IH eNewsletter November 2019

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International House e-Newsletter November 2019

Welcome and Happy Festive Season from IH! It's hard to believe that Christmas is fast approaching once again. All of us at International House (IH) wish you a wonderful holiday season.

We extend a warm welcome to all those who visited IH this year including alumni, parents, UQ staff and stakeholders, We also thank the IH Board, in particular our President, Mr Chris Leon for showing the college ongoing stewardship through an increasingly challenging time in the competitive Brisbane student accommodation market.

Former 1980's IH cook, Kathleen Batibasaga (née Ballinger - right) returned for a trip down memory lane.

IHSC 2020 President Shuntaro (Shun) Fujie

Special thanks to our outgoing IH Student Club executive including President, Benjamin Wiesner, from Germany who did an outstanding job leading residents this year. We welcome the incoming IH Student Club execs, led by 2020 President, Shuntaro (Shun) Fujie. from Japan and VicePresident, Leah Mustard, from Townsville. Best of luck also to our 2020 Senior Residents (SRs), may they continue the age-old Housie tradition of fostering a global community "where brotherhood may prevail".

At IH, residents gain a global advantage with the exciting chance to make lifetime friends with 'Aussie' and International students, living together on-campus at UQ. Many alumni will also remember cascading palms, Frangipani and Jacaranda trees in full bloom making IH's resort-like gardens a relaxing space to call home, even if that seasonal burst of purple did herald exam time!

Our brand new IH website went live in September and was designed to showcase all of this and offer future residents a user-friendly experience.

Check out www.inthouse.uq.edu.au also follow us and share on Facebook and Instagram @ihouseuq

ALUMNI VISITS We were delighted to welcome 'home' many Alumni this year. Sharing stories with past residents when they come back to visit is a highlight of being on the IH team. 2019 also saw the introduction of our IH koala, this cute cuddly has already travelled the world for reunions.

IH FUNDRAISING

#redfrogsau Housies raised funds for a variety of causes in 2019, from Red Frogs Australia to One Girl's, Do It In A Dress - a charity challenging people to wear a dress for those who can't. Do It In A Dress runs annually with global fundraisers supporting programs that help harness the power of education for girls and young women in Sierra Leone and Uganda.

In June, Housies and IH Director, Dr Carla Tromans attended the Red Frogs Fundraising Gala. Housies presented Boss Frog, Andy Gourley with a cheque for $1200 from the IH Student Club. Funds were raised for various Red Frog volunteer networks that provide direct relief to young people, including over $50,000 towards their University Program - an early intervention initiative.

#doitinadress

In an extension of IH's commitment to global sustainability Housies have also partnered with Red Frogs in the Containers For Change recycling program. Housies are collecting aluminium, glass, plastic, and steel beverage containers between 150ml and three litres and donating them to Red Frogs. The youth charity can then exchange the empty containers at a refund point. A 10 cent refund per container means a tidy ongoing donation to Red Frogs and an improved environment.

IH NEEDS YOU! Do you have friends or family coming to study at UQ in 2020?

We need you to spread the word about the incredible International House (IH) experience.

Encourage your friends and loved-ones to become a Housie and live on-campus at IH, in a safe, convenient and welcoming global community of residents.

Future residents can apply now online at: www.inthouse.uq.edu.au

Housies Mentor Indigenous Teens Through Tertiary Program - InspireU Housies continued to mentor Indigenous teens in 2019 through IH's partnership with the innovative UQ tertiary awareness program - InspireU. The Indigenous secondary school students stayed in the iconic IH towers during a series of UQ camps throughout the year. We thank generous IH donors for their ongoing support of InspireU, especially by attending our Indigenous Bara Khana formal dinners.

Toowong Club Changeover Dinner In June, International House (IH) hosted Toowong Rotary Club and guests to celebrate its annual Changeover Dinner. Rotary has a long legacy and historic association with IH and its support has been instrumental in sustaining the growth of our wonderful Housie home for 'Aussie' and International residents. We thank Toowong Rotary for choosing IH for their special event.

2019 SCHOLARSHIPS IH Scholarship and Bursary recipients received their awards during an official presentation ceremony following the annual Brotherhood Brunch in May. Two new scholarships were introduced this year. The Chartwells Housie Scholarship which supports the IH vision to create a global community of connected, capable and compassionate young leaders. Minh Quang Le was presented this award by Chartwells State Manager, Jenny White. Resident Johnathan Lau received the Academy Services Scholarship. This award supports Housies with the cost of living at IH (on-campus UQ in a welcoming and inclusive community). Johnathan was presented his scholarship

by Sandun Dewage from Academy Services.

Watch all our IH videos on Facebook & Instagram

RESIDENT ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR In 2019, IH introduced a new position called Resident Activities Coordinator (RAC), a paid role performed by a Housie to create more cross-cultural events and activities into the in house college calendar. Second-year Vietnamese resident, Minh Quang Le carried out this task with infectious enthusiasm, rallying volunteers for his many exciting events.

Minh packed the year with activities including, multicultural food festivals, casual language classes, international games like Chinese favourite Mahjong, and Suikawari ( a traditional Japanese game of splitting watermelon with a stick while blindfolded). There were plenty of Aussie experiences too, like thong tossing competitions, lamington making, and backyard cricket on G-Lawn. Housies could also sign up for exciting Brisbane excursions to explore their new city. Minh also asked Housies to share their own national customs with the rest of the cohort.

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"Together wewe made IHIH super cool!

TheThe more youyou putput in,in, thethe more youyou getget back.

"Together made super cool! more more back.

Participation = awesome Housie memories that lastlast a lifetime.”

Minh Participation = awesome Housie memories that a lifetime.”

Minh

Dancefest 2019

2019 HIGHLIGHTS - Did You Know?

Jane Milburn

IH Professional Evening - UQ School of Communications and Arts

Former IH Board Secretary, Jane Milburn was awarded a 2019 Churchill Fellowship to investigate ways that hands-on upcycling actions can reduce textile waste and enhance wellbeing Housies competed in many ICC sport and cultural events, including an enthusiastic, pirate-themed Dancefest performance worthy of the high seas and Captained by French Housie, Emma Pelcener A series of IH Professional Evenings with UQ academic leaders were held for Housies studying on-campus IH Director, Dr Carla Tromans embarked on a tour of Southeast Asia with reunions held in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, and Tokyo, IH Office Administrator, Mrs Yuki Kelly accompanied Carla in Tokyo. The reunions were a great success with the Manila date coinciding with 2007 alumna, Rebeccca Stapleton's wedding later that week. Housies from all over the world had flown to The Philippines to help Bec celebrate her big day and the IH Reunion was a terrific way to kick off the premarriage festivities.

On behalf of IH, Student Club Male Sport Convenor, Tjeard van Oort accepted the ICC Men's Team Badminton Championship shield at the UQ College Sport Awards

IH Reunion in Tokyo LR: Mr Hidenori Yamada, IH Office Administrator Mrs Yuki Kelly and Housie Miss Saho Watanabe

Rebecca Stapleton weds Braedon Reid

IH Alumni from 2006 - 2008 travelled from all around the world to join Rebecca in Manila for her wedding

"Together we made IH super cool! The more you put in, the more you get back.

Participation = awesome Housie memories that last a lifetime.” Minh

Help Housies reach their full potential Every gift counts SPONSOR A ROOM FUND A SCHOLARSHIP $6,000 FROM $1,000

To make a gift visit www.inthouse.uq.edu.au

SPONSOR A ROOM $6,000

UQ BLOOM FESTIVAL You can't get more Brisbane than the gorgeous Jacaranda Walk, the showstopper of the UQ Bloom Festival. Bloom is a celebration of all

things UQ. The festival highlights 2019 innovation and achievements through an exciting variety of events and activations across the stunning St Lucia campus.