Trinity Today 2021 | Trinity College | The University of Melbourne | Issue 90

TRINITY TODAY THE MAGAZINE OF TRINITY COLLEGE

THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

#90 NOVEMBER 2021

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TRINITY TODAY 02 CONTENTS DIRECTORY

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Email your feedback about this edition of Trinity Today to tt@trinity.unimelb.edu.au or write to us at: Trinity Today Marketing, Communications and Events Trinity College 100 Royal Parade Parkville VIC 3052 Stay up-to-date with Trinity College news at trinity.unimelb.edu.au MANAGING EDITOR Emily McAuliffe Communications Manager,

Trinity College

EDITOR Mary Downes MediaXpress DESIGNER Bill Farr MediaXpress COVER Illustration by Andrew Hopgood CONTRIBUTORS Rahim Bahlouli TC 2020, Photographer Dr Peter Campbell Registrar,

Trinity College Theological School

Anabel Dean Freelance writer Kate Elix Director of Marketing,

Communications and Events, Trinity College

Sophia Gawan-Taylor TC 2019, Photographer Susan Gough Henley Freelance writer Prof Ken Hinchcliff Warden and CEO,

Trinity College

Margie Moroney TC 1979 Katherine Ng TCFS 2002, TC 2003 The Revd Canon Emerita Dr Colleen O’Reilly

Trinity College Chaplain Tom Roe Freelance photographer Dr Benjamin Thomas Rusden Curator – Cultural Collections, Trinity College Additional imagery courtesy of Bendigo Art Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, and staff, students, alumni and friends of Trinity College.

ENTER GEN Z

We put the heavy questions to five Gen Z-ers to find out what they care about.

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Information in this magazine was understood to be correct at the time of printing.Views expressed in Trinity Today do not necessarily reflect the views of Trinity College.

Trinity Today is printed on Pacesetter Satin FSC®, which is manufactured using low environmental impact FSC® certified pulps in a facility that is ISO 14001 Environmental Management System accredited.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this country and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

Three Trinity alumni reflect on their journeys as business leaders. 18

Three experts on three global issues, and the actions we must take. 22

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WELCOME 03 TRINITY TODAY

Advocating for equality

THE YEAR THAT WAS

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MEET DOROTHY

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A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 14 BEYOND DOMESTIC BLISS

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FAITH IN MEDICINE

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DRIVEN TO SUCCEED

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FINDING SECURITY

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UNCONVENTIONAL AND UNAFRAID

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INCLUSIVITY MEANS EVERYONE

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LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD

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EVENTS GALLERY

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OBITUARIES/VALETE

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HONOURS

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One of the challenges of leading during times of crisis is keeping one eye on the long game, while managing through the short-term difficulties. It turns out this pandemic has been a longer-lasting crisis than we envisaged in early 2020, but it too shall pass. What will not pass, however, is the need to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in our society.

This issue of Trinity Today highlights one of the College’s longterm commitments: advocating for, and facilitating, the increased participation of women at Trinity and in the wider community – in the workplace, in the education sector and in society.

Unfortunately, gender inequality still exists in 2021. Our commitment to closing the gender gap is demonstrated in this edition, which focuses on celebrating the women of Trinity.

We also understand that gender as a concept is increasingly recognised as fluid by many people and that the drive for equality must encompass all individuals, regardless of their gender identity.

Of course, gender is only part of the debate when it comes to creating an equal-opportunity society. While it is the one we have chosen to profile in this edition, we remain active in other areas such as supporting Indigenous higher education and providing opportunities for people who have suffered disadvantage. Creating a fair and equitable world is a complex and multifaceted process, but also an aspiration we hold dear.

At our own institution, we’re conscious of creating an environment in which people of all backgrounds can thrive. Kerry Gleeson, who took over as board chair this year, is the first woman appointed to this role. Kerry leads a governance group at Trinity of which 50 per cent are women, as is my senior leadership team, and I am committed to ensuring this parity continues.

On a final note, I want to thank everyone who has supported us this year. Our strong sense of community is invaluable during these challenging times.

Professor Ken Hinchcliff Warden and CEO

Click to listen to a message from Warden Ken Hinchcliff

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TRINITY TODAY 04 COLLEGE NEWS

The Pathways School hosted two series of live lectures, presented by around 30 Foundation Studies academics. More than 7000 students from 30 countries tuned in to learn about topics such as the chemistry of food waste, design solutions for a sustainable future, and using economics and accounting principles to understand the fundamentals of investing.

Dr Denis White, the Executive Director of Trinity’s Foundation Studies program from 1991 to 1998, released a book, The University Dream, documenting the rocky but rewarding journey of establishing our Foundation Studies program, and how the program became a benchmark for international education in Australia. Available to purchase at shop.trinity.unimelb.edu.au

Click to buy online

Click to watch the lecture replays

THE YEAR

A group of Residential College students established the Trinity Respect Committee to develop and implement programs that inform students about consent and respectful and positive behaviour within the College. The Kumergaii Yulendji committee was also officially launched (pictured) to recognise and promote matters related to the lives of Indigenous students in the College and to promote greater understanding of reconciliation and Indigenous culture.

Our Pathways Student Wellbeing team sent care packages to onshore Foundation Studies students during Melbourne’s extended lockdown. A flood of kind messages confirmed these were well received!

The Trinity Recreational Alpine Club (TRAC) went on a mid-year trip to Tasmania, when 30 residential students camped, hiked and explored the state for two weeks.

Click to watch a short video of the trip

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COLLEGE NEWS 05 TRINITY TODAY

Click to read more about Paddy Bates

We welcomed Patrick ‘Paddy’ Bates as our new Senior Student in the Residential College. Following two years of lockdowns, Paddy says 2022 will be our best chance to return to the aspects of College that make it so special. ‘With an understanding of what’s “normal” thrown out the window, we have an opportunity to change and shape college to what we, the students, want to make of it.

Everything from our events to the academic tutorial program and, most importantly, our culture, can always be improved.

I know staff and students alike are optimistic for the new year, so I am excited about everything to come.’

THAT WAS

In line with Reconciliation Week in May, Trinity students competed in the intercollegiate Buroinjin Cup … and won! Buroinjin is a ball game devised and played by the Kabi Kabi people of south Queensland.

In Semester 2, the Theological School, supported by the Sharwood bequest, ran Australia’s first and only unit on Anglican Church Law and Governance, attended by 47 students from across Australia. Classes were supervised by Michael Shand QC AM and the Revd Dr Alex Ross and were presented by 12 guest lecturers.

The Theological School also announced a new partnership with the St James’ Institute in Sydney, which will see a series of intensive units taught by Trinity College faculty in Sydney from 2022.

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TRINITY TODAY 06 COLLEGE NEWS This year we held six fireside chats on topics including ‘Looking after your mental health’ with Sabina Read and Jonathan Clark, ‘A photography journey that started at Trinity’ with Professor David Tan, and ‘Women’s health’ with Dr Alyce Wilson and Dr Rebecca Mitchell. We also held five Career Connect events, covering management consulting (pictured), biomedicine, law, engineering and arts.

A group of Foundation Studies students started the Trinity Connection newsletter to share health tips, poems, videos, short stories, short films and photography (above image by student Christian Valerian) to stay connected while learning remotely.

The Trinity College Theological School was awarded a large grant from the University of Divinity to examine questions stemming from religious enmity through a project titled ‘Figuring the Enemy’.

The project, to be led by Dr Scott Kirkland and the Revd Dr Chris Porter, will look at the conditions under which enemies are created and maintained through socialpsychological, political and theological lenses.

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After 25 years of faithful service, the Kenneth Jones organ in the Trinity College Chapel has been dismantled and is undergoing tonal revisions. In 2022, it will be reinstalled in two cases to allow more natural light to filter into the Chapel.

Click to watch a timelapse of the organ being dismantled

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COLLEGE NEWS 07 TRINITY TODAY

Meet Dorothy

Our newest residential building has officially been named.

Introducing the Dorothy Jane Ryall building, or ‘Dorothy’ for short.

Dorothy Jane Ryall was a matron (equivalent to a nurse and pastoral care adviser) at Trinity College from the late 1920s until her death in 1942 at the age of 54. One of the buildings that previously stood on the site of the current ‘Dorothy’ was referred to by the same name in recognition of Ryall.

Who was Dorothy?

Dorothy Ryall (née Newton) was born in Malvern, Victoria, in 1887. She was a talented musician and was accepted as a student at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She later trained as a nurse and, in 1915, enlisted as a staff nurse in the Australian Army Nursing Service. She worked in several nursing roles overseas during World War I before returning to Australia in 1919.

In 1921, she married Warrant Officer Lewis Henry Ryall, who died six years later from war injury complications. After a period living in Queensland, Dorothy returned to

Melbourne with her son and took up a matron position at Trinity College.

As one student wrote in the October 1929 edition of the Fleur de Lys: Mrs Ryall at once settled down to her new life and we must congratulate her on the capable manner in which she is looking after us. We thank her for the care with which she keeps brightening

flowers in the common room and hope that her stay with us will be a long and happy one.

Dorothy was also credited for her leadership skills. Following the outbreak of World War II, which led to a decline in student numbers and difficulty securing suitable staff at the College, a passage in the October 1941 edition of the Fleur de Lys read: There has, since the war began, been very great difficulty in obtaining the Domestic Staff. Mrs Ryall is to be congratulated on the way she has kept that side of the College running smoothly. She has had almost unsurmountable difficulties to overcome, but regardless of this, the usual good quality of College domestic service has been maintained.

The choice of ‘Dorothy’ as the name for the new building reflects the important, and often unrecognised, service that many people like Dorothy Jane Ryall provided to the College over many years, and continue to do so.

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TRINITY TODAY 08 OUR GENERATION

ENTER

Generation Z – those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s – are globally connected digital natives who have little to no memory of a world without smartphones and social media. They’re diverse and highly educated, and many are passionate about shaking up existing power structures to create a more equitable world. By 2025, it’s estimated they will make up almost 30 per cent of the workforce and might have six or more careers in their lifetime.

We put the heavy questions to five Trinity Gen Z-ers to get to know the next generation of leaders rising through the ranks and to find out what they care about.

Meet our panel

XIAOHAN (DAISY) WU KIEN-LING LIEM

Kien-Ling (TCFS 2021) is studying Foundation Studies remotely from Penang, Malaysia.

She is the editor of the Trinity Connection student newsletter and art director of online youth zine Getting it Strait, which focuses on activism, creative expression and amplifying marginalised voices. She is also a member of Trinity’s movie and writing clubs and helps organise online events as part of the Trinity Gateway team.

SERENA BARTON

ZOE GILLIES

Zoe (TC 2019) grew up in Melbourne and is studying a Bachelor of Commerce. At Trinity, she is involved in the newly formed Respect Committee, as well as the music and ER White societies. In 2019, she was a member of the College rowing team and film society.

Serena (TC 2020) is a Yadighana, Wuthathi and Gurindji person with connections to Waiben in Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands) and grew up in Darwin. She is studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in politics, international relations and philosophy. She is a business development intern at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and is a member of Trinity’s Kumergaii Yulendji First Nations student committee.

SHEHELAH OUSMAN

Shehelah (TC 2020) was born in Sri Lanka and migrated to Australia in 2003. In 2021, she was elected Victoria’s Youth Premier. Shehelah is a member of Trinity’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance and Respect Committee, and is a diversity and inclusion portfolio leader at the Skyline Education Foundation Australia.

She is studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in gender studies.

Daisy (TCFS 2015) grew up in Shanghai, China. After completing Foundation Studies at Trinity, she studied a Bachelor of Design, majoring in construction, and is completing a Master of Construction Management. Daisy is a cadet quantity surveyor and is the former president of the Construction Students Association. She is the former international student ambassador of the University of Melbourne Student Union International and is the podcast lead at the Chartered Institute of Building’s Tomorrow’s Leaders Victoria.

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OUR GENERATION 09 TRINITY TODAY

THE GEN Z APPROACH To kick things off, in what way do you think Gen Z is different from previous generations?

WORKPLACE EQUALITY

KIEN-LING I think the main difference

is our familiarity and integration with social media and new technology. We’re also not scared of speaking up, consequences or authority, and know that we have each other’s backs.

Do you think workplace inequality exists when it comes to career opportunities?

ZOE There are a lot of issues that

have been around forever – like gender inequality and environmental damage, but now we’re not afraid to talk about them. The world has problems and we understand that if you ignore them, you’re never going to fix them.

SHEHELAH I agree. There’s an

unwillingness to stay silent on issues that matter most to us and an unwillingness to abide by rules set out by different agencies and structures that prevent us from expressing how we feel.

SERENA My family is Indigenous, so an

example for me would be looking at how my generation is approaching reconciliation. I know my views tend to be more radical than older generations in my family. They’re still of the mindset that we can form good relationships as we are, but I don’t think that’s feasible, and it hasn’t been for a long time.

SHEHELAH I think there are a lot of

stereotypes placed upon us because other generations haven’t been able to express themselves the way we do, or have been told that it’s not good to express your views so vocally. Change is already taking place, and if that makes others uncomfortable, people need to consider whether it’s because the power structures that work in their favour are shifting to enable equality.

SOCIAL ISSUES What social issues do you think about the most?

ZOE I think about equality across all underprivileged groups. I’m motivated to create equality.

SHEHELAH Ditto. Definitely addressing

the marginalisation of different individuals and working towards removing the structures and barriers that enable that, but also climate change as a compounding factor and the existential threat we’re all facing. It’s hard to disentangle these issues because they feel so interconnected and feed into one another. COVID misinformation is another big social issue I care about.

KIEN-LING Feminism, but the

intersectional kind, which addresses the cumulative effect of different forms of discrimination, including class, sexuality, education, age and race. And yes, climate change as well, because I was born into it.

SHEHELAH It’s so difficult to see

whether minority groups are being denied job opportunities based on some sort of identity box that they may or may not fit into, though I know it exists. I know how many job applications or internships I got rejected from because of my name alone on my resume, when my best friend might’ve gotten it. I know how many people look shocked when I walk into a room to deliver an address because they’ve formed an idea of what I should look like based on my name. There are many barriers and I think it gets worse and worse as you become more marginalised.

DAISY The construction industry is

continuously plagued by a gender equality gap, but I haven’t been in the industry long enough to be able to really put into perspective why it’s hard for women to advance to, say, the middle or top echelons. Having said that, I also think there’s a stereotypical perception of what an exemplary career looks like within the construction industry – it’s not necessarily just about building sites and high-vis. Anyone can potentially carve out a unique career and it depends on the individual’s view of what constitutes a successful career.

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TRINITY TODAY 10 OUR GENERATION

SOCIAL MEDIA What are the pros and cons of social media?

KIEN-LING I think because we were

born into this technology, it’s integrated with our lives. Now your life is basically the screen that you’re looking at, and you’re on this screen 24/7. It can be hard to strip away from technology and get in touch with the ‘real world’.

TikTok takes up a lot of my screen time and some things I see concern me. For example, I’ll see a video about an eating disorder, but instead of talking about how to address it, it talks about ways to further the disorder. This app has children on it and it’s so dangerous for them to see that kind of thing. I’m also concerned about false information, which is easily spread on social media.

Social media can also entrap you in a certain pipeline or mindset.

Algorithms on apps like Instagram and YouTube are designed to get more views and make money from those views, so they show you what you want to see. And when you keep seeing the same things over and over again, it can easily trap you in a right or left-wing pipeline. You just keep clicking on videos and posts that perpetuate that narrative, and can end up living in a dangerous bubble where that’s all you know.

Social media is an ally, but it’s also our enemy.

SHEHELAH Yes, there are merits to

social media, but there are those massive downfalls that are particularly scary. I always think about how impressionable I was when I first logged onto social media and how impressionable kids are.

It’s concerning how quickly we can trust a post by someone we have some sort of faith in, even if it’s based on misinformation.

DAISY In turbulent times, like now,

people can be quite stressed and their cognitive ability can be fragile or clouded in a way that can be easily manipulated. This makes it easy for propaganda to seep into people’s minds as they keep feeding themselves this content.

SERENA Considering the positives, I

think social media is a good way for younger people to engage with politics on a holistic level. Even if people can sometimes get stuck in echo chambers, I would argue that a lot of political systems that we have right now aren’t designed for younger people and they don’t shape or motivate anyone’s political values any more. Well, at least not for the younger generation. Social media is a good way for people to become aware of issues that maybe not just affect them, but the people around them, and these could be things that they may have not necessarily thought about before. For example, I remember a lot of people’s narratives at College shifted when the Black Lives Matter protests were happening.

ZOE The ability to instantly connect

with people and share information is so amazing. To use the Black Lives Matter movement as an example, there were quite a few petitions that spread really easily. Before social media, it was a lot harder to get behind a movement in the same way.

THE FAMILY MODEL Do you think there’s more acceptance of non-traditional family models within Gen Z?

ZOE I think we still live in a very

hetero-normal world that sees the nuclear family as ‘correct’, but it’s changing and non-traditional family models are becoming a lot more accepted. People are recognising that what you want to do is what you should do. It shouldn’t be dictated by the world around you and what others believe is ‘right’.

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OUR GENERATION 11 TRINITY TODAY

DEFINING GENDER Gen Z is normalising the specification of preferred pronouns as a form of self-identity. What do you think is driving this?

RACISM Do you think racism is an issue in Australia?

KIEN-LING I think specifying pronouns

– for example, she/her, he/him, they/them – helps transgender and non-binary individuals feel more included, because I feel humanity has progressed and developed to a point where gender expression is not as simple as looking at someone and thinking they’re a man or a woman. We can now interpret gender in so many ways because gender is a social construct – it’s something we made up. It’s about making people feel comfortable with what they feel on the inside.

SHEHELAH I totally agree. It’s also an

amazing way of ensuring that we’re affirming other people’s gender identities and not denying them their humanity and existence. So many people in my life, including people at College, are closeted and don’t feel safe using their own pronouns, but I think this big push to be more open about which pronouns we’re using and normalising it as a concept is so people don’t feel so outed or strange when they share their preferred pronouns.

Using people’s correct pronouns is actually a form of suicide prevention. It’s a form of affirmation.

It’s so underrated and misunderstood by so many people older than me, and I’ve had some challenging conversations trying to get people of my parents’ generation to wrap their heads around it. I’m hoping that changes once people realise that it’s not about us rebelling.

SERENA Australia is foundationally

racist, there’s no way to escape that.

And I think the way that racism has worked in Australia has been persuasive and underlies a lot of structures. I feel a lot of the time, racism isn’t even seen at the forefront of many issues because we hide behind the idea that Australia is diverse because we have a lot of migrants and cultures from all over the world. We do, but what do we actually do for these people? It’s hard because you can’t really see how a lot of power structures work with racism unless you actively look for them.

I think Indigenous people here are getting louder – actually, not louder, I think they’re being heard more – so things are changing to an extent, but that extent is still just having basic human rights and maybe being treated as a person.

ZOE As a white Australian, I think we

have failed in so many aspects and it’s heartbreaking to think back, even to my primary school education, when we were taught about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Australian history, and it was still such a white colonial narrative. If that’s what my generation was taught, I think back to what would have been taught in

my parents’ generation and how far back that prejudice goes. It’s hard to change some of those mindsets when you’ve been taught something your whole life. The only way we can fix things is by listening to and acting on behalf of all the people of colour in our community.

KIEN-LING I haven’t lived in Australia

for a very long time, but I notice it in Malaysia, where a lot of white people discriminate against Chinese Malaysians. That was when I realised racism was so normalised. I see the violence against Asians on the news in Australia and in Melbourne and feel like it’s not talked about. I would expect it more to happen in smaller towns – when I went to a smaller town in Australia it happened to me – and I’m saddened to see that it happens in the cities too.

DAISY For as long as I’ve been in

Australia, I’ve never felt like an outlier or an outcast, even though during the job-hunting process, I came across certain hurdles or criteria in terms of visa status and citizenship. I also think that how we see ourselves can condition how we perceive certain situations and can perhaps speculate on the views of others as being ‘racist’ when they are well-meaning people.

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TRINITY TODAY 12 OUR GENERATION

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

CLIMATE CHANGE

Do you think Australia has a problem with sexual harassment?

Do you worry about climate change?

ZOE Definitely, I think it’s a massive

issue. Not just in Australia, but all over the world. Just looking at the fact that the #metoo movement never really took off here is testament to the fact that our defamation laws are so strong that it’s hard to speak out against your abuser. But it shouldn’t fall on women or men – the victims – to speak out. There’s a problem with how we educate people and we need to be educating from a young age, not just about what consent is, but also how to intervene in situations, and about what respectful relationships are.

Everyone knows what consent is, but it doesn’t mean it’s always respected. People are still being sexually assaulted. Also, the definition of sexual assault is so broad that some people don’t realise that what has happened to them can be classified as such, which is heartbreaking. And, more so, a lot of people don’t realise that their actions constitute sexual assault.

SHEHELAH It’s everywhere. It’s in

educational institutions, it’s in workplaces – it’s an Australia-wide thing. It requires a lot of bravery to address the issue and there needs to be both an individual and structural approach. In many cases, I think there’s a lack of accountability and willingness to listen or willingness to acknowledge that there’s a problem.

That needs to start immediately with everyone, then structurally we need prevention strategies, and need to make sure we’re connected to the right kind of support services. We need to ensure we have procedures and reporting systems that work and advocate for victims and survivors.

SERENA I worry about it all the time.

MENTAL HEALTH Do you think there is stigma around mental health?

SERENA Yes, I still think there is

stigma around mental health. We still have a way to go in understanding mental health properly to appropriately respond to these perceived health ‘issues’ and genuinely provide help for people who experience them.

KIEN-LING Yes, I think there is,

especially in Asian cultures, though there’s less of a stigma among Gen Z.

ZOE I think Gen Z has a different

perspective on mental health, and the stigma associated with mental health challenges is lessening within our generation. I wish older generations would have a better understanding of mental health and the seriousness of these issues, which should be treated in the same way as physical health issues.

The Pacific Islands going under is particularly concerning. I’m Maori, so it hits close to home. And then the general degradation of the earth – it’s hard as an Indigenous person to watch all the things around you die, and it’s dishonouring to see how our governments respond to that, for instance, not signing up to reduce our carbon emissions or not caring about how we impact the environment.

KIEN-LING One of my biggest concerns

is that we, as individuals, can’t do much. Even if we all band together, the impact wouldn’t be as great as if corporations started taking care of their carbon emissions. It’s hard to change capitalistic thinking and to live sustainably because everybody wants money. Living sustainably hasn’t been advocated as a way to earn money yet, so there’s no incentive for companies to go in that direction.

SHEHELAH Sri Lanka is my birth

country and I can already see the impacts that climate change is having on our ecosystems and economy. Even though Sri Lanka has low carbon emissions compared to Australia and America and places like that, we’re the ones who have to pay the unfair price. We’ve known about these issues for decades and people haven’t done anything about it properly. I also hate that the onus has fallen onto the individual rather than the conglomerates that contribute and the governments that fail to care for their people, especially their most vulnerable.

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OUR GENERATION 13 TRINITY TODAY

LOOKING AHEAD COVID-19

When you consider your generation as a whole, what are you most excited about in the future?

How do you think the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your generation the most?

DAISY Just embracing the unknown,

which is going to materialise as the only source of certainty.

SERENA I’m excited to see how people

will respond to and take action when it comes to a lot of the things that we’ve been discussing.

SERENA I feel like a lot of people my

age are feeling like they’re missing out on some of the best years of their life, which is definitely how I felt last year. A lot of the expectations around these formative years of your life don’t involve being confined to your dorm room. I feel privileged that my social life wasn’t completely taken away at College – even on campus during lockdowns we still got to see people every day and got involved in COVID-safe activities.

ZOE I think a lot of Trinity students

were looking forward to experiencing things in Melbourne – living in the city, seeing live music and just exploring and learning through new experiences. It’s a bit disappointing to then be confined to one area. But then I think everyone has been really fortunate in that they’ve still been able to interact with others and create social connections at College.

SHEHELAH I think the pandemic

impacted our generation economically, at least those of us who aren’t able to depend on our parents or generational wealth. I’ve had to build my own reserves, and I know so many people like that. Many of us don’t live with our families, so we were completely cut off from our connection to our culture and familial bonds. Looking at the positives, it created an opportunity

for us to understand each other a bit better. I didn’t know anyone when I came to Trinity, so I was isolated in one sense, but I also noticed how the community came together to support each other. I think that’s a beautiful testament to Gen Z and how we often wrap one another up if we can see the other struggling.

DAISY Having just joined the workforce before we got locked down, it was hard not having those tactile experiences in the office – it’s like a lot of things are missing in the background that help you feel connected. It’s also highlighted how unprepared some of us are in terms of figuring out our life priorities. The hustle, the grind, the overwhelm – I doubt if the majority of us have invested enough time to figure out if that’s what we want for our lives.

KIEN-LING I’ve had to do my entire

Foundation Studies course online and feel like I missed out on all the things that I could’ve done at Trinity.

In a strange way, though, I feel that because we’re not seeing each other in real life – I’ve never met my Trinity friends in person because we’re all in different countries – it’s forced us to connect with more people because we have to reach out if we want to interact. It’s like we’re less connected and more connected at the same time.

ZOE I think change. And for me,

continuing to learn from those around me and trying to enact those voices. I’m also excited about dismantling a lot of socially constructed views about what it means to be a man or a woman, or a person of colour from a different community, and breaking down a lot of those boundaries.

KIEN-LING I want to see change too,

especially in terms of how people view women and people of colour. I feel like many things are so integrated into society that it’s hard to unlearn them, but what I can see so far is that we are taking the steps to do that and I am excited to see it all come together in the next few decades or so.

SHEHELAH I’ll echo what the others

have said: change. I’m excited to see what we decide is a good future as a collective, because we talk about it and envision it a lot and we try to band together to create it, but I’m curious to see if that comes to fruition. I hope the change isn’t incremental. Hopefully it’s massive.

And I’m looking forward to it.

Click to watch part of the panel discussion

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TRINITY TODAY 14 ART GALLERY CURATORS

A PICTURE IS WORTH

A THOUSAND

Arthur Streeton Australia 1867–1943 The purple noon’s transparent might, c.1896 Oil on canvas Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

WORDS

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ART GALLERY CURATORS 15 TRINITY TODAY

What’s it like to be a keeper of cultural heritage in Australia’s leading art museums? Anabel Dean speaks to three Trinity alumni who have carved out careers as some of the country’s top curators.

I

t isn’t the pickled platypus, or fossilised Frenchman’s finger, but a painting that best encapsulates Jane Clark’s (TC 1977) love of her career as a curator.

Seeing The purple noon’s transparent might for the first time, lifted out of its frame at the National Gallery of Victoria, was like watching Arthur Streeton actually paint the work.

Observing daylight on brushstrokes, unpicking the mythology, Jane was immediately transported to the banks of the Hawkesbury River where, in 1896, Streeton claimed he’d painted the masterpiece over two days in temperatures of almost 40 Jane Clark, curator at the degrees.

Museum of Old and New Art ‘The work went from being a (Mona) in Hobart. sort of square, handsome, chocolate-boxy picture to an astounding work of art – one of Australia’s great paintings – and it transformed my way of thinking about the physicality of art objects,’ Jane remembers.

The work was just one revelation in a richly rewarding career that catapulted the University of Melbourne Fine Arts Honours graduate into curatorial roles at the NGV, Sotheby’s in Australia, and finally, in 2007, to Australia’s largest private museum, the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart.

Curators are now influential tastemakers with farreaching impact in the art world. Dreaming up groundbreaking exhibitions can be close to an art form in itself for curators who act, not only as the custodians of historic reliquary, but as protagonists launching artistic careers, injecting new life into the art scene, giving voice to a range of practitioners and, sometimes, advocating for change in the merger between art and politics.

Jane came to the cavernous interiors of Mona from Sotheby’s, having worked through the booming art sale years from 1994 to 2007, when nearly every auction brought forth never-before-seen objects of awe. There were sales for Sidney

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TRINITY TODAY 16 ART GALLERY CURATORS

Nolan’s estate; the Foster’s and Sir David Davies collections; and extraordinary discoveries such as the 9 by 5 cigar-box ‘impressions’, Charles Conder’s Australian sketchbooks and a French flower market by Ethel Carrick Fox. ‘It was the era of the highest price paid at an Australian auction and there were amazing thrills in handling the works all the time,’ Jane says. ‘You just never knew what was going to happen next.

‘Every day, somebody had an artwork in the boot of their car and sometimes we’d literally get the screwdriver out to peel the backing off a painting, hoping to find some wonderful piece of information that would double the value of the work.’

Before Sotheby’s, Jane was curator of Australian art at the NGV, where Monday afternoons were regularly spent with a conservator in the storage area, unearthing the secrets of works that, in some cases, had not been closely examined for more than 40 years.

Times have changed, though, and now there are questions about whether some objects should be kept in museums. ‘At Mona, for example, there are ancient Egyptian mummies, and some people may ask if we should be displaying human remains at all. I think I probably struggle with this sort of question more than some of my colleagues because I’m the one that’s most often dealing with the “old” stuff.’

Jane is one of the few museum curators in the world who will blithely declare they write ‘art wank’. The moniker for the pithy electronic tablet essays used at Mona, instead of wall labels, is

‘Telling the history of my people, and working in collaboration with First Nations communities, it’s an integral part of who I am.’

S HONAE HOBS ON intended to be ironic but it is also unapologetic. This is a museum of ideas: a place of cabinets filled with curiosities, of things and of minds. It’s a perfect fit for somebody with Jane’s ‘endlessly inquisitive fascination for objects’.

The question of who speaks from the podium is another element that has changed. Does a curator of European extraction have more historical expertise about an object in their care than an Indigenous Australian descendant of the people who made it? It wasn’t so long ago that men in periwigs considered Aboriginal culture a stagnant science rather than a living and constantly evolving culture in existence for thousands of years.

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honae Hobson (TC 2015) is a southern Kaantju woman from the tiny community of Coen, on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula, who first came to Melbourne for an exhibition by her artist mother Naomi Hobson.

She returned, in 2014, to study art history and anthropology as a Bachelor

of Arts undergraduate at the University of Melbourne.

‘I just really fell in love with this city and knew that this was a place that I wanted to pursue my studies,’ she says. Trinity College nurtured personal growth while providing access to opportunities and friendships with like-minded individuals who were also a long way from home.

Shonae became a curator of Indigenous art at the NGV in March this year. She had spent the previous two years as the inaugural First Nations curator at Bendigo Art Gallery where she brought Australia’s first major survey of contemporary Indigenous Australian fashion to life in an exhibition titled Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion (2020).

‘This is not just a job for me,’ Shonae explains. ‘It’s my everyday lived experience. Being a First Nations person, telling the history of my people, and working in collaboration with First Nations communities, it’s an integral part of who I am. It’s important to recognise that our people have a very different way of working, which doesn’t always align with the Western way of thinking.

‘I feel that I have a very important responsibility to ensure that our voices are represented in the museum space.

The role of an Indigenous curator is an important one, as we are the conduits between our community and the public.

My role is as much about educating as it is about opening the door for other Indigenous voices, to challenge dominant narratives and reinforce powerful messages of representation and visibility within the colonial landscape.’

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ART GALLERY CURATORS 17 TRINITY TODAY

T

he belief in education leads back to the University of Melbourne with Associate Professor Alison Inglis (TC 1977), who is coordinator of the Master of Art Curatorship program. Her curatorial experience began at Trinity, assisting the celebrated art academic and Senior Common Room member, Professor Sir Joseph Burke, in cataloguing the College art collection which was, then, scattered throughout the building.

‘Looking back, I realise it was a terrific thing to sit at breakfast every morning in the Dining Hall, looking at these different and remarkable moments in history presented through the artistic style of the portraits on the walls [at Trinity],’ Alison says. ‘It was a reinforcement of the enormous pleasure I derived from doing an undergraduate art history degree that sharpened the sense of the possibility within the subject.’

After she completed her degree, Alison was offered a university teaching job, and the die was cast. Academia turned out to be a vibrant and energetic space in which to learn, interpret and communicate ideas about art.

A combination of interests in history, collecting and conservation led to invitations to serve on museum boards (including the NGV, Heide Museum of Modern Art, the Duldig Studio and Museums Victoria), and to her appointment as Emeritus Trustee of the National Gallery of Victoria in 2010.

Working with these remarkable collections only reinforced the power of curating.

‘If you love art, it’s a great challenge to bring objects together in a visual conversation that communicates in a more powerful way than, perhaps, words alone can,’ says Alison. ‘To open that excitement up to others is a really wonderful thing.’

Ultimately, what does it take to make a good curator?

‘Curiosity,’ says Jane. ‘And I think there’s something almost performative in sharing your passion for created objects: objects that pose questions about how we see the world, from artefacts that have long outlived their human makers to brand new artworks created on your watch. It’s probably worth understanding from the outset that you’ll never know all the answers.’

OPPOSITE: Shonae Hobson, left, Curator of Indigenous Art at the NGV, and Associate Professor Alison Inglis, coordinator of Melbourne University’s Master of Art Curatorship program.

BELOW: Installation view, Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion.

Courtesy of Bendigo Art Gallery.

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TRINITY TODAY 18 WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Three Trinity alumni reflect on their journeys as business leaders and what it takes for women to get a strong foothold in roles and industries traditionally dominated by men.

BY E M ILY McAU LI F F E

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n 1987, Leonie Valentine (TC 1987) tried her hand at coxing one of Trinity’s rowing teams and steered the boat into a pylon on the Yarra.

‘It was terrible,’ she recalls. ‘Those early morning starts weren’t really for me.’

This ‘hard knock’ would become a metaphor for the early stages of her career, when she had her sights set on becoming a geologist. While at Melbourne University, she went to an industry networking function and distinctly remembers a mining representative handing out business cards, pausing to say, ‘Oh, no, you’re a woman’, and saving his cards for the gents.

Apparently the ‘wrong’ gender for a geology career, Leonie took an advertising role with BP, and addressing gender disparity in the workplace became a deep-seated passion of hers. She never forgot that averted business card.

The

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS 19 TRINITY TODAY

These days, Leonie works for Google as the Managing Director for Melbourne and Government, looking after the company’s largest advertisers. She recently returned to Australia after almost 10 years working as Google’s Managing Director in Hong Kong.

Having pushed through the glass ceiling of the tech industry, she now tries to help other women avoid gendered exclusion, and was involved in committees and programs in Hong Kong dedicated to supporting women in business.

Though Leonie was taken aback by her early taste of discrimination at that university event and became acutely aware of gender inequality as her career progressed, she admits there was a period of accepting that was ‘just the

pretty high,’ says Leonie. ‘People run fast, they work ridiculously hard.

Probably too hard. And it’s not an environment in which women can thrive, because the expectation for you to be there and to put the hours in often doesn’t align with a lot of personal aspirations.’

Leonie says ‘getting to the top’ was made possible for her because her husband is a stay-at-home dad, and childcare was also affordable in Hong Kong. ‘In Australia, one of the things that holds us back is the unaffordability of childcare,’ she says. ‘Because, if you contrast that to Hong Kong, they have very high representation of women in the upper ranks of management. I’ve never met so many female chief executives of banks and venture funds

to financial technology start-ups. Spark Systems was one of those start-ups, and, since being invited to join the team in 2018, Shi Mei has watched the company grow to 50 people and cemented her passion and aptitude for the industry. (In 2019, she won the Top 50 FinTech Leaders Asia award and the 30 Under 30 FinTech Leaders award.)

Formerly on the Women in FinTech subcommittee in Singapore, and now treasurer of the Singapore FinTech Association, Shi Mei aims to enable other women to follow her lead. A key challenge she sees in hiring for technology start-ups is that most coders and developers are men, but it’s not as simple as hiring more women, because there aren’t many women applying in the first place. ‘It actually goes all the way down to

way it is’. She had grown accustomed to being one of only a handful of women in maths and science classes at university, and, when questioned by a senior leader while working at Telstra as to ‘where all the women were’ at a C-level event, she remembers looking around the room and shrugging it off. It was simply a reflection of her everyday life.

Later, however, having made headway on the career ladder in the tech industry, she asked herself: Where did all the women go? ‘I realised I’d never bothered to ask where everybody went, so that was a bit of a wake-up call.’

She coined the expression ‘tech trapdoor’ to describe the competing priorities that women often face when they hit their 30s, which may see their careers stall. Elderly parents, pregnancy, child-rearing, even marriage.

‘The demands of tech industries are

and lawyers and all these sorts of things, in part, because childcare is super affordable there.’

education,’ she says, stressing that women need to be encouraged to study science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects to, in turn, drive up applications from women for tech-based jobs. Shi Mei also believes that finding a mentor or role model is important, referencing her former director at PwC, who inspired her to succeed.

Someone who agrees is Amy Tennent (TC 1996), who is a fourth-generation Director of the Cripps Foundation, as well as Director of Minsmere, Executive Vice-President of Chartwell Industries, and Chair of VIL Limited, which encompasses the Velcro group of companies. She is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Trinity College Foundation (ECOF) and the Trinity College Council. Amy climbed the ranks of the family businesses (all the above are run by Amy and her family and funnel profits into the education-focused Cripps Foundation), and credits her father for playing an influential role in guiding her career from the ground up.

view from the top S

hi Mei Chin (TCFS 2008), Chief Financial Officer of Singaporebased B2B foreign exchange trading platform Spark Systems, says Asia has traditionally espoused stereotypical gender roles, but the paradigm is shifting – and she’s playing an active role in pushing it further.

Shi Mei’s passion lies in helping women get into the traditionally maledominated financial technology, or fintech, industry, which she says is experiencing rapid growth and is full of opportunities.

A chartered accountant, Shi Mei entered the fintech industry in 2016 while working at PwC in Singapore, where she and her then-director – a woman – pioneered a fintech team within PwC, offering services and advice

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TRINITY TODAY 20 WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Leonie Valentine

Shi Mei Chin

Amy Tennent

‘Dad was great, but I recognised a few years ago that I really needed to get out of just having family mentorship,’ she says. Amy subsequently joined the Young Presidents’ Organisation, made up of people of a similar age who are running their own companies or leading family businesses, and uses members as a sounding board.

‘For women wanting to move into leadership roles, I think it’s important to reach out if they find someone they really admire or think they can learn a lot from, as people are happy to help,’ she says. ‘Then, if they don’t know the answer to the experience that someone needs assistance with, they actually might know someone who has been through that and can connect them.’

Reaching out for help is something Amy has done herself, having recently engaged a professional coach to help guide her decision-making and

challenge her thinking. She has also hired an executive assistant, acknowledging that leaders don’t have to know it all or do it all. ‘I am learning. I think we’re always all constantly learning. We never know everything and we’re never, ever doing anything the right way all the time. I think I was very hard on myself by trying to do everything on my own.’

about ethnicity. It’s about people who are disabled in some way. It’s about ensuring that everyone feels really comfortable and that we’re providing a work environment that encourages people from diverse backgrounds to come and work for us.’

Something Leonie, Shi Mei and Amy all agree on is that success in business doesn’t come without hard work. For Leonie, it’s about resilience and being comfortable with failure – traits learnt from her Shanghai-born, Hong Kongraised mother who migrated to Australia at the tail end of the White Australia policy. Shi Mei references her ‘grit’, the motivation drawn from a driven peer group, and pushing through the cycle of feeling invincible one minute and defeated the next. Amy says it’s about working hard to build relationships, taking responsibility for yourself and working out who you want to become – something she says Trinity encouraged her to do as a young adult.

The drive for change needs to come from many angles on both a micro and macro level, but, encouragingly, things are shifting. Women don’t just have a foot in the door of business now – increasingly, they have a seat at the table.

W

hile working on herself, Amy, in collaboration with her fellow company leaders, is determined to ensure her family businesses champion equality. The Velcro leadership group, for example, now has an even split of women and men – something Amy says has created a more empathetic culture, which has broken down some of the barriers employees reported feeling when it came to speaking up. And across businesses, diversity of all kinds is being embraced. ‘It’s not just about gender.

It’s about race. It’s about religion. It’s

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WOMEN IN MINISTRY 21 TRINITY TODAY

Beyond domestic bliss Trinity College’s outgoing Chaplain, the Revd Canon Emerita Dr Colleen O’Reilly AM, highlights the past – and ongoing – struggle of women in the church.

A

person knows they are getting old when events they have shaped are now history.

This has happened to me as a priest who is a woman.

When I was young, the idea that women could be members of the clergy and lead worship in churches was scarcely imagined. It began to be envisaged in the 1960s as women emerged from the postwar era of ‘domestic bliss’ and, equipped with education, started campaigning for the equality of women and men in the workplace, the home, and, even more radically, in religious institutions.

I returned to Australia in 1972 after living in Britain and the United States for some years and found these new ideas had barely arrived. So, with a few friends, I began to work for change in the Anglican Church by forming a political lobby group.

We held street theatre outside the gatherings of the General Synod, the national decision-making body. We wrote pamphlets and papers and Bible study guides to challenge the unquestioned assumptions about the inferior place of women, and we began to take up in the church and at work whatever leadership roles were open to us. Some of us began to study for degrees in theology. Our activism was energising and attitudes began to

change, though very slowly and with much opposition.

There were few role models, but we learnt of one woman whose story had been largely forgotten – the Revd Florence Li Tim-Oi. In 1944, she was ordained a priest to minister in war-torn Macao, a neutral colony closed to Western clergy but overflowing with Chinese refugees in need of care and support.

Persecuted by the Communists for 30 years, she was eventually allowed to leave China in 1983 and lived the rest of her life in Canada, where she died in 1992. She was then recognised and celebrated throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion and is remembered every year in the church calendar.

She died just as the first women were ordained priests in Perth in March 1992, ahead of other parts of the Australian church, which did not begin such ordinations until December that year.

The debates had been long and bitter, lasting from 1977 to 1992, and are not yet over in some places. Among the Perth women were some who had studied at Trinity College Theological School – the most prominent alumna among them being the Archbishop of Perth, Kay Goldsworthy AO. Women can be bishops because a friend and I organised for the Appellate Tribunal, the equivalent of the church’s

high court, to make a ruling on whether it was possible in Australia. Thankfully, they did so rule and another Trinity alumna, Bishop Alison Taylor, became a bishop in Brisbane. Here in Melbourne, Bishop Kate Prowd gained her theology degree at Trinity, and Bishop Genieve Blackwell studied in Sydney and Canberra before moving to Melbourne.

Trinity College began as a place of residence and learning for young men entering ministry. Today, Trinity’s Theological School has women faculty of world standing, including the Revd Canon Professor Dorothy Lee and Dr Rachelle Gilmour, a lay scholar. It has been a delight and privilege to work with them as College Chaplain.

I hope younger women remember our pioneering generation with gratitude, as I do when I recall those who worked for a woman’s right to vote.

There are still those opposed to the full equality of women because they believe God does not allow women to lead in the church, though they have usually come to accept female leaders in every other workplace.

I believe the ordination of women expands our understanding of who God is and challenges the false notion that God is male. I love my work as a priest and am deeply glad to have been part of the change, even if it does mean my generation of women are now ‘history’.

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TRINITY TODAY 22 WHAT OF THE FUTURE?

KATHERINE TREBECK Rethinking the global economy Dr Katherine Trebeck (TC 1996) is a writer and researcher and an advocate for economic system change. Her aim is to spark different ways of thinking about the economy and its purpose, and to draw attention to the potential impacts on our lives if we don’t.

S

tep back and look at the world.

We’re like hamsters scuttling on a globe, trying to spin it faster and faster. It’s been somewhat effective keeping the world moving in this way, but hamsters can’t run for ever, and the world can only spin so fast.

As a political economist, Katherine can see we need to find a better way to

Where are we headed? And is it

BY E M ILY M CAULIFFE

Though the world’s attention has been focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, many other global challenges still exist. Three experts share their insights on three global issues – outlining the current state of play and the actions we must take for the wellbeing of people and planet.

BY E M ILY McAULIFFE

keep the world, and everything within it, from imploding – literally or figuratively – and to stop spending money and effort on downstream remedies without considering the root cause. And we need to do it quickly.

‘So much effort gets deployed in dealing with the collateral damage of our current economic systems,’ says Katherine from her home in Glasgow, where she’s lived for the past 16 years.

‘A lot of charities, a lot of civil society effort, and a lot of government policy and spending is orientated around helping people and helping the planet survive and cope with the fallout of our current economic system.’

Katherine points to funding to help income-insecure people cope with stress and anxiety, and bushfire and flood recovery (and dealing with the impacts of climate change in general), as examples of time and money being spent on the aftermath of a problem, rather than the problem itself.

‘I just got to the point of seeing how much effort goes into responding to the damage that could be avoided that I thought, surely we can be a bit smarter

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WHAT OF THE FUTURE? 23 TRINITY TODAY in the way we design our economic systems,’ she says. ‘It surely can’t be that our expectations are so low that we think the best we can do is patch and repair the current economic system with Band-Aids.’

Katherine spent her early career looking into big mining companies and how they affected communities around mine sites in Australia. She then took a similar role at the University of Glasgow looking at how large companies impact communities in Scotland, after moving ‘for a love of the country’. From there, she jumped into social enterprise and then a role with Oxfam, examining poverty and inequality in Scotland.

Katherine was prompted to consider why a rich country like Scotland has so much inequality. Portions of the Scottish population have life expectancies decades below others, and the gap is widening. She began to wonder what current economic models were doing to not just Scotland, but the planet.

establishing the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership – a group of governments (currently Scotland, New Zealand, Iceland, Wales and Finland) that recognise that success in the 21st century can’t simply be about faster GDP growth, but, rather, collective wellbeing of people and the planet.

Katherine also co-founded the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) in 2018, with the aim of bringing together individuals and groups who share her logic on economic change, including academics, progressive businesses and policymakers.

The importance of getting those groups together to engage in discussions about the state of the world and where it’s heading has become more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘There were a lot of challenges already facing societies around the world and, in a way, COVID has just put those on steroids,’ says Katherine, referencing the gig economy

And she began questioning the political holy grail of GDP. ‘So often, gross domestic product is seen as a default proxy for the health of a country, the success of a country, its league tables,’ she says. ‘We define development by “how big is a country’s GDP?” And yet, it’s not an automatic route to good lives for everyone.

‘The goal of the economy is more and more growth, but so often the most goes to those who don’t really need more …

This set-up also flies in the face of what all the science is telling us about the reality of planetary boundaries.’

On a mission to find a better way, Katherine got involved in a project that set out to devise measures of progress that were more holistic than GDP via the ‘Humankind Index’. Though small, the project was debated in Scotland’s parliament and the thinking behind it was integrated into a framework designed to shape the country’s economy and government. For Katherine, it was a sign that asking different questions of the economy could prompt systemic change.

This led to her taking a lead role in

and lack of job security for many (asking ‘are they earning enough to participate in society?’), and young people’s fear of climate change.

‘I worry what will come out now is governments saying, “We need to just get the economy going again.”’ From Katherine’s perspective, governments need to think about the ‘new normal’ they want to create, set the boundaries within which individuals and businesses operate and have a higher policy ambition than simply helping people ‘cope’.

‘I think rich, industrialised countries like Australia and the UK, which have taken up and are taking up more than their share of ecological room, are quite literally stopping other communities around the world who need to increase their material living standards, who do need more growth, because it still makes a difference to various social dimensions. If countries like ours don’t make ecological room for them, we’re essentially saying, “You stay down there because we want more.” But many countries don’t need more. We just need to distribute things better, have better

quality of what we have, and reuse, recycle and share.’

Katherine lives by the mantra that ‘if you are luckier than some, build a longer table, not a higher fence’, and feels that Trinity plays a role in building long tables.

‘I’d hope that that idea of compassion rather than putting up the higher fence is something that Trinity has sparked in a lot of people that they’ve now taken into their professional careers. For me, I’m sure it did to a degree.’

Katherine admits to sometimes feeling ‘pretty scared’ about the future, but the passion and intelligence of the younger generation, which has grown up with the realities of ecological limitations, gives her some hope.

‘There are lots of reasons to be optimistic, but I think we’d be naive to not be very anxious about the future. So, taking action is worth it. We need to act, otherwise it’s not going to pan out right.

It’s all up to us. And I mean us, as in, everyone.’

where we want to go?

What can we do?

Katherine says we need to ask harder questions of the economy and its role: Is it an objective in its own right? Or can it be designed differently to serve the outcomes we’re really seeking, such as decent livelihoods, a sense of purpose, connection, a healthy environment, and so on? She suggests that we: • encourage and support businesses that are part of the solution – those that use their commercial viability to help deliver wider benefits • tell politicians this matters – they will move if they have a sense that the population is behind them • join groups like WEAll (weall.org) to link with others, add value and share ideas and hope.

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TRINITY TODAY 24 WHAT OF THE FUTURE?

EMMA BELCHER Eradicating nuclear weapons Dr Emma Belcher (TC 1995) is the president of US-based Ploughshares Fund, where she works to raise and distribute money to people working on the best solutions to address the threat of nuclear weapons.

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f there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that technology has its downfalls. As Emma is speaking to me from her home city of Washington, DC, the Zoom connection drops out and we resort to FaceTime while moving around our respective houses to find the best signal. The tech challenges are easy to brush off, but, during the interview, they become an analogy for a much darker scenario.

‘See how technology can go wrong?’ laughs Emma as she searches for a Wi-Fi connector. ‘It’s the same with nuclear weapons, right? We still have a lot of them, and the problem is that there could be a miscalculation or mistake, or even a misunderstanding by one side of what the other side is doing.’

Emma is a leading expert on nuclear weapons and became a passionate advocate for their control and disarmament after learning about nuclear weapons in high school. ‘I was horrified but

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WHAT OF THE FUTURE? 25 TRINITY TODAY fascinated at the same time,’ she remembers. ‘It seemed ridiculous that humankind created something that we could obliterate ourselves with … with the macabre logic that, well, if I’ve got nuclear weapons, and the other country has nuclear weapons, and we both threaten to use them, that stops either of us from using them.’

Further into her studies and career (which has included advising on national security and international affairs for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and leading the MacArthur Foundation’s Nuclear Challenges grantmaking program) she realised, even more concerningly, how easily a misfire could occur.

‘If you have thousands of [nuclear weapons] ready to go within a few minutes, and you only have a few minutes to make a decision … it’s not hard to see the drastic situation you’re in, where nuclear annihilation could be decided by one or two people within a matter of minutes.’ In the United States, for example, the President has complete authority to order a nuclear attack, without requiring any input from Congress or other government officials.

‘Sometimes, I think, I don’t know why I chose such a depressing topic to study,’ she laughs.

As it currently stands, about 13,000 nuclear weapons exist in the world today, held by nine countries. ‘A lot of people think nuclear weapons went away with the end of the Cold War,’ says Emma, recognising that a lot of great work was done in the 1990s to disarm many weapons. ‘But they are gaining prominence again, and I think not a lot of people have been paying attention.’

The COVID-19 pandemic has exemplified the globalised nature of the modern world and how unprepared we are to respond to global threats. Emma highlights the potential impacts of a nuclear attack, which would cause problems similar to those of the pandemic, plus some. These include disruptions to food chains and the economy, potential changes in climate, and the inability of support services to access disaster zones due to radioactivity.

There would be many deaths and the destruction of entire cities, which would become uninhabitable.

All of which begs the question: Why do we need nuclear weapons in the first place, and what is the alternative for countries who see them as a genuine line of defence in the modern world? ‘In order to be able to say, get rid of nuclear weapons, you need to think, how could you maintain security without them?’ says Emma. ‘How might you get to a place where countries can coexist peacefully without the threat of nuclear annihilation? … Trying to solve this difficult challenge presents a call to action for people who are willing to challenge assumptions, ask questions, and bring creativity and a problemsolving mentality to this, because it’s just too important not to.

‘I’m seeing some really interesting people getting involved in nuclear risk reduction with a range of talents and backgrounds. You’ve obviously got the physicists, and people who focus on politics, but we’re also seeing others like neuroscientists who are looking at what we know about the brain and how it responds to pressure, and how it would respond to having to make a decision about launching a nuclear weapon.’

Emma stresses that the people likely to be most affected by nuclear weapons also need a seat at the table. ‘We know that nuclear weapon decisions have traditionally been made by a small population, predominantly men. And I

think that by bringing in people with a range of perspectives and experiences, including people in frontline communities who have been affected by production, testing and radiation – bringing a whole lot of different people together to try to solve this problem – is the way forward.

‘We really owe it to ourselves and future generations to try to change the status quo and the trajectory we’re on.’

There are more than 13,000 nuclear weapons in the world. Around 90% are in the US and Russia, with the remainder in China, France, Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea and the UK.

What can we do?

Emma suggests we all educate ourselves about the role nuclear weapons still play in our world and their effects. Although Australia doesn’t currently have nuclear weapons, Emma points out we’re a close ally of the US, which does, and which protects us with its weapons.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plan to acquire a nuclearpowered submarine fleet under a security pact between Australia, the UK and the US involves nuclear technology sharing between the US and Australia. While used only to fuel submarines and not to develop weapons, the technology involved is the same.

There has been debate in the strategic community about whether Australia should develop its own nuclear weapons, and, though unlikely to happen any time soon, this could set a precedent for other countries, potentially paving the way for proliferation of this highly sensitive technology.

Emma says now is the time to become informed about nuclear weapons, their technology, and their devastating impacts, and have a say in what’s at stake. See ploughshares.org

Click to watch Emma’s TED talk on ‘3 questions we should ask about nuclear weapons’

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TRINITY TODAY 26 WHAT OF THE FUTURE?

THENU HERATH Ending youth poverty Thenu Herath is a Trinity College Residential Advisor and CEO of the Oaktree Foundation – a youthled organisation that empowers underprivileged young people to break the poverty cycle.

‘I

visited Sri Lanka with my family every couple of years from the time I was born, and I have this distinct memory – I must’ve been about six years old – where I saw another child on the streets in Sri Lanka,’ Thenu says. ‘They were homeless and this child looked like me, spoke the same language as me and probably had very similar aspirations to me. But it was so clear that we had a really different life because I was [in Sri Lanka] temporarily. I could go home and pursue a good education, but I didn’t know what would happen to this child, who was very similar to me at that stage. It was from then that I had a real sense that some things in the world aren’t fair.’

Thenu’s family had migrated to Australia during the Sri Lankan civil war, when her mother was awarded a scholarship to study at RMIT. For Thenu’s mother, moving to Australia was a result of hard work, but Thenu knows that, off the back of that, her own birth and upbringing in Australia was good luck. Had her mother not received a scholarship, there’s a chance she could have been that little girl homeless on the streets of Sri Lanka.

Understanding that a life of poverty or privilege can come down to a roll of the dice, from her early years Thenu became passionate about youth development, and, in January 2021, took on the role of CEO at the Oaktree Foundation, aged 23.

‘Oaktree is all about young people wanting to create a more just and sustainable world,’ she says, explaining that the organisation focuses on non-traditional education, teaching young people how to speak up, lead and advocate, rather than teaching maths and English. ‘There’s no one solution to poverty or one thing that causes poverty.

Climate change causes poverty,

corruption causes poverty, degradation of the environment causes poverty. It’s all connected, which is why we take this model approach of upskilling.’

Oaktree has been operating across Australia for 18 years and all its people – mostly volunteers – are under the age of 27, making it the largest youth-run development agency in Australia. It also works with development agencies on the ground in Cambodia and Timor-Leste, where young people make up a large portion of the population and can therefore play an important part in shaping the societies in which they live.

Thenu gives examples such as helping young people secure a seat on a council or supporting them to advocate for an increased aid budget by speaking with government ministers. Some of Oaktree’s work involves getting in a car and visiting local MPs, asking them to listen to young people in their communities and the issues that matter to them.

‘I think a lot [of change] comes from individual action, but a lot of the major issues that we face at a global level in particular need government action …

And I think the risk is that, by only having a certain generation of people making decisions, the decisions will inherently focus on that generation and inherently be very short term. The value of having young people in the room is that they’re always thinking about their own future because they’re the ones who will be there in 50 or 60 years’ time … It can sound cliched, but young people are not just the leaders of the future, they can be the leaders of today.’

What can we do?

Thenu encourages people to learn about the issues currently going on in the world and to get involved in organisations like Oaktree.

Volunteer opportunities and the chance to contribute to campaigns are available at Oaktree to those under 27 years. For those who are older, Thenu says the organisation relies on assistance from people who believe in what they do, whether that’s through financial or mentoring support. See oaktree.org

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FAITH IN MEDICIN WOMEN SURGEONS 27 TRINITY TODAY

FAITH IN MEDICINE Neurosurgeon Professor Kate Drummond AM discusses the gender disparity in the field of surgery and the ways religious belief and medicine can intersect.

BY K ATE E L IX

P

rofessor Kate Drummond (TCTS 2021) was built for this.

Neurosurgery – a medical speciality so dominated by men that she was only the fourth woman in Australia and New Zealand to enter the field. Unbelievably, that was in the 1990s. While opportunities for women are slightly more forthcoming now, thanks to pioneers like Kate, there is still a long way to go. It is Kate’s passion for her work, which includes a steadfast determination to increase the number of women in the field, that is effecting realworld change.

Kate grew up in Sydney. She studied medicine at the University of Sydney with the aim of ending up in obstetrics, because she ‘didn’t want to look after sick people’.

She quickly changed her mind after delivering a baby and landed on neurosurgery when she was required to undertake a neurosurgery term as an intern.

She trained in Sydney and Melbourne and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, in Boston, which she loved.

Since 2004, Kate has been a neurosurgeon at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and, in 2017, was appointed Director of Neurosurgery – an amazing feat considering in 2020 there were 255 neurosurgeons in Australia with only 15 per cent of those being women. In 2021, of the 11 people appointed to train in neurosurgery in Australia and New Zealand, only one was a woman. It’s a system that Kate says is ‘broken’.

‘Medical school has been equally or predominantly female since the ’80s. But surgery has a real problem with gender inequity and it’s a million small things,’ Kate says. ‘It’s the medical student who

says, “I’m interested in surgery.” And the surgeon says, “Oh, but don’t you want a family?” It’s the lack of proper parental leave. It’s a million tiny comments. It is all of those things. And until we socially engineer that 50 per cent of surgeons are women, that stuff will not go away because the culture will not change. It’s a hostile culture for many women.’

In 2016, the College of Surgeons devised a diversity and inclusion plan, which stated that by 2021, 40 per cent of trainees would be female. ‘We’re not even close,’ Kate says. While she is adamant that change is possible, it requires both hard-hitting policy change and changes to workplace culture.

‘You really need to work harder to normalise it. I feel very strongly about socially engineering the number of women who are in there, because I think the other cultural changes will improve when there’s more women,’ she says. ‘I’ve got two trainees who are women, both of whom have children … one is pregnant with her second child. I feel strongly about normalising parental issues for surgeons, particularly for women. If someone has to care for a small child, there should be the opportunity for cover, like in so many other industries.’

Another thing women need are role models – strong women paving the way

for the next generation. Kate is one of those people. So how did she do it? How did she achieve such success in an industry with virtually no female presence?

‘I really have this very strong sense that I was sort of manoeuvred into the job,’ Kate says. ‘The image I have in my head is that God was behind me, sort of pushing me in various directions. And I just landed where I was supposed to land.’

The Anglican faith has been a constant in her life, from a very young age. Adopted by the Anglican Adoption Services as a two-week-old, Kate has had a lifelong interest in theological studies. She attained a preliminary theological certificate from Moore College when she was a surgical trainee and is currently completing a graduate diploma at Trinity’s Theological School. The graduate diploma is a stepping stone to a PhD, which will focus on theology and medicine.

Kate is also a Canon at St Paul’s Cathedral and is famous for her children’s talks. ‘I can do any Bible talk with a plastic dinosaur,’ she laughs.

At work, sometimes Kate will have faith-based conversations with her patients, quite often as they are going into theatre. ‘There’s an extraordinary number of believers in medicine,’ she says. ‘Religious people in general are drawn to healing professions.’

Professor Kate Drummond Professor Kate Drummond is Director of Neurosurgery at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and is Head of Central Nervous System Tumours for the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Parkville Precinct. Among her many accolades is the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Medal for services to RACS. She was also appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for services to medicine, particularly in the field of neuro-oncology and community health.

She serves as Chair of Pangea Global Health Education and has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and many book chapters. She serves on national cancer and brain tumour professional and patient groups. She is co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience and past chief examiner in neurosurgery for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Click to listen to Kate talk about the challenging but rewarding nature of her work

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TRINITY TODAY 28 WOMEN IN SPORT

Driven to succeed Three champion sportswomen reflect on their achievements, passions and challenges and how their experiences at Trinity have impacted their lives.

BY S US AN GOU G H HE N LY

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WOMEN IN SPORT 29 TRINITY TODAY

MARGOT FOSTER AM Olympic rower and bronze medallist Margot Foster AM (TC 1976) has strong ties to Trinity as a Fellow, committee member and past president of the Union of the Fleur-de-Lys. The College also played a pivotal role in her sporting success, given it was where she tried rowing for the first time.

‘I

started rowing in my third year at Trinity in 1978, when doing my law/arts degree, because a few people pressured me into it. After initially resisting I found that I liked it a lot and I proved to be quite good at it,’ she laughs. ‘Duck to water, and the rest is history.

‘Women’s intercollegiate rowing had commenced a few years earlier following the admission of women into the colleges as they became co-ed. Expectations weren’t too high, but we did have to make sure we didn’t crash the boat into any of the bridges on the Yarra!’

As well as rowing for Trinity, Margot rowed intervarsity from 1978–80. In 1980, she was selected in the Melbourne University women’s eight to compete at the national championships. This was her first taste of the big time.

After finishing her degree in the same year, she started her own criminal law firm while continuing to row. She was selected in her first Victorian crew, the coxed four, in 1981 and, from then, rowed in Victorian and Melbourne University crews every year.

In 1984, Margot raced in the coxed four at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal. It was the second women’s crew to represent Australia at the Olympics since women’s rowing became an Olympic sport in 1976.

‘I’m particularly proud of the fact that we were the first Australian women rowers to win an Olympic medal,’ she says.

In 1986, she stroked the women’s eight to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

‘We’re still the champions as rowing ceased to be a Commonwealth Games sport after 1986. In 1988, we won all of our selection races but, sadly, the Australian rowing selectors decided not to send any women to the Seoul Olympics, no correspondence entered into,’ Margot says.

‘As it turns out, even though I didn’t realise it at the time, moving into Trinity was a catalytic event in my life. Trinity opened the door to rowing for me. And rowing opened the door to so many opportunities I don’t think I would have had otherwise.’

Margot has served on a range of boards, including Vicsport and Motorsport Australia, and is an advisory council member of Sport Integrity Australia, as well as consulting on mediation and governance issues with a wide range of sporting organisations. She also chairs a panel for World Athletics and is chair of the Sports Environment Alliance.

‘Certainly, I would not have done what I’ve done if I’d not taken up rowing. I would have just been another boring lawyer,’ she laughs.

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TRINITY TODAY 30 WOMEN IN SPORT

JASMINE DENNISON Showjumping equestrian Jasmine Dennison (TC 2019) rode on the professional circuit from the age of 14 and represented Australia at World Cup level, competing in Mexico, Taiwan, New Zealand and Germany, all the way through her first year at university.

J

asmine began riding as a seven-year-old and was heavily involved in the equestrian team at Toorak College on the Mornington Peninsula. This led to her participation in interstate and World Cup competitions.

‘I’ve learnt from a young age about the importance of a strong work ethic,’ she says. ‘It helps when you love what you do, but it also teaches you about time management. I had to get up early every morning to feed and care for my horses and then ride every afternoon after school.

‘A showjumper has a very close partnership with their

horse, which teaches you a lot about commitment and resilience even when things don’t go your way. I’m very passionate about my studies too. I appreciate all the opportunities I’ve been given. I want to make the most of them and be the best I can be.’

Jasmine has put her showjumping on hold for a while, as she focuses on her final semester of biomedicine with the goal of getting into medicine next year.

‘I loved science at school and when I took off a year between school and university, I worked in a stem-cell research lab while also showjumping. It cemented my passion for science and medicine.’

Jasmine is loving her time at College too. ‘Trinity has a pretty special atmosphere because everyone is so talented and supportive,’ she says. ‘It offers such a wonderful opportunity to meet people from all over Australia and the world, which makes for a great university experience.’

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WOMEN IN SPORT 31 TRINITY TODAY

ISABELLE McPHARLIN (née Napier)

Pole vaulter Isabelle (Izzy) McPharlin (TC 2014) won five gold medals at the University Nationals, competed three times at the Australian National Athletics Championships and won gold for Australia at the Melanesian Athletics Championships in Vanuatu in 2018.

‘I

grew up in Warragul, Gippsland, and discovered pole vaulting when I came to a training session in Melbourne at the age of 15,’ says Izzy. ‘It was a big step up in my sporting life when I started university, as I finally had access to great athletic facilities both at Melbourne University and in Box Hill.

‘In my last three years at uni, I was lucky enough to receive an Elite Athlete Program scholarship. With about 300 people in the program, it was great to do strength and conditioning training with athletes in different sports such as fencing, karate and single sculling. I found it inspiring to train alongside them and learn about their unique challenges. This sharing of experiences was particularly helpful for me as an athlete who competed in an individual event rather than a team sport.

‘With pole vault, you’re always proud when you jump your personal best. These become fewer and far between the better you get. Pole vaulting is often as challenging mentally as it is physically.

You’re always asking, what is it that I can do to jump higher?’

Izzy spent all six years of her university life at Trinity; four studying landscape architecture as part of a Bachelor of Environments degree and two as a resident tutor while doing a masters degree in teaching. During this time, she was training and competing in pole vault, but also made time to represent Trinity in intercollegiate sports such as athletics, AFL, squash, softball, swimming and rowing.

‘I loved Trinity so much. It was a very formative part of my life with so many opportunities and experiences. It opened my eyes to a more global society,’ she says, adding, ‘I also met my husband there.’

Izzy and her husband, George, now work as teachers at Hale School, a private boys’ school in Perth.

‘It’s been fantastic to teach young boys and have the opportunity to coach athletics. It’s a privilege to use my athletics skills to nurture a love of sport in the next generation.’

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FINDING $ECURITY

TRINITY TODAY 32 ECONOMIC SECURITY Senator the Honourable Jane Hume (TC 1989) is the Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy, and Minister for Women’s Economic Security, having entered the Australian federal ministry in 2019. She speaks to Emily McAuliffe about why women’s economic security is important and how we should go about addressing financial inequality in Australia.

When you were at College, did you have an inkling you’d get into politics?

My friends tell me that I used to talk about politics at school. I honestly don’t remember. I was always interested, but I was a bit shy. When I got to Trinity, there were a lot of strong personalities, and, if there’s one thing College taught me, it was to speak up. I was still reasonably shy when I entered College, but it’s one of those places where you get an opportunity to essentially try on different selves. You can do the musical and the play. You can try new sports. You can meet people who are doing things that you hadn’t even contemplated. For me, that was the best experience, in that I got to expand my horizons and networks but also try on different selves at a time that was formative.

I remember when I joined the University Liberal club, I thought they were all so strident and angry and articulate. They knew exactly what they believed in. I didn’t at that stage – my opinions weren’t fully formed – so I shied away from student politics.

It wasn’t until I became an adult and immersed myself in the ‘adult’ Liberal Party, rather than student politics, and went back to uni as a mature-age student and did a politics major, that I was really able to articulate why I believed what I believed in. So, politics was an interest that became a hobby, which became a passion, which became an obsession, and which then became a profession.

In 2021, you became the first Minister for Women’s Economic Security. What does it mean to be economically secure?

This means something different to everybody, but, from my perspective, it focuses on removing barriers and creating more opportunities. In the context of women, it means giving them greater choice to help them reach their economic potential and financial security across their lifetime. It’s also about respect and dignity.

Equality in opportunity can’t be achieved unless women have the same freedoms and choices as men do.

So, our aim is to see women achieve their full potential by removing barriers and disincentives, and fostering not just financial security, but physical security too.

Why is there an imbalance for women?

There has been an imbalance for centuries, but the issue we’re facing now is a culmination of women

experiencing a lifetime of gender pay gaps. Workforce participation rates have been traditionally lower for women. In Australia, even though we have very high levels of education, there is entrenched disadvantage that comes from structural inequities that are part of our culture and society.

That said, things are changing and we’re chipping away at them. We’ve come an awful long way, even in the last 10, 20, 40 years, but there is still a long way to go.

What is a common misconception about economic security?

The most common misconception is that it’s a problem that can be solved by governments throwing money at it.

And that simply isn’t the case because there are structural and cultural inequities and social norms that need to be addressed for women to fully participate in the economy.

As a Liberal, I’ve always abided by the notion that a civilised society is defined by its ability to look after those who can’t look after themselves, but a prosperous society is one that empowers its citizens to be their best selves economically and socially. Creating a society that fosters empowerment over dependence is the only way we will achieve sustainable equality. We need to give women the best opportunity to fulfil their lives on their own terms.

Do you have personal experiences to draw on when it comes to gender inequality in the workplace?

I think most of my female friends I went through College with would agree that, even though they had a fantastic education and terrific jobs in the private and public sector, when they took time away to have children, by their own choice, their economic trajectory was set back a long way. Now that our children are getting to the stage where they are becoming adults themselves, many of these women have made up the difference, but it set us back.

Statistics show that, over a lifetime, women who have children will earn around $2 million less than the equivalent man. That’s an extraordinary statistic and a little bit frightening. But, that said, that gap is narrowing now that workplaces are offering more flexible alternatives that put a greater focus on happy employees and allow people to balance their work and home life.

There also needs to be a focus on retaining talent rather than ‘discarding’ a woman who may want to have children, then starting all over again with somebody new. It’s much more productive for an organisation to maintain ties with that talent and try to retain them in the organisation.

What role does the government have to play in addressing financial inequality?

The first thing the government can do is lead by example, and I think it does that very well. The public sector has always been a good employer for women. But the most important thing is that the government can’t do it alone.

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ECONOMIC SECURITY 33 TRINITY TODAY We have to make sure that the private sector is co-opted into any changes that make the workplace more accessible and more female friendly. So, things like combatting discrimination, reducing violence against women, making sure sexual harassment in the workplace is unacceptable and properly dealt with, narrowing the gender pay gap – these are all things that the private sector has as much responsibility for as the government.

Individuals, businesses, communities and all levels of government need to be rowing in the same direction.

our human capital – it will be much harder to economically recover. We have one of the best-educated female workforces in the world, and yet we have comparably lower rates of workforce participation and higher rates of part-time work for women in Australia. If we can tweak our policy settings and slowly move our cultural and social norms, we’re moving in the right direction. Momentum is with us.

What can individuals do?

I’d like to see them live in a world where they know they have to work equally hard to achieve their goals and aspirations, because nobody gets a free ride. At the same time, I want them all to have the freedom and opportunity to make genuine choices about their lives, about their families and how they raise them, and about the work they do. I don’t want them to feel there’s anything preventing them from reaching their full potential to have a meaningful life.

Calling out bad behaviour at work is a good start. If you see that there are two people within an organisation that do equal amounts of work, but sense they are paid differently or inappropriately, that’s something you should probably highlight to a level above.

Also, everybody has a responsibility to make sure women’s voices are heard around the table. One of the things women often say is that they feel it’s hard to step forward and have their voices heard in meetings, and, if they do, sometimes they’re spoken over.

We can all easily do something to help another woman by putting a hand out. I said in my maiden speech, addressing women who reach a position of seniority: Don’t pull the ladder up from behind you, lower it down, put out your hand and pull another person up, because, when you reach that critical mass of women in the workplace, the culture genuinely shifts.

Do we need a mindset shift as a population?

We’ve still got a long way to go. You only need to look at the statistics that show that so few CEOs of listed companies – or even people in the C-suite – in Australia are women. But progress has been made and we have to keep at it.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency does some really good work holding the private sector to account for its gender equity metrics, but there is also room for role models.

Somebody like Canva co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins, for instance, is such an extraordinary role model. AMP has a female CEO. There are so many great role models and we need to hold these women up and say, you are the torchbearers.

Then, we don’t just want women to follow in their footsteps, we want other women to walk alongside them and overtake them in the quest for gender equality.

What worries you about the challenge of creating gender balance from an economic security point of view?

It’s an enormous task, and, when you’ve finished the job, the issues will still be there. I don’t think we will see an end point where we can say ‘tick, done, gender equality achieved’.

It will always be ongoing. That said, if I can see a reduction of the gender pay gap and an increase in women’s economic participation, they would be the two metrics I would measure my own success by in that portfolio.

What excites you?

This is a movement that has the momentum of the nation behind it. And particularly post-COVID, we’ve realised that, unless we can harness all our resources – and that includes

You have three children, Harry, 20 (TC 2020), Charlie, 18, and Imogen, 16. What kind of world would you like to see them grow up in?

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TRINITY TODAY 34 MOVER AND SHAKER

Taxi driver, lawyer, communist. More than a hundred years ago, Christian Jollie Smith (TC 1906) began her fearless fight against the status quo.

BY DR BENJAMIN THOMAS

O

Unconventional & unafraid

n 20 March 1918, a pleasant autumn morning, ‘Pamela Brown’ took to the roads for the first time.

Only a few short months before a global pandemic would have a devastating impact on Australia, the sight of a young woman at the wheel of her own car was still novel. Even more curious was one setting herself up as Melbourne’s first female taxi driver. A Herald article observed:

How Christian Jollie Smith dared to be different

Miss Brown is a charming girl, tall and slight, and wears orthodox chauffeur’s uniform at the wheel, although this week, she has been trying the traffic of Melbourne streets in unofficial dress. She has qualified at the City School of Motoring, does her own running repairs, and can mend a car on the road.

The young driver offered the Herald journalist an explanation for her unconventional career path, saying she ‘was tired of all the interesting things happening outside my windows – of seeing the world from the windows of a business office. I wanted to become acquainted with the wind and the weather again.’

At the time, there was much happening outside Pamela’s windows. Australian poet “Nettie” Palmer, a close friend from their time together at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, would confide the secret identity of the entrepreneurial chauffeur in her diary – Pamela Brown was Christian Jollie Smith.

Christian was in a relationship with Scottish-born William Earsman, a labour movement activist, whose wife was well advanced in her pregnancy with the couple’s daughter.

Earsman himself was being tracked by the Commonwealth security service because of his far-left leanings. Christian would be caught up in the same web.

Christian Brynhild Ochiltree Jollie Smith was born on 15 March 1885 to Thomas Jollie Smith, a talented academic and theologian, and his wife Jessie Ochiltree McLennan. Thomas enrolled at the University of Melbourne in 1877, commencing at Trinity College in 1880, the year he won the College Dialectic Society’s President’s Medal for Oratory. Engaged as a tutor and then lecturer at Trinity between 1880 and 1890, Thomas had completed his BA and MA degrees, graduating with first-class honours in language and logic, by the time Christian was born.

In 1886, when Trinity’s Women’s Hostel was established on Trinity Terrace on the west side of Sydney Road (now Royal Parade), Thomas took up the position of the hostel’s inaugural principal. Thomas, Jessie and young Christian lived in one of the terrace houses; the female students (six in 1886 and four in 1887), who paid 50 guineas a year for their board, lived next door.

Christian followed her father into Trinity, commencing at the Women’s Hostel in 1906 while studying at the University.

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MOVER AND SHAKER 35 TRINITY TODAY She supported herself by teaching English literature at She had an early interest in the Classics, securing secondMelbourne High School and Brighton Grammar throughout class honours in deductive logic and history the next year, 1919, the same year she published The Japanese Labor before realigning her academic pursuits.

Movement and, collaboratively with Nettie Palmer, produced Engineering held Christian’s focus but the challenges for a woman were, she felt, insurmountable. Medicine or law seemed the commemorative collection of writings titled The War on the the practical avenues in which women had already forged a path Workers, in memory of the socialist writer Leon Villiers, who had died in April 1918, aged 44. at the University. On the toss of a coin, she enrolled in the latter Moving to Sydney in 1920, Christian continued teaching and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1911.

English literature at the Labor College of New South Wales. It In October the following year, she became the third woman was here, in the Harbour City, that Australian intelligence admitted to the Victorian bar as a barrister and solicitor, after reports would record that ‘her extremist tendency appears to fellow University of Melbourne graduate Flos Greig had have reached its full development’. On 30 October, she was shattered that ceiling in 1905; a barrier broken only through one of a group of 26 – including three women – who gathered the introduction of Victoria’s Women’s Disabilities Removal Act at the Australian Socialist Party Hall in Liverpool Street for the of 1903 enabling women to become legal practitioners. All the founding meeting of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA). same, the ambiguity of her ‘striking quartette of baptismal When the party’s manifesto names’ meant that, in admitting was published a few months later, her to the bar, the Supreme Court it became clear that Christian had judge mistakenly announced the not only attended the meeting; new admission as ‘Mr Smith’, she was one of the eight before quickly apologising. signatories to the document.

In 1914, on the eve of the First Moreover, as the CIB recorded, World War, Christian set up her she ‘was stated to be the practice at Stallbridge Chambers proprietor and publisher of the in Melbourne’s Chancery Lane.

Australian Communist, the official Though she was initially organ of the Communist Party’. supportive of the war, the 1916 Christian remained in Sydney conscription debate and her where, in 1924, she became only earlier friendships forged at the second woman solicitor to be Trinity with socialist-leaning admitted in New South Wales. ‘I alumni such as Guido Barrachi (TC would never have gone back to 1906), whose anti-war sentiments Christian Jollie Smith. Image by FH Monteath, 1912.

Law were it not for the Labor had resulted in him being thrown Opposite: Christian leaving the Royal Commission on Movement,’ she told The Labor into the University lake in 1917, Espionage, 13 April 1954. Image by ASIO photographer, Daily, explaining her return to saw Christian reverse her position.

WikiCommons. practice. She practised law for the Interviewed in 1975, Barrachi following four decades, often in suggested that: the areas of industrial law and workers’ rights.

‘She may have started on her way to the Left by being As the CPA grew rapidly throughout the 1920s and 1930s, she successfully fought two attempts by then attorney-general feminist-minded, but at the time I met her she was (later Sir) Robert Menzies to have the party declared illegal in already more absorbed in things like the Labor Australia. The second of these included advising Dr HV Evatt, College and then the communist movement. And the during his time as leader of the Australian Labor Party, during feminism would remain.’ the anti-Communist referendum in 1951. A few years later in 1954, when the defection of two Soviet diplomats captured national attention as the ‘Petrov Affair’, Christian acted as Her growing involvement in socialist circles was undoubtedly solicitor for Australian diplomat Ric Throssell, accused by part of the ‘interesting things happening outside her windows’ Vladimir Petrov of having leaked to Moscow information on the as she gazed out into the streets from the Crown Solicitor’s couple’s defection.

Office where she was employed as a professional assistant for When Christian died in North Sydney on 14 January 1963, several months in late 1917. Files of the Commonwealth the city’s Tribune newspaper, to which she had long been a Investigation Branch (CIB) within the attorney-general’s contributor, honoured her by noting that her death ‘takes from department reveal it was during her time there that she first the Australian working class movement one of its most came to their attention. Following an inquiry into ‘the leakage of devoted fighters in the intellectual and professional fields’. certain information’ concerning the planned deportation of social activist Adele Pankhurst, daughter of the famed British A friend, a counsellor, and a valiant national suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, Christian’s employment with the Crown Solicitor’s Office abruptly concluded. champion for human rights, world peace and a better It was in the months that followed that she set herself up as life for the working masses, Miss Jollie Smith will a taxi driver before difficulties with the chauffeurs’ union – live on in the thoughts of many and in the history of which, ironically, considered her an ‘upstart capitalist’ – the Australian working class movement. brought this short-lived venture to a close.

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TRINITY TODAY 36 CHAMPIONING EQUALITY

Inclusivity means everyone Through her start-up, Ministry For Good, Katherine Ng (TCFS 2002, TC 2003) is using technology to help bridge the inequality gap for vulnerable populations.

I

started the social impact startup Ministry For Good with two co-founders in June 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. Our shared vision was to serve humanity through deep tech initiatives to help the most vulnerable populations. Because, when we talk about equality, we need to go beyond just gender – inclusivity means everyone.

Though broader society is increasingly recognising the importance of equality through diversity, minority groups and vulnerable communities often don’t get to experience the world in the same way as ‘mainstream’ populations. Not only can they miss out on work and civic opportunities, but also the daily interactions that others may take for granted.

As an example of how our work has helped address this disparity, we created a spatial computing experience that allowed deaf Malaysians to feel auditory prayers during Hari Raya, the celebrations that mark the end of Ramadan, and incorporated reminiscence therapy with virtual reality for dementia patients, helping them bond with their caregivers by reliving shared virtual memories together.

Projects such as these, designed to help the vulnerable, have allowed us to show how technology can facilitate inclusion. Just because someone is deaf or has dementia doesn’t mean they shouldn’t enjoy meaningful everyday interactions, and it shouldn’t be the case for people with other forms of disability or disadvantage either, particularly given the rapid advancement of technology.

We are witnessing a technological renaissance that can empower us as individuals and communities, giving us

sophisticated tools to double down on what makes us human.

Right now, we are undergoing a transformational period in the advancements of artificial intelligence, blockchain, virtual reality, augmented reality and more. Accelerated by the pandemic, remote teams such as Ministry For Good are collaborating with other remote teams all over the globe on technology projects to help build an open and inclusive world. Inclusivity is not an easy path, but I believe it represents our best hope of creating a thriving future where the focus is not just on machines, productivity metrics and profits, but on what we can do for people.

Of course, technology is only one component of the push for inclusivity – widespread policy changes are also needed to support the movement.

Across global capital markets, the winds of change are evident. Environmental, social and governance metrics are being prioritised, and more companies are making decisions based on what they believe is in the best interests of people of all colours, backgrounds and gender identities, as well as the planet.

As we live through these extraordinary times of fear, anxiety, devastation and loss of life caused by COVID-19, I have seen the love, generosity, goodness and kindness of others, which mirrors the reality that our generation is working towards for a sustainable and inclusive future. My hope is that Ministry For Good contributes to this movement – one where technology is central to creating an inclusive world.

Katherine Ng is a co-founder of Ministry For Good; ministryforgood.org

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REFLECTION 37 TRINITY TODAY

Looking back, looking forward

BY MARGIE MORONEY

I

entered College in 1979, the sixth year of women in residence. My family spanned three generations of ‘Trinity men’, since 1903. I know the bathrooms horrified my mother; they were unchanged from my brothers’ days, just the addition of a female sign. Female students had to pass some gruesome plumbing to get to the showers.

However, we were fairly unaware of the newness of the co-habitation arrangements. Perhaps at age 18, six years is a long time, and there were already some impressive female role models. Happily, there was zero fashion pressure – we all had similar, super daggy wardrobes. Cords, a denim skirt, desert boots and a rugby jumper. Before a ball, there’d be the whirr of sewing machines as we each whipped up some taffeta horror. We took barely any photographs. Of course, there was no social media, just post-mortems on the Bulpadock.

The students were a near monoculture drawn from Melbourne and country Victoria; perhaps women were the visible diversity back then for an old-fashioned institution. A slim handbook on ‘discipline and College rules’ made no mention of human relations. It was a pretty blokey, boisterous environment and we girls absorbed a fair bit of flak; you needed to become robust and find your niche. Sport helped me.

We won in hockey and we ‘sheilas’ captured the Holmes Trophy.

Perhaps the boys called the shots more than today, but those same blokes went on to become our staunchest allies, lifelong friends and partners, so maybe it was just the style of the times?

Occasionally we would make a stand.

Drinking was rife, almost glorified, and we worried about a few friends in particular. One of the guys named our campaign ‘Girls Against Grog’ (GAG). It probably made no difference, but we’d tabled the issue, and we learnt that it’s important to speak up.

We have often discussed those days

in hindsight. Some assert that they toughened us up, others were not so enamoured of certain behaviours. I went on to work in finance, where I was often the only woman in the corporate advisory department, on the board, or in the deal room. I wonder whether learning to navigate the rough and tumble of Trinity helped prepare me for that working world. Now I find myself the only older woman in similar

Trinity’s women’s athletics team 1980 (Margie back middle).

situations. It’s no longer scary ... it’s fabulous.

I was followed into Trinity by four Moroney nieces and now my two daughters, Sara and Anna Watson. The culture seems much improved, with most challenges discussed openly.

I welcome the code of conduct and consent training, plus the zero tolerance settings. I admire the emphasis on respectful behaviour and personal

integrity. Back then, we were completely naive to the experiences of First Nations people. Today, Trinity’s support for Indigenous students, and its embrace of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, gives me hope.

Working out who you are, and what you want to do, can be daunting, but rarely will you have such a medley of interesting and inspiring people around you as you have at Trinity. I lived in Upper Clarkes, which wasn’t exactly considered cool, but an upside was the proximity of a cohort of ‘darksiders’ – musos, poets and obscure scholars – who lived around Dorothy (the old version). They were fascinating and I would never have found them in the harsh daylight of the Bulpadock or on the footy field.

As new graduates, we lucked into a dynamic period of macroeconomic and social reform under the Hawke and Keating governments, and rode some big waves – deregulation of the Australian dollar and the financial sector, protecting the Franklin River, the passing of the Native Title Act. Amazing stuff. There are many new challenges to face now: environmental sustainability, community building, political integrity, human rights, clean energy, constitutional reform, virology and epidemiology, and more, and within all of them lies opportunity.

My best advice is to become part of the solution, that is the most inspiring place to be.

Trinity’s values of social responsibility entreat its students to make a thoughtful impact on the world. I’m so enthused and strengthened by my daughters and their awesome friends. They show a wisdom and empathy way ahead of my 20-year-old self, and I can’t wait to see what they will enact.

I love the continuity of this College’s backdrop: so many amazing people have lived within the College’s buildings, followed the same traditions and pondered the same challenge: What will I do with this incredible head start and network?

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TRINITY TODAY 38 GALLERIES

SENIORS’ LUNCH

Anthony Rose (TC 1957) and Mary Rose

Bill Cowan (TC 1963) and Vivian Chan

John Calder (TC 1960)

John Monotti (TC 1956) and Ian Boyd (TC 1955)

Judith Breheny and Jennifer Solly

Graham Brent (TC 1970)

Robert Johanson (TC 1969), Richard Guy (TC 1964) and Rob Stewart (TC 1967)

Roderick Carnegie (TC 1951) with his portrait

Warden Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976)

DARWIN ALUMNI GATHERING

Anna Traill (TC 2011) and Bec Breadmore (TC 2012)

Archie Roberts (TC 2017), Alex Hinchcliff (TC 2012)

Lachlan Fairley and Andy Cowan (TC 1990)

The Darwin crew

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GALLERIES 39 TRINITY TODAY

NEW STUDENT AND PARENT WELCOME

Warden Ken Hinchcliff welcomes a new student

Hugo Hart, Noah Learmonth and Richie Robenstone (current)

Paul Giles and Stephen Rogers

Residential College Dean Leonie Jongenelis

Student exhibition in Burke Gallery

Scott Charles (TC 1986) and Bruce Sutherland (TC 1987)

Freya Giles, Charlotte Rogers and Gabby McDonald (current)

Leia Hamza (current) and Scott Charles (TC 1986)

GOVERNANCE DINNER

Warden Ken Hinchcliff (TC 1976) presents at the Governance Dinner

Oscar Hollands and Jack Wallis (current)

SHARWOOD LECTURE

Students and alumni at the MCG

Freddie Donnelly and Lachlan Dodds (current)

Katherine Murray and Alison Robson (TC 1984)

Theological School Dean Bob Derrenbacker in Sydney

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TRINITY TODAY 40 OBITUARIES JOHN KING NIXON (TC 1954) 18 July 1935 – 11 March 2021 John attended Geelong Grammar School where he played cricket, sang in the chapel choir and was on the debating team. In 1954, he began his law degree at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1957. He was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship and won the FL Armytage Scholarship for residence at Trinity. He was joined there by his Geelong Grammar mate Tim Murray, with whom he would ‘wive’ in Behan, and law students John Batt, Adrian Smithers and Clive Tadgell, all of whom went on to become judges.

John represented the College on the tennis and squash teams, and in his final year was vice-captain of tennis and captain of squash, winning all his matches except for a couple of doubles games. He was awarded a ‘University blue’ for squash and a half blue for tennis. He also excelled academically, winning the Law School’s Jessie Leggatt Scholarship for Contracts in 1956.

John completed Articles in 1958 and was admitted to practise in 1959, reading with Basil Murray and John Mornane and establishing himself in the field of common law. He was soon called to the bar. He was appointed a Judge of the County Court in 1981 and served for 29 years, the last three as a Reserve Judge. He also acted as chairman of the Racing Appeals Tribunal for much of that period.

Following his retirement in 2010, John served as a senior member of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). At his retirement, Justice Forrest noted John’s ‘courteous, fair and incisive qualities’ and his ability to ‘appreciate that many had traversed a difficult road before appearing before him in court’. John married Elizabeth Hawdon in 1959 and they had four children.

(ADAM) BOYD MUNRO (TC 1961) 12 June 1942 – 13 March 2021

Known as ‘The Captain’ for his exploits in the air, Boyd had a large personality and fierce determination. Whether competing in an air race, presiding in a boardroom or negotiating with government regulators, he was fearless and passionate about everything he took on.

Boyd studied mathematics at the University of Melbourne, entering Trinity in 1961. At College, he rowed in the 2nd VIII and was on the swimming team. His daring nature and love of flight manifested early. In 1962, an Ansett helicopter landed on the Bulpadock during Juttoddie and the favourite to win was kidnapped in the arms of “secret agent” Munro. The scene was recreated for the Juttoddie’s 30th anniversary in 1992, with Boyd present.

On graduation, Boyd joined IBM. Having offered his employer an input spooling solution for IBM’s mainframe computers and been rebuffed, he left for London in 1969 where he joined Hawker Siddeley, manufacturer of aircraft and railway locomotives. With Peter Hargrave, Boyd formed Software Design, Inc (SDI), developing and marketing his

product, now called GRASP, which was one of the first global, independent successes in the industry.

In 1973, Boyd established the company’s base in Bermuda, but always maintained strong links to Australia. He had land at Wards Mistake Station near Guyra in northern NSW, and ran his own train, transporting cargo and hauling heritage passenger carriages. As president of the Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile Phones (APUMP), he argued against the premature shutdown of the analogue phone network in 1999, especially in rural areas where no satisfactory alternative had been provided.

Boyd is remembered most for his many flying exploits, holding the speed record for London to Milan set in 1979, winning the inaugural Paris-New York-Paris race in 1981, and taking out the Singapore to Christchurch race in 1987 to claim a Tiger Moth as a prize, though not before winning a legal challenge brought by the organisers. He flew his prize to Sydney, flying under the Harbour Bridge without permission, but claiming a trans-Tasman single-engine record. He was president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Australia (AOPA) and, in 2000, established the lobby group Air Safety Australia, representing it at senate hearings on rural transport. He was instrumental in gaining approval from regulators for aircraft to carry portable emergency locator transmitters.

Boyd married twice and had five children, one of whom, Thomas, entered Trinity in 1990. With his wife Jo Ann, Boyd bought Orchil Castle, a country house near Gleneagles in Scotland, living there for 13 years while renovating it to its former glory before returning to Australia in 2016. Boyd was a generous donor to the College and his gifts enabled the founding of the David Wells Scholarship.

BELINDA CHU-FONG WONG-BARKER (TC 1995) 17 June 1977 – 5 March 2021

Belinda was born in London, the only child of Kingsley Wong – a doctor working at Hammersmith Hospital – and his wife, Maria.

When Belinda was three years old, she and her family moved to Hong Kong, where she was educated at King George V School. At age 14, she became a boarder at Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) in Melbourne.

She was school accompanist and attained her Royal School of Music Advanced Certificate in piano.

Belinda entered Trinity in 1994, studying combined commerce and science degrees, having been advised by her father not to study music. She did, however, join the Trinity choir and a College singing group, performing in musicals and serving as treasurer for the College chamber orchestra.

Belinda was assistant musical director on the 1996 College production of Bye Bye Birdie, editor of the College Bulletin in 1997 and a member of the choir on its first overseas tour in 1998.

Music was also a big part of Belinda’s life after College.

She joined the early-music chamber choir Ensemble Gombert in 2004, becoming president in 2015. She also sang regularly with the Melbourne Chorale Ensemble, Consort of Melbourne, St John’s Toorak and St John’s Southgate Bach Choir and Melbourne Octet. Belinda was a member of the board of the Australian International Opera Awards and was active on her local primary school P&C committee.

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OBITUARIES 41 TRINITY TODAY

VALETE After graduating from university, Belinda worked for IBM in corporate services, completing her CPA qualification and rising to team leader in planning and acquisitions. In 2009, in the College chapel, she married co-worker Marshall Barker. Their first child, Jasper, was born in 2011 and Madeleine followed in 2014. Belinda left IBM in 2015, but soon began teaching online for Swinburne University’s business school. She was working from home when she suffered a fatal brain aneurysm.

Belinda was warm, caring, generous and funny (a trait she inherited from her father). She was dedicated to her family and to ensuring that all around her achieved their best. She was an independent, determined person who would solve problems in her own way, and her organisational abilities were a source of constant awe.

She was only 43 years old when she passed away, before she had had a chance to fulfil everything of which she was capable.

We are saddened to acknowledge the passing of the following alumni and friends of Trinity College.

William Louther Hunter Armstrong (TC 1946) Peter Noel Sherwin Atcherley (TC 1958) Jordan Ashley Auld (TC 2015) Ian Masson Bassett (TC 1949) Dr John Rowan Blogg (TC 1949) John Robson Burgess (TC 1958) Ann Margaret Burgin (TCTS 1991) Geoffrey Burridge (TC 1947) The Revd Patricia Diane Byrne (TCTS 2011) Dr Graham Leslie Caldwell (TC 1968) Callum Andrew Cheyne (TC 1990) Eric Morris Cohen (TC 1945) Commodore Ormsby Roscoe Cooper (TC 1958)

DIANA MAE SMITH

Michael Gerald Bickerton Coultas (TC 1950)

13 October 1943 – 23 July 2021

Philip Dixon (TCTS 2015)

Diana joined the staff of Trinity College Foundation Studies in 1991 as Director of Studies following 20 years at Camberwell Anglican Girls Grammar School where she taught mathematics, history and computing and held various leadership roles.

In 1996, she was appointed Deputy Director of Foundation Studies to assist Denis White.

In 2002, her contribution to the College was recognised with her election as a Fellow of Trinity College. The Warden at the time, Don Markwell, said that her ‘outstanding work over more than a decade at Trinity College has reflected her strong commitment to high academic standards, liberal education, and the welfare of students and staff alike. She has already made an exceptional and enduring contribution to Trinity College, to the University of Melbourne, and to the education of many thousands of students from dozens of countries around the world’.

After the sudden death of the then-Director, Alan Patterson, in November 2002, Diana agreed to serve as Acting Director, then was persuaded out of her intended retirement in 2003 to become Director of Foundation Studies. She retired in 2006.

In retirement, Diana cared for her mother, Phyllis, who died in 2015, aged 97. Diana leaves a sister, Pamela, and brother, David, and was an ‘extravagant’ aunt to three and great-aunt to six.

She is remembered by colleagues as a caring and gifted teacher and administrator who always put the welfare of others first. Her unassuming style set the tone for the excellent reputation the Foundation Studies program achieved for its pastoral care and student support. At all times, Diana is said to have ‘breathed generosity and compassion’ and was incisive, calm and humble as a leader.

Dr Walter Charles Thomas Dowell (TC 1947) Roger MacLeod Dunn (TC 1958) Chester Eagle (TC 1952) Dr Bruce Condell Edwards (TC 1943) Lois Erickson (TCTS) Thomas Anthony Dominic Fitzgerald (TC 1973) Dr George Edward Footit (TC 1949) John Kendall Francis (TC 1944) Dr Ronald Bowen Cameron Galbraith (TC 1949) Jamie Austin Dawson Gatehouse (TC 1958) Jeffrey Arthur Gyles (TC 1963) Dr Hugh Malcolm Hadley (TC 1948) Graham Hardie (TC 1959) Peter John Hird (TCFS Maths Lecturer, 1997) Dr James Bryon Houghton (TC 1953) Tadeusz Irlicht (TC 1951) Catherine Anne Job (TC 1980) David Robert Holden Kennedy (TC 1949) Dr Donald Edward Kennedy (TC 1948) Dr David Brian Mackey (TC 1953) Nicholas Martland (TC 1975) Dr David Alexander McCredie (TC 1944) Valerie Miles (former staff member) Ian Robert Monotti (TC 1963) John Desmond Moore (TC 1951) Gabrielle Louise Moylan (TC 1980) Adam Boyd Munro (TC 1961) The Revd Dr John Raymond Neal (TCTS 1953) The Honourable John King Nixon (TC 1954) Dr Harold William Riggall (TC 1960) Robert Henry Robertson (TC 1947) Ian Gregory Seddon (TC 1967) Diana Mae Smith (Senior Fellow, former Director of TCFS) Dr Ben MacMahon Wadham (former tutor) George Russell Webb (TC 1955) Belinda Chu-Fong Wong-Barker (TC 1995) Dr Roger Kenyon Woodruff (TC 1964)

BY DR PETER CAMPBELL

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TRINITY TODAY 42 HONOURS

ALUMNI OF THE YEAR 2021 We were pleased to name Brendan Murphy and Belle To as our alumni of the year, to recognise their achievements in 2020.

BILL COWAN ALUM OF THE YEAR (RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE) DR BRENDAN MURPHY (TC 1973)

Brendan is not only our Alum of the Year but was also named the Australian of the Year ACT state recipient in 2021.

Brendan is best known for guiding Australia through the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic as Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, a position he held until July 2020, when he became secretary of the Department of Health. His advice to the Australian Government that led to the closure of Australia’s borders in March 2020 is credited for saving thousands of Australian lives. Brendan’s prior roles include Head of Nephrology at St Vincent’s Hospital and CEO of Austin Health in Victoria.

FS ALUM OF THE YEAR (FOUNDATION STUDIES) BELLE TO (TCFS 2013)

Belle is the founder and CEO of the start-up The Impact Stylist, a personal styling service that allows people to donate clothing and buy preloved and sustainably made garments. The company Click to watch aims to keep excess textiles out of landfill, make ethical Belle’s acceptance shopping easy and grow the speech market share of sustainable brands. The Impact Stylist donates 5 per cent of its profits to charity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Belle also started WeStandTogether – an initiative that helps international students and workers struggling to pay for food. By seeking partnerships and donations, she has been able to distribute hot meals, food vouchers and care packages to those in need across Melbourne.

THE HONOURS ROLL 2021 QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS

AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS

COMPANION IN THE GENERAL DIVISION (AC)

OFFICER (AO) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA

The Most Revd Dr Phillip John Aspinall (TCTS 1985) For eminent service to the Anglican Church of Australia, to the development of ecumenical relationships and professional standards, and through commitment to social justice and welfare.

Charles (Sandy) Clark (TC 1963) For distinguished service to the wine industry through leadership roles, to finance and business, to the arts, and to charitable initiatives.

MEMBER IN THE GENERAL DIVISION (AM) Dr John Christopher Daley (TC 1985) For significant service to public policy development, and to the community.

Robert Johanson (TC 1969) For distinguished service to the banking sector, to Australia-India relations, and to tertiary education governance and financial administration.

Louise Mary Gourlay (Fellow) For significant service to the community through charitable initiatives.

MEMBER (AM) IN THE GENERAL DIVISION OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA

Judge Felicity Pia Hampel (former Board and Council member) For significant service to the judiciary, to legal organisations, and to women.

Georgina Byron (TC 1990) For significant service to the community, and to social change initiatives.

David Fletcher Jones (TC 1983) For significant service to the museums and galleries sector, and to the community.

Prof Nicholas Keks (TC 1977) For significant service to tertiary education, to psychiatry, and to professional bodies.

Dr Geoffrey Macdonald Knight (TC 1965) For significant service to professional dental associations, and to the community.

The Revd Dr Colleen O’Reilly (Trinity College Chaplain) For significant service to the Anglican Church of Australia, and to religious education.

Peter Godfrey McMullin (TC non-res 1971) For significant service to business, to the law, and to the community.

Prof Johnathan Serpell (TC 1974) For significant service to medicine, particularly to endocrine surgery.

Prof Emeritus Doreen Anne Thomas (former Director of Shepherds TCFS) For significant service to tertiary engineering education and research, and to women.

Dr Richard Stawell (TC 1968) For significant service to ophthalmology, to research, and to professional bodies.

MEDAL IN THE GENERAL DIVISION (OAM)

MEDAL (OAM) OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA IN THE GENERAL DIVISION

Andrew Frank Guy (TC 1966) For service to the community through a range of organisations.

Wendy Lewis (past staff member) For service to the not-for-profit sector, and to education.

John Richard Harry (TC 1966) For service to the community, to rowing, and to the legal profession.

Associate Prof David Webb (TC 1990) For service to medicine, particularly to urological surgery.

Next year marks Trinity College’s 150th anniversary, so we’re celebrating!

Events in 2022 Evensong

St Paul’s Cathedral, May A special Evensong, sung by the Choir of Trinity College, will be held in the CBD to mark our 150th anniversary.

The Man Who Was Magic

Trinity College Musical, Melbourne Lithuanian Club, May Jem Herbert, one of our resident students, has co-written and composed a musical based on Paul Gallico’s moving tale, The Man Who Was Magic. The storyline follows a young man and his dog who travel to the fabled city of Mageia to learn from the great masters of conjuring who live there.

But the newcomer’s magic is strangely different from the illusions of Mageia.

When love and simplicity meet guile and greed, what will triumph?

Gourlay Ethics in Business Week Various locations, May

The Gourlay Visiting Professor of Ethics in Business initiative has hosted nine visiting professors at Trinity College over the past 14 years, all of whom are pre-eminent in their respective fields in business ethics. The College, in collaboration with Melbourne University’s Faculty of Business and Economics, will convene a week-long discussion of ethics in business featuring alumni of the program.

History of Trinity book release July

After many years of research, longstanding staff member and current Theological School Registrar, Dr Peter Campbell, will release a book documenting the history of the College.

Gala dinner

Palladium at Crown, October This highly anticipated evening will see 1000 Trinity alumni, friends, stakeholders and students gather to celebrate 150 years of Trinity College.

Keep an eye on the Trinity College website for further information about these events, and more: trinity.unimelb.edu.au

CALL FOR VIDEOS

To help celebrate our anniversary as a community, we want alumni and students to submit a short video to share their favourite thing about Trinity or favourite memory from their Trinity days. Send your video to: communications@trinity.unimelb.edu.au

Click to watch our anniversary promo video

TRINITY COLLEGE • RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE • PATHWAYS SCHOOL • THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL

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