Conference activity

Revitalising an important source of support for our students

It was the vision of the College Council and Head of College, Heather Hewitt (1979 – 1999) to introduce an additional revenue stream to the College’s operations to help mitigate the cost of student fees. To that end, the College began offering day and accommodated conference venues for use by external groups, primarily in the winter and summer breaks. These conferences also provide essential additional income to support student wellbeing, academic programs and facilities.

After two years in lockdown, this important aspect of the College’s operations has recommenced in our wonderful new Seminar Centre.

In Semester 1 the College was the venue for Conversation at the Crossroads, an innovative series of lectures, presentations by world experts in their respective fields, Q&A, debates, role play, small conversation groups, brainstorming sessions and skilling workshops. The series comprised seven three-hour sessions run on consecutive Tuesdays from 26 April to June 7, 2022. It was hosted by Professor Joseph Camilleri OAM who discusses the series here.

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times – “Navigating Life at the Crossroads”

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of darkness.” – Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities 1859

To say we live in challenging times is now a cliché. There is no point denying the reality: a perilously warming planet, a pandemic that refuses to go away, new levels of polarisation and mistrust, the war in Ukraine, plummeting stock markets, media that are less than reliable, and a public conversation often light on substance.

With this in mind, two years ago a number of us launched Conversation at the Crossroads. After staging several webinars, forums and conversations attracting hundreds of people, we decided to run something a little different – a series that would pose difficult questions, probe below the surface of things, and offer a compass for the way ahead.

The series was conducted in person and online. We discussed: global warming in Covid times, ‘Black Lives Matter’, US-Russia-China relations, new ideas for civic engagement, and much else.

The Seminar Centre is a lovely venue. The lighting, seating arrangements, projection facilities, the generous serving of food and drinks, and above all the extremely helpful staff, all made for a relaxed yet engaging atmosphere.

We look forward to continuing the conversation at the College in the months to come.

Joseph A. Camilleri OAM