who continue the traditions of this long standing and important Graduate Union and Graduate House Forum.
graduateunionannualreport • 36
College Tables 2015 saw the continuation of the 2014 initiated College Tables held on the first Fridays of the two semester months. These informal collegial discussions over lunch were on topical issues relating to a graduate school field. Thanks are extended to our distinguished guest speakers.
March 20th
Psychology Dean of the Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne
Professor Nick Haslam
April 17th
Marketing Senior Lecturer Department of Management and Marketing, The University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Jill Lei
May 22nd
Veterinary Science Senior Lecturer in Ruminant Medicine and Production, The University of Melbourne
Dr Angus Campbell
37 • graduateunionannualreport
College Tables The Graduate Union thanks our College Table guests for their generosity of time and expertise and for enabling robust and interesting discussions.
August 21st
International Relations School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Professor Robyn Eckersley
September 18th
Mathematics and Physics School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
Professor Omar Foda
October 16 th
English Literature Professor of English and Theatre Studies, The University of Melbourne
Professor Ken Gelder
graduateunionannualreport • 38
2015 GU Tastings and Twilight Lectures 26th February
Professor Lea Waters
Health, happiness and wellbeing Head of the Centre for Positive Psychology at the Melbourne School of Education, Professor Waters discussed the relevance of positive psychology and its place in psychology. An absence of illness does not equate to a presence of health. This is why positive psychology approaches aim to move people from neutral to positive states including hope, optimism, empathy, courage and gratitude. With only five percent of psychology research and practice with focus on the journey from neutral to positive mental states, it is good to learn that positive psychology remains one of the fastest growing fields of enquiry.
14th May
Peter Jensen
Lessons in Happiness from the third world How can we be happier? This is the question that Peter Jensen sought to answer in his book Lessons in happiness from the third world: how the West got so depressed and what to do about it. Looking to the lives of those in the third world, and the premiums that they place on culture, gratitude and aspirations, Peter showed us how it’s time we considered another perspective to help with our happiness.
16th July
Father Bob Maguire Win Happiness
The humanitarian work of Father Bob Maguire has helped thousands of displaced and disadvantaged Australians who otherwise have slipped under the radar. His Foundation’s campaign, Win Happiness, set out to prove that happiness can always be found by helping those in need.
39 • graduateunionannualreport
We thank Members for supporting our local food and wine industry by attending GU Tastings provided free of charge by the following generous groups before and after the Twilight Lectures.
PIAN
T E
GRA
S
M
E S T A
Prancing Horse ES TATE
graduateunionannualreport • 40
College Garb Vest and Merino Pullover Both available in black, the vest and pullover have The Graduate Union logo embroidered on the left chest. The pullover is 100% merino wool (260 gsm), breathable, eco-friendly and wicks moisture. It has a 1/4 zip at the front and raglan sleeves. The vest is a wool blend V-neck perfect for over a business shirt.
Men’s and Women’s Polos These classic Polos have a modern smart casual fit and are made from quality poly cotton jersey fabric making them very easy to wash and dry. They come in navy with a white trim detail on the collar and cuffs, and The Graduate Union logo embroidered on the left chest.
Cap Available in grey, this lightweight durable grey-coloured cap is eco-friendly, made from 100% recycled products. It wicks moisture and is machine washable.
T-shirt and Hoodie With different cuts for males and females, the t-shirt and hoodie are grey coloured with The Graduate Union printed on the front left. The polyester/cotton hoodie has a soft, thick fleecy lining and warm pouch pocket. The versatile easy-to-wear, easy-to-care t-shirt is made from 100% premium cotton and has a round crew neck.
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GU Ties The GU Tie has Graduate Union colours, and “Victory” interspersed in a diagonal fashion with our reds and whites. This new version of the tie was redesigned by popular demand in 2014. It is now worn proudly by many Graduate Union Members, and looks good with almost any coloured shirt or suit but we cannot attest to success with individual tastes!
GU Silk Scarves The GU 'Our Land' and 'Beach to Sea' scarves measure 200cm by 30cm and come in two designs with the GU angel logo print. The colours are an easy match with any attire.
GU Winter Scarves The Graduate Union Winter Scarf is made from 100% pure wool. It is black with red and white stripes and black tassels. “Victory“ is embroidered on each end. This scarf is keeping many of us warm and fashionable for the approaching winter months.
Shopping Bag Graduate Union now has an environmentally friendly shopping bag made of strong, washable cloth. This bag doubles as an excellent solution for the time poor giftwrapper.
Other Merchandise Aside from our regular merchandise offers of pens, mugs, Keep Cups, keychains and purse holder/hanger, we also now offer cards for special events and suggest placing your orders early for our Christmas cards.
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Fundraising and Benefactions Working Party The Fundraising and Benefactions (FaB) Working Party was established in 2013 to define and implement a systematic, strategic and best-practice approach to raising major funds through bequests, fundraising, donations, sponsorship, grants and other endowment sources. Reports from this Working Party are submitted to Council through the Membership and Marketing committee. During 2015, the members of this FaB Working Party were Cr Rhys Watson (Chair of Council), Cr David Sparks (founder of the Working Party and past Chair of Council), Cr Peter Wetherall, Ms Nanette Gibson, Mrs Elfrida and Mr Zoltan Kiss and Mr Fausto Marasco. The key area of focus throughout the year has been to strengthen the advancement capabilities of the Association. This was achieved by enhancing the database fields and functions to enable a more comprehensive and robust program of planning for, managing and acknowledging gifts. Through comprehensive research of our past publications, as well as online, the database has been gradually populated with the names, photographs and (where found) current details of past residents - this is a huge undertaking given our estimates of somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 past Graduate House residents. A part-time Advancement Officer was engaged from mid-year - Mr Alexander Thom and then Ms Natasha Sedman - and an external consultant was engaged to provide specialist advice and support. As demonstrated in later sections of this report, a number of initiatives that stemmed from this Working Party were highly successful; in particular, the 2015 Annual Appeal and the Donor Thank You Luncheon at which Member, The Hon Ted Baillieu, together with Resident Members, Jingyao (Betsy) Yu and Abraham Arief, presented. Progress was also made on forming the Graduate House Society to acknowledge and support those who had chosen to provide for The Graduate Union in their wills. Early in 2016, the brochure for this Society was posted to Members who receive communications in the post, emailed to others and made available from the website. Additionally, and in response to feedback from Members, a large print version has been developed (please feel free to request that this version be posted to you). The official launch of the Graduate House Society is intended for the GU Founders and Benefactors' Day on the 21st August, 2016 (which, again, coincides with Open Day for The University of Melbourne).
I thank the 2015 members of the Membership and Marketing committee, all of whom are volunteers - Kingsley Davis OAM (Chair to May), Andre Cleghorn (to May), Roberta Grant (from June), Mary Kelleher (from June), Rosie Maddick, David Sparks, Riyan Stephan (from June), Candice Tan (to May), Peter Wetherall and Rhys Watson - the above indicated members of the Fundraising and Benefactions Working Party for 2015 and the excellent staff teams who support the many and diverse membership services with a friendly, welcoming and caring manner - our Hospitality Manager and Guest Services team, our Membership Relations Officer, our Development Manager, our Systems Development Manager and the Publications and Social Media team. Cr Keith Ryall Chair of the Membership and Marketing Committee
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Membership in 2015 New Members We extend a warm welcome to the new Members of our Association. Life Members Mrs Andrea Casey Ms Elita Jeanne Frazer Professor Henry Deeb Gabriel Ms Anne Gibney Ms Elizabeth Anne Shellard
Honorary Members Her Excellency Dr Ruth Adler His Excellency Dr Obaid Al Hairi Salem Al Ketbi His Excellency Mr Armando Alvarez Reina Ms Sarah Banks His Excellency the Hon Kim Beazley AC Justice the Hon Virginia Bell AC His Excellency Mr Stephen Brady AO CVO Her Excellency Ms Alison Burrows His Excellency Mr Paulo Cunha-Alves Her Excellency Mrs Mercy Debrah-Karikari His Excellency the Hon Alexander Downer AC Chief Justice the Hon Robert Shenton French AC Justice the Hon Stephen Gageler His Excellency Jose Manuel Galego Montano His Excellency Mr Philip Green OAM Her Excellency Ms Virginia Greville His Excellency Mr Abel Guterres His Excellency Dr Mark Higgie His Excellency Mr Tim Kane Justice the Hon Patrick Anthony Keane Justice the Hon Susan Kiefel AC His Excellency Dr Sabri Kiqmari Her Excellency Ms Unni Klovstad His Excellency Dr Damir Kusen Dr Ken Vincent Loughnan AO His Excellency Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison CMM MSM His Excellency Mr Mohamed Mael-Ainin His Excellency Dr Brett Mason His Excellency Mr Todd Mercer His Excellency Mr Damien Miller His Excellency Mr Tony William Negus AO APM His Excellency Mr Enoch Nkuruho His Excellency Mr Bill Paterson PSM His Excellency Mr Pasi Patokallio Chief Justice the Hon Trevor Riley His Excellency Mr Nadjib Riphat Kesoema His Excellency Mr Viktar Shykh His Excellency Mr Somasundaram Skandakumar
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His Excellency Mr Arega Hailu Teffera Her Excellency Professor the Hon Kate Warner AM His Excellency Most Reverend Dr Adolfo Tito Yllana
Regular Members Ms Agnes Banyasz Ms Lesley Merle Bawden Mrs Kathleen Cameron Mr Ronald J Carne Mr Francesco Caso Dr Deborah Colville Mr Graham John Craig Ms Amanda Davidson OAM Mr Erick Fibich Ms Faith Mary Fitzgerald Mr Aidan John Flynn Mr David Fong Mr Barney Foran Mr Peter Frueh Ms Nanette Gibson Ms Jennie Gorrie Mr Max Rodney Hardman Mr George Hazim Dr Claire Higgins Mr Neville John Ms Helen Mildred Keneley Mr Thomas Edward Keplar Jr Professor Daryl Le Grew Mr Ken Lewis Mr Michael Lynch Mr John Mantesso Dr Tracey McGuire Dr Clare Louise McKenna Ms Karen McMillan Mr Roger Peacock Mrs Jo-Anne Purssey Mr Rhys Roberts Mrs Margaret Claire Sawyer Mr Darcy Seller Mr Kevin Silberberg Mr David Stagg Mr Kevin Michael Stevenson AM Ms Emily Stewart Ms Diana Warnock AM Ms Pamela Whitehead Dr Keith Wise Ms Grace Li Peen Wong
Associate Members Ms Maisarah Nasution Binti Waras Mr Tim Ditcham Ms Sally Doolette Mr Renzo Fenati Mr Stanley David Goricane Mr Tristan Kilmartin Mrs Josephine Ann Le Grew Professor Claire Lenehan Mr Simone Madaras Ms Rachel Popelka-Filcoff Ms Caroline Watson
Organisation Members Australian-China Association for International Exchange of Personnel (ACAIEP) Department of Social Work, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne European Union (EU) Centre on Shared Complex Challenges John Cain Foundation Landsend Lodge Pty Ltd The University of Melbourne Research Office Professional Historians Association (Vic) Inc. Project Services, The University of Melbourne Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (Vic), The University of Melbourne The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health Turkish Teachers Association of Victoria (TTAV) Academic Services and Registrar, The University of Melbourne Victorian College of Health Psychologists (VCHP)
Non Resident Student Graduates members Dr Chen Bifen Ms Jow Wei Wei Lorraine
Resident members Mr Mohamed Muzaffar Ahmed Mr Prakash Akurathi Dr Rina Alam Mr Lachlan Alexander Dr Ahmed Al-OMary Ms Nana Amissah Dr Anurag Arora Mr Yuzo Baba
Mr Puneet Bahuguna Mr Adam Baines Miss Tracey Bates Mrs Katherine Beaumont Ms Gloria Bellido Zanin Mrs Karen Benson Ms Elizabeth Biggs Dr Per Block Mr Elton Borges Professor Martin Bossert Dr Julian Brooke Mr Robert Brown Mr Kevin Burgoyne Mrs Ana Karine Carvalho Costa Lima Ms Yvette Chan Mr Erich Chang Dr Seema Channappagoudar Ms Chiaoju Chen Ms Grace Chou Dr Tanvir Kabir Chowdhury Ms Pernille Christensen Dr Jin Chun Mr Mitch Clarke Professor Lurene Contento Mr Matthew Cottrell Miss Charlotte Cowley Ms Andrea Danna Mr Ron Danziger Ms Dhivya Dargani Dr Mark Davies Dr Johanna Dekkers Ms Maria Angelica Del Hierro Ojeda Ms Saartje Demolder Ms Femke Demolder Professor Johann Den Dunnen Mr Piyush Dhawan Mr Morgan Edwards Mr Thorsten Ehlers Ms Suzanne Ehrenberg Dr Briony Elliott Ms Zijing Fan Mr Volodymyr Firman Mr Avinash Gandhi Mr Kepan Gao Mr Xiangxuan Gao Ms Maria Garziade Angelis Mrs Alwani Ghazali Mr Michel Ghins Mr Patrick Gleeson Mr Sidney Gray Emeritus Professor Patrick Griffin Dr Baojing Gu Ms Teresa Jamie Gunawan Dr Alok Gupta
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Mr Xiaoji He Ms Marta Hernandez Garcia Ms Vu Hong Doan Hoang Professor Susan Howlett Mr Ryan Hutchinson Mr Shuntaro Iizuka Mr Denny Indrayana Mr Nisitha Jayatilleke Ms Yi Jiang Ms Karen Anne Jones Dr Julien Joubert Ms Lorraine Jow Ms Chiraporn Khitdee Mr Kourosh Khose Professor Dong Kwang Kim Miss Yuka Kobayashi Mr Thuan Tzen Koh Ms Tomoka Koshiba Ms Lauren Kotze Ms Grace Kpeli Ms Florence Kun Mr Tim Kunze Dr Kai Kysenius Ms Andrea Lee Mr Wu Lei Dr Srebrenka Letina Dr Inbar Levy Ms Zhen Li Miss Wei Li Lim Mr Steffan Lippert Ms Meikana Lizadjohry Mr Shuntaro Lizuka Mr Oscar Lopez Ms May Lee Low Ms Marcellina Lu Ms Dominique Lung Mr Damon Luo Mr Irtiaz Mahmood Mr Andrew Marsh Professor Susumu Masuda Mr Guy Mayraz Ms Ivy Mbiza Dr Ryan McCann Mr Ciaran McCreesh Professor Johannes Meij Mrs Yamileth Mejia Professor Bryan Mercurio Mr Ben Moginie Mr Orlando Miguel Morales Andrade Mr Aidan Morgan Ms Tomoko Morikawa Ms Ashleigh Murray Mr Andrew Murray Ms Katharine Muscate
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Ms Milena Nadgorny Dr Suranga Nanayakkara Mr Thomas Charles Nantz Ms Marianne Ng Ms Lan Phoung Nguyen Mr Yongfu Oon Ms Ana Maria Oyarce Dr Murat Ozmen Dr Ramon Pachero Pardo Ms Monisha Paromita Ms Sapana Patel Ms Catherine Pearce Dr Michelle Petersen Dr Stefan Petry Ms Amanda Potter Ms Dangjie Qiu Dr Lara Rodriguez Dr Stine Roenholt Ms Ella Roessler-Holgate Mr Aminiasi Rokocakau Mrs Alison Rowe Mr Marc Schaechtele Ms Ruidi Shang Miss Shukti Sharma Mr Ankit Sharma Ms Imogen She Miss Mandy Shum Ms Wan Hui Sim Mrs Margaret Smith Professor Daniel Sokol Ms Katrina Soo Mr Mitchell Stewart Mr David Strapac Mr Jeroen Swinnen Mr Vicente Tafur Mr Wei Yang Tai Ms Candice Tan Ms Christina (Jin Hui) Tan Ms Sanne Ten Broeke Professor John Terry Miss Chloe Thirkell Mrs Emily Thompson Dr Michael Thompson Mr Simon Thomson Ms Nattaya Thongspee Dr Thanegi May Thwe Linn Ms Signe Timm Ms Jianyang Tong Mr Samuel Trafford Ms Lien Tran Mr Benjamin Trist Ms Erin Turner Mr Allistar Twigg Ms Yuliia Velichenko
Mr Vyas Venugopalan Dr Marc Walden Mr Luke Walkington Ms Quan Wang Ms Jiayuan Wei Mrs Nancye Whitford Ms Susanna Whitling Mr Anusha Withana Mr Ryan Woodhall Ms Fatema Samina Yasmin Dr Kazuhiro Yasunaga Ms Hui Ping Yaw Ms Aveline Marie Ylanan Ms Wei Zeng Mr Yicheng Zhou Ms Maria Loreto Zubicueta Gallardo Dr Marco Zuccato Ms Asma Zulfiqar Mr Shuxin Zuo
Congratulations to the Australia Day 2015 Honours List Recipients Emeritus Professor (John) Henry Bennett awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for significant service to tertiary education and research in the field of genetics, and the analysis and preservation of science history. Mr Stephen Charles Spargo awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for significant service to the community through a range of executive roles with business, agricultural, sporting and health organisations. Mr R Kingsley Davis awarded Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for service to the community through youth and heritage organisations, and to the law. Dr George Zbigniew Luk-Kozika awarded Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for service to the Polish Community of Victoria workplace bullying initiatives.
Valete Our condolences are extended to families and friends. Mrs Patricia Eileen Balsamo, 2008 Mr John Colin Barton, 1973 Mrs Sheila Bignell, 1950 Mrs Jessica Hope Black, 1963 The Hon Frank Hortin Callaway RFD QC, 1969 Mrs Shirley Ruth Cohen, 1955 Professor Richard Cotton, 1966 Mr Francis Eugene Joseph Galbally, 1955 Mr Gordon David Maurice Goldberg, 1960 Dr Chester Murray Robin Gray, 1983 Dr Peter Forsell, 1973 Dr Georg Freed, 1965 Ms Michelle Jackson, 2002 Mrs Mary Patricia Kelly, 1984 Emeritus Professor John David McLaren, 1959 Professor Robin Lorimer Sharwood AM, 1968
Congratulations to the Queen’s Birthday 2015 Honours List Recipients The Hon Justice Christopher Murray MAXWELL awarded Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the General Division for eminent service to the law and to the judiciary, particularly administrative reform of the appeals process, through contributions to legal education and professional development, and as a leading supporter of human rights and civil liberties. Ms Helen Leslie SMITH awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for significant service to fencing as an Olympic athlete, coach and mentor, and through a range of leadership and administrative roles. Ms Merle Estelle THORNTON awarded Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division for significant service to the community as an advocate for women, and Indigenous rights, and to the arts as a writer and director. Mrs Emily LENNIE awarded Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for service to music, to musical education, and to the community. Mr Francis PECK awarded Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for service to education, and to professional organisations.
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VALETE JOHN MCLAREN, 1959 Life Member Emeritus Professor John David McLaren AM passed away on the 4th December, 2015. In 2014, John was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to education, particularly the humanities and social sciences, as an academic, mentor and teacher. The following obituary entitled "Professor helped shake cobwebs off 'hidebound Victorian ALP'"(published 17th December, 2015) is by John's friend and colleague, Nathan Hollier, Director of Monash University Publishing and a past editor of Overland. We thank Life Member Olive Hamilton, John's closest lifelong friend, for sharing this obituary with us.
Scholar, administrator 7-11-1932 – 4-12-2015
John John David David McLaren McLaren
Asked how he was getting along towards the end, John McLaren remarked: "As I get older, my body seems to deteriorate, which is the opposite of what I'd hoped would happen." The humour pointed to a larger and admirably human philosophy: recognising that life is what we make of it and we should take all knowledge and faith seriously, but not solemnly. For the past 15 years John had to live that life without devoted wife Shirley who died on the last day of 1999. Declared John at the time: "The lodestar has gone from my life."
John McLaren AM, who has died aged 83, made an outstanding contribution to Australian life, most fundamentally as a teacher, but also as an administrator, scholar, editor and active campaigner for a better community, nation and world (importantly, in that order). Born in Malvern, John attended Caulfield North Central School, Scotch College, Ballarat High (after his bank manager father was posted to that town), and Scotch College again as a boarder for two years when the family moved to Wycheproof. 07.11.1932 - 4.12.2015 07.11.1932 - 4.12.2015
Bonded to the Education Department, like so many of his generation at university, John took up a secondary studentship at the Secondary Teachers' Centre at the University of Melbourne, before beginning work as a teacher at Princes Hill Central School, North Carlton, in 1954. Being ill-prepared by an Education Department only recently renamed from the "Department of Instruction", he was to pay credit in his memoirs to experienced educators "who enabled some of us to survive". According to John, the "classroom teacher is daily confronted with the most complex social situation of any professional". Having gained a Diploma of Education John was posted to Yarrawonga where he met his future wife Shirley Stewart. They adopted two brothers, Jim and Cameron, then aged five and four, in 1961. The family moved to Carlton in 1966, where Shirley helped to establish Flemington High and John gained a foothold at Melbourne University in the Secondary Teachers College. John wrote his first book, Our Troubled Schools, helped to draw up the constitution of the College Staffs Association, later incorporated into the National Tertiary Education Union,
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and went with Shirley to Indonesia in 1970 on the first Community Aid Abroad study tour. In 1972 he became head of the humanities department of the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education, in Toowoomba. In late 1975 he moved to the Footscray Institute of Technology to lead its department of Humanities and became part of an informal "Footscray committee" meeting each week to consider what the area needed and how those needs might be organised. To generations of western suburbs students, young and mature-aged, he was a caring and inspiring educator, retiring as professor from what was by then Victoria University, in 1997, but remaining very active in university life. As Peter Dawkins, the current Victoria University vice-chancellor, said to staff on John's death, he was "in many ways the grandfather of today's College of Arts". As a scholar John had a remarkable breadth of knowledge but specialised in Australian, South Asian and South-East Asian literary studies. He wrote more than a dozen books, including the influential Writing in Hope and Fear: Literature as Politics in Postwar Australia. His works were among the most sourced and cited of all Victoria University staff. John acted for a time as editor of the Farrago while a student at Melbourne University, had a long association with the radical literary magazine Overland and until 1986 was editor of Australian Book Review from the time of its re-establishing by the National Book Council eight years earlier. He later recalled that "the excitement of the job was its involvement in the world of Australian writers which, despite the harsh shock that ended the Whitlam years, still pulsed with the energy that came from a belief that as a nation we could achieve whatever we wanted". John stood as ALP candidate for the federal seat of Indi in 1958, going down to the Nationals candidate who after all, John observed wryly, was standing on his record as a footballer. In the 1960s, with Race Mathews, Clyde Holding, John Button and others, he fought to democratise and liberalise the hidebound Victorian ALP, prior to Whitlam's federal intervention.
John David McLaren 07.11.1932 - 4.12.2015
“My past and present have collided to bring me to this place”.
He was made a life member of the ALP in 1999 and remained in the party, despite reservations about its contemporary directions. Whitlam remained a hero: in 2014, when he was made a Member of the Order of Australia, John wore an original "It's Time" badge to the celebratory drinks at Jimmy Watson's wine bar.
John with Olive Hamilton at a cocktail reception and exhibition at The University of Melbourne in May of 2014
This story was sourced from: http://www.smh. com.au/comment/ obituaries
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Bequests and Donations Annual Appeal The successful 2015 Annual Appeal raised much needed funds to replace the furniture shelving, beds, wardrobes and desks - in the terrace residential rooms. Thank you.
Some of our high contributors The response to our 2015 Annual Appeal was unprecedented and we are especially honoured by the generosity of a number of high contributors.
Mrs Desma McDonald
Mr David Sparks
Eric Gilford
Mr and Mrs Mulholland
Susan Gai Wilson
Mr Edward Dickinson
Dr Susan Lim
Mr Ben Wadham
Ms Nancy Price
Mr Sam Walsh AO
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Graduate House Society 2015 saw development of the Graduate House Society through which The Graduate Union seeks to recognise those whom have chosen to remember The Graduate Union and Graduate House in their wills. The Society will be launched 21st August, 2016 on the Founders and Benefactors Day. We hope to honour in perpetuity those who support our Union and our House through bequests.
Graduate House society T H E G R A D U AT E U N I O N A N D G R A D U AT E H O U S E
1
Cover page of the Graduate House Society booklet
In providing for the Association in your will, you are able to choose how to support our vision and to preserve and grow a proud membership institution that is owned and run by its Members:
1. General Purposes To provide support in the broadest way you might choose to direct your bequest to the Association’s charitable purposes of education and social good. Your bequest will thus be applied to the priority needs and strategies of our Union and House at the time. 2. Buildings Reserve Your bequest could enhance our House by contributing to the maintenance and expansion of our properties. Many of the facilities enjoyed by Members and guests today are the result of the generosity of benefactors in the past. 3. Residents’ Fund Your endowment might be directed to such resident initiatives as Research Talks, Welcome Dinners and the Annual Ball, as well as to residents in need. Like Sidney Myer in 1926, you may choose to direct your bequest to support the existing and new collegial activities of our Union in perpetuity. 4. Bursaries Reserve Bursaries and scholarships allow talented students to reside at Graduate House. Awards recognise study, career and caring role achievements. Please call our offices for a copy of the Graduate House Society Booklet, which is available also in large print.
A day on the hill, Diedre Walsh , 2011
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Donor’s Thank You Luncheon 2015 saw the very first Donor's Thank You Luncheon, an exclusive invite-only event for those who so generously donated to the inaugural 2015 Annual Appeal, as well as those whom have contributed over many years. The Honourable Ted Baillieu addressed the audience with an inspiring missive about the importance of place. Our new President Dr Ken V Loughnan AO was officially instated with a handover from our previous president Major General Professor Jeffrey V Rosenfeld AM OBE KStJ who was also honoured that afternoon.
Table settings prior to the luncheon’s commencement
As Professor Rosenfeld noted at the luncheon, the amount raised in the 2015 Annual Appeal was a fivefold improvement on recent past years. The money raised from the appeal goes towards much needed updates to amenities in resident rooms in the William Berry Wing, including desks, chairs and beds.
“This year your support has helped to provide chairs, bookshelves, beds and wardrobes in our terrace wings ... Thank you for your generosity this year and in past years. Our 2015 annual appeal achieved a five-fold improvement on the past year,” said Professor Rosenfeld. “Your support has provided a level of richness for our college in a way that only an Association of Members for Members, can. We are graduates for post graduates. You have made a difference for the life of our college. We thank you very much.” – Professor Rosenfeld AM OBE KStJ. The Hon Ted Baillieu, who became a Life Member of The Graduate Union in 1976, elaborated upon the notions of place, knowledge and serendipity. It was increasingly evident and inspiring to hear that the language used by The Hon Ted Baillieu was the language that is so frequently used here at Graduate House – the 'meeting of minds' being a great example.
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Professor Rosenfeld is presented with an Award of Signal Honour by Dr Ken V Loughnan AO
“Where you gather people who have a mental facility and it’s just a joy to witness it, and that’s what happens in this place - people like Betsy and Abraham come here, and they bump into each other, comets from all over the world in their own right, with the little Graduate Union spacecraft now firmly in their pockets ... This is a joy that sustains us all. The joy of being touched by somebody else’s brilliance is something that stays with you for the rest of your life.” – The Hon Ted Baillieu. In 2016 and coming years we aim to have more frequent and more intimate events for our donors. The Donor's Thank You Luncheon was the first of a definite succession of events where we seek to thank, honour and take the time to engage with those who have contributed to the future of our Association.
Resident Member Betsy Yu delivers her speech
Resident Member Abraham Arief delivers his speech
Dr Kerry Bennett, CEO/Head of College, presents Mrs Robyn Baillieu with flowers
Staff take their applause following the very successful luncheon
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Donations and Bequests in 2015
In 2015, donations and bequests were received from the following generous supporters. Miss Joan Ansell Mr Stanton Archer Ms Rowena Archer Dr Peter Ashton Mrs Lois Baglin Mr Leonard Harold Bailey Mr Michael Barden Mr Alan Bell Ms Marja Berclouw Dr Geoffrey Bishop AM Dr Kaspars Bitans Mr Michael Bolam Ms Gweneth Mable Bowles Mr John Edward Brearley Dr Desmond and Dr Ruth Bright Mr Clive Hele Brookes Dr Thomas Brown Mr John Burns Mrs Nancy Burns Ms Elizabeth Butt OAM Mr Albert Leslie Campain Mr Paul Carlin Mrs Dorothy Carroll Ms Elizabeth Carvosso Dr Allan T Casey Mr Francesco Caso Mrs Diana Cherry The Reverend Stephen Cherry Ms Wendy Cobcroft Mr Eric M Cohen Mr Ewan Russel Colson Professor Lurene Contento Mr Roger Cook Mrs Grietje Croll The family of the late Thomas Ronald Davey Mr Lloyd Davies Mr Kingsley Davis OAM Dr John Dawborn Mr Arthur Day Professor David de Kretser AC Mr Edward Dickinson Miss Betna Dryden Mr Graeme Ivallan Duke Mr Kurt Eppinger Associate Professor Joseph Epstein Ms Francesca Folk-Scolaro Mr Frank Ford Mr Eric Ford Mr John Franklin
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Dr Eric Gilford Mr Francis Wilson Goding Mr George Goode Dr Brendan Grabau Mrs Wendy Graham Ms Roberta Grant Mr John and Mrs Diana Green Ms Beryl Green Professor Daryl Le Grew Ms Kay Gulenc Mr John Haasz Ms Olive Hamilton Ms Joan Harcourt Mr Richard David Harcourt Associate Professor John Harcourt Mr Roy Hardcastle AO Mr Max Rodney Hardman Dr Marian Hill Professor Brian Howe Mrs Wendy Seng Hpa Mr John Irwin Mrs Christine Iseli Dr Frank Jones Dr Michael Jones Miss Janet Gwendoline Kay Miss Betty Keay Ms Mary Kelleher Ms Helen Keneley Mr Brian Krahnert Mr John Landy AC, CVO, MBE The family of the late Philip Garth Law Mr David Lea Mr Kenneth Lee Dr Sharon Lierse Dr Susan Lim Mrs Helen Lloyd Incentive Logic Mrs Sheila Margaret Loudon Mr Richard William Manuell Mr George and Mrs Connie Markou Dr Lynette Frances Martin Mrs Mary Maslen Mr Kenneth C Mawson OAM Ms Margaret Mayers Mrs Desma McDonald Mr Edward Miller Mrs Anne and Mr James Mulholland Mr Edward Muntz
Dr Anthony Nicholls Mr Roy Bruce Nichols Mr Alan Noble Mr Philip Norman Mr Donald Pemberton Dr Marinis Pirpiris Mrs Joan Mary Pretty Miss Judith Price Ms Nancy Price Dr Joanna Pyper Mrs Joyce Richards Mr Ron Ritchie Professor John Heath Roberts Dr David Robson Mr James Rowan Mr Keith Ryall Dr Brian Salter-Duke Mr Darcy R Seller Mrs Elizabeth Sevior Dr Elizabeth Shaw Mr Frank Shaw Mr Peter Sholl Mr John Skuja Mr David and Mrs Prue Sparks Dr Walter Stephens Mr Kevin M Stevenson AM Ms Bethia Stevenson
Professor John Stillwell Mr Eric Stokes Mr Stephen Stuart Dr Rodney Taft Dr Bernadette Taylor Ms Margaret Toomey Mr Ian Tyler Dr Geoffrey Vaughan AO Mr John Vernon Mr Ben Wadham Mr Geoff Walls Dr Sam Walsh AO Mr Rhys Watson Mr Brian Webb Ms Joy Gladys Wellings Dr David Westmore Mr Peter Wetherall The William Berry Trust Fund Ms Susan G Wilson Dr Jennifer Woods Mr Mark Worsnop
Thank you also to those who contributed to our Donations Box and to those donors who have nominated to remain anonymous.
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JANUARY
FEBRUARY
Welcome to College
Monthly Luncheon with Professor Verhezen Health Happiness and Well Being Twilight Seminar and Tastings
APRIL Monthly Luncheon with Loretta Sullivan and Alberta Hornsby Flu Vaccination Day College Table Marketing
JUNE
JULY
Monthly Luncheon with Father Bob Maguire
Health Happiness and Well Being Twilight Seminar and Tastings Residents Christmas In July
AUGUST Monthly Luncheon with John Walsh Donor’s Thank You Lunch The Graduate Union Open Day College Table International Studies
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NOVEMBER Monthly Luncheon with Brigadier Bob Slater
MARCH Monthly Luncheon with Dr Bethia Wilson AM Welcome Summer/ Autumn BBQ College Table Psychology Day Trip Yarra Valley Wineries
MAY Monthly Luncheon with Dr Vicky White Health Happiness and Well Being Twilight Seminar and Tastings College Table Veterinary Science Annual General Meeting
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Monthly Luncheon with Professor Jeremy Oats
Monthly Luncheon with Kenneth Park
College Table Mathematics and Physics
College Table Literature and Writing The Graduate Union Ball
DECEMBER Cocktail Party Members Christmas Party
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Our Resident Members The In-House International Collegium Graduate House is one of the most international residential colleges worldwide. Every year, hundreds of postgraduates from around the world choose to stay at Graduate House, creating a truly multicultural environment. This map shows the number of residents from each country in 2015 and exclusive of visitors booked in by our organisation members. For the new and lone postgraduate student or visiting academic, this means instant immersion into a welcoming and diverse 'united nations'. Once they leave residence, they are integrated and active in an influential world-caring network. “Are you a first timer in Australia without knowing anyone? No worries, within one week you will know everyone if you attend the meals every day and mingle with people. They all speak English (with various lovely accents), and you will feel more than welcome and a sense of belonging.” - Zoe Ma “Graduate House is really special. It’s close to campus, and it has a warm atmosphere – almost a family atmosphere. I was lucky to come to Graduate House.” – Dr Srebrenka Letina “Everyone here has bent over backwards to try and be as accommodating, warm and friendly as possible. Everyone we speak to: maintenance, Diana, people who just run into you in the halls, everyone has a smile on their face, everybody has a ready hello and that is the most important aspect of it, of the quality of life here. For the time that we’ve been here, we’ve been very happy.” – Dr Alan Fenigstein
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Our Residents FATEMA SAMINA YASMIN I am studying for my Masters of Public Policy at RMIT University and am funded through the Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship. Public Policy is a discipline of social sciences that is based primarily on the principles of economics, political science, law, sociology and other established disciplines. Every aspect of life - the economy, education, health care, the environment, employment, food production, etc. - is governed by public policies adopted at local, regional, national and international levels.
Fatema with her husband, Rashedul, and daughter, Rayya
My previous experience in conducting observational research on the process of formulation and implementation of policies, both social and economic, in Bangladesh fostered my interest in enrolling to undertake this Master’s degree in Public Policy. The academic curriculum of the universities I have attended in the past did not offer enough courses in public policy. To understand the mechanisms of complex public policy I thus decided to do a specialised masters program in this discipline. It is noteworthy that in a developing country like Bangladesh, public policies are heavily influenced by the interests and agendas of certain groups as well as of politicians, policymakers, government and non-government actors. I believe that my RMIT Master’s program will assist me to develop adequate understanding of public policy formulation and implementation and will help me become a better academic and researcher.
Fatema speaking at a youth conference in Bangladesh
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The Master of Public Policy program at RMIT University provides a holistic approach and will enable me to acquire a more comprehensive understanding, in particular, of International and Global Development. It will give me the opportunity to combine my professional experience with academic knowledge and to sharpen my research skills. In turn, this will enhance my competency and confidence to contribute as a policy analyst for the government and nongovernment sectors.
I believe that the personal and professional benefits to be gained from this Master’s programme are immense. Through coursework, assignments and discussions with other students and academics from different countries having diverse cultural backgrounds and work experiences, my knowledge horizon will be vastly widened. I will gain an in-depth specialised knowledge in governance and development issues, which are especially useful for academic and policy practices in a developing country like Bangladesh. After returning to my country, I intend to teach different courses and will design better research projects to promote further sustainable development in Bangladesh. I hope to contribute academically by translating Australia’s best practices in social and environmental policy formulation, public management and governance. I intend to become a highly qualified academic, researcher and policy advocate in the future. I began my career as a Young Professional Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh and later became a researcher with the Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University, Dhaka. I was a proud team member of the first ever youth survey conducted in Bangladesh and I authored a book entitled ‘Bangladesh Youth Survey 2011: Giving Youths a Voice’ with Dr. Fatema speaking at a youth conference Elvira Graner and Salina Aziz. Because I was involved from the beginning, I learned how to develop a project, conduct a country wide survey and author chapters on certain topics. The 'Giving Youth a Voice' project opened my eyes to the issues experienced by the youth of Bangladesh that appeared to be completely ignored by policymakers. The main objective of the Bangladesh Youth Survey (BYS) was thus to provide an in-depth understanding of young people’s ideas about politics and social justice. This included understanding how they see their roles vis-a-vis the state, society/community and their families. The survey also addressed their assessments of the core policies of relevance for youth, such as education, skill development, employment and access to labor markets. The subsequent publication of the results was a highlight and we continue to see this book as a means of strengthening the position of young people. The findings will hopefully contribute to the design of further action and policies that will strengthen the democratic governance of youth in close partnership between the government and the development agencies. The regional, gender and social analyses from the study have also provided better regional and social targeting. Young people constitute 30% of the total population of Bangladesh, and it is thus important that the government knows what is important for this demographic. This is all the more so with predictions that this population cohort will be burgeoning and a particular burden for Bangladesh within 20-25 years. I have participated in several national and international conferences focusing on youth issues and am a member of the South Asian Youth Network. I am associated with various organisations that support youth development in Bangladesh, like Hope ’87, Jaago and many more. Being a university teacher and a youth policy advocate, I want to bring positive changes in the future and make this potentially productive section of the population successful.
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I completed both my Bachelor's and my Master's degrees at the Department of Political Science, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and obtained First Class 2nd Position for both courses. I joined this same department as a Lecturer in 2013. As a junior faculty member, I first worked as a Student Advisor. I loved this role as it provided me with an opportunity to interact with my students and to keep acquainted with new ideas and thoughts. Last year, the Department introduced a new academic programme Master in Governance Studies - and I was one of the faculty members involved in developing the programme and its curriculum from the beginning. This involvement taught me how to develop an academic program from scratch. In the future, the Department intends to introduce a Master in Public Policy degree and I believe my experience working in developing the previous programme will help me to develop the new programme when I go back home. I always wanted to do my second specialised Master’s program in Australia because of the high quality and reputation of the academic institutions here. I felt that it would train me to be a better qualified academic for my home country. The wish came true with the support of the Endeavour Postgraduate Award which provided me with sufficient financial support. Receiving the lapel pin from the Australian Government's Department for Education was one of my proudest moments as it is only given to a few select high achievers. I was born in Chittagong, which is known as the port city of Bangladesh. Currently I live in Dhaka, the capital city, with my family. Though I love my hometown, with its hills and sea, my heart now lies always in Dhaka. Due to the nature of my father’s job, I had to travel to multiple divisional cities within the country and also I spent few years of my childhood in Doha, Qatar. I believe that these 'nomadic' early days have ultimately helped me to become adaptive, independent and friendly. I am married to MD. Rashedul Husain who graduated in Mechanical Engineering and later completed his MBA in Finance. He is now a banker and works at HSBC Bank in Bangladesh. We are blessed with a beautiful daughter, Rayya, who is just six years of age. I am in love with books particularly fiction. They transport me to another world and I love to get lost in the literary world. My second favorite pastime is to listen to music, particularly ballads and instrumentals, and to watch movies. But most of all I love to spend quality time with my daughter. Natural beauties always attract me a lot and Melbourne is such a wonderful city with amazing parks and gardens. My new favorite pastime here while at Graduate House is to take long walks around Melbourne during weekends. Fatema has been a Resident Member of Graduate House since early 2015. As part of her studies last year, Fatema undertook an Environmental Audit of Graduate House under the supervision of Dr Ben Cooke, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT. Fatema has kindly granted permission for our Association to use this Audit for planning purposes and as the basis for collaborative research projects with graduate students from both RMIT and The University of Melbourne. Thank you Fatema.
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Our Residents PARISA SHIRAN 'My research trip'. I put the words on paper as I begin to think about my travel to the States to attend a conference and to do research. It doesn’t take long before I come up with a list of words: intellectual, educational, difference, experience, challenging, transformative. I stop at transformative and circle the word as I realize that this single word describes the overall effect of my research trip. Looking back at the time when I began putting efforts into planning my trip till now, I realize that it has all been part of a long journey that was very transformative to my knowledge and understanding—both in specific terms having to do with my PhD research and in more general terms. Walking around Washington D.C. with early spring blossoms
After my confirmation last July (2015), I was determined to make best use of my second year of PhD candidature to engage with events and activities that could enrich my research and enhance my understanding in areas that have direct or indirect relation to my PhD research topic. My first implementation of this resolution was to begin to teach. Teaching, I thought, is the most rational expansion of my academic pursuits. By teaching, I would not only be gaining experience that could prove to be very helpful in the future, but also I would be learning as I prepare materials that I am going to teach in the classroom. There are always moments of epiphany in revisiting books that we have already read: moments when we see what we have learnt in a new light and our understanding expands and deepens. Being a PhD candidate in English and Theatre Studies (School of Culture and Communication at The University of Melbourne), I applied and was successful to become a tutor in the course Modern and Contemporary Literature. I have always been interested in the literature between 1920s and 1970s. The course allowed me to increase my understanding of some of the key literary issues of the period. In late November and right after I had just finished tutoring, I heard about the extension of applications for the Feminist Theory Workshop International Travel Award. The Feminist Theory Workshop (or conference as it is usually called), is an annual conference held at the Program in Women’s Studies at Duke University. Duke Feminist Theory Workshop has long been an important international event in the feminist scholarly calendar. I had always wanted to attend the conference as I could imagine the benefits of meeting and talking with top-notch feminist scholars from all around the world. Duke Women’s Studies Program offers International Travel Awards to PhD students and postdoctoral researchers who would like to attend the conference. I had missed the deadline for the first round of applications for the travel award and was a bit sad in overlooking an important deadline. But once I heard, through a Facebook notification, that there was a second round of application, I applied and was successful and very happy to be presented with 2016 Feminist Theory Workshop Travel award.
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Charged with the delight of my award and the unique opportunity that I have to meet and to discuss with feminist scholars and researchers, I was pleasantly surprised to be awarded also the Margaret Watson Centenary Travelling Fellowship at the Annual Award Ceremony at Graduate House to assist me with doing research at Djuna Barnes archive at the University of Maryland. Barnes is one of the women writers who I am researching as part of my PhD. The Graduate House award, then, meant more and delighted me far greater. To me, it was an acknowledgement of the value of the effort I am putting into my PhD research. It was a recognition that motivated me to work harder and to reach higher. By early December I was planning for my research trip that was going to be one of the most unforgettable experiences of my PhD. Meanwhile, I was writing a book chapter proposal about ‘Sufi Traditions of Resilience in Modern Iranian Society’ for the book Multiculturalism and the Convergence of Faith and Practical Wisdom in Modern Society (to be published in 2017). Full of the excitement of the coming trip and the chances of getting my chapter published, I was able to submit my proposal before falling prey to a physical condition that, most unfortunately, took 6 weeks off my research time. I was diagnosed with gallstones and had to undergo the operation to remove my gallbladder. Although it was a very difficult time before the operation and after till I fully recovered—which was just in time for the doctors to allow me to do my research trip—I was so fortunate to be living in Graduate House to have the support and care of many lovely individuals, including the CEO and Head of the College, Dr. Kerry Bennett, the kitchen and housekeeping staff and many other kind friends who I cannot name all here. By 1st of March, I felt much better and was very much looking forward to my research in the US. The Feminist Theory conference was held at Duke University 4-5th March (2016). The conference was a very intellectual and intimate environment where I got the chance to sit, eat and talk with great feminist scholars such as the feminist philosopher Elizabeth Grosz. The keynote lectures allowed me to gain interdisciplinary knowledge about the most recent questions within feminist theoretical practices across a variety of disciplines including Social and Political Studies, African American Studies and Literature and Cultural Studies. On the other hand, the closing roundtables and seminars—which allowed participants to engage in dialogue around the key issues of the Workshop—let me ask questions from my own individual perspective. The closing roundtable ensures a deep as well as critical understanding of the themes covered in the lectures. After the conference, I began my archival research at the Hornbake Library (University of Maryland) where Djuna Barnes’ Collection is held. Barnes archive was a huge collection of papers and manuscripts, drawings, illustrations and photos, which help researchers to understand this rather obscure and difficult, yet very prolific Modernist woman writer. But as soon as I entered the reading room—which was kept at the very cold temperature for preserving the precious papers of the Collection — I encountered a new challenge. The challenge was how to read and work with theses fragments. As researchers we usually find gaps that fragments expose very unsettling and our best effort is to fill them. And yet this was not the only difficulty. I needed to encrypt some of the writings. This was because Barnes was an enigmatic writer who was concerned with having her writings in unsympathetic hands. Further, I needed to draw connections between pieces and ideas. As challenging as this could be, I also needed to create wholesome narratives and accounts from the multiple versions of the same fiction or play that the archive presented. Therefore, although I initially entered the archive with the desire to come to that bit and piece of paper or letter that explain it all, I began to develop a certain patience that I realised was very crucial to my task of learning at the archive. It was like a jigsaw
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puzzle task when you begin with a sense of uncertainty but finish with the pleasure of arriving at the whole picture. I learnt widely and deeply at Barnes Special Collection. I learnt about the network of literary influences shaping her writings; I learnt that unlike the common-held belief that the peculiarity of Barnes’s writing had biographical reasons, it has got to do with Barnes’ lifelong preoccupation with literary forms and literary experimentation. In the end, I was able to create a whole out of the pile of fragments that I initially found impossible to decipher. In addition to doing research, I spent some time walking around University of Maryland’s campus and was able to make friends, many of them Iranian graduate students. They were very welcoming and friendly individuals with whom I celebrated the Persian New Year on 20th March. Iranians celebrate New Year (or Nowruz) at the beginning of the spring each year. Nowruz is a very old and revered tradition, dating back three thousand years. And this year I celebrated Nowruz with many Iranian friends in the US, who invited me to their houses for New Year Lunch. Since I have come back, I have decided to write an article, using my new knowledge from the archive, on one of Barnes’ most famous novels Nightwood. The article will also be included in the second chapter of my dissertation, which is on Djuna Barnes. I am also informed that my book chapter proposal has been accepted. In the coming months, therefore, I will be engaged in a lot of research and writing. My book chapter is an investigation into Iranian religio-cultural identity and uses classical Persian poetry as an entry point into the highly complex characteristics of Persianate Identity. In my chapter, I want to reflect on the status of classical Persian poetry as an Islamic literary tradition, one that has had an enormous influence on Iranian society and culture. This will be both very exciting and challenging, especially given that I have the second review of my PhD mid-July, when I have to submit written chapters of my thesis so far. But I am very motivated by my recent accomplishments. Indeed, one of my futures goals is to try to create the chance to visit Shahrnush Parsipur. She is one of the well-known Iranian women writers whose books have been translated into different languages. As she is the only living author, among the ones I am researching for my PhD, I am absolutely fascinated by the idea of getting an opportunity to meet her and/or having an interview with her about her books, her views on feminine writing, the shaping influence of gender norms on women’s literature, etc. Meeting Parsipur in person will not be very dissimilar to my recent training at Barnes’ archive. I hope I will be able to meet her, as I know how transformative such archival information could be to my perceptions and understanding. Saint Augustine is said to have noted that: “the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” And I am very glad that I got the chance to flip through this Book (of the world) to meet and to learn many new things that I wouldn’t have learnt otherwise. Hence, I want to use the concluding parts of my story to thank all individuals that made it possible for me to travel. A lot of people have helped me in so many various ways that will be difficult to specify and to name. I must content myself, then, with expressing my appreciation to my supervisor who never stops supporting me and to the CEO and Head of Graduate House Dr. Kerry Bennett for her unfailing encouragement and support. I want also to thank Graduate House for presenting me with the Margaret Watson Traveling Fellowship that assisted me with my archival research at the University of Maryland. Thanks to all those unnamed here who were, nevertheless, part of my amazing time and experience.
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Our Members His and Her Reflections of Joan and Geoff Harcourt, both graduates of The University of Melbourne, in the year of their Diamond Wedding Anniversary 2015.
HIS - GEOFFREY HARCOURT I started a Bachelor of Commerce course at The University of Melbourne in 1950 but I did not meet Joan until 1953. I was then a final year Honours student and the economics tutor at Queen’s College. At the mid-year Queen’s Ball one of my students brought Joan and I congratulated him on partnering the belle of the ball. Subsequently, just before Swot vac, six Women’s women asked six Queens/ Ormond men to a revolving supper in Women’s on Saturday night. Joan was one of the invitees and I was so taken with her that I later asked my student Geoff Harcourt in Cambridge 1982 “was he still going out with Joan Bartrop?” (I had found out her name by then). He said “no”. After the supper party I pinched the hand bell that was used to wake the women each day. At tea and biscuits after Chapel in Queen’s on Sunday – Women’s women sang in the Queen’s choir – I was fooling around saying how as a Tutor I would return the bell to the redoubtable Myra Roper, the Principal of Women’s, and apologise for the unseemly behaviour of the Queen’s undergraduates. Joan seemed to think this was a lark so next day I rang her to ask her to come to see Moulin Rouge, then showing in Melbourne. She graciously responded “are you kidding?” – She had only seen the larking around side of me. Anyway, we went to the flicks and started seeing each other almost daily, our senses no doubt heightened by Spring/early Summer weather and the trauma of swot vac before Finals. In early December we were baby-sitting for her Auntie Marj and I proposed to Joan after supper of a brown boiled egg and brown bread toast, the night before I was to be interviewed for the Rhodes Scholarship. Luckily I was runner up to Duncan Anderson (Rhodes Scholars could not be married in those days). Joan was taken aback by my proposal after only a few weeks of knowing each other. Fortunately, she went during the long vac to the Annual Australia-wide SCM conference, the theme of which was “courtship and marriage.” On the way home she was concussed in a car accident. The two events led to her saying ‘Yes.’ We announced our engagement on the day we both graduated in April 1954. I was awarded the Atchison Travelling Scholarship to do a PhD at Cambridge. We married on July 30, 1955 in Queen’s Chapel and two weeks later had a five week honeymoon as we sailed to the UK and to King’s College, Cambridge, Keynes’s College, so then the Mecca of all aspiring economists. I had the usual share of research blues in Cambridge but being married kept me on our even keel. Joan was the first librarian of the newly opened Vet School and she rode to
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work each day on a Lambretta we dubbed “Lucy the languishing Lambretta” (after a character in a film, “Lucy the languishing Librarian”). Lucy also took us around England and Scotland in the long vacs. I was appointed to a Lectureship in the Economics Department at Adelaide University in 1958, a wonderful department with many young people, headed by a then very young Professor, Peter Karmel. Pat and Bob Wallace, our great friends from Melbourne, had preceded us and there I first met my greatest Australian friend and mentor, Eric Russell. He and Judith were extremely kind to us as we settled into Adelaide life – a very happy time which saw the birth of our first two children, Wendy in 1959 and Robert in 1961. In August 1963 we went back to Cambridge for my first study leave. To my utter amazement, I was asked to apply for a University Lectureship in the Cambridge Faculty, then possibly the best in the world, by Joan Robinson (who was already my greatest Cambridge mentor). I was offered the post but, as I was on leave, I felt a moral obligation to return to Adelaide, so I asked for three years leave without pay to take up the University Lectureship and also a Fellowship at Trinity Hall as their first ever teaching fellow in economics. (The Vice Master clinched my election by pointing out that even if it were to be a disaster, it would only be a short-run one.) We stayed in Cambridge for what was probably the most exciting and productive years of my life and the happiest period of our many happy years together, until we returned to Adelaide at the end of 1966, arriving in early 1967. Our third child, Tim, had been born in Cambridge in September 1965. Back in Adelaide, first as a Reader and then elected to a Personal Chair in September 1967, having been thoroughly briefed on the background to the Vietnam war by knowledgeable friends in Cambridge, I threw myself into the emerging anti-Vietnam war movement. I was selflessly as ever supported by Joan, who had to handle most of the hate phone calls, death threats and so on. Neal Blewett and I were the two moderates on the Committee of the Campaign for Peace in Vietnam (CPV) in South Australia. I spent two and a half days a week for about seven years on anti-war activities. Our fourth child, Rebecca, was born on the 10th May 1968, the day the French student riots started – when else? Joan and I had always been politically active in Adelaide, both of us in the ALP, the Student Christian Movement (SCM), and Immigration Reform, I in the Howard League for Penal Reform, and Joan was a pioneer for abortion reform and she also stood as an ALP candidate for the Upper House in SA when Rebecca was on the way. In addition, I played cricket for Adelaide University in the summer and Aussie Rules with the mighty Blacks, Adelaide University’s remarkable Australian Rules Football Club, in the winter. In August 1968 I was asked to write the survey article for the second issue of the newly established Journal of Economic Literature, a journal of the American Economic Association with a huge captive readership. I was asked to survey the issues associated with the debates on capital theory between Cambridge, England and Cambridge, Massachusetts, of which I had been a witness, asked by Joan Robinson to sit in on the exchanges between her and Ken Arrow and Bob Solow who were on leave in Cambridge in the 1960s. The article was published in June 1969. That article and the subsequent book of the same title, Some Cambridge controversies in the Theory of Capital, published by Cambridge in 1972, gave me an international reputation. We were back in Cambridge in 1972-73 with our four children. I was again on leave from Adelaide and was a Visiting Fellow of Clare Hall. I was urged to return to Cambridge by (some of) my colleagues there, but we felt we must return to Australia because I was on leave and, furthermore, my mother had had a severe stroke in Melbourne.
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Tragically, Eric (my mentor) died in February 1977 after playing squash, and my mother died in early 1981. In May 1981 I was offered a lectureship at Cambridge and a Fellowship at Jesus. When the phone rang at our home, a voice said: “Jesus calling,” so what could I say but “I come”? Joan, with her usual great selflessness, and I selfishly, accepted, and returned in September 1982 for 28 years. Joan joined me in December with Rebecca who most selflessly came too. Tim started at Adelaide University in 1983 and Wendy and Robert had either graduated or were near to doing so from Adelaide. At Cambridge my main research project was to document the intellectual history and contributions of Joan Robinson and her circle. In the end, overwhelmingly in collaboration with Prue Kerr who had been my undergraduate student at Flinders, Master’s student at Adelaide and PhD student at Cambridge, there are over 100 essays, several edited books and a 2009 joint biography of Joan Robinson (who Harcourt’s wedding day, Queen’s College, Melbourne University, July 30, 1955 died in 1983). I had a large teaching load in the Faculty and Jesus, I always had 8-11 PhD students on the go. I was on the University Council for eight years, and many Faculty committees. I was also President of Jesus for three years, ably supported by Joan, and an active cricketer and runner (not jogger). Between September 1992 and September 1994 I had four attempts to die and again it was Joan who bore the brunt of these episodes and their aftermaths. While in Cambridge we returned to OZ each year, to see parents while they were alive, and other family and friends. We kept our links with Melbourne University and especially Graduate House where we periodically stayed. On our 55th Wedding Anniversary on 30 July 2010, we returned permanently to OZ, settling in Sydney where three of our four children now live. Our Diamond Wedding was last year and we had parties in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The party in Melbourne was at Queen’s where I had spent four life-transforming years, including meeting my first mentor, Joe Isaac, who tutored me in 1950. For the Melbourne party we stayed at Graduate House where much fuss was made of us! Our ties with Melbourne University remain strong. I am a Life Member of The Graduate Union and I cherish the Honorary Degree awarded to me from The University of Melbourne in 2003. In 2002 I was the Sugden Fellow at Queen’s and we spent a wonderfully happy few months living in Queen’s, catching up with old Melbourne friends and relies. I was also a Visiting Professor at the Melbourne Faculty. I always say my life only really began when I married Joan. I count myself the most fortunate of persons to have had such a wonderfully full and varied life with such a remarkable person as my team mate, living in the uniquely stimulating environment which great universities create. graduateunionannualreport • 68
HERS - JOAN HARCOURT 60 years of an eventful life throws up many memories. However, it also has been an opportunity for us each to reflect on our life journeying together. In my family of three children I was the only girl. In my final year at school, my Mother explained to me that it would not be possible for me to go to University as it would be more important for my brothers to have that opportunity. So I was found a job in the local library in Ballarat, my home town. The female Librarian, Marjorie Ramsay, was young, very able, a graduate of Melbourne University and MA of Library Science. She prepared the other young library assistant and myself to sit and pass the Preliminary Library Certificate. While my parents were overseas still, Commonwealth Scholarships were announced. By the time my parents returned I had a Commonwealth Scholarship and was enrolled in Arts at Melbourne University, and booked into the Princess Mary Club, a Methodist Women’s Hostel in the City. I was a shy, quiet girl. I wouldn’t undertake teaching as that would mean a three year commitment after graduation. Later I didn’t switch to honours, although I had had a letter encouraging me to do honours, as it would mean another year at University. (Too late, my attitude about being at the Shop for four years changed.) I also felt a little guilty as I had gone to University and my brothers hadn’t. Towards the end of my second year, I applied for accommodation at Women’s College and was offered residency. My world expanded educationally and socially. I was one of a group of Women’s women who sang in the Queen’s choir. Several Sunday evenings I noticed this young man sitting in the back row of the pews opposite and wondered who he was. There was something about him. Later, during Swot vac. a group of us decided to play a prank on the men of Queen’s while the men were dining in Hall. Unfortunately, one of the tutors was not in Hall and caught us. The alarm was raised and we endured the punishment of being dunked under the showers. I remember this unknown man (to me) I had seen in chapel, overenthusiastically urging our captors on, as they dragged us to our doom. Our next meeting was at Women’s College open night supper. Our group of six women invited six men to a revolving supper, each woman providing a course (mine was chocolate ripple cake). Geoff was invited by one of my friends, so I learned his name, but we didn’t exchange a word with each other. I had invited another Queen’s man (not the one Geoff spoke with after the Queen’ s ball). On the following day, Sunday, after the evening service, we all gathered in the Master’s Lodge for tea and biscuits. We enjoyed hearing Geoff’s tale of his prank of stealing the Women’s College bell the evening before and his plan to return it to our College in his role as tutor. I was one of those who escorted him back to college. I was totally amazed when he rang the next day and invited me to a film. I had only known him as a prankster at that time. But I did want to see Moulin Rouge, so I accepted and found that I felt very comfortable with him. Also I enjoyed his wit and generosity. (I always have said, and still say, that I married Geoff because he made me laugh, and helped me make up my mind.) For the next weeks we enjoyed sharing time together, as we triggled (walking the three sided footpath around College) in the evening, after preparing for exams during the day. Geoff proposed after only six weeks, while we were babysitting my young cousins. I was flattered but surprised. I was about to return to live in Ballarat, my home town, and totally unsure of what to say. When the train arrived at the Ballarat Station, my mother and brother met me, mother happy that after three years in Melbourne I was returning home. There and
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then, I told her with a laugh, that Geoff wanted to marry me. Her face fell. I realised this was serious. In Ballarat I continued my holiday job as a telephonist at the Ballarat Telephone Exchange. During that time Geoff came up regularly at weekends to Ballarat. Some weekends I visited Geoff in Melbourne. I was still not sure whether to accept Geoff’s proposal, so I decided to attend the Student Christian Movement (SCM) conference on Marriage to be held in Armadale. On the way home, travelling by car with friends, on a very bumpy road at the end of a long day, the driver, tired, dazzled by the sun in his eyes, missed a turn and crashed into a tree. Sitting in the front passenger seat, I was concussed, in shock, in pain, totally immobile. Nola, who at that time was in the back seat behind Trinity Hall days in Cambridge, 1965 the driver, saw what was about to Tim is 6 weeks, Wendy 6 and Rob is 4. happen, leaned forward to grab the wheel,and had her jaw broken. Graeme had several cracked ribs. We ended up in hospital in Foster. After the crash I saw double for a few weeks. The talks and discussions at the conference, and the shock of the accident helped focus my mind on what is really important. Geoff had given me a deadline. I had to make up my mind by April. I always work to deadlines, so by April I accepted his proposal and we announced our engagement on the day of our Graduation, 10 April, 1954. Geoff’s twin also graduated then. I don’t think seeing double had any influence on marrying a twin! In the second half of this year I attended The Public Library of Victoria Library school in Melbourne, to complete my Library qualifications. (The first half of the year, the Preliminary Certificate examination I had passed before I went to University.) Living again in Melbourne was an opportunity to have time with Geoff, our friends, his family and my own extended family in Melbourne. The next year, back in Ballarat I held the post of Librarian-in-Charge of the Adult and Children’s Lending Libraries, at the Central Library of Ballarat Municipal Libraries. I also prepared for marriage, learning, typing, and dressmaking. I crocheted lace table mats as well as reading. Working in a library was brilliant for access to many books, and archival material. I also gave some talks on children’s books, a great ways to learn more about children’s authors and children’s interests. Post war, the quality, variety, and number of children’s books available in libraries was exciting. (A different world now, in this multimedia age when books are being given away, and bookshops closing.)
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We married in Queen’s Chapel, on July 30 1956, a cold windy wintry day. As we left Queen’s chapel, under the arches, a gust of wind blew off my veil. My bridesmaid put it on back to front, so I gave my beautiful flowers to Geoff to hold, while I put it my veil on the right way. When Mother went to get the newspaper photos she heard “that was the wedding where the groom held the flowers”. A good omen as Geoff has always 60 year Diamond Wedding Celebration, Sydney, August 1, 2016 been generous at buying me flowers. Another foretaste of what was to come was his friends hoisting him up on their shoulders, and carrying him off in triumph. I was left standing alone in my full bridal regalia. My cultural conditioning was that of a woman of my time and place. A woman’s job was to support the men. The television serial on Channel 2, ‘The Doctor Blake Mysteries’, captured my period as a young woman in the early fifties exactly as it is in set in Ballarat in places I know well. The only difference to my time there being the number of murders. A woman’s was a supportive role for the husband. Both our Mothers, who were highly skilled teachers, gave up their professions when they married. I continued with my profession of Librarian when I was married, but when we returned to live in Adelaide, Geoff had to complete his PhD and also start a course of lectures, so I stayed home and became a homemaker (commonly in the 50s considered an important role for educated middle class women). I found this very difficult, in a new city with no networks of relations and friends. I began to look for a library position when I became pregnant with our first child. I began to make friends. When our daughter was fifteen months, my lovely next door neighbour who taught at a small private school, offered to mind Wendy, while I taught English Literature, one afternoon a week. This job was a lifesaver. When we returned to Cambridge, on study leave in 1963, we had two children, Wendy was four and Robert, two. When Geoff was appointed as a Lecturer in the Economics Faculty and as a Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, we enjoyed making a new life and friends. In those days, there was a University Wives Club for women, so once a term at lunch time we were shown around one of the men’s colleges, although women were not invited to dine in Hall in men’s colleges. When we lived in Cambridge in the 1955-58 there were only two women’s colleges, Girton and Newnham, and 21 men’s colleges. This was changing. In 1964, New Hall, another college for women was founded and in 1956 Lucy Cavendish was founded for women graduate students. In 1964 Darwin College was founded as a graduate students college and was the first to admit both men and women. (This is very different now. Twenty three colleges admit both men and women students as undergraduates and post graduates. The other seven colleges restrict entry by age of the undergraduate, or admit only women, or admit only postgraduates. The Head of a College may be Woman or Man.) As we were to stay longer than one year, I agreed to take part in a Survey for the State Schools Association. The task was to interview parents to find out if they were interested in establishing kindergartens for children. In Adelaide there were very good free kindergartens. Wendy to her
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great delight had started at the kindergarten near us, a few months after her third birthday. I found myself (with professional advice from some Social Scientists who were friends,) devising the questionnaire, bringing it to the Committee, then finding interviewers and interviewing. (I had had some experience of this as a student, as one of the interviewers for the Poverty Survey, and later, a Savings Survey.) The other decision we made was to have another child - our plan had always been to have four children. After Tim was born in 1965 I didn’t have time for coding the results of the survey. Luckily (for it and me) another Social Scientist took up this challenge. Arriving back in Adelaide at the end of 1966, we chose to have another baby. In Cambridge, I had read in a Medical Journal how to change slightly the odds of having a girl. Some months late I was home stirring the soup, listening to Jennifer Adams, a Liberal Member of the South Australian government on the radio. She said that there should be more women in Parliament. Geoff came home. The Central Office of the Australia Labor Party had told Geoff that the candidate his branch had put up was unsuitable. I said jokingly, “well you better put me up.” His face expressed total astonishment. Immediately he was on the phone to Chris Hurford. I was now a candidate, one of a team of two, for the Upper House of the South Australian Parliament. We were candidates for the ALP for the half of Adelaide who always voted for the Liberal Party. At that time, among criteria for the Upper house were property qualifications. Depending on the amount of property you owned you had more than one vote. Many women didn’t own property in those day, or even share a joint account with their husbands. When I realised I was pregnant, Geoff rang Chris Hurford again, who said “great, Lorna is having our fourth too”. I didn’t think this was quite the same. I was seven months pregnant at the time of the elections. Luckily I am well when pregnant. The election results showed that we had increased the vote for Labor from one quarter to one third. By the next election, Don Dunstan had got rid of the property qualification. Each two of the women who later stood for this seat, became successful politicians: one became a Senator for South Australia and one became a member, then later President, of the Legislative Council of South Australia. When we returned from Cambridge we found the country gearing for war in Vietnam. We had been living in England, so we hadn’t been subject to the Australian government’s campaign and messages. I had studied International Relations during my degree course at Melbourne University so knew something of the history that had led up to this situation. We also had been in England earlier when the UK and France undertook the disastrous Suez invasion. That decision divided the country at the time and taught us that governments can make bad mistakes. So we were opposed to the war in Vietnam. I went on some protests along with other women, but with children couldn’t be as active as I might have been. Some saw us as traitors, not seeing that we were trying to save young men from being conscripted and maybe killed in an un-winnable and immoral war. As Geoff was prominent in the Anti-Vietnam War Campaign, we were harassed. We learned each evening to turn the phone down, put a note on the door saying that we hadn’t ordered concrete, or manure, or taxis. Luckily we survived the death threats and an actual attempt. One night someone tried to blow up our car in the carport, on the other side of the wall by our bedroom. Luckily I had filled the car with petrol the day before, so next morning when I drove the car up to our local garage, and complained about the filthy rag they had stuffed in our petrol tank, the garage owner pulled the rag out to find it all charred. There had not been enough air in the tank to blow us up.
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I was very glad when we left with our four children to live in Japan during the 1969/70 long vacation. All the faculty came to the airport to see us off. I wonder if they didn’t expect to see us again. This was a turbulent time of peace marches, protests and arrests, both here and in Japan. In Tokyo, Geoff went each week day to Keio University to write his book. With the children, ages ten, eight, four and 18 months, I travelled by Japanese Underground Rail and sometimes bus, to visit temples, parks, and shops. Wearing a kimono, I carried Rebecca, the baby, on my back, in a velvet sling, Japanese style. Walking behind us, people saw a dark haired toddler. When they passed us and saw blue eyes and pink cheeks they looked startled. Becky was forever being photographed, as in those days there were not many western tourists in Japan. Sometimes Japanese mothers invited our older children to their homes to play with their children so they had the opportunity to hear English. Our older daughter was taught music and the three older children attended an art class. We were shown great hospitality and kindness by Geoff’s colleagues and also our neighbours. When back in Australia, I enrolled in Psychology lectures at Flinders University in 1970 and 1971, as the University of Adelaide had opened a kindergarten. Having school age children I had become interested in child development and education. I planned to work as a Psychologist in schools, and needed two more years to complete a major in Psychology. In 1971 there were few older women students. I was 38 and the nearest woman student to me in age was 25, who felt old among 17 year olds. By then social pressures for women to stay home were easing, and younger women challenged the mores of the fifties. Sometimes older women felt invisible. It is hard to remember that many women couldn’t take out a mortgage, to buy their own home. Several years later the government released money for retraining, so there were many older women studying at Universities. Also fees were demolished. In September we went back to Cambridge for Geoff’s study leave year, 1972-3. We lived at Clare Hall, recently founded as a graduate college which also catered for visiting academics. We lived in a comfortable modern house, in a community of scholars. The college had recently won an award for the architecture, so tourists were forever walking through the courtyard, peeping in our windows. The children went to school, the younger ones to the same primary school their older siblings had attended in the 60s, the older ones sat the 11+ and were admitted to the local grammar schools. I sat in on Psychology lectures. When we returned to Adelaide, the qualifications for my intended course had been raised. I now needed to take another year of Psychology and also a Diploma of Education. When I was about to do the Dip.Ed. I was offered a job as a psychologist in a school if I took the Dip.Ed. part time. I decided with four young children and a busy husband that would be too much, so I enrolled to take the Dip. Ed full time. I taught full time at first, then later changed to part time. Geoff had a dual appointment with the University of Toronto as well as Adelaide. He spent two terms in Toronto, in 1977 and 1980. The younger two children and I joined him for six weeks in 1977. Wendy was at University and Robert was in later years of high school, so they stayed in Adelaide. In 1980 Wendy married; she was still studying at Adelaide University. She and her husband took a gap year and returned to Adelaide University to do honours the following year. They came to stay with us in Cambridge when we went there for Geoff to give lectures, in the second half of 1980. Robert was in his final year of school and he and two close friends stayed in our house. In 1981, back in Adelaide, I taught part time, and one day a week also worked as a volunteer telephone counsellor at the Women’s Switchboard, an Advisory Service, which has been set
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up by the Premier, Don Dunstan. Women from all over the State of South Australia could phone without charge for help with their problems. We had a small staff of excellent paid staff, including several who could speak several languages. Our training was excellent; I learned a lot. In 1982, after much soul searching, we returned to live in Cambridge, Geoff to be a Lecturer in the Economics Faculty and a Fellow of Jesus College. We hoped both the younger two children would come with us. However, Tim chose to stay in Adelaide, attend University and live in Lincoln College. Rebecca came with us. Having always been one of four, she now was an ‘only’. She missed her siblings, and friends, as did we. After some months we booked Rebecca into a boarding school in Adelaide but in the end she chose to stay in Cambridge. The other children came for long holidays, and in a few years both Wendy and Robert were also living in Cambridge, Wendy to complete her ANU Ph.D. and Robert to study for his Ph.D. at St John’s College. Tim would stay with us in University vacations and we came back to Australia each year. After graduating in Adelaide, Tim went to do a Master’s course at St Pauls Minnesota. This for him, took one year, instead of two. (He wanted to avoid another winter in the States.) While studying Psychology at Flinders University in Adelaide, one of the modules was ‘Introduction to Counselling.’ I found this course fascinating, realising I knew little about the unconscious. When we returned to live in Cambridge I was 50 years old. Among those we had studied was the Swiss Psychiatrist, C.G. Jung, who taught that up till 50 years of age, people are establishing themselves in the world, after 50, they look within: What is life about? Who am I? What is my role in the world? I needed to explore these issues as we were in a new situation, having left family behind in Australia to live permanently in Cambridge and we were moving into the second half of life. I worked in Marshall Library of Economics while studying, first a counselling course, then Analytical Group Work, then Gestalt Therapy. After completing these, I left the Library and worked as a Counsellor at a Young People’s Counselling service, and also taught Stress Management in Doctor’s Surgeries. Later I worked privately as a Therapist. I completed four years training as a Body Psychotherapist, including training in Trauma work. Also I studied another form of Therapy known as Family Constellations. Finally I trained for seven years with Marion Woodman’s BodySoulRhythms™, work based on the teaching of Jung, both theoretically and experientially, and became a MWF BodySoul Leader. Since returning to Australia I have been leading and then co-leading Marion Woodman Foundation Affiliated Workshops, now Community Workshops, in Sydney and in Victoria. I have a very fortunate, life, being able to follow my interests and meeting amazing people, in our 60 years together. We have been blessed with four lovely adult children, who contribute so much to society, as do their partners, and four beautiful grandchildren. Each new family member has enriched out lives immeasurably, broadening and deepening our understanding. We are still enjoying life and learning from experience, including the mistakes, adjusting to changes in health and energy as we age. We appreciate the love and support from family and friends, in good times and bad, in past years and now. Geoff still helps me make up my mind, but even more than his decision making I value his humour, generosity, love of people, of good food, and deep compassion.
We are very grateful to the Harcourts for these fascinating perspectives and for rich historical glimpses of a different time for academics, for women and in global politics. Thank you.
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Awards Margaret Watson Centenary Travelling Fellowship The Margaret Watson Centenary Travelling Fellowship is in memory of Margaret Watson and is to recognise and celebrate the achievements of young female graduates. The ‘centenary’ refers to Miss Watson being required to leave the job that she loved as a teacher at University High School because she was to marry – a practice that continued until 1962 in Victoria, Australia. In the photo to the right, we see Margaret – mother, graduate and, by then, university tutor – with her son, who later graduated with a degree in medicine from The University of Melbourne.
Margaret Watson and family
Margaret Watson
Margaret Watson trained as a Primary School Teacher and was appointed as a foundation staff member of University High in Melbourne in 1910 after completing the new two year Diploma of Education, which had been introduced as the qualification for Secondary School teachers, and included some subjects towards an Arts degree. While teaching at University High, Margaret completed the extra subjects to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in 1915. On marrying, as was the requirement of that era, Margaret left her teaching position in 1915 and became a tutor in Classics at The University of Melbourne.
Graduation
Alice Hoy, who taught with Margaret, wrote in the 1960 history of University High: “Miss Watson looked, as she certainly was, a friendly, jolly person“. She was described as a vigorous teacher with a robust sense of humor who could make Latin as well as Geography interesting. Miss Watson was said to have a very warm heart and when she left the school late in 1915 to be married she took many lasting friendships with her. For many of her former pupils and staff colleagues her house in Elwood, the friendly doors of which were always open, became a real home for them too.
Parisa Shiran receiving her award from Ms Penelope Watson
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Margaret Watson Centenary Fellowship Awardee Parisa Shiran
Miss Shiran has a Bachelor's degree (2010) and a Master's degree (2012) in English Literature from the University of Isfahan, Iran. Her doctoral research, at the time of this Fellowship, being undertaken in the School of Culture and Communication, Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne, was an interdisciplinary study of culturally different women writers within a comparative dialogue for arriving at a philosophy of women’s literature. Miss Shiran brings an important and much needed perspective and influence on literature of importance for both women and men globally. This academic and research excellence has been recognised by the Australian government which has given her an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship, as well as an Australian Postgraduate Award. Also in recognition of her initiative, professionalism and research/ academic excellence, Miss Shiran was presented with the prestigious Graduate House Research Acknowledgment Award in May 2015. Following this, in December 2015, she was presented with this inaugural Margaret Watson Centenary Travelling Fellowship to support her undertaking coursework and research in comparative literature at the University of Maryland, where she will also be visiting the archive of a woman writer she is researching as part of her PhD project.
MV Anderson Award The M V Anderson award, recognises the achievements of graduates who share their insights and skills from their studies for the benefit of the wider community. The Anderson medal was donated by the family of M V Anderson, a founding member of the Graduate Union. Renowned sculptor, Michael Meszaros was commissioned by the family to design a medal that represent an individual’s personal development and ability to communicate their accumulated knowledge. The final piece sees a pattern of Mr Magnus Victor Anderson lines at right angles within a human profile, interacting with other overlapping human profiles. Conscious and deliberate human constructs are represented with this design. M V Anderson
The M V Anderson Award
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M V Anderson was a significant and prominent contributor to The Graduate Union. Elected President of the Graduates Section of The University of Melbourne, he became thence a founding member of The Graduate Union in 1953. The M V Anderson medal (and annual award) is donated by his descendants to recognise the achievements of graduates who have developed skills and insights which they are able to communicate to others.
M V Anderson Awardees Julia Melanson Ms Melanson is completing a Doctorate in Physiotherapy, and has, during her time at Graduate House, assumed the role of Events Coordinator of the Graduate House Student Group, organised the college balls, and has been instrumental in organising events including cultural dinners, welcome tables and Friday trivia nights.
Julia Melanson
Oliver Lovell Mr Oliver Lovell is completing his coursework, Master of Teaching, Secondary, specialising in the teaching of Mathematics and Physics. His contribution as the Environment and Social Justice Coordinator of the Graduate House Student Group has been pivotal. He has tirelessly contributed to initiating college events such as the welcome table, contributing to the ethical purchase program, and also delivers tutorials and relief lecturing to students at The University of Tasmania.
Graduate House Research Scholarship
Oliver Lovell and Cr Rhys Watson
The 2015 Graduate House Research Scholarship was awarded to Dennis Danipog for his research on Teaching for Scientific Literacy: Exploring Teachers’ Science Enquiry Practices and Students’ Achievement in Science. His research will provide evidence-based documentation of specific science inquiry teaching practices associated with students’ improvement with scientific literacy. He hopes that his work will inform the Philippine Department of Education on increasing teachers’ capacity to use science inquiry teaching practices as they implement the new K to 12 science curriculum.
Bursaries
Dennis Danipog and Cr Rhys Watson
Bursaries provide financial assistance for coursework studies. For 2015, the recipients were David Allinson (Law, Juris Doctor, The University of Melbourne), Jingyao Yu (Master of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne), Oliver Lovell (Master of Teaching, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne) and Fatema Yasmin (Master of Public Policy, School of Global, Urban and Social Sciences, RMIT).
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David Allinson, Oliver Lovell, Cr Rhys Watson and Jingyao Yu at the 2015 Annual General Meeting
The National Student Leadership Forum Betsy Yu and Riyan Stephan were the two lucky Residents who in 2015 were selected to attend the National Student Research Forum on Faith and Values in Canberra. Betsy is currently undergoing a Master of Management (Accounting and Finance) at The University of Melbourne. She started her tertiary pathway with a Bachelor of Management at Sun Yat-sen University in China. She then completed a Bachelor of International Hospitality and Tourism Management. In 2015 she was awarded the Graduate House Bursary using the funds to assist her undertaking of a summer school course at The University of Cambridge. Hailing from Trivandrum, the capital city of the South Indian state of Kerala, Riyan holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. In India, he had the opportunity to focus more on the practical side of electronics whetting his appetite for Satellite Botricks and Swarm Robotics. He is currently completing a Master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering at The University of Melbourne.
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Riyan Stephan and Jingyao (Betsy) Yu
Our College Tutors The Graduate House College Tutor Program offers tutorials in college (like other residential colleges) but these are to learners who are based outside the college walls. Some of these learners are similar to those at other colleges - that is, undergraduates enrolled in university courses. Our gratitude is extended to our 2015 College Tutors. Chanchal Chandramouli Language Support: Malay and Tamil Subjects: Genetics, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Physiology (cardiac)
Rachel Davies Language Support: English and French Subject: Political Science to advanced levels
Weijin Wang Language Support: Mandarin Subjects: Marketing, Management, Tourism and Hospitality
Tessa Satherley Language Support: Advanced English Subjects: Physics and the Arts, Academic writing
Riyan Stephan Language Support: English Subjects: Mathematics and Communication Engineering (Electronics)
Emmeline Wu Language Support: Mandarin
Rofan Teo Language Support: English Subject: Arts
Jingyao Yu Language Support: English and Mandarin Subjects: Mathematics and Business Management
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Ping Guo Language Support: English and Mandarin. Subjects: Advertising and Communication
Oliver Lovell Language Support: Mandarin Subject: Mathematics
Haoqu Wang Language Support: Mandarin Subjects: Mathematics, Engineering and Business Management
Annelies Van de Ven Language Support: French, Latin, Dutch Subjects: History, Anthropology, Art History
Dolly Hoang Subjects: Mathematics, Science, Biology and Chemistry
Wei Yang Tai Subjects: Mathematics, Engineering and Science
The Graduate Union is grateful for the commitment of our Tutors to this collegial endeavour. We are confident that the Members and others who read our Melbourne Graduate will acknowledge and appreciate this contribution, and that our 2015 Tutors will have benefited from the challenges of this experience and from the networking and career development support that will ensue.
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Graduate House Student Group (GHSG) Formed in 2014, and later becoming a constituted affiliated member of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) of The University of Melbourne, the Graduate House Student Group (GHSG) has been responsible for arranging activities to keep the residents of Graduate House engaged, entertained and made to feel included in their home away from home.
Pravin Siriwardena President
Oliver Lovell Environment/Social Justice Coordinator
David Allinson Vice President
Roberta Grant Arts Coordinator
Bingqiao (Abby) Chen Treasurer
Liliana Bray Events Coordinator
Wu Lei Sports Coordinator
Parisa Shiran Secretary
Julia Melanson Events Coordinator
Since 2015, the positions of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and various coordinators including publicity, sports, events as well as arts have composed the leadership team. The GHSG puts much time and effort into establishing frequent events and initiatives for Residents. Particular highlights have included the Dinner Welcome tables created for new residents to sit, relax and have dinner with their fellow residents. Various parties, such as the Bollywood night, Easter Egg Hunt and the Halloween party, and more formal events, such as the Graduate House Ball have mostly, if not entirely, been initiated and developed by the members of this Group. Without the initiatives of the Student Group an essential part – a vibrancy – of college life would be lacking. Great work team!
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The Graduate Union Ball October 10th, 2015 the second annual Graduate House Ball, A Formal Masquerade graced the halls of Graduate House. Planned in conjunction with the Resident Ball Committee and staff, the ball was a night of whimsy, mystery and intrigue. Flowing gowns, glistening capes and enigmatic masks were abound, as attendees dazzled one another with their inspired fashions. The crowd, freed of their inhibitions for the night, hit the dance floor to pop ditties and danced until the early hours of the next morning. We thank the work of the Ball Committee, in particular Julia Melanson, Liliana Bray, Eliah Castiello and Diana Bachman; and De Bortoli wines for their generous gift of wine for the evening.
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Graduate Union College Alumni (GUCA)
The Graduate Union College Alumni (GUCA) brings past residents together, reaching back to 1962 when our college was officially opened with just seven residential rooms. Fifty four years on, we now have 114 college accommodation rooms, and an alumni numbering well over 10,000 globally. The formation of GUCA allows our alumni to connect both locally and internationally and enables Graduates to reflect upon their time at Graduate House and share their experiences and “graduate pathways”. GUCA’s Facebook group is currently reaching out to members and past residents of Graduate House. Once further developed GUCA will be useful in organising reunion programs both locally and internationally. Not only will this global network assist in the preservation of our rich college history and tradition, but will enable networking, placement opportunities, career development, business referrals and employment opportunities by elevating the standing of our association in the international graduate community. GUCA Facebook group has been featuring photos of past residents dating back to 1964, in posts outlining their individual graduate pathways and academic/professional accomplishments.
Ole Schulz-Trieglaff
Of those featured on the Facebook page is Ole SchulzTrieglaff. Ole is a German citizen who undertook his undergraduate degree in Computer Science at the University of Berlin and his postgraduate studies in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was then a doctoral student undertaking bioinformatics research with the Max Planck
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Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin. He stayed at Graduate House for three months in 2007 whilst undertaking a research internship with Professor Terry Speed at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research. Ole’s research interests lay in computational diagnostics of diseases and data mining of biological mass data.
Professor Ranganathan
Ghazal Akbaridoust
Going further back in time, Professor Ranganathan, another high achieving past resident pictured here at the age of 28, received his PhD in 1965 from Cambridge University, England. Professor Ranganathan visited Graduate House in 1969 from Benares Hindu University while a C.S.I.R.O. visiting scientist in the Division of Tribophysics. His research interests included nanostructured materials, metallic glasses, quasicrystals, new geometries for new material, materials informatics, the metallurgical heritage of India and India's legendary wootz steel (an advanced material of the ancient world). Ghazal Akbaridoust (left) is an Iranian national who completed a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Iran. The main focus of her study and research was dairy science. Ghazal stayed at Graduate House in 2009 when she began a three year research doctorate program at the Department of Food and Land Resources. Her major study during these three years was on milk flavour compounds.
These noteworthy past residents are just a few of many in an extensive and diverse residential college alumni history which represents the best and brightest graduates from a variety of backgrounds. We ask any past resident to please reconnect with us through the GUCA Facebook page and self organise within your networks. GUCA has the potential to be a foundation for future global initiatives, collaboration and innovation. Get involved and enjoy the benefits and opportunities that emerge when post graduates from all walks of life, and of varying fields of expertise come together and make use of their collective intelligence and influence.
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Buildings and Facilities Buildings and Facilities committee
The Buildings and Facilities committee supports the Council of The Graduate Union by monitoring and reviewing policies and practices relating to the development and management of The Graduate Union’s buildings and facilities. More specifically, the committee: • oversees the development of a master plan (physical infrastructure) for any future expansion of The Graduate Union’s buildings and facilities; • oversees the development of plans for upgrading specific buildings, parts of buildings or facilities; • reviews the fees, charges and conditions for the use of college residential rooms and facilities and recommends any changes for adoption by the Council; • monitors the implementation of approved capital expenditure; • monitors and ensures timely maintenance of all buildings and facilities; • establishes, reviews and updates operational risk management policies and monitors their application; and • reviews the optimal use of buildings and facilities and recommends to Council any changes thought desirable or necessary.
Graduate House, located in the heart of the graduate precinct, extends from number 210 Leicester Street in Carlton, just beside the Melbourne Business School, to number 234 on the corner with Grattan Street. It has three wings: • the William Berry Wing of terraces (222-234), with the Johnston Library, the MV Anderson Room, the Resident Members’ kitchen, dining area and games room, the offices of The Graduate Union and 45 residential rooms; • the ‘main building’ (216-220), for which a major donor for naming rights is sought, with 59 residential rooms, the main kitchen, the dining area and Phillip Law Members’ Lounge, our reception foyer and two meeting spaces; and • the Stella Langford Wing (210-214), with ten self-contained apartments, a secure multilevel car park and three ground floor meeting spaces.
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Occupancy
For 2015, the average occupancy rate was 94.21% as compared to 90.96% in 2014. As shown in this bar graph, the months from February to November had average occupancy rates of 98.34%, with March and October having the highest average rates (99.21% and 99.24%, respectively).
2015 Projects
The major project completed by the Building Services team over 2015 was the replacement of three hot water services. Additionally and following a number of water leaks, a comprehensive review was undertaken of the plumbing in the four storey main building and a strategy has been developed for the staged repair and replacement of this system during 2016. The installation of a secure card-access system was also planned over 2015. This system will include wireless escutcheons and energy saving devices on each of the residential room doors (replacing the existing key entry locks). Cards will be programmed from our offices to enable swipe-card access to each room. On entering the room, card insertion into the energy saving device will activate power (for lights and reverse cycle air conditioners). When exiting, removal of the card from the device will deactivate power. Card reading devices will be installed on all outside entry/exit doors, near the lifts and on door entrances to corridors. This installation will ensure that Graduate House is more secure and that energy and lost key replacement costs are lower. Another major project for which architectural plans were developed over 2015 is a new front entrance at 220 Leicester Street. The current entrance is discrete and set back. It has no protection from the elements when Members are awaiting transport. With this installation, the intention is for the entrance to be more obvious and welcoming, as well as sheltered and secure. This major project may also involve relocation of the reception desk (from 222 to 220 Leicester Street) so that a welcoming staff member is seen immediately upon entering the facility (rather than up three stairs and to the left!). Additionally a second door to the offices may be constructed, and a new curved servery on the ground floor of the main building may be installed for improvements to the presentation of catering and a more appealing tea and coffee station.
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Master Plan
Significant progress has been made towards finalising our ten-year Master Plan which we anticipate being able to present to Members by the end of 2016. A major component of this plan - referred to as the G-House component - is towards expansion of and improvements to our current site from 210 to 234 Leicester Street. It is this component which is being addressed primarily through the Buildings and Facilities committee while a second major component - referred to as the G-Union component - is being addressed by a newly formed working party which is chartered to look at the opportunities relating to people, education and social good. Major projects in the immediate neighbourhood are impacting our ability to plan for redevelopment on our site. The Parkville station of the proposed new Melbourne Metro Rail (MMR) underground loop will be under Grattan Street from Leicester Street to Royal Parade and is anticipated to have a five year construction period. We have thus been meeting with the MMR Authority to determine the schedule of works and how this will affect our Members while they are residing in or visiting Graduate House. University Square, bounded by Grattan, Leicester, Pelham and Barry Streets is also being 'reimagined' by Melbourne City Council. This will result in more trees and parkland and less traffic. Barry Street will be closed and Leicester Street between Grattan and Pelham Streets will be a single-lane park road primarily kept open for the bus route and to enable access to our facility and to the Melbourne Business School. The final plans for this square are to be made available in 2016. Late last year our site entered the Melbourne 'Capital City Zone' along with the site of the old Women's Hospital on the corner of Swanston and Grattan Streets which is under significant development as 'Carlton Connect', a precinct enabling interactions between universities and businesses. This zoning increases our redevelopment potential - more floors will mean more residential rooms and associated facilities (e.g., for meetings, a gym, a cinema, etc.). The recent nature of this announcement has thus forced a rethink of the master plan developed some years ago in which was envisaged a much less ambitious height limit! I thank the members of the committee for 2015 - Rhys Watson (Vice Chair to June), Robert Heaton (Vice Chair from June), Andre Cleghorn (to June), David Cowie, Glenda Fisher (to June), Mary Kelleher (from June), Cheryl Kidston (to June), Jo Ligouris, Alexandra Mot (resident representative), Huiting Wang (resident representative) and the management and operations team. Cr David Sparks Chair of the Buildings and Facilities Committee
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Meet the Team The Graduate Union is made up of three main operational divisions. One is to manage the accommodation division, a second is for the management of membership and meeting services while the third is to undertake all the back-end administrative and management functions. Here are the names, faces and position titles of the team at Graduate House. On behalf of the Members, The Graduate Union thanks them for their services and commitment to our Association.
Office Staff
Daniel Clark
Jaimy Skaria-Jose
Shirley Ho
Tina Hasiotis
Operations Manager
Editorial Coordinator
Priya Rajoo
Membership Relations Officer
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Development Manager
Content Writer
Sujata Manandhar
Reciprocal Associations Officer
Diana Bachman
Punam Kunwar
Natasha Thomas
Eliah Castiello
Accommodation Manager
Systems Development Officer
Natasha Sedman Advancement Officer
Finance Systems Officer
Editorial Officer
Taniya Roy
Information Management Specialist
Hospitality, Guest Services and Culinary staff
Rosie Ellul Hospitality Manager
Functions and Guest Services Manager
Bill Mihelakis
Functions and Guest Services Manager
Marwa Tantawy
Connor Hadley
Mason Terrett
Amity Stafford
Matteo Castiello
Sushmita Manandhar
Nelson Hu
Basma Tantawy
Wing Yee
Pieter Schols
Guest Services Staff
Guest Services Staff
Guest Services Staff
Co-Head Chef
Co-Head Chef
Jessie Tai Chef
Chef
Keith Turner Cook
Guest Services Staff
Guest Services Staff
Chef
Draga Jeftic
Kitchen Services Staff
89 • graduateunionannualreport
Building Services and Housekeeping Staff
Anne Ladkins
Sheila Bevan
George Jaksic
Manuel Labaki
Head Housekeeper
Building Services Manager
graduateunionannualreport • 90
Housekeeping Staff
Building Services Officer
Stana Stojanovic Housekeeping Staff
Scott Nelson
Building Services Officer
Shanika Ranasinghe Housekeeping Staff
David Bilcock
Building Services Officer
Staff News At the start of each new year our staff return to Graduate House with nothing less than a smile on their face to recommence their busy workload. Diana Bachman, Accommodation Manager, faced one the busiest years for accommodation with an average of just over 94% occupancy for the year. Diana also celebrated her 10 year anniversary at Graduate House, writing her personal reflection in our January 2016 newsletter: “The best thing about working at Graduate House is the people that surround you. We are like one big family where we laugh, we have our moments, we all pull together, encourage each other, push ourselves to achieve and to become better people. We have wonderful functions throughout the year that bring all our residents and Members together.” Sitting alongside Diana is the ever cheerful Sujata Manandhar who is scheduled three days a week at front desk. Both Diana and Sujata take care of all reception matters and reciprocal associations worldwide. Also in the front office is Membership Relations Officer Priya Rajoo who, besides assisting the front desk at peak times, continues to manage all membership related matters and coordinates all GU Collegiate functions. During her holidays in 2015 Priya travelled to the Gold Coast, running into a previous Malaysian Prime Minister! Next to Priya is Finance Systems Officer Punam Kunwar who takes charge of all administration matters relating to finance systems and the reporting of income and expenditure. The new Mrs Jaimy Skaria-Jose also continues her role as Development Manager and Personal Assistant to the CEO/Head of College. Jaimy oversees and assists with matters relating to governance, coordinates meeting schedules and manages Dr Bennett’s schedules and appointments. Jaimy returned to India in December to marry her Sharon Jose and we wish her all the best in her marriage. Jaimy’s wedding story is on page 97.
Pieter and Nelson preparing food for the Cocktail Party
Connor and Bill at the bar during the Ball
The one, the only, Helga (aka Daniel).
91 • graduateunionannualreport
Staff News In April, we said farewell to Alex Skaria who left us for a post more related to his field of studies. Alex was instrumental in customising the managing system software which we have been using since 2014. Renji Harold took over the reigns after Alex left and continued to provide in-house technical support in all divisions while also managing system support for our website, our social media channels and for our information and communication requirements. Alex sometimes drops in to say hello. Like Alex, Renji also left us for the next step in his career, and now works a top national tech NBN firm. In December, we said hello to Systems Development Officer Natasha Thomas who recently graduated from The University of Melbourne with a Masters in Information Technology. Natasha oversees the management of internal IT infrastructure, develops the website, and other IT needs as necessary. She is a vital addition to the Graduate House office team. Editorial Coordinator Shirley Ho and Editorial Officer Eliah Castiello, who graduated in 2015 with a first class Bachelor of Arts Honours degree, continue production of Graduate Union publications (the monthly newsletter and the Melbourne Graduate), as well as multiple Member touch points such as event marketing and mail outs. In May 2015 we welcomed Stamatina (Tina) Hasiotis to the position of Content Writer. Tina holds a degree in Journalism, is responsible for many feature stories and keeps our Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media channels up to date, as well as our website. In November we bid farewell to Zachary (Zac) Matthews who developed the graphics for a website over 2015 and has left for a year-long trip around the world. We briefly welcomed Alexander Thom who began valuable work as our inaugural Advancement Officer, but left late last year to pursue his study at Cambridge University. Joining the office team is Natasha Sedman, who in her role as the next Advancement Officer, looks after bequest and donation matters while Taniya Roy’s role as Information Management Specialist is to organise our ever overcrowded digital filing system.
Daniel with Basma and Diana receiving their 10 year awards
graduateunionannualreport • 92
Celebrating the leap second (the extra second that exists solely on this day, 23:59:60pm 1st July 2015)
Shirley, Punam and Mason at the Christmas party
Rosie serving a delicious platter
Operations Manager, Daniel Clark, ensures that our building facilities, from the kitchen to the carpark, our contracts and our financial systems, keep running as they ought. He also supports the activities of the Buildings and Facilities committee and the Finance and Audit committee. Hospitality Manager, Rosie Ellul, enjoyed another busy year with bookings for APD (Academic and Professional Development) meetings reaching an all time high with over a 1,000 bookings and near 23,000 delegates coming into Graduate House over 2015. Rosie and her team continue to provide a world class and welcoming service. Function and Guest Services Managers, Marwa Tantawy and Bill Mihelakis, play a key role in producing the many positive feedbacks received after each event. They fulfil duties in flexible shifts, from early morning to evening and over weekends, to accommodate the needs of facilitators and delegates at Graduate House. They do so while ensuring the smooth running of the bar and dining room. The team also has Sujata Manandhar who also continues her role in Guest Services on a casual basis. Other Guest Services staff include Connor Hadley who is in his first year of studies in Theatre Production and Mason Terrett who recently graduated with a degree in Geospatial Sciences from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). We said goodbye to Aneesh Haridas who left us for a position in the finance sector and say hello to Amity Stafford, a second year student at RMIT. The latest additions to the Guest Services team are Sushmita Manandhar who moved to Melbourne in January this year from Nepal, and Matteo Castiello who is undertaking a degree at La Trobe University. Co-Head Chefs Basma Tantawy and Nelson Hu enjoyed another challenging year in the Culinary Section of Graduate House, meeting the requirements of conference attendees and guests who use our facilities, besides providing meals for the Resident Members. Nelson continues to prepare the weekday breakfast and earlier daytime catering while Basma‘s expertise and culinary skills in Middle Eastern cuisine and delicious desserts brings delight to the buffet spread. Basma does the remainder of the weekday and weekend breakfasts and functions. Both contribute greatly to the sumptuous menu at our special functions, including our Monthly Luncheons and speciality events.
93 • graduateunionannualreport
Basma also celebrated 10 years at Graduate House, her story appearing in the newsletter: “When it comes to picking my fondest memory, it is hard for me to pick just one. Everything is always very nice here, I enjoy everything here, but maybe the Christmas party, where we go out with all the staff, we have a lot of fun and it’s very enjoyable.” said Basma Sharing in the duties are new kitchen chefs Wing Yee, who hails from Hong Kong, and Jessie Tai, who is from Taiwan. Both bring expertise and new ideas to the menu. Pieter Schols and Keith Turney also both continue to work on a casual basis and have contributed significantly to our talented kitchen team. Draga Jeftic continues her role as kitchen service staff along with Natasha Sedman who covers the shifts on days where she is not in the office. Both Draga and Natasha both play a big role in looking after Resident Members who have requested late dinners after having attended evening lectures and meetings. The Building Services team, headed by Scott Nelson and Manuel Labaki, along with David Bilcock has had another very busy twelve months looking after the many daily repairs and maintenance, while also undertaking all major refurbishment works as noted in the Buildings and Facilities Report. In August, Scott Nelson also took on the role of Duty Resident at Graduate House. Everyone will agree that Graduate House has at its core a certain ambience and pleasant atmosphere. No one deserves more thanks for maintaining our positive environment than our dedicated Housekeeping team. Head housekeeper Anne Ladkins sets high standards along with Sheila Bevans, Stana Stojanovic and Shanika Ranasinghe, who joined the team recently. Shanika hails from Sri Lanka and together, they make a great team who work tirelessly in keeping not only the residential rooms, toilets and bathrooms clean and tidy but also the many common areas around the premises.
Our female staff coming together in a happy pose. From left Tina, Marwa, Sujata, Sushmita and Punam
graduateunionannualreport • 94
David is flanked by Sheila, Anne and Stana
The Wedding of Jaimy Skaria and Sharon Jose January 18th was my engagement function. I was getting married the next day. Both Sharon and I were very nervous, both of us in our traditional wear which made it even more uncomfortable for us to move in. It was a warm day in my hometown of Kerala, South India, but nevertheless it was one of the most important days of my life. About 400 people attended the engagement function, which was hosted by my family while the wedding ceremony and reception lunch was hosted by Sharon’s family. It was quite a hectic day for us. The event was set to start at 11:30am but the professional photographers came home around 8:30am and the beautician came around 6:30am which meant that our day started around 5:30am. The engagement function is mainly for the churches to announce the wedding date, time and venue as well as to exchange a letter Sharon and Jaimy on their wedding day stating the same and details of both our families. This letter has to be exchanged from my uncle to Sharon’s uncle in front of witnesses (hence a party consisting of many people). This function lasts about one hour and is then followed by lunch. As mentioned earlier, we were both really nervous. We had to be up in front of many people with every eye trained on us. And after lunch Sharon and I had to socialise with the crowd, where I introduced my family and relatives to Sharon while he did the same. This was quite overwhelming for us because 400 is a lot of people to be socialising with. It felt as though everything was happening really fast, but I do know that I felt much more relaxed and comfortable knowing that I wasn’t alone during this entire process and that Sharon was there next to me feeling just the same. I could see that my parents were having mixed emotions. They were happy for me but they also felt like their little
95 • graduateunionannualreport
girl was growing up too fast! And so they started getting emotional. After the engagement function, tradition dictates that our close relatives as well as Sharon’s family and close relatives (around 40 people) come to my house where refreshments were served. As people started leaving, everyone from the bridal party headed to the wedding venue for the bridal march rehearsal, so for a day that started at 5:30am, our day ended around 8pm. Our wedding was on January 20th with the ceremony scheduled to start at 10:30am. Since it was a bit of a drive from home, we had to leave at 9:00am, and so we had our photographers come home by 7:30am and the beautician by 5:30am and so our day started around 4:30am! Similar to our engagement function, many of our relatives had come home for group photographs as well as for prayer, before we left for the venue. I remember when we were driving to the wedding venue, I was texting one of my best friends (and bridesmaid) in the next car, about how nervous I was feeling and how she was trying to lighten my mood and cheer me up! The function started with a bridal march, starting with Sharon and his father, then alternating between Sharon’s immediate family and my immediate family, followed by the bridesmaids and groomsmen and then ending with me and my father. Sharon and I were then ushered onto the stage where we were seated for the rest of the function. I remember that as we were walking down the aisle, my dad was holding my hand so tight and didn’t want to let go of my hand when we reached the end of the aisle. There were about 800 people at our wedding ceremony and reception lunch. Since everyone was looking at us, I was extremely conscious of myself! I was constantly trying to sit upright and smile. Apart from that I remember thinking that “Oh my goodness! This is the day! Am I ready!??” I was feeling really nervous and like all this was so surreal!! Then there were a few pastors sharing the Christian view of marriage. This was followed by the solemnisation of our wedding. The church we belong to in India is known as a Pentecostal church where they don’t wear any ornaments. And so, during the wedding ceremony there aren’t any rings or
graduateunionannualreport • 96
Jaimy’s family poses for a group photo
any other jewellery. The wedding is symbolised by the Pastor joining our hands together as we say ‘I do’. This was followed by us looking at each other and exchanging our vows. After the ceremony, our immediate family was welcomed to the stage for celebrating with us as we cut our wedding cake. We were then presented with bouquets to congratulate us. This was followed by many of our extended family and friends making their way onto the stage for group photographs with us while lunch was being served. After this, we were ushered outside the venue for some couple photographs. We then changed into our traditional wear and had lunch with our family followed by more photographs! All the standing and taking photographs were finally causing my feet to hurt so bad that it felt impossible to put one foot in front of the other. As part of Indian marriage tradition, after the wedding, the bride moves in to the groom’s house and that’s where they continue to live. As newlyweds, we go first to the groom’s house and then to the bride’s house where we spend our first few days as a married couple. So we headed to Sharon’s house with our close relatives, where Sharon’s mother welcomed me into the home and served us with milk and sweets while everyone else were served refreshments. Looking back at it now, I feel like everything happened so quickly! But I also feel that in the midst of all the craziness and busyness, it all turned out to be beautiful in the end. The photographs had come out well as did the video. I’m glad that I was able to go back to India and spend quality time with my loved ones. I look back at these days with much fondness and joy. And I’m more than happy just knowing that my family and many of my friends were there to celebrate this special occasion with us.
Jaimy and Sharon holding hands signifies their marriage
97 • graduateunionannualreport
Finance and Audit Finance and Audit committee
The Finance and Audit committee supports the Council of The Graduate Union by monitoring and reviewing the policies and practices relating to the sourcing, management, control and auditing of the Association’s finances, as well as the management of financial risk. More specifically, the Finance and Audit committee is to: • monitor the continuing longer term financial viability of the Association; • advise Council on the protection of The Association’s charitable status; • monitor the management of The Association’s trust fund; • monitor The Association’s monthly financial reports, identifying any significant variations from budget and directing appropriate corrective action in collaboration with other relevant subcommittees; • monitor the management of financial risk, including the adequacy of internal systems of risk identification and risk treatment; • establish, review and recommend to the Council any changes necessary to The Association’s corporate risk framework; • review the draft annual budget and recommend the budget to Council for approval; • advise Council on any matter relating to present or future debt; • ensure statutory accounts comply with relevant reporting standards; • liaise with the external auditor throughout the period of the audit and facilitate finalisation of the Audit Report; and • review the annual external auditor’s report and ensure that management responds in a timely way to recommendations made therein.
Policy Development Initiatives
Policies developed and reviewed through the Finance and Audit committee and adopted by Council in 2015 included those on Entitlements and Expenses for Governing Body Members and Asset Management. At each of this committee’s four meetings per year, risk mitigation and management analysis continued of causes, preventative measures, monitoring approaches and corrective actions in relation to key risk categories (Market Factors to Income, Expense Exposure, Environmental Factors, Building and Plant, Legal and Compliance, Governance and Leadership, Health and Safety, Values, Ethics and Culture, External Relations and Quality).
Refinancing
A new five year loan facility was agreed with the National Australia Bank in March 2015. This decision by Council was the result of advice received from the Finance and Audit committee which had been overseeing the comprehensive research and financial modelling of the costs/benefits of refinancing in light of the economic outlook and the decreasing interest rates. The new loan facility gives The Graduate Union potential for principal reductions and considerable savings in interest costs, whilst still providing the flexibility to redraw additional loan funds, as required, to the facility limit. graduateunionannualreport • 98
Valuation
Following a tender process, WPB Property Group was engaged (October 2015) to undertake a valuation of the land and property from 210 to 234 Leicester Street on an unencumbered freehold basis. Using a capitalisation approach, the fair market value was determined as $27,150,000. This is reflected in the year end financial statements.
Financial Performance
For the year ending 31 December 2015, the Graduate Union incurred a surplus of $59,242, almost three times the surplus in 2014 of $18,551. Operating revenue in 2015 of $3.210 million (M) was marginally higher ($3.170M in 2014), with Accommodation and Catering again being the dominant sources of income increasing by 0.39% and 6.49% respectively. Total operating expenses for the year of $3.195M were slightly lower ($3.167M), with the increases in catering expenses, professional fees, rates and government taxes offset somewhat by reductions to employment and interest expenses and bank fees. Cash flow from Operating and Investing Activities in 2015 was positive at $113,923 compared to the negative cash flow in 2014 of $51,792. Cash and cash equivalents fell from $1.008M to $0.298M to reduce the principal of the new loan facility from $7.000M to $6.176M. The Association’s total Property, Plant and Equipment were valued at $27.369M in 2015, a 20.41% increase in value ($22.730M) following a major revaluation of the Association's key assets.
Operating Income
A breakdown of operating income is shown in the pie chart below. Revenue from donations and bequests of $47,724 (compared to $15,603 in 2014) is not illustrated.
I thank the members of the committee for 2015 - Leo Santalucia (Chair to August), Peter Wetherall (Chair from August), Peter Clark, Phillip Cobbin, Glenda Fisher (to June), John Green and Keith Ryall, as well as the Chair of Council, Rhys Watson for his guidance during the refinancing, our accountant, Kay Gulenc, our auditor, Tony Law, and the management and operations team. Cr David Cowie Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee
99 • graduateunionannualreport
The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc. Incorporated Association Registration Number (IARN): A0023234B Australian Business Number (ABN): 55 610 664 963
Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2015
graduateunionannualreport • 100
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
for the year ended 31 December 2015
FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2015
CONTENTS Page Council Report
3
Statement of Comprehensive Income
4
Statement of Financial Position
5
Statement of Changes in Equity
6
Statement of Cash Flows
7
Notes to the Financial Statements
8
Statement by Council Members
15
Independent Audit Report
16
101 • graduateunionannualreport
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Council Report for the year ended 31 December 2015 Your Council Members submit the financial report of The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. for the financial year ended 31 December 2015. Council Members The names of Council Members throughout the year and at the date of this report are: President – Major General Professor Jeffrey V Rosenfeld AM OBE KStJ (to August 2015) President – Dr Ken V Loughnan AO (from September 2015) Chairperson – Mr R A J Watson Vice-Chairperson – Ms C A Kidston (to May 2015) Vice-Chairperson – Mr R K Davis OAM (from June 2015) Ex-officio and nominees of the Vice-Chancellor of The University of Melbourne Ms J Ligouris Mr S Lutley (to February 2015) Ms S Banks (from October 2015) Members Mrs J J Batrouney QC (to February 2015) Mr A G Cleghorn (to May 2015) Dr P E Cobbin Mrs V Corcoran (to January 2015) Mr D G M Cowie Mr R K Davis OAM Mrs G J Fisher (to May 2015) Mrs F Fitzgerald (from December 2015) Mr J M Green (from June 2015) Ms M R Kelleher (from June 2015) Ms C A Kidston (to May 2015) Mr K F Ryall Mr L Santalucia Mr D N Sparks Mr R A J Watson Mr P J Wetherall Councillors’ Remuneration The Councillors of the Association have received no benefits during the financial year for the performance of their duties as members of Council. Principal Activities The principal activities during the financial year were the operation of a residential college affiliated with The University of Melbourne and the provision of facilities for members of the Association to enjoy educational, social and intellectual activities. Significant Changes No significant change in the nature of these activities occurred during the year. Operating result The surplus from activities for the financial year amounted to $59,242 Signed in accordance with a resolution of the members of the Council: ...............................................
...............................................
Mr R A J Watson – Chairperson
Mr R K Davis OAM – Vice-Chairperson
Dated this fourth day of the month of April in the year 2016. 3
graduateunionannualreport • 102
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended 31 December 2015 Note 2(a) 2(b)
Revenue Donations Employment expenses Interest and bank fees Catering expenses Repairs and maintenance Communications expenses Professional fees Utilities expenses Legal expenses Depreciation Rates and government taxes Insurance expenses Scholarship
2015 $
2014 $
3,206,085 47,724 (1,492,518) (534,924) (517,120) (235,031) (145,609) (64,225) (78,417) (5,670) (23,341) (59,038) (29,674) (9,000)
3,169,553 15,603 (1,504,148) (566,952) (492,507) (226,005) (141,988) (49,711) (80,178) (2,805) (28,084) (36,545) (32,682) (5,000)
Surplus / (deficit) for the year
59,242
18,551
Total Comprehensive Income for the year
59,242
18,551
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements. 4
103 • graduateunionannualreport
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: ABN: 55 55 610 610 664 664 963 963
IARN: IARN: A0023234B A0023234B
Statement Statement of of Financial Financial Position Position as as at at 31 31 December December 2015 2015 2015 2015
2014 2014
298,303 298,303 35,275 35,275 38,466 38,466 64,624 64,624
1,008,380 1,008,380 23,012 23,012 31,696 31,696 152,600 152,600
436,668 436,668
1,215,688 1,215,688
27,368,838 27,368,838
22,729,988 22,729,988
TOTAL TOTAL NON-CURRENT NON-CURRENT ASSETS ASSETS
27,368,838 27,368,838
22,729,988 22,729,988
TOTAL TOTAL ASSETS ASSETS
27,805,506 27,805,506
23,945,676 23,945,676
414,681 414,681 176,306 176,306
367,944 367,944 140,109 140,109
590,987 590,987
508,053 508,053
6,176,000 6,176,000
7,000,000 7,000,000
TOTAL TOTAL NON-CURRENT NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES LIABILITIES
6,176,000 6,176,000
7,000,000 7,000,000
TOTAL TOTAL LIABILITIES LIABILITIES
6,766,987 6,766,987
7,508,053 7,508,053
NET NET ASSETS ASSETS
21,038,519 21,038,519
16,437,623 16,437,623
EQUITY EQUITY Reserves Reserves Retained Retained earnings earnings
19,109,716 19,109,716 1,928,803 1,928,803
14,520,338 14,520,338 1,917,285 1,917,285
TOTAL TOTAL EQUITY EQUITY
21,038,519 21,038,519
16,437,623 16,437,623
Note Note
ASSETS ASSETS CURRENT CURRENT ASSETS ASSETS Cash Cash and and cash cash equivalents equivalents Trade and other Trade and other receivables receivables Inventories Inventories Prepayments Prepayments
55 66 77
TOTAL TOTAL CURRENT CURRENT ASSETS ASSETS NON-CURRENT NON-CURRENT ASSETS ASSETS Property, plant and Property, plant and equipment equipment
88
$$
$$
LIABILITIES LIABILITIES CURRENT CURRENT LIABILITIES LIABILITIES Trade Trade and and other other payables payables Provisions Provisions
99 10 10
TOTAL TOTAL CURRENT CURRENT LIABILITIES LIABILITIES NON-CURRENT NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES LIABILITIES Borrowings Borrowings
11 11
The The accompanying accompanying notes notes form form part part of of these these financial financial statements. statements.
graduateunionannualreport • 104
55
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Statement of Changes in Equity for the year ended 31 December 2015
2015
Retained Earnings
Total Reserves
Reserves
$
$
$
Total Equity $
Revaluation Building Residents’ Bursaries Stillwell Reserve Reserve Fund Reserve Collection Balance at 1 January 2015 Surplus/(Deficit) from ordinary activities and donations
1,917,285 13,869,777 598,211
2014
2,418
10,500 14,520,338 16,437,623
11,518
0
43,988
3,736
0
0
4,550,654
0
(6,582)
(2,418)
0 4,541,654 4,541,654
1,928,803 18,420,431 642,199
36,586
0
10,500 19,109,716 21,038,519
Transfers to/(from) reserves Balance at 31 December 2015
39,432
Retained Earnings
0
Total Reserves
Reserves
$
47,724
$
$
59,242
Total Equity $
Revaluation Building Residents’ Bursaries Stillwell Reserve Reserve Fund Reserve Collection Balance at 1 January 2014 Surplus/(Deficit) from ordinary activities and donations Transfers to/(from) reserves Balance at 31 December 2014
1,914,337 13,869,777 571,831
39,282
2,958
10,500 14,494,348 16,408,685
2,948
0
10,993
150
4,460
0
15,603
18,551
0
0
15,387
0
(5,000)
0
10,387
10,387
1,917,285 13,869,777 598,211
39,432
2,418
10,500 14,520,338 16,437,623
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements. 6
105 • graduateunionannualreport
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 December 2015 2015
2014
3,167,819 88,475 53,297 (3,121,742)
3,008,173 107,714 29,115 (3,139,494)
187,849
5,508
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Property rentals Interest received Funds expended on development and renovations Funds expended on asset purchases
28,243 9,368 (32,681) (78,856)
35,589 30,109 (81,051) (41,947)
Net cash used in investing activities
(73,926)
(57,300)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Repayments Funds drawn down
(974,000) 150,000
0 0
Net cash used in financing activities
(824,000)
0
Net increase / (decrease) in cash held Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of financial year
(710,077) 1,008,380
(51,792) 1,060,172
298,303
1,008,380
Note CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Receipts from accommodation and catering Receipts from subscriptions Donations and other income Payments to suppliers and employees Net cash provided by operating activities
$
14
Cash and cash equivalents at end of financial year
5
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.
graduateunionannualreport • 106
7
$
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2015 The Financial Statements cover The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. as an individual entity incorporated in Victoria under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic). 1
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (a)
Basis of Preparation The Financial Statements are general purpose financial statements that have been prepared in accordance with the Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements, the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) and the requirements of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (ACNC Act). Australian Accounting Standards set out accounting policies that the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) has concluded would result in a financial report containing relevant and reliable information about transactions, events and conditions. Material accounting policies adopted in the preparation of this financial report are presented below and have been consistently applied unless otherwise stated. The Financial Statements have been prepared on an accruals basis and are based on historical costs, modified, where applicable, by the measurement at fair value of selected non-current assets, financial assets and financial liabilities.
(b)
Income Tax Tax effect accounting has not been applied as the Association is exempt from Income Tax under Section 50-B of the Income Tax Assessment Act, 1997 (Cth). The Association has also been endorsed as a tax concession charity for Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Fringe Benefit Tax by the Australian Taxation Office.
(c)
Property, Plant and Equipment Each class of property, plant and equipment is carried at cost or fair values as indicated, minus, where applicable, any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Freehold Land and Buildings Freehold land and buildings are shown at their fair value (being the amount for which an asset could be exchanged between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transaction) based on periodic valuations by external independent valuers. Increases in the carrying amount arising on revaluation of land and buildings are credited to a revaluation reserve in equity. Decreases that offset previous increases of the same asset are charged against the revaluation reserves directly in equity. Capital Improvements Capital improvements are measured at cost. Increase and decreases in the carrying amount upon revaluation of land and buildings are offset to the revaluation reserve in equity.
8
107 • graduateunionannualreport
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2015 Asset Revaluations The freehold land and buildings were independently valued at 30 October 2015 by WBP Property Group to provide a valuation as at 31 December 2015 for financial reporting purposes. The valuation was based on the fair value as defined in Australian Accounting Standards AASB 116 Property, Plant & Equipment (where “fair value” means the amount for which an asset could be exchanged between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transaction). The valuation resulting in a revaluation increment of $4,583,335 being recognised in the Revaluation Reserve for the year ended 31 December 2015. Plant and Equipment Plant and equipment are measured on the cost basis, less depreciation and impairment losses. The carrying amount of plant and equipment is reviewed annually to ensure that it is not in excess of the recoverable amount from these assets. Depreciation The depreciable amount of all fixed assets is depreciated on a straight line basis over the asset’s useful life commencing from the time the asset is held ready for use. The depreciation rates used range from 5% to 37.5% based on the type of asset. (d)
Inventories Inventories which consist of beverages, food products and merchandise are measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value.
(e)
Employee Benefits Provision is made for the Association's liability for employee benefits arising from services rendered by employees to the end of the reporting period.
(f)
Revenue and Other Income Revenue from accommodation is recognised upon the delivery of services to residents. Revenue from catering is accounted for on an accruals basis. Interest revenue is recognised on a proportional basis taking into account the interest rates applicable to the financial assets. All revenue is stated net of the amount of GST.
(g)
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Revenues, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of GST, except where the amount of GST incurred is not recoverable from the Tax Office. In these circumstances the GST is recognised as part of the cost of acquisition of the asset or as part of an item of the expense. Receivables and payables in the Statement of Financial Position are shown inclusive of GST. Cash flows are presented in the Statement of Cash Flows on a gross basis, except for the GST component of investing and financing activities, which are disclosed as operating cash flows.
(h)
Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts.
graduateunionannualreport • 108
9
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2015 (i)
Impairment of Assets At the end of each reporting period, the Association reviews the carrying values of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have been impaired. If such an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset, being the higher of the asset's fair value less costs to sell and value in use, is compared to the asset's carrying value. Any excess of the asset's carrying value over its recoverable amount is expensed to the Statement of Comprehensive Income. Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the Association estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.
(j)
Provisions Provisions are recognised when the Association has a legal or constructive obligation, as a result of past events, for which it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will result and that outflow can be reliably measured.
(k)
Comparative Figures When required by Accounting Standards, comparative figures have been adjusted to conform to changes in presentation for the current financial year.
10
109 • graduateunionannualreport
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2015 2015 $
2
4
5
6
$
Revenue and Other Income Revenue from Continuing Operations 2(a) Revenue - Accommodation - Catering - Subscriptions - Interest received - Property rentals - Other income
1,822,782 1,242,644 88,475 9,368 28,243 14,573
1,815,689 1,166,940 107,714 30,109 35,589 13,512
Total Revenue
3,206,085
3,169,553
43,988 3,736
10,993 4,610
47,724
15,603
270,262
260,524
270,262
260,524
9,600 0
9,600 0
9,600
9,600
1,500 260,002 0 36,801
1,500 291,977 714,903 0
298,303
1,008,380
35,275
23,012
35,275
23,012
2(b) Donations - Donations - Building - Donations - Other
3
2014
Key Management Personnel Compensation The totals of remuneration paid to key management personnel of the Association during the year are as follows: - Short-term employee benefits
Auditor’s Remuneration Remuneration of the auditor of the Association for: - Auditing or reviewing the Financial Statements - Other services
Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash on hand Cash at bank Term deposits (includes donations and bequests) Cash management accounts (donations and bequests)
Trade and Other Receivables CURRENT Accounts receivable
graduateunionannualreport • 110
11
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2015 2015
2014
$
7
8
Inventories CURRENT Beverages, food products and merchandise
Property, Plant and Equipment Freehold land, buildings and improvements located at 210-234 Leicester Street, Carlton at independent valuation as at 31 December 2015
38,466
31,696
38,466
31,696
27,150,000
22,000,000
27,150,000
22,000,000
0
566,665
0
566,665
721,898 (503,060)
642,916 (479,593)
218,838
163,323
27,368,838
22,729,988
Capital improvements - at cost
Plant and equipment - at cost Accumulated depreciation
Total Property, Plant and Equipment
$
Movement in carrying amounts Movement in the carrying amounts for each class of property, plant and equipment between the beginning and the end of the financial year. Capital Improvement
Property $
Balance at 1 January 2014
$
Plant and Equipment
Total
$
$
22,000,000
485,614
149,460
22,635,074
Additions
0
81,051
41,947
122,998
Disposals
0
0
0
0
Depreciation expense
0
0
(28,084)
(28,084)
Revaluation increment /(decrement)
0
0
0
0
22,000,000
566,665
163,323
22,729,988
566,665
0
78,856
645,521
Transfer to Property Account
0
(566,665)
0
(566,665)
Depreciation expense
0
0
(23,341)
(23,341)
4,583,335
0
0
4,583,335
27,150,000
0
218,838
27,368,838
Balance at 31 December 2014 Additions
Revaluation increment /(decrement) Carrying amount at 31 December 2015
12
111 • graduateunionannualreport
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2015 2015
2014
62,624 46,453 3,554 302,050
37,497 51,974 9,873 268,600
414,681
367,944
176,306
140,109
176,306
140,109
0 0
1,000,000 6,000,000
0
7,000,000
6,176,000
0
$
9
10
11
Trade and Other Payables CURRENT Unsecured liabilities Trade payables Accruals Net GST payable Prepaid accommodation and bonds
Provisions CURRENT Employee benefits
Borrowings Secured Liabilities - Commercial bill - Commercial bill
- NAB Bank Bill Facility st
On the 1 of March 2015 the commercial bills were re-financed through a new loan facility for a period of 5 years. The facility has a limit of $7.3 million and is split between interest only fixed and a variable component. The split as at 31 December 2015 is as follows: $2.5 million fixed interest to 28 February 2020 $1.5 million fixed interest to 8 July 2019 $1.0 million fixed interest to 6 July 2017 $2.3 million variable interest to 28 February 2020 The facility is secured over freehold land, buildings and improvements at 216-220 and 222-228 Leicester Street, Carlton.
graduateunionannualreport • 112
13
$
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2015 12
Contingent Liabilities At 31 December 2015 the Association had contingent liabilities in relation to payroll tax and land tax of $307,067. On 17 February 2016 the State Revenue Office (SRO) withdrew the payroll tax and land tax assessments relating to the period 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2011 and granted the Association the exemptions under the Payroll Tax Act 1971 and 2007 (Vic) and the Land Tax Act 2005 (Vic). On 8 March 2016 the SRO advised that all land tax assessment notices in respect of the years 2012 to 2016 had also been withdrawn. On 18 March 2016 the SRO withdrew the payroll tax assessments relating to the period 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2015, confirmed exemption under section 48(1) of the Payroll Tax Act 2007 (Vic) and advised that the matter is now finalised.
13
Capital Commitments At 31 December 2015 the Association had no outstanding capital commitments. 2015 $
14
Cash Flow Information Reconciliation of Cash Flow from Operations with Surplus/(Deficit) Surplus/(Deficit) for the year Depreciation Changes in assets and liabilities - decrease/(increase) in trade, other receivables and inventories - increase/(decrease) in trade payables, accruals and reserves - increase/(decrease) in employee benefits Net cash provided by operating activities
15
2014 $
59,242 23,341
18,551 28,084
68,943 126 36,197
(14,176) (43,592) 16,641
187,849
5,508
Events After the Balance Sheet Date There have been no matters or circumstances which have arisen since the end of the financial year which may significantly affect the operations of the Association, the results of those operations or the state of affairs of the Association in subsequent years.
16
Trusts The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Incorporated is not a trustee of any trust at the date of this report, except for the Residents’ Fund and the Bursaries Reserve (See Statement of Changes in Equity). Funds associated with these reserves are deposited separately with the ING Bank.
14
113 • graduateunionannualreport
The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. ABN: 55 610 664 963
IARN: A0023234B
Statement by Council Members for the year ended 31 December 2015
In the opinion of the Council: 1.
the Financial Report, as set out on pages 2 to 14, presents a true and fair view of the financial position of The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. as at 31 December 2015 and its performance for the year ended on that date in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards (including Australian Accounting Interpretations) of the Australian Accounting Standards Board.
2.
At the date of this Statement, there are reasonable grounds to believe that The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Inc. will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due.
This Statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the Council and is signed for and on behalf of the Council by:
...................................................
..........................................................
Mr R A J Watson - Chairperson
Mr R K Davis OAM – Vice-Chairperson
Dated this fourth day of the month of April in the year 2016.
graduateunionannualreport • 114
15
A. L. Law, FCA 10 Bennett Street, Balwyn, VIC 3103 Phone 9817 4472, Mobile 0417 013 395 ABN 45 614 724 892
Chartered Accountants
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE GRADUATE UNION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE INCORPORATED Report on the Financial Report I have audited the accompanying financial report of The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Incorporated, (the association), which comprises the statement of financial position as at 31 December 2015, the Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity and Statement of Cash Flows for the year then ended, notes comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information, and the statement by Councillors. Councillors’ Responsibility for the Financial Report The Councillors of the association are responsible for the preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Act 2012 (ACNC Act) and for such internal control as the Councillors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view and is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. Auditor’s Responsibility My responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on my audit. I conducted my audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards. Those standards require that I comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement. An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the association’s preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the association’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the Councillors, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report. I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my audit opinion. Opinion In my opinion, the financial report of The Graduate Union of the University of Melbourne Incorporated is in accordance with Division 60 of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Act 2012, including: (a) (b)
Name: Address: Dated this:
giving a true and fair view of the association’s financial position as at 31 December 2015, and of its financial performance and cash flows for the year ended on that date; and complying with Australian Accounting Standards and Division 60 of the Australian Charities and Notfor-Profits Commission Regulation 2013.
Anthony L. Law Registered Company Auditor 10 Bennett Street, Balwyn, Victoria, 3103 th 4 day of April 2016 Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation
115 • graduateunionannualreport
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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