Lumen Summer 2020 by The University of Adelaide

ALUMNI MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

LUM

Contents

Interim Vice-Chancellor's Welcome 01

Medicine Seeing the world in all its beauty Special Feature The road to bushfire recovery International Healing with humour Economics The time for economists is now Engineering Engineering for Olympic success

Agriculture Against the odds Then and Now Barr Smith Library Arts There's no business like show business Education Accidental teacher

Agriculture Bringing the safari to South Australia

The University of Adelaide ALUMNI MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

CONTRIBUTORS: Kelly Brown, Renee Capps, Kimberley Hoile, Dalice Kennedy and Michaela McGrath EDITOR: Rachael Nightingale

PHOTOGRAPHY: Meaghan Coles DESIGN: Cath Dew EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES: External Relations The University of Adelaide SA 5005. Email: alumni@adelaide.edu.au Telephone: +61 8 8313 5800

Achievements 38 Events 40

CIRCULATION: 32,000 in print and 38,744 online subscriptions The University of Adelaide SA 5005 Australia. CRICOS Provider Number 00123M Copyright ÂŠ 2020 The University of Adelaide ISSN 1320 0747 Registered by Australia Post No 56500/00097 Views expressed by contributors in lumen are not necessarily endorsed by the University of Adelaide. Material may be reproduced without permission from lumen with acknowledgment of its origin. FRONT COVER IMAGE: Australian of the Year and Univeristy of Adelaide alumnus, Dr James Muecke AM. facebook.com/uaalumni @EngagewithUoA University of Adelaide

Interim ViceChancellor’s Welcome In what has been a challenging year for all, I am delighted to share with you just some of the many highlights that illustrate the strength, resilience and resourcefulness of our global University community. Our alumni continue to shine brightly, as evidenced here in lumen and in the many ways they contribute to our world. Our education and research excellence has been reaffirmed by the latest world university rankings, with the University of Adelaide retaining its position as South Australia’s leading university and well within the top 1% of universities worldwide. Amid the challenges of this year, the University’s researchers have continued to deliver outstanding research to improve the lives of others, including involvement in vaccine development and detection of the COVID-19 virus. The global pandemic has changed the way we do some things. We have seen a rise in online delivery of education, and now that restrictions have eased, blended and dual learning modes are providing students with greater flexibility in how they learn. We are immensely proud of all efforts to ensure our students continue to receive the world-class education we are known for despite the difficulties. I am also pleased to report that Semester 2 enrolments for our University have been stronger than expected. It is gratifying that students continue to seek a world-class quality of education from the University of Adelaide at a time of great difficulty globally. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate further challenges over the next few years. However, I remain optimistic about the University’s long-term recovery. Finally, I wish to thank all those who supported the University’s COVID-19 Student Support Appeal earlier this year. Your generosity directly impacted the lives of more than 4,400 students in need, enabling them to continue their studies and secure their future despite the unexpected events that caused them significant financial difficulty.

It’s my belief that the strength of an institution lies in the dedication and commitment of its people and community. Here we are very fortunate in both. I hope you enjoy reading this edition of lumen. Professor Mike Brooks Interim Vice-Chancellor and President

Annual Meeting of the University Community 2021 On 15 February 2021, the University Council will convene the Annual Meeting of the University Community comprising the staff, students and graduates of the University. The meeting is convened by the University Council pursuant to section 18 of the University of Adelaide Act 1971. The meeting is your opportunity to ask questions about your University and to hear from the Vice-Chancellor and the Chancellor. Questions may be submitted prior to the meeting by email to council.secretary@adelaide.edu.au The meeting will be streamed live at www.adelaide.edu.au/live/ COVID-19 restrictions permitting, a light lunch will be provided following the meeting. We hope that you can join us. Time: 12.00–1.00 pm Date: Monday, 15 February 2021 Location: Subject to COVID-19 restrictions – The Braggs Lecture Theatre, ground floor, The Braggs building.

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

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MEDICINE POLITICS

Seeing the world in all its beauty James's mission to fight avoidable blindness. STORY BY KELLY BROWN

ighty per cent of the world’s visual impairment and blindness is avoidable, according to Australian of the Year and alumnus Dr James Muecke AM. It’s this idea that has motivated James throughout his career. It’s what took him out of Australia and to Asia to provide his expertise, where access to healthcare is a human rights issue. It is also the impetus behind Sight for All, the not-forprofit organisation James started with colleagues to provide eye health care projects, to not only reduce blindness but to alleviate poverty and save lives in some of the poorest communities in the world. “It was just something that was inside me and I knew, for as long as I can remember, probably as young as seven or eight years of age, that I wanted to do medicine.”

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He worked hard in school to get into medicine, and then throughout University at Adelaide Medical School, with his sights set firmly on becoming a surgeon. In the fifth year of his medical degree, James went to Kenya for an elective – it was a life-changing experience. “I came across this little rural hospital in the mountains, a place called Tumu Tumu. There were a couple of Aussie ‘med’ students there who invited me to come and have a look, and I just fell in love with the place. It was beautiful and I thought, one day I'd love to come back and work here,” he said. After completing an internship at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and having become disillusioned and unsatisfied in treating patients with mainly selfinflicted diseases, James returned to Kenya and the little hospital where he could make a real difference. “I went straight back there and had a transformative year...we had such positive outcomes mostly, treating diseases that you could actually do something about, and

"To be surrounded by children who are blind and disfigured irreversibly from measles was absolutely gobsmacking, and the whole team involved was quite emotionally impacted by this.”

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that transformed my idea of what I wanted to do, but also instilled in me a desire to continue working in public health in poorer countries,” he said. At the same time, James was very interested in ophthalmology, the study of medical and surgical conditions relating to the eyes, and felt this was a field where he could really make a difference. “So that's where the path took me.” James was thrilled to get a call from the Director of the Department of Ophthalmology at Royal Adelaide Hospital, Colin Moore, offering him a job, and he came back to Adelaide to start ophthalmology training in 1990. For James, the driving force to start Sight for All came from several powerful experiences. The first being an adult blindness study in Myanmar in 2005, which was followed by a childhood blindness study in 2007. “I was in my early 40s at the time, and I was seeing adults younger than me who were blind from cataracts, a cause of blindness we rarely see here in Australia. “And to see person after person after person blind from a completely avoidable, readily treatable condition was staggering to me,” he said. In the childhood blindness study in Myanmar the results were heartbreaking. “We found that measles was the leading cause of blindness – to be surrounded by children who are blind and disfigured irreversibly from measles was absolutely gobsmacking, and the whole team involved was quite emotionally impacted by this,” said James.

These experiences inspired James and some of his colleagues, with funding from AusAID (now the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), to establish a comprehensive national program in Myanmar to address several issues, including training doctors across a number of sub-specialities of eye health, and equipping more than 30 regionalised centres throughout the country. The published findings of the study led to a Myanmar eye specialist being brought to Australia to be trained as a paediatric ophthalmologist with James and his colleagues. “That was a wonderful thing – and he's been back there for 10 years now and is providing close to 30,000 treatments every year. And he's training two paediatric ophthalmologists every year using the expertise he gained here in Adelaide,” said James. There has been quite the turnaround. According to a 2018 follow-up study in Myanmar, the level of avoidable childhood blindness has started to fall. Back in Australia, James is also determined to reduce the level of avoidable blindness caused by diseases such as diabetes, which is the leading cause of blindness among working age adults, and the fastest growing cause of vision loss in Aboriginal people. “Unlike in countries such as Myanmar, where access to healthcare is a major issue, it’s not the case here. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness because more than half of the patients with this disease are not having their regular

sight-saving eye checks,” said James. There is an estimated 1.7 million people with diabetes in Australia and 90 per cent are type 2. “What’s extraordinary, and surprisingly little known, is that type 2 diabetes and its complications are often preventable and reversible in many through diet and lifestyle factors. Modifiable risk factors include unhealthy diets (too much added sugar and refined carbohydrates), being physically inactive, and weight gain,” said James. As Australian of the Year, James is on a mission to raise awareness of this serious issue and provide strategies to not only reduce the number of people losing vision or going blind because of diabetes, but also to prevent type 2 diabetes in the first place, including waging war on sugar. James's work and travel have enabled him to dabble in photography, a much enjoyed hobby. In fact, photography and other art exhibitions have become an important part of fundraising for Sight for All programs. “A lot of what we do is around art, because loss of our ability to appreciate art and the beauty of the world would be a devastating thing for many, many people,” he said Learn more about Sight for All from sightforall.org

PREVIOUS PAGE AND LEFT Dr James Muecke AM

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The road to bushfire recovery 6

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LAW SPECIAL FEATURE

The alumni rising from the ashes. STORY BY MICHAELA MCGRATH

ver the 2019-20 summer, Kangaroo Island experienced an outbreak of dry lightning-induced fires that scorched almost half of the Island, claiming countless livestock and wildlife. Two hundred and forty kilometres away, a separate bushfire blackened 25,000 hectares of the Adelaide Hills, decimating a third of its vineyards. Amid these difficult times, the University of Adelaide community banded together to support impacted students, staff and alumni, replacing perished graduation certificates, and offering the North Terrace campus' Barr Smith Lawns as grounds for a Fire Aid fundraising event. According to the University’s Head Winemaker Associate Professor Paul Grbin, for the Waite campus it was a matter of “finding a way to give back and support the industry that has widely supported us”. This support manifested in the Waite campus offering wine-making facilities to those in need, along with the volunteer efforts of staff and students to remove burnt posts, damaged irrigation systems and burnt vines from bushfire-affected properties. It was also involved in making small-batch wines in collaboration with the Adelaide Hills Wine Region Association to help determine whether or not the grapes were affected by smoke, and producing some smoke-affected wines on behalf of Wine Australia to be used as a resource for training and future research projects.

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This sentiment of support was echoed at the Roseworthy campus, with staff coordinating the distribution of medical supplies, collecting donations, and volunteering on Kangaroo Island alongside South Australian Veterinary Emergency Management, as well as at the Koala Triage Centre treating Adelaide Hills koalas. Beyond supporting recovery efforts, the University was also innately linked to the devastating fires by the members of its alumni communities on the ground, including Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Oenology) alumnus David Bowley and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine alumna Dr Liberty Hogg.

David Bowley Owner and Winemaker, Vinteloper “It was a horrible day in our history, the darkest day.” David Bowley first learned that fire had ravaged his Adelaide Hills vineyard after seeing an image of his burning property on a news website. The 72 acres of land situated at the corner of Cudlee Creek and Berry Hill Road was home to Vinteloper, a venture that first began as a virtual winery in 2008. For the past 12 years, David had grown the business from a sole-trader “side hustle” of 300 cases to a twentyfold increase in production.

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For David, purchasing the Cudlee Creek property in 2018 “was our skin in the game”. But by December 2019, it was destroyed. With just five per cent of the vineyard considered viable, Vinteloper lost its crops for at least the next five years. The house had also burnt down and was home to two of his employees – fellow University of Adelaide alumni – as well as Vinteloper’s office. A careful planner, David said he was devastated when his property was burnt, despite the protective measures in place. “I’d ticked every box, I’d crossed every t and dotted every i and this is still what happened. It makes you feel pretty small in the scheme of things,” he said. It was enough to cause the winemaker to momentarily contemplate throwing in the towel, but a tight-knit Adelaide Hills community fueled David to carry on. “I was completely crushed by what happened, and if I said I didn’t think about packing it in I’d be lying,” he said. “But those kinds of thoughts subside pretty quickly when you start receiving the support that we’ve had. “Even though it’s a risk to continue, we’ve been shown so much love through the support of the community and the support of those who buy our wine or want to share our story, that we’d be doing ourselves and them a disservice not to.”

PREVIOUS PAGE AND ABOVE LEFT Dr Liberty Hogg FAR LEFT David Bowley

Dr Liberty Hogg Veterinarian, Kangaroo Island Veterinary Clinic As Kangaroo Island grappled with volatile weather conditions and out-of-control bushfires, newcomer Dr Liberty Hogg played her part in helping to move, treat and euthanise livestock. The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine graduate had relocated to the Island in July 2019 to be with her partner Peter and work as a vet at Kangaroo Island’s only veterinary clinic. Less than six months later, when the blazes first broke out in mid-December 2019, Liberty was quick to get involved. On Christmas Day, this meant putting out fires on a nearby farm. By early-January, she spent 14-hour days in the vet clinic and attending affected farms. Equipped with a wealth of large-animal expertise, a firearms licence and experience treating animals in the 2015 Pinery bushfire, her unique skillset was an asset to the Island’s quiet sufferers: the farmers. “They’re the last people to ask for help. They suffer in silence and keep on keeping on,” Liberty explained. In the immediate aftermath of the bushfires, Liberty accompanied farmers as they returned to their properties for the first time to “identify what

would survive, and what wouldn’t or wasn’t fair to survive because of immense suffering.” When it came to the latter, the number of casualties climbed well into the thousands. “Being able to euthanise the stock as soon as possible, effectively and humanely, needed to be done and I was glad that I could help to do it properly,” she said. When Liberty left her home that Thursday, it was her third evacuation. But this time she “had a gut feeling”. At 3 am, 18 hours after evacuating, “the sky was orange”. And by the time Liberty and her partner returned to their home, it had perished along with everything inside. “You don’t realise how much you take your possessions for granted until you don't have them anymore,” she said. Despite this, the Kangaroo Island new recruit plans to stick around. “If the clinic hasn’t been too financially impacted by the fires, it will still hopefully continue to support the number of vets that we do have, so my plan long-term is to stay here, live here and be part of the community,” she said. “We’re hoping for the best, planning for the worst. But I think everything will be okay. Thank you to everyone who has supported us through this, we are beyond grateful and lucky to have each other.”

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

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INTERNATIONAL

Healing with humour

The Sudanese civil war survivor who says laughter is the best medicine. STORY BY RENEE CAPPS

ujahid Ahmed was minutes away from boarding a plane from Sudan to Australia to begin his university studies, when he was tapped on the shoulder by officials and forced into a boy soldier camp. It was 2000, towards the end of the Sudanese civil war, and although his status as a student meant an exemption from forced conscription, he was told the rules had changed. Mujahid was only 17 years old, but he was one of the oldest in the camp. The boys, some as young as 13, were broken into submission by the soldiers, with no formal army infantry training. The aim was to normalise fighting and war.

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“The Sudanese civil war between North Sudan and South Sudan was the longest civil war in history. “One million people died and nearly 10 million were displaced. The forced conscription aspect of it was so rudimentary that, in a way it was pretty much: here's a rifle, shoot that way,” he said. Mujahid was forced to train with little rations and trek across the hot desert, with temperatures above 50 degrees. He suffered multiple injuries during combat, including a rifle shot grazing his right arm and shattering the bones in his left arm as he tried to scale a wall. He used shoelaces and newspaper to form a cast as medical care was scarce. While his family thought he was in Australia studying, he was laying in a makeshift hospital in Sudan. By chance, his uncle came across him and was able to bribe officials with his Rolex. Mujahid escaped on a cargo plane. “I went back to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to get cleaned up, with two steel rods inserted to hold my arm together, then I started my first semester of my Bachelor of Science at the University of Adelaide,” he said. Quick to downplay his time in the camp, Mujahid said he was better off than many others. “I don't consider my ordeal a tale of heroism, there's plenty of others that didn't get back. So, I never recount the tale with any sort of pride or joy. I think of everyone else.” Born in Sudan, Mujahid and his family moved to the UAE when he was young because his father, a journalist, suffered persecution and was frequently arbitrarily arrested before they left. Mujahid wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a journalist. However, his parents didn’t want him to go through what they did, as they felt journalism wasn’t a financially secure career, and encouraged Mujahid to become a doctor instead. “My parents had this massive dream that I was going to be a doctor, which is a typical African mentality where boys are either doctors or engineers, and girls are either nurses, dentists or teachers. It's pretty much pre-ordained in a way,” he said. After escaping Sudan, Mujahid settled into his studies quickly at the University of Adelaide, with the intention of applying for postgraduate medicine after completing his studies. But plans to transfer to medical school went out the window when Mujahid realised he was more passionate about psychology, and its ability to

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heal people. He took a break from studying before starting his honours so he could earn money to support his family. Working part-time as a community health worker for young refugees including torture and trauma survivors, Mujahid knew early on this was the right path for him. “They say sometimes you're in a job, sometimes you're in a career. When you're in a job there's too much time, when you're in a career there's never enough time,” he said. Mujahid’s work with refugees has taken him to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, where he has worked as a torture and trauma counsellor with refugees and asylum seekers held in offshore immigration detention. “I saw clients from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Somalia, who had all arrived by boat. And while they were from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds, the one thing they had in common was that they were all genuinely fleeing persecution. “All I could do was to equip them with skills and emotional armour to be able to cope with being there because I could not fix their situation.” With such a mentally draining job, Mujahid turned his attention to stand-up comedy as an outlet. He started his career in 2005 by competing in the annual Raw Comedy competition. His first show did not go as planned. “It was terrible. Nearly as traumatic as the war in a way, I could almost hear someone cough next door because it was so quiet,” he said. His stubborn streak didn’t let him give up. He went home, wrote as many jokes as he could and tested them on his friends and work colleagues. Second time around, he received critical acclaim, and soon after he was invited to appear on Enough Rope with Andrew Denton, an ABC Stateline special, and became a regular guest on ABC 891. Mujahid’s humour draws on his own experiences and work with refugees to bring about social change. Comedy has taken him all over the world and led to the opportunity to be a TEDx talk keynote speaker. While Mujahid still performs when he can, he is also working towards his Masters to become a clinical psychologist. “I feel privileged. Every client I’ve worked with shares something with me that they wouldn't normally share with anyone else. I see little sparks of hope, their tenacity and resilience. Quite often, seeing them months or years later, they've done better and I take pride in knowing that I made a tiny contribution to where they are now.”

PREVIOUS PAGE AND RIGHT Mujahid Ahmed

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I don't consider my ordeal a tale of heroism, there's plenty of others that didn't get back. So I never recount the tale with any sort of pride or joy. I think of everyone else.â&#x20AC;?

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ECONOMICS

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The time for economists is now Why Australia needs economists more than ever. STORY BY KIMBERLEY HOILE

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anielle Wood is a woman on the rise. As one of Australia’s sharpest economic minds, she is playing a key role in steering policy during one of the biggest economic issues of our generation: the COVID-19 pandemic. Danielle is President of the Australian Economic Society and CEO of the Grattan Institute, the brains trust that helps solve major Australian economic issues. The Melbourne mother has often returned to her South Australian home to visit family, present at conferences and inspire school students to study her chosen field. Danielle studied economics in high school and decided a career in the field would be the best way to use her analytical skills to make a difference in the world. She credits her high school teacher as a big influence, encouraging her to pursue economics at university. Danielle fell in love with the language of policy and considered it the best way to get in there and have an influence on big decisions during one. “When I was back in Adelaide, I went to my old high school and spoke to students. It was great to show them the cool things you can do with an economics degree,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges our profession faces is that the number of students studying economics in high school has fallen dramatically in the last 20 years. The number of people, particularly women, graduating with an economics degree or major has also fallen. We really want to get the message out that it is a fascinating area to study and there are lots of interesting pathways you can take.” The global pandemic has seen Australia experience its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and with this, economists will be in high demand to help us map our way out. From Danielle’s perspective, “how quickly we recover from this economic shock will depend on keeping the health situation under control and the government’s appetite for policies that will help rebuild consumer and business confidence”. “The Reserve Bank expects unemployment to climb to 10 per cent by the end of the year and still be above 8 per cent by the end of 2021. That’s too high for too long. I would like to see a commitment to significant stimulus by Commonwealth and State governments with a focus on job creation and delivering long-term social value,” Danielle said. “Shovel-ready investments like building social housing make a lot of sense. But this is not just a tradie recession. The services sector bore the brunt of the initial hit, with job losses especially acute for women and young people. There is a

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strong case for spending on government services: mental health, aged care, and childcare should be top of the list.” Danielle also says governments need to think creatively about how to rebuild demand in hard-hit sectors like hospitality and tourism, and “government-backed voucher and discount schemes are a good place to start”. “The Northern Territory and Tasmania have launched time-limited vouchers for spending on local tourism. The UK’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme, which provides government-funded discounts for dining on Monday-Wednesday nights, increased restaurant spending by a third. I would love to see something similar done in Australia,” Danielle said.

“How quickly we recover from this economic shock will depend on keeping the health situation under control and the government’s appetite for policies that will help rebuild consumer and business confidence.” Despite the challenges that 2020 has already thrown at the community, Danielle remains optimistic about the future. She hopes when Australia comes out the other side of the pandemic, we will rebuild the economy quickly to avoid a lot of people being out of work for significant periods. She is looking forward to continuing to build on her role as CEO of the Grattan Institute and will help the government rebuild the economy. “This crisis is an opportunity to understand the economy. As awful as it is, it is also an opportunity to be talking to students about financial problems, encouraging students to learn more about economics and be attracting the smartest minds to help solve future financial issues,” said Danielle.

PREVIOUS PAGE Danielle Wood LEFT Danielle Wood with her daughter, Eloise

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ENGINEERING

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Engineering for Olympic success The researchers and students behind the cycling gear giving Aussie athletes the edge. STORY BY DALICE KENNEDY

rom developing the Olympic flame to bike parts and helmets, Associate Professor Richard Kelso has been instrumental in bringing the University of Adelaide to the world stage, in not just one, but five Olympic Games. And our students are coming along for the ride. When the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games go ahead, and the Australian Cycling Team takes to the tracks, Richard, PhD Candidate Shaun Fitzgerald, and a host of alumni will be watching on with keen interest. “I think one of the best parts is that we're involving students. It’s one of the biggest payoffs,” Richard said. Richard and his team played a key role in the final bike developed for Australia's 2020 Olympic cycling

team. Working closely with Cycling Australia and bicycle manufacturer Argon 18, the University engineers helped design the 2020 frame, and selected the wheels and shoes, all of which required testing in the University's wind tunnel. The Aussie cycling team will also be using the crankset and wearing the Kask Mistral helmet Richard and his team helped to develop for the 2016 Rio Olympics. This is quite an evolution from 2008 when the Sports Engineering Degree at the University was born. As the interim Sports Engineering Program Coordinator at the time, one of Richard’s first projects was to pursue and initiate collaborations between the University and sporting organisations. “The sports where I really wanted to be involved were cycling, rowing and swimming,” he said. It was Richard’s first phone call to the velodrome (Cycling Australia) which sparked a relationship that has placed the University at the forefront of aerodynamics in sports engineering globally. “I started working with them [Cycling Australia] testing handlebars and various things. They quite liked what we could do, and we decided to design a helmet together. “I suddenly realised all my

Christmases had come at once.” It was during the Tour Down Under in 2012 that a new partnership between the University and SCOTT Sports was formed. “We did some testing comparing their new helmet with a few others, and they were happy with the results,” Richard said. The relationship blossomed, and in 2014 they gave Richard the enviable opportunity of producing a helmet that would compete with the best on the market. “They gave me a clean sheet of paper to design another helmet. They said roughly what they wanted and I set about coming up with a new design and trying to beat the best.” In 2016 the SCOTT Cadence PLUS helmet was launched. “My favourite victory [for the SCOTT Cadence PLUS helmet] is the Women’s World Road Championship in 2019, where Annemiek van Vleuten won by more than two minutes,” Richard said. The helmet is also worn by Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, British triathletes who won gold and silver at the Rio Olympics; and Nino Schurter (Switzerland) and Jenny Rissveds (Sweden), both of whom are world champions and won gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics in cross-country mountain bike riding. Today, despite his designs contributing to world records, world championships, world cup and Olympic medal wins in cycling, Richard remains humble and is quick to ensure all athletes’ successes are recognised as their victories. “Ultimately it's up to the athlete. The way I feel is that we want to bring the athletes onto a level playing field,” he said. But before bikes, helmets and wind tunnels, there was the Sydney Olympic Games, which gave Richard his first taste of seeing his work feature on the world stage.

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As part of the University of Adelaide team working on the design and build of the fuel and combustion system of the 2000 Sydney Olympic torch and cauldron, Richard developed something that created history and was watched around the world. “FCT Flames, the company we worked with, like to say that Olympic flames are the most watched flames in history. It’s true. And that's exciting.” Watching the Official Opening Ceremony from Adelaide, Richard describes the time as stressful. “I think maybe fear was possibly the biggest thing. The fear that

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something would go wrong.” As Australian athlete Cathy Freeman ascended the stairs, stood in the middle of the cauldron and held the torch up, millions of eyes were on her, but Richard and the University development team, which included 20 students, were literally counting the seconds. “We realised the torch was right at the limit of its fuel. “When Cathy lit the cauldron’s ring of fire and stood up, if you watch, the torch flame goes out soon after. So, she was really down to the last few moments. That was very stressful. But in retrospect, the timing

was perfect.” Following the success of the Sydney Olympic Games, Richard and the team also worked with FCT Flames on the 2004 Athens Olympic torch and cauldron and the 2006 Doha Asian games. It’s been 25 years since Richard joined the University of Adelaide and, with new projects on the horizon with Swimming Australia, there are many exciting days to come. “I think it's useful to push the boundaries too, and even go over them every now and then, because you learn what you can achieve.”

PREVIOUS PAGE Associate Professor Richard Kelso LEFT Shaun Fitzgerald

lown home from hospital to the family farm just days after his birth, it’s no surprise PhD candidate Shaun Fitzgerald has always been interested in aerodynamics and aviation. “On a farm, nobody's an engineer. But everybody is a farmer and they are the world's natural engineers. They design and build everything,” Shaun said. Working closely with Associate Professor Richard Kelso for the past six years, Shaun contributed to both the 2016 and 2020 Olympic bikes used by Cycling Australia. Undertaking his honours with alumnus Henry Atkins in 2015, the duo investigated the aerodynamics of the frame, crank set, shoes and seat posts, and developed the socks being worn by the Australian team. Now in the fourth year of his PhD, Shaun is focused on understanding what the athlete experiences inside the velodrome. “Because they're indoors, everybody thinks it's still air, nothing's moving. "But the reality is more complicated with variations due to a cyclist cornering, a large swirling airflow from other riders, and turbulence. “I need to understand all those variables so we can go into the wind tunnel and replicate them all and say, 'that design is optimised for the environment'.”

Success is in the air

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AGRICULTURE

Against the odds

arah Brooker was on her way to achieving her dream of being a neuroscientist when, on New Year’s Eve 2002, she was forever changed by an accident that left her with a golf ball sized hole in her brain and no memory of her former life. But the almost unbelievable series of events that unfolded that evening, in split second timing, are what Sarah describes as the luckiest thing that could have happened to her. Sarah and her sisters had just finished celebrating their father’s birthday and were driving home. The first rain in months had made the roads slippery. Suddenly, the car skidded out of control and at that very moment, an aneurysm burst in Sarah’s brain,

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which meant she lost consciousness and didn’t steer out of the skid. The car smashed into a pole. It was her dad, a police officer, who took the call on the police radio “Car accident, three girls, one possible fatality”. Sarah was in a coma for weeks and when she finally woke, she had no memory of those dearest to her, not even her her identical twin sister Abi. “I had no idea where I was or who I was. I'd broken almost every bone in my body. I looked at Abi and didn't know who she was or who anybody was,” she said. Sarah had been studying neuroscience at Monash University before her accident. Amazingly, all those facts remained in her brain, but she couldn’t remember being in class learning them. After eight long months of rehabilitation, Sarah went back to neuroscience and studied honours. “I didn't know what else there was to do. I understood the brain and it was comforting.” Although Sarah loved science and questioning things, she found it lonely. She felt a disconnect

The dairy farming family fighting back in the face of adversity. STORY BY MICHAELA MCGRATH

n 1 July 2002, Misty Brae dairy farm owner Gino Pacitti lost a third of his income overnight when the price of raw milk dropped from 36 cents to 24 cents per litre. from the other students.had deregulated the dairy The Federal Government “I wasin still crosscompetitive the road, tomarket tie my industry anlearning effort totodrive shoelaces, and catch buses bycosts. myself. That was forces and minimise consumer my world was. Andand hereDiploma were these Forhow the small Myponga-based farmer of other honours students talking about going Applied Science (Agriculture) alumnus, it wasout a on the weekend, or going onincreasing holidays. Iinput didn'tcosts significant blow. Drought and understand any decades of that. So didn'tfarming get along meant the last two of Idairy have with them.” been a near-constant battle against the odds. After finishing her honours, moved to lame “You have your better years andSarah you have your Adelaide and started at University years, but unfortunately forFlinders the dairy industry,to the commence a a been PhD.short-lived,” explained Gino. better years have wasthese lonelyhard the whole time, and whilerecession I In “I 2011, times reached a new loved the research and the brain, I missed when “the power of the supermarket” rearedthe its connection head, offering to people.” milk to consumers for just $1 per litre. was working towards her PhD, she “ItWhen did usSarah no favours whatsoever, it completely startedour tutoring to supplement her income. devalued product.” “I impact reachedwas theso end of the PhD and The significant it led theI thought, lifelong dairy ‘science where I wanttotoconsider be. What's madeout farmer andisn't his wife Mandy “bailing me happy is teaching.’ of the dairy industry” in 2012. “I came to thereceiving University of Adelaide “The pricesover we were were abysmal, to input study teaching and had the most magic time costs were getting exorbitant and there were no there.” profit margins.” Sarah is now a relief teacher and recently published author, living with her husband Alan in a farm opposite Kuipto forest. “I absolutely love teaching. And I'm so glad the accident happened because had it not, I wouldn't be a teacher. And I wouldn't have so much fun every day going to school and working with kids,” said Sarah. Sarah tells her incredible story in her new book My Lucky Stroke, available now in book stores and online.

But, perhaps surprisingly given their formative years were shaped by such a volatile industry, Gino’s thenteenage sons persuaded their parents to push on in the face of adversity. “Their argument was that they could see dairy farming could be a career pathway that they were interested in and wished to pursue.” During his childhood and adolescence, Gino was “part of the labour force”, milking cows before school and inadvertently cutting his teeth in the dairy industry. It was in 1978 that the then 18-year-old Gino departed the Myponga farm for the first time to head up north to Roseworthy for a tertiary education. More than 40 years later, Gino still calls on the knowledge accrued during his time at university. “Like a lot of educational experiences, you often don’t understand or don’t realise the impact it has on you until later life.” This spirit of education has continued well beyond Gino’s university years. Where others may understandably waiver in the face of continued tribulations, he instead chose to alter the industry’s fate through education. Aiming to teach consumers about the quality, health and economic benefits of buying locally branded products, Gino and Mandy in 2016 were integral in forming the Do Dairy campaign. Do Dairy encourages consumers to purchase dairy products that are sourced and processed in South Australia. “We’ve made it a personal challenge of ours to try and educate as many non-farming people as we can,” said Gino. PICTURED Gino Pacitti

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

THEN AND NOW

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Barr Smith Library The treasured space standing the test of time. STORY BY DALICE KENNEDY

or almost 130 years, the Barr Smith Library has been treasured by students past and present as the University of Adelaide’s iconic centre. From the serenity of the Barr Smith Reading Room, to the ever-helpful staff, the Library is more than a place to study and access resources, it’s an opportunity to escape the pressures and noise of student life. When speaking with alumna and Barr Smith Library donor Merry Wickes, and current student Cecilia Wang, who works at the Library, there is no doubting the much-loved space will forever hold a special place in our community’s hearts and minds.

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Merry Wickes Bachelor of Arts (1973), Honours (1975) In the late 1960s and early 1970s, my university life revolved around constant daily movement between the Napier Building – where my lectures and tutorials were held; the Refectory and Cloisters – for food and snacks, catching up with friends and the wider university activities; and the all-important Barr Smith Library – the centre for my academic studies. And just beyond the Library, and in view through its windows, was Union Hall (where the Braggs Building now stands) with its downstairs coffee shop. For a brief time, you could take a break from library studies and sip a cappuccino there with friends. Being rather studious and ‘bookish’ then, much of my time was spent in the Barr Smith Library. Most days, after lectures or tutorials, I would join fellow students queuing to search the long wooden boxed card index catalogues to find books and journals (no online resources then). Or I would hang around the Reserve Desk near the front entrance to place requests for one of the multiple copies of the most in-demand books and articles for the week’s assignments, and then wait for them to turn up. And of course I remember seeking research assistance or photocopying help from the wonderful and ever helpful librarians and staff. Then I’d find an empty desk in one of my favourite quiet corners to pile up borrowed books and scrawl notes and hand write essays. Or, on cold and wintry Adelaide days, I’d head to the glorious and beautiful Barr Smith Reading Room. Best of all were foot warmers in long metal tubes hidden beneath the desks to keep students cosy. It’s still possible to see remnants of the tubes under some desks, though sadly long disconnected from a heat source. The Reading Room is one of the few areas of the Library that remains very much as it was 50 years ago. While everywhere else in the Library now buzzes with the sounds of students chatting amongst themselves, the Reading Room remains a remarkably quiet space just as it has always been, a place where you still feel a little intimidated to talk in more than a whisper.

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While there have been so many changes within the University, I think for many students, the Barr Smith Library remains an academic and research hub on the campus, and one I still love to visit. To be able to contribute, in some small way, to this favourite place continuing to be well resourced and central to university life is a special pleasure.

Cecilia Wang Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Health Sciences (expected 2022) The great thing about the Barr Smith Library, and what makes up some of the best experiences I’ve had, are the staff who are always there to help when you need it. I remember when I first started at the University and I was nervous to ask for help. I initially went to ASK Library with a general question about where I could find books for an essay. They were not only able to help me find relevant sources, but recommended I make a time with the liaison librarian who would help me on the path to write an excellent essay. I ended up doing very well with that assignment. I go to the Library quite regularly to do work and I’d say I spend up to eight hours a week (apart from the times I work there) to study. The Reading Room is so quiet and calming, it really helps when I’m feeling stressed about finishing an assignment. Whether I need a break from studying and a comfy place to relax, or looking to finish something for a fast-approaching deadline, it’s a great space. I absolutely love the quiet Reading Room on level two, which some people call the Harry Potter room. The space is very old and gives a sense of nostalgia and awe, which I always find inspirational. I also love how well the Library is organised. For me, it’s a place where I can count on getting the help I need from the vast amount of resources it offers, whether this is on the shelf in the Library, online or from the friendly staff. When I first started using the Library, I used to commonly get lost because it’s so big. And I still do on the rare occasion. After using the Library for a while, I decided to find out how they make everything happen

"The great thing about the Barr Smith Library and what makes up some of the best experiences I’ve had, are the staff who are always there to help when you need it." behind the scenes, so I started working there. It’s an amazing place to work. Everyone is wonderful and an expert in problem-solving and making sure the library runs smoothly and efficiently so people are able to get the help they need. I don’t think everyone realises how much work and effort goes into managing the vast amount of resources the Library offers. Every detail is incredibly important and everyone works together to make this happen. With more than 2.5 million resources – including books, CDs, digitised content and almost 1.2 million electronic resources – the Barr Smith Library supports more than 21,000 learners and is committed to maintaining its position as South Australia’s premier research-intensive University. Those wishing to learn more about opportunities to support the acquisition of invaluable resources can visit: ua.edu.au/barr-smith-appeal

PREVIOUS PAGE Merry Wickes LEFT Cecilia Wang

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

ARTS

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no business like show business How to entertain the world and grow the talent in your own backyard. STORY BY KELLY BROWN

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

orben Brookman’s GWB Entertainment has produced big name musicals such as School of Rock, Matilda, West Side Story and The King and I, for the delight of audiences around the world, but it’s here in South Australia that he chooses to live and grow his business, and invest in our state’s creativity and culture. “We feel that has to happen because we're very proudly based here, love living in Adelaide and grew up here. It's a choice, not a requirement for the work that we do,” said Torben. “So then, with that comes a responsibility to build and grow the industry here, and make sure that whatever we do is of a standard that can be recognised on any stage, anywhere around the world.” Growing up in the Adelaide Hills with both parents working in theatre, his mum Verity Laughton a playwright, and dad Rob Brookman a producer, artistic director and one of Australia’s most highly regarded Arts administrators, you could say a career in theatre was Torben’s destiny. But Torben didn’t set out to follow in their footsteps, because as a child he never saw what his mum and dad did as a typical job. “It's not like many vocational jobs where you work nine to five, and when the office closes you go home and have a separate life and do different things. In the theatre, everything sort of merges and blends,” said Torben. “You may finish work for the day, but then you're off to see a show, which is also kind of work, but it's also your passion.” Torben started an Arts degree at the University of Adelaide, not because he had a clear vision of his future, but partly because both his parents studied Arts there and had “incredibly fond memories” of the University. He also felt a broad degree would expose him to a range of things and he could figure out what he wanted to do as he went along. He later switched to a Bachelor of Science, following an interest in athletics and sport and a fascination with exercise physiology. Despite perusing other interests, Torben continued to work part-time in jobs based in and around the theatre. Whether that be in front of house as an usher, selling tickets in the box office, or as part of the staging crew. In the lead up to starting honours in exercise physiology, an opportunity came up to work on one of the early WOMADelaide Festivals. It was an experience that painted a different future for Torben. “It was one of those pivotal moments of figuring

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out who you are, and I started to realise that while I love learning and data, I don't necessarily think that I personally gravitate to being in a lab on my own for long periods of time. “I'm much more someone who enjoys being in an environment where there are lots of different things going on, a variety of things. I think it was the best decision I made. Needless to say, I’ve worked in the arts and entertainment industry ever since.” Torben’s interest and skills in creative production continued to grow with many wonderful opportunities to follow to develop his craft. Of all the experiences, Torben said working with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s company The Really Useful Group to tour Cats and Phantom of the Opera in Asia in the early 2000s had the most profound impact on his career. The company took two of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most well-known and loved productions to places that had never seen musicals before and working with locals who had never worked in the theatre before. The opportunity brought with it all sorts of new and interesting problems to solve, invaluable learnings and possibilities for the future.

PREVIOUS PAGE, BOTTOM LEFT AND LEFT Torben Brookman

“It's not like many vocational jobs where you work nine to five, and when the office closes you go home and have a separate life and do different things. In the theatre, everything sort of merges and blends.” “There was a production called The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, which was a concert series of Andrew’s great shows, which we put on at the Great Hall of the People of Beijing, which was and remains the Assembly Hall for the Communist Party of China,” said Torben. “It was in late September 2001 and we'd just loaded in and started rehearsals for the show, then with three hours’ notice, we had to start loading everything out because the Party had called an emergency meeting the following day to discuss China's official position on the September 11 attacks,” he said. In November 2004, while still working for The Really Useful Group, Torben married his partner Richelle. Immediately after, the couple left for Shanghai as the company managers for the Asian tour of The Phantom of the Opera. The experience of touring Asia is what ultimately

led to the pair starting their own production company with a couple of friends. They saw enormous, untapped potential to grow the Asian markets, China in particular. “While we’ve done a number of things in Australia and other territories, there’s always been a long-term focus on developing China and keeping those relationships throughout Asia,” he said. The growth of the market in China also enabled GWB Entertainment to take on more shows, provide work opportunities for South Australian artists, crew members and musicians, and develop young, local talent for the world stage. “Our business is really an interesting combination of different elements of the industry that we hope add up to more than the sum of their parts, and provide real potential to develop work here that hasn't really existed before, not within the musical theatre genre,” said Torben.

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

EDUCATION

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Accidental teacher A car crash and brain injury led Sarah to discover a passion for teaching. STORY BY RENEE CAPPS

arah Brooker was on her way to achieving her dream of being a neuroscientist when, on New Year’s Eve 2002, she was forever changed by an accident that left her with a golf ball-sized hole in her brain and no memory of her former life. But the almost unbelievable series of events that unfolded that evening, in split-second timing, are what Sarah describes as the luckiest thing that could have happened to her. Sarah and her sisters had just finished celebrating their father’s birthday and were driving home. The first rain in months had made the roads slippery. Suddenly, the car skidded out of control and at that very moment, an aneurysm burst in Sarah’s brain, which meant she lost consciousness and didn’t steer out of the skid. The car smashed into a pole. It was her dad, a police officer, who took the call on the police radio, “car accident, three girls, one possible fatality.” Sarah was in a coma for weeks. When she finally woke she had no memory of those dearest to her, not even her identical twin sister Abi. “I had no idea where I was or who I was. I'd broken almost every bone in my body. I looked at Abi and didn't know who she was or who anybody was,” she said. Sarah had been studying neuroscience at Monash University before her accident. Amazingly, all of

those facts from her studies remained in her brain, but she couldn’t remember being in class learning them. After eight long months of rehabilitation, Sarah went back to neuroscience and studied honours. “I didn't know what else there was to do. I understood the brain and it was comforting.” Although Sarah loved science and questioning things, she found it lonely. She felt a disconnect from the other students. “I was still learning to cross the road, to tie my shoelaces, and catch buses by myself, that was how small my world was. And here were these other honours students talking about going out on the weekend, or going on holidays. I didn't understand any of that. So I didn't get along with them.” After finishing her honours, Sarah moved to Adelaide and commenced a PhD at Flinders University. “I was lonely the whole time, and while I loved the research and the brain, I missed the connection to people.” When Sarah was working towards her PhD, she started tutoring to supplement her income. “I reached the end of the PhD and I thought, ‘Science isn't where I want to be. What's made me happy is teaching.’ “I came over to the University of Adelaide to study teaching and had the most magic time.” Sarah is now a high school relief teacher and recently published author, living with her husband Alan on a farm opposite Kuipto forest. “I absolutely love teaching. And I'm so glad the accident happened because had it not, I wouldn't be a teacher. And I wouldn't have so much fun every day going to school and working with kids,” said Sarah. Sarah tells her incredible story in her new book My Lucky Stroke, available now in book stores and online.

PICTURED Sarah Brooker

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

Bringing the safari to South Australia Peter is shining light on the plight of the rhinos. STORY BY RENEE CAPPS

rom butterflies and crocodiles to rhinos and hyenas, Peter Clarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career spanning nearly 50 years has involved advocating for and working with some of the rarest animals in the world. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been bitten by a crocodile, had insects named after him and is now working on bringing the African safari experience to South Australia. Monarto Safari Park is embarking on a $50 million project called Wild Africa, which will see an expansion of 550 hectares, increased animal population, an 80 room hotel and glamping style accommodation along with 20 kilometres of safari track.

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AGRICULTURE

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

The Wild Africa precinct is already underway, with the project expected to be completed sometime in 2022. The development will allow Monarto to continue its work with the Australian Rhino Project, whose mission is to bring African rhinos to Australia to establish an “insurance population” to ensure their survival. The rhino population is under threat because of the black market value of their horns. “Their horns are worth a lot of money even though they're just keratin, they don't offer any therapeutical or other benefits, they're just fingernails. But they're worth up to about 70,000 US dollars a kilogram on the black market, which is more than cocaine,” said Peter. “We want to not only support counter-poaching activities in Africa, but we also want to build up a reasonable-sized insurance population of rhinos in Australia and New Zealand. That's why we started working with the Australian Rhino Project, a group of individuals who are very interested in the same thing.” The target is to build Monarto’s rhino population to 30-40 white rhinos and ten

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black rhinos, and Wild Africa is being built to accommodate this. Getting them here is an expensive exercise. Australia’s strict biosecurity laws require quarantining the animals in New Zealand before moving them to a quarantine facility at Monarto. As one of his favourite animals at the zoo, Peter is passionate about rhino's survival.. “They’re big, and I guess dinosaur-like and helpless. They are a reminder of the megafauna of the past and I think losing them would be very, very sad. It'd be like losing elephants to me, I can't imagine our children not being able to see them,” he said. Peter grew up in Adelaide, attending St Peter’s College before studying Agriculture at Roseworthy college in 1970, sparking a keen interest in entomology. Roseworthy was an allboys college at the time, and he describes himself as a young and naïve boy from Adelaide who quickly adjusted to the college lifestyle. “There was a lot of college spirit there because everybody followed sports and lived together. There were 11 pubs around Roseworthy between

WINE Gawler and surrounds. So it was an interesting time,” he said. Following his degree, Peter’s first job was with the Australian Government as an Agricultural Advisor based in Papua New Guinea. It wasn’t long before his fascination with insects steered him in a different direction. “Even though I went to New Guinea with the Australian government as an agricultural advisor, I got really involved with insects because New Guinea is mecca for insects. The biggest insects, the biggest butterflies, the longest stick insect, the biggest beetles – so I soon got into collecting them,” he said. Peter would visit village communities, advising on crops like coffee, cocoa and rice, and he would use these trips to collect insects. After a period in crocodile farming, and yes, he was bitten once after a failed attempt to get a band around its mouth, it was butterflies that

captured his attention. His aim was to create butterfly farms that could provide locals with an alternative source of income. “It was one alternative to village people having to chop down their forests. The idea, as far-fetched as it might seem, was to set up a handful of businesses that could compete with the revenue that logging gave to people in the village. The result was an Insect Farming and Trading Agency that operated for 25 years with approximately 2,000 villagers working for them across the country in the different provinces. “We would keep up to 300,000 insects in stock which we marketed to dealers overseas. New Guinea insects were highly collectible and top of the list were the Birdwing butterflies. These are absolutely magnificent. The biggest I measured in the wild was 33 centimetres across,” he said. Peter also started working with wildlife and protected species, which led to a partnership with

“Monarto is growing pretty quickly. It's the largest area zoo in Australasia. In fact, every other zoo in Australia and New Zealand fits into Monarto with room to spare.” the University of Technology in Lae to set up a zoo called the Rainforest Habitat. After 30 years in Papua New Guinea, Peter finally returned to Adelaide in 2003 to take up a position as the first curator at Monarto, before becoming the Director, a position created a few years ago when the zoo began to expand rapidly. “Monarto is growing pretty quickly. It's the largest area zoo in Australasia. In fact, every other zoo in Australia and New Zealand fits into Monarto with room to spare.” More recently the zoo experienced the challenges of COVID-19 and forced closures. “Like everybody, we struggled. We tried to keep as many people as we could but we probably had to lay off half our front-of-house people for a while. Job keeper helped a lot, but we still had animals to look after. The State Government has been really supportive, so has the Federal Government. Since we've reopened again, we've also had tremendous support from the public. It has all made a difference.” PREVIOUS PAGE, LEFT AND BOTTOM Peter Clark

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

Achievements Members of the University community have been recognised for their outstanding achievements, winning a number of prestigious awards. We are proud to acknowledge the exceptional accomplishments of those achieving excellence.

Australia Day Honours 2020

Queen's Birthday Honours 2020

Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)

Professor Anthony Thomas AC FAA

Mr Peter Carter OAM

Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)

Associate Professor Jane Freemantle OAM Mr Mark Gilbert OAM

Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) Professor Garry Brown AO Professor Caroline McMillen AO

Professor Shaun Brennecke AO

Mr Graham Hobbs OAM

Member of the Order of Australia (AM)

Dr Donald Grant AO

Dr David Marshall OAM

Mr Charles Bailes AM

Dr Linley Martin AO

Ms Anne McEwen OAM

Dr Neil Bryans AM

Ms Jacqui McGill AO

Associate Professor Maria Parappilly OAM

Emeritus Professor Raymond Specht AO

Dr Gabrielle Cehic AM Dr Karen George AM

Ms Brenda Parker OAM

Mrs Kathryn House AM

The Hon Amanda Vanstone AO

Dr Andrew Rollond OAM

Ms Sara Jones AM

Member of the Order of Australia (AM)

Dr Robin Uppill OAM

Dr Susan Neuhaus AM

Dr Joan Beaumont AM

Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM)

Emeritus Professor Warren Bebbington AM

Commander Lindsay Gordon RAN

Dr Robert Edgar AM Mr Terence Evans AM Emeritus Professor Jeffrey Goldsworthy AM

Ms Elizabeth Perry AM Mr Anthony Snell AM Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) Mr William Hardy OAM Mr Peter Johnson OAM Dr Joseph Montarello OAM

Dr Mitra Guha AM

Mrs Carolyn Moule OAM

Mr Duncan Marshall AM

Mr Barry Need OAM

Dr Helen McLean AM

Mr Ian Orchard OAM

Emeritus Professor Sharman Pretty AM

Mr Darryl Pope OAM

Dr John Russell AM

Dr Kenneth Rigby OAM

Emeritus Professor Roderick Wells AM

Dr Ivan Simmons OAM

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Mr Bruce Raymond OAM

RIGHT Professor Helen Marshall, Deputy Director, Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide

Inspiring South Australian Women’s Award 2020

AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS

South Australian Tall Poppy winners

Professor Helen Marshall

Australian of the Year

Dr Rhiannon Schilling

Professor Marshall is a medical clinician, researcher and National Health and Medical Research Practitioner Fellow with specialist training in child health, vaccinology, and public health. She has committed her career to practicing and leading medical research at the forefront of the global fight to stop meningococcal disease.

David Craig Medal 2020

Dr James Muecke AM Eye surgeon and blindness prevention pioneer

NT State Recipient Australian of the Year Dr Geoff Thompson

Research Field: improving crops to overcome soil constraints Dr Yan Jiao Research Field: developing catalyst materials for future fuels Dr Yuval Yarom Research Field: protecting computer data from malicious attacks

Sports physician and ex-RAAF flying doctor

Dr Graeme Moad Dr Moad is recognised as a world leader in polymer chemistry. His work has contributed largely to the creation of new synthetic methods for the controlled synthesis of polymers, with defined architecture and composition that have revolutionised the field and resulted in highly cited publications and patent applications.

Tessier Medal (International Society of Craniofacial Surgeons) 2019 Professor David David AC Professor David AC is a national and international leader in Craniofacial Surgery. He has been recognised for this distinguished service to craniofacial surgery worldwide.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TALL POPPY SCIENCE AWARDS Tall Poppy of the Year Dr Kylie Dunning Research Field: improving IVF techniques using non-invasive methods Dr Dunning is developing new technologies that overcome the need for a cell biopsy, and instead, use light to take a non-invasive, 'molecular photo'. This revolutionary procedure involves shining gentle doses of light on embryo and using the scattered light that comes back to reveal the intricacies of its biochemistry, providing insight into the embryo's health.

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020

Events The Kaurna Learning Circle, which is called Karra Wirraparinangku (From the Red Gum Forest River), located off Victoria Drive, was officially opened in August. Created as a collaborative project between the University’s Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education and Kaurna cultural advisers, the Circle recognises and celebrates the Kaurna Aboriginal people and their deep connection to the Adelaide Plains. It was built as a place for ceremony, cultural exchanges and learning. The Circle contains a welcome in Kaurna language in the earthy brick paving, "Marni naa pudni tirka kurruru-ana" (good you all come to learning circle), and a steel shade structure that partly covers the Learning Circle and is inscribed with a welcome to country, "Kaurna miyruna wangkanthi marni naa pudni, Kaurna yarta-ana" (Kaurna people say good you all come to Kaurna country). Displaying Kaurna language so prominently on the campus is important recognition of Kaurna people and their living culture. It also serves as an opportunity for visitors to the circle to learn some Kaurna words and interact with the new circle on campus.

The Circle includes a corten steel fire pit for ceremonial use with the pattern of the Karrawirra Pari (River Torrens) engraved. Stone seating is provided along one side of the Learning Circle with back rests to accommodate Elders and senior representatives for cultural events. The entrance is marked by the the Wangu Poles, striking new artwork designed by talented Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri artist Paul Herzich. The seven poles, ranging in height from six to eight metres, contain references to Kaurna dreaming stories, ancient ceremonial practices, and traditional life along the nearby Karrawirra Pari. The Kaurna Learning Circle is a key development in the University’s Public Realm project, which has been awarded the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Award of Excellence for Urban Design.

The Kaurna Learning Circle and Wangu Poles, the University of Adelaide.

The Hon. Catherine Branson AC QC, Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, with Uncle Fred Agius during the smoking ceremony.

Kaurna and Narungga man Jack Buckskin leads the performance at the official opening of the Kaurna Learning Circle.

Uncle Fred Agius (centre) with Indigenous students (left) Iteka Sanderson-Bromley and (right) Janaya Callaghan. Both students are in their 2nd year of Arts degrees at the University of Adelaide.

Indigenous performers at the official opening of the Kaurna Learning Circle.

The Wangu Poles at night.

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STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND The Student Emergency Fund was established to ensure our students are supported when they need it most. We believe that no student should be disadvantaged and unable to continue their studies and pursue their dreams because of unplanned and unforeseen life events. When Jake was 17, he found himself homeless because of domestic violence. He struggled through his first year of university, concentrating on how to survive, not how to learn. Living independently and working multiple part-time jobs, Jake had little time to actually study. Not surprisingly, his first year of university didn’t go to plan and on top of that, he discovered his initial degree (Engineering) wasn’t the right path and his passion was Medicine.

The support I received from the University has been really beneficial in getting me to where I am now, which is on a career path and study I am really enjoying. I hope to be a doctor one day and give back to others in need.

CRICOS 00123M

At the start of 2019 I was fortunate to receive a hardship grant from the University, which allowed me to get a computer. It's amazing to be able to study when I need, rather than waiting to use the facilities at university or a mate's laptop. Things were looking up, Jake was studying for the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), hoping to be accepted into the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). Then COVID hit. He lost his jobs and found himself homeless again. At the start of 2020, Jake was accepted into the MBBS. While my hard work and focus had paid off, and I should have been excited, I didn’t have a home. There was no way I was going to be able to enrol and keep up with the requirements of the MBBS without a place to live. In desperation I approached the University again. They helped me with accommodation, money to buy pots and pans and a voucher for Food Bank. It meant I could cook for myself, focus on my studies and have a place to live – a home. With so many students experiencing financial stress each year, we need the help of our community today. Your gift, no matter how big or small, will directly support our students in their time of need.

To support students in crisis please visit ua.edu.au/give/sef or phone +61 8 8313 5800 and make your gift today.

ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2020