Impact 2022

PHILANTHROPY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA

We acknowledge the Palawa/Pakana of lutruwita/Tasmania and Gadigal people of Sydney, the traditional owners of the land upon which we live and work. We pay respects to Elders past and present as the knowledge holders and sharers. We honour their strong culture and knowledges as vital to the self-determination, wellbeing and resilience of their communities. We stand for a future that profoundly respects and acknowledges Aboriginal perspectives, culture, language and history. ■

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From the Vice-Chancellor

The world faces some strong headwinds at the moment, and it seems we are moving into a whole new era characterised by climate change, biodiversity loss, growing inequality, rapidly rising costs of living and geopolitical conflict.

It is also characterised by people mobilising to address these challenges, and there are many hopeful signs of progress towards creating a zero carbon and circular economy, and a more biodiverse and inclusive world.

Addressing these challenges, and making a real difference to Tasmania – and the lives of Tasmanians – is the core mission of this University.

It is what drives our research, our teaching and our student experience, and we are very grateful to all who support this mission through their generosity. As you will read in this magazine, your philanthropy makes a real difference, here on the island and beyond.

Looking across these stories, I am struck also by the persistent themes of excellence and accessibility. These two go hand-in-hand, as innovation and enduring positive change relies on the contribution of diverse experiences, skills and knowledge. No community can afford to turn away from calling upon and supporting this richness. Likewise, no one should miss out on making a contribution simply because they can’t afford to.

Those who are supporting access scholarships are making a profound difference here. Your generosity enables us to welcome and graduate many students each year who are the first in their families to attend university – and even, in some cases, to finish school.

I have been fortunate in the past 12 months to meet on campus with some of the University’s scholarship recipients. Many have broken an educational ceiling in their communities and even a taboo against higher learning.

I am as proud of each one of these students as I am of our internationally recognised researchers. Your giving changes lives and ensures our world-class research continues to thrive. Gift by gift, your philanthropy is helping to transform our State.

Thank you for your support of our University, our students and our work.

Professor Rufus Black Vice-Chancellor

We value your support

I am delighted to share with you Impact magazine, a reflection of the positive difference philanthropy has made at the University of Tasmania over the last calendar year.

Every year, I am inspired by the stories of the life-changing impact of scholarships, especially those which enable students who are experiencing barriers to education to attend and excel at university. There are many students who have benefited in this way. One who stood out to me this year is Science and Engineering student Brianna Fenton, who I met at a donor event where she generously shared her story. Brianna is the carer for her mother and young siblings following a family tragedy, yet has successfully completed her combined degree thanks to assistance from the Judith McKernan Scholarship in Science. She has recently started working in a graduate position at Hydro Tasmania.

We also celebrate the very real difference that philanthropy is making to research at the University, from helping answer priority scientific questions that will help save the Tasmanian devil, to restoring our marine environment.

Through tackling these significant issues facing our island home, our researchers are making contributions to profound research challenges worldwide, from cancer research to environmental rehabilitation.

We were humbled that this year the number of donors choosing to make a philanthropic gift was the highest to date, and we appreciate the positive feedback from donors about our prudent and respectful management of these funds.

The possibilities are endless when people with a keen interest in supporting others to achieve great outcomes are connected with those with a passion, talent and commitment for making change. The legacy of these impacts can be longlasting, changing not only the lives of individuals but making a difference from Tasmania to the world. We appreciate your contribution to making this difference.

Thank you.

Rebecca Cuthill Director, Advancement on behalf of the University philanthropy team

The benefits of thinking big

Extending 8000 km from New South Wales to Western Australia and including seas south of Tasmania, the Great Southern Reef is home to many remarkable species found nowhere else. Philanthropy is supporting research to better understand and protect this natural wonder, including funding the restoration of iconic giant kelp forests.

The Great Southern Reef rivals the Great Barrier Reef for beauty, biodiversity, and the fisheries it supports. Yet it is relatively little known and significantly underfunded, despite being located in a climate change hot spot.

University of Tasmania marine ecologist Dr Scott Bennett from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) says the Great Southern Reef receives less than 1 per cent of the funding of its northern cousin. Two separate philanthropic grants are helping bridge this funding gap to better understand and care for the Great Southern Reef, including bringing back giant kelp forests.

“The philanthropic support we’ve had from the Sea Forest Foundation and now The Ian Potter Foundation is really allowing us to scale-up conservation efforts as well as our understanding of the marine environment,” Dr Bennett said.

“Through positive interventionist approaches we are tackling some of the great challenges we face.”

Great Southern Reef receives $2 million lifeline from The Ian Potter Foundation

The leafy seadragon, with its bulbous leafy appendages and bright colours, is just one of the miraculous sea creatures of the Great Southern Reef. Others include the blue groper and black cowry.

Indeed, for over two-thirds of marine species found on the Great Southern Reef, this is their only home – but with the waters off south-east Australia heating more quickly than elsewhere due to climate change, this precious ecosystem is under threat. Recognising the urgent need, The Ian Potter Foundation has stepped in with a $2 million grant for a project to protect the reef’s unique marine life.

As the largest research group investigating the Great Southern Reef, the IMAS Coastal Ecosystem Team has coordinated an ambitious plan to bring together all the research and existing collaborations across Australia’s universities and management authorities into a single collaborative project.

The project will gather knowledge and often overlapping data, coordinate research activities, and have a strong focus on communicating the science.

“Our vision is to create a shared understanding of the threats and management options needed to protect and restore the reef’s temperate marine life, and we are exceptionally grateful for The Ian Potter Foundation’s support to make this vision a reality,” said IMAS marine ecologist Professor Graham Edgar, who will lead the initiative.

“Perhaps the greatest indication of this project’s importance is that, without exception, every group invited to collaborate on this project quickly agreed,” he said.

“They know first-hand the scale of the problems affecting the Great Southern Reef, and saw the project’s critical role in protecting this essential environment for our children.”

▶ Giant kelp - Macrocystis pyrifera | Image: Oi Studios

◀ Leafy seadragon | Image: Matt Testoni

IMAS researcher Associate Professor Neville Barrett adds that over the last 30 years across the Great Southern Reef, we’ve lost more than 50 per cent of the population of many types of invertebrates, from sea stars to sea urchins and molluscs.

“It’s imperative that we learn more about this decline,” he said. “We have to start to work out why it’s occurring.”

University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said the University of Tasmania was proud to be part of bringing the Great Southern Reef into focus.

“Ambitious projects like this can achieve more than any single organisation working alone, and we sincerely thank The Ian Potter Foundation for this significant philanthropic grant to support this important initiative,” Professor Black said.

Sea Forest funds restoration of endangered giant kelp forests in Tasmania

The first forest-scale restoration of giant kelp in the Southern Hemisphere is underway with thanks to philanthropic support from the Sea Forest Foundation.

In October 2022, baby giant kelp was planted across 7000 square metres of reef on south-east Tasmania’s Tasman Peninsula.

If successful, the unique restoration project will create an area resembling a natural giant kelp forest. It’s the result of over four years of dedicated research by IMAS marine ecologists to investigate various methods and aspects of re-planting giant kelp.

IMAS researcher Dr Cayne Layton says the new project is making restoring larger areas of Tasmania’s giant kelp forests a reality.

“Our early efforts at IMAS built a really strong foundation for kelp restoration work. This project brings all that knowledge together and is moving our work to an exciting new phase,” he said.

Giant kelp forests have declined by over 95 per cent in Tasmania since the 1970s, driven by climate change and a strengthening East Australian Current that is driving warm, nutrient-poor water further south.

Giant kelp losses impact biodiversity, reef productivity and industries such as tourism and fisheries.

Dr Scott Bennett says, “The Sea Forest support has directly enabled researchers to scale up and think big in terms of forest-scale restoration of giant kelp for the first time.”

“Their drive to see these outcomes has really spurred us on and accelerated our thinking and our work.

“Thinking big about ways to take on these great challenges changes your mindset. Sea Forest have been quite instrumental in moving the field forward.”

Dr Bennett is overseeing the project and the field work around it, prepping the sites and planting the kelp babies as well as tracking the success.

“For that we really need to compare the replanted forests with the function of natural giant kelp forest,” he said.

The rapid growth rates of giant kelp has accelerated interest in kelp forest restoration.

“Giant kelp forests are an exciting habitat for restoration,” said IMAS researcher, Dr Scott Ling.

“Unlike forests on land, which can take decades or centuries to restore, giant kelp grows so fast that we can potentially regrow a forest in a year.”

Scholarships securing the future of the Tasmanian devil

“We’ll have an impact. Not tomorrow, but in 5 or 10 years. So we’re looking at the big picture and at the future.” Dr Rodrigo Hamede, Tasmanian devil scientist, University of Tasmania

This is Brandy, a handsome Tasmanian devil aptly named by Tamar Valley vineyard owner Tim High during a research trip in November 2022.

Tim and his wife, Sheena, support two scholarships for graduate students working in priority study areas for the Tasmanian devil. It means they get to experience vital research first-hand.

Tim joined University of Tasmania researcher Dr Rodrigo Hamede and PhD student Tengyi Mai on the November field trip at Freycinet. Three Tasmanian devils were caught and released that day as part of the research – two girls and Brandy, a male.

The High Family Scholarships in Tasmanian Devil Research address key objectives including: vaccines and immunotherapy for devil facial tumour diseases, identifying and mitigating human threats to devil populations, identifying factors that limit the intermixing of devils across

Tasmania, determining the distribution and impact of Devil Facial Tumour Disease 2 (DFT2), and assessing the benefits of releasing healthy devils into the wild.

Tim studied zoology and worked as a dairy scientist in the UK, while Sheena holds degrees in biology and viticulture. The couple fell in love with and moved to Tasmania after Tim visited for work. They became interested in Tasmanian devils after seeing the population decline on their vineyard in the Tamar Valley.

“We moved (to Tasmania) in the 90s and used to see devils on the farm, but it has been many years since we’ve seen a devil our way,” Tim said.

“They are such an iconic part of Tasmania. Everyone knows of Tasmanian devils, but the cartoon version, and I felt if we could do something towards their protection, we should.”

Tim says he and Sheena had been following the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program for several years and decided they would like to make a donation to support two PhD researchers to do important research over and above what existing grants allowed.

“We wanted to stretch the current research … we’re absolutely delighted that we now have two students working on developing edible baits to deliver devil facial tumour disease vaccines and computer modelling to improve future management.

“We’re very happy with how the students have integrated into existing programs and how they have extended the existing research that is so critical to understanding and hopefully finding a way forward with dealing with the disease.”

Sheena agrees and says that while it is unrealistic to think an absolute cure for the facial tumour diseases will be found, she is encouraged by results to date.

“The devils themselves seem to be extraordinarily resilient in building partial immunity and have even brought forward the time they can fall pregnant,” she said.

“The females breed earlier which means that even though the devils might catch the disease at two years of age, they may have already had one or two litters by that stage, keeping their population going.

“They are also likely building up their own immunity, so if we can add on top of that some vaccine immunity, that would be a great outcome.”

Dr Rodrigo Hamede, who has been studying Tasmanian devils for eighteen years, having done both his honours and PhD at the University of Tasmania, says the research is unique worldwide and will help guide conservation strategies.

“This is one of the best studies of emerging infectious diseases in the world,” he said.

“It’s a very important study system to understand how mechanisms against cancer emerge and evolve in nature.

“We’ve witnessed the evolutionary processes of Tasmanian devils with facial tumours systematically, and now we have

the opportunity to consolidate a lot of that information –a huge data set.

“So this new project will consolidate years and years of research and try to build epidemiological models to predict transmission dynamics and population impacts in the future.

“And that’s going to help, of course, in developing the conservation strategies we need now.”

The second scholarship recipient who commenced in 2022 was Sally Ann Nofs, who is being supervised by lead vaccine researcher Dr Andrew Flies.

Tim says that he and Sheena have hosted many visitors from the UK who all fell in love with Tasmania.

“If we can contribute to shining a light on the brilliance of Tasmania and what it offers, including its flora and fauna, then that is a good thing,” he said.

“As long as we keep growing the devil population then the greater the chance of the devils being able to survive this.”

▶ Brandy the Tasmanian devil | Image: Oi Studios

▲ Tengyi Mai (PhD student) with Dr Rodrigo Hamede and Tim High I Image: Oi Studios

Lecture series inspires thought

What will climate change mean for our children?

It’s a daunting question, but one that many parents, grandparents and carers are increasingly wondering—educators, too.

Thanks to the support of a generous philanthropist, Pam McDougall, this complex conversation has begun.

The inaugural Pam McDougall Lecture, the first in a series of public lectures on early childhood education, provided thought-provoking insights into the complex issue of climate change and early years education.

Delivered by Education Professor Iris Duhn, the University of Tasmania’s lead for the Early Years Living Lab, the lecture explores a child and place based approach to climate education in the early years.

Professor Duhn from the Faculty of Education in the College of Arts, Law and Education said research indicates that even very young children can understand climate events, which has the potential to create anxiety and fear.

The University’s new Early Years Living Lab aims to develop a new model for climate change education and help children build a foundation for climate change resilience and agency.

Professor Duhn said Pam’s generous support had provided an invaluable opportunity for research and engagement on a topic of the utmost importance not just for our children, but for our species.

Pam’s interest in supporting research and engagement in early childhood education sprang from her own career as an educator.

In the 1950s, early childhood education for the pre-school years was not available in Tasmania, so Pam travelled to Victoria to complete her studies, before returning to the island to start her career.

Pam believes early childhood education is crucial to building the foundations for a child’s health and wellbeing.

“Children need a well-planned environment with teacher support as they learn about the world and their place in it,” Pam said.

She notes that Professor Duhn gave an example in her lecture of children experiencing the same disaster in very different ways.

“In such situations, the early childhood teacher plays an important role by providing for young students with diverse understandings.”

Pam’s generous gift will support the University’s mission to increase educational attainment in Tasmania. One of the ways this can be achieved is by focusing on enhancing and evolving early childhood education.

“I hope that my gift will encourage others to consider supporting research into early childhood education,” Pam said.

The McDougall family have made their own significant contribution to education over many years through their strong connection with the University of Tasmania stretching back more than a century.

Pam’s husband, the late Emeritus Professor Ian McDougall, graduated in 1956 with honours in Geology and Chemistry. It formed the bedrock of his distinguished career, which included becoming Professor of Research at the School of Earth Sciences in 1991. He was appointed Emeritus Professor in 2001.

His grandfather, Emeritus Professor Dugald Gordon McDougall, was appointed as the Professor of Law and Modern History at the University of Tasmania in 1901.

For more than three decades Professor DG McDougall was Tasmania’s only full-time law academic, training many of the State’s lawyers, barristers, judges and magistrates.

Professor Ian McDougall’s uncle Archibald also studied a Bachelor of Arts at the University and he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship.

Professor Ian McDougall may not have followed in the family footsteps by studying law, but instead opted for a stellar career in the sciences.

He spent most of his career at Australia National University (ANU) focused on radiometric dating of rocks using the natural processes, establishing centres of excellence and dating fossil material from central Africa.

The apogee of his career was being awarded a Doctor of Science (DSc), the highest academic honour from the University of Glasgow in 2009.

When he died, Pam honoured his memory, career and passion for geology by establishing the Ian McDougall Memorial Scholarship in Geology.

Four generations of McDougalls have studied at the University of Tasmania strengthening the family’s academic lineage and making contributions to professions ranging from: education, business, music, medicine, nursing, law and science.

Professor Duhn thanked Pam for supporting early childhood education research, which the Early Years Living Lab was at the forefront of investigating.

Its innovative approach will involve strengthening children’s sense of belonging to place and to the planet, and working with children to shape their own futures.

The lab will explore the possibilities for young children to learn to live with climate change in creative and adaptive ways.

◀ Professor Iris Dunn | Image: Oi Studios

A helping hand

How innovative fundraising is assisting one of our rarest fish.

Meet the red handfish – Albie, Ariel, Benni, Hector and Hippocrates. The list goes on. Each has been sponsored by members of the public keen to help the critically endangered species. Albie was named by Albuera Street Primary School students, Ariel by the dive club Tasmanian Mermaids.

It’s difficult to look through the photos of the named fish on the handfish.org.au/meet-the-fish website and not form an attachment. Especially when you learn that there are just 100 red handfish left on the planet.

“They are literally the last remaining, but every dollar raised goes straight back into monitoring, raising awareness, and working towards protecting them,” said University of Tasmania Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) researcher Dr Jemina Stuart-Smith.

Scientists like Jemina are following individual handfish observed in the wild, and reporting on re-sightings over time.

“We use unique markings to tell individuals apart – track movement and changes in size, as well as a whole suite of information that will give insight into their ecology and biology,” she said.

The Name a Handfish fundraising initiative of the Handfish Conservation Project raises $1000 per red handfish, supporting the species, which is threatened by habitat loss.

“It’s been really well received; we’ve now got over 40 fish that have been sponsored, the majority by local Tasmanians,” Jemina said.

“The funding has been used for ongoing monitoring of the wild populations; removal of sea urchins, which are one of the causes of the barrens that are impacting handfish habitat; and, in combination with other funding, we’ve started some seaweed translocation trials to our barren areas to try and recover the habitat there,” she said.

Jemina adds philanthropy has also helped scientists build a successful captive population to try to secure the species’ future.

“We’ve now got eight adults in captivity. We have about 90 ‘teenagers’ … and a clutch of newborn babies that are less than half a centimetre long.

“They are adorable,” Jemina said. “Everyone gets surprised that the babies hatch out looking exactly like the adults.

“We feel the responsibility heavily,” Jemina said, adding that just ten years ago, local divers noticed huge declines and feared the worst.

“I remember going out to do those surveys and saying, 'Okay, so who’s doing something about this?' And it was like, 'Oh, well, nobody is. There’s no funding.'

“We’re now expanding into a new room at IMAS. We’ve got water running through all the tanks for the first time, which gives us more space, and greater temperature and light control. But it also allows us to set up some bigger tanks as habitat classrooms, so the young fish will get to experience and learn some of those life skills that they’ll need in the wild.”

▲ Red handfish in the wild | Image: J. Stuart-Smith

Foundation USA

High-flying alumnus Mark Habner (BCom, LLB 1992) has an office in the heart of New York City, surrounded by some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, from the Empire State Building to Times Square and Central Park.

It seems worlds apart from the small, pristine and laid-back island of Tasmania where the Chief Executive of private equity investment firm Beckway studied.

Despite the differences and the vast distance, the bond between Mark and the University of Tasmania is stronger than ever. One of the ways he fosters this deep connection is through his role as the University of Tasmania Foundation USA Chair. Established in 2006, the charitable organisation is a vital and valued link in our global community.

It promotes research and education opportunities between the USA and Australia with a distinct focus on the University of Tasmania.

This includes: supporting international exchange, organising events, and facilitating connections between former and current students, staff and friends of the University.

Over many years, the Foundation has also provided the means by which generous and significant philanthropic support to a range of the University’s people and projects may be managed. Whether it’s investigating how the ocean can help us combat climate change, or ensuring every child has access to high-quality language education, the Foundation’s giving has a global impact.

But for Mark and many other members of the Foundation, their philanthropic roots stem from their own early educational experience in Tasmania.

“The University had a very meaningful impact on my life,” Mark said.

“It helped me broaden my skills, develop as a person and provided the pathway to new opportunities.

“The University is also very important to Tasmania, which is an island and community that l care very deeply about. As such, supporting its research and education missions becomes very important and personal.”

Mark said the Foundation was very grateful to be associated with helping to auspice two recent research projects which demonstrate the University’s care for its students, community and our environment.

Thanks to the support of the Silicon Valley Community fund, Dr Lennart Bach, ARC Future Fellow for Climate Intervention at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, is testing the Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement hypothesis.

It proposes removing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by pulverizing large amounts of specific rock minerals and spreading them onto the oceans, to enhance the CO2 storage capacity of seawater (known as alkalinity).

A generous gift from the Spencer Foundation will also help improve equity in the provision of additional languages to primary school aged children.

The University’s Dr Mairin Hennebry-Leung is conducting a study to understand the challenges that impact on novice teachers’ motivation to teach languages in primary school.

“A shortage of teachers means languages are often taught by teachers ill-equipped for the task,” the Senior Lecturer in Languages and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) said.

“This phenomenon threatens their sense of competence and their motivation, in turn impacting on the quality of teaching and on student outcomes.

“The support from the Spencer Foundation is crucial in ensuring that research is driven by the needs of society and a concern for providing children with opportunities that prepare them for the realities that await,” Dr Hennebry-Leung said.

▶ Mark Habner, Chair University of Tasmania Foundation USA Image supplied

The impact of your generosity

With your generosity, we have achieved outstanding outcomes over the last year.

Your support has changed the lives of students who would otherwise not be able to attend university, while celebrating success through scholarships, prizes and fellowships. It has also underpinned the research we need to tackle pressing concerns, from medical research to environmental restoration and beyond. Thank you.

3,703 Total donors

$106M Philanthropic funds under management across the University

698 New and continuing students supported by philanthropic scholarships, prizes and fellowships

$10.5M Total donations

$1.36M Received from bequests

42% Percentage of total donations supporting transformational research

The transformative power of education

Research conducted by the University’s Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment on post-school pathway intentions shows that when deciding about going to university, affordability is of importance for 64 per cent of Tasmanian students.1

Surveys of students who receive a university offer but don’t enrol have revealed that one in five are not enrolling due to financial issues.

The costs that are barriers are living expenses while studying, accommodation, transport, textbooks and other materials. These costs can be greater for students from regional and remote areas, who face the additional challenge of their distance from campus and relocation.

The fact that higher education is out of reach for many Tasmanians has wide-reaching effects. Over the last 20 years, nearly half of all new jobs in Australia required a bachelor degree or above. This trend is set to continue as technology changes how we live and work, with most jobs calling for some form of post-school education.

Yet only 21 per cent of people living in Hobart have a university degree – and when it comes to most areas outside of Hobart, this drops to below 10 per cent.

Given the importance of education for transforming lives, the University of Tasmania is committed to dramatically improving these figures and creating the futures that all Tasmanians need. It is systematically looking for ways to remove barriers. These include building new pathways for students to attend university and a renewal of the scholarship program.

Almost 700 new and continuing students have been supported by philanthropic scholarships, prizes and fellowships at the University in the last year. Scholarships provide a direct way of assisting capable students who may be experiencing financial, geographical and/or social barriers to have the opportunity to attend university. They also build lasting relationships between donors and students, and a legacy of ongoing impact as these students contribute to making our island, and the world, a better place. Thank you for helping us to deliver on our mission to make a difference for lutruwita/Tasmania by delivering excellent education.

1 Understanding Tasmanian School Students’ Post-School Pathway Intentions, Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment, May 2022

▲ Dr Rodrigo Hamede and PhD student Tengyi Mai setting devil traps at Freycinet | Image: Oi Studios

Family business gives back to architecture students

From humble beginnings as a retailer of wholesale and domestic goods, Launceston family business Robert Fergusson grew to a state-wide enterprise employing more than one hundred people. Throughout its 70-year operation, the business has always had community at its heart.

Started by Robert Frederick Fergusson, whose career as an architect was interrupted by the Great Depression, the business was expanded by son Robert Guy Fergusson to supply the home building and renovation market across Tasmania.

Trustee and daughter of Robert Fergusson Senior, Margot Smart OAM said, “After we sold the enterprise in 2008 – all the stakeholders were family – we decided that the business had prospered because of the community and that we would like to give a share of those proceeds back into that community.”

So was born the Robert Fergusson Family Foundation Scholarship in Architecture and Design, which has now assisted a dozen students for over a decade.

The Fergusson family has a longstanding interest in architecture. Robert Fergusson Senior’s grandfather, Robert Huckson, was an architect surveyor, responsible for many public buildings and structures in Victoria and Tasmania in the 1800s. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Robert Fergusson Senior and his son took pleasure in designing and planning both commercial and domestic premises. For these reasons, Margot explains, a scholarship in the School of Architecture was fitting.

Available to Tasmanian students commencing a Bachelor of Architecture and Built Environments, the scholarship seeks an applicant with academic ability, an interest in design and an awareness of sustainability and heritage, who would benefit from the increased opportunity the financial assistance would offer. Margot says that the family feel very fortunate and privileged to be a part of the students’ journeys. “It’s wonderfully rewarding, it really is. It’s a joy,” she said. “We keep in touch with the recipients. It’s a delight to go along to their graduations and cheer them on, wishing them well for the future.

“Some scholarship recipients have gone on to have careers interstate or overseas – it has been wonderful to see the way they grow in confidence.”

Margot says the scholarship is about the students and not the family, or the past. “It’s the present that’s important,” she said. “I think it’s important that everybody has this chance for further study.”

2022 scholarship recipient Marshall Clarkson is an example of someone whose life has been changed by the generosity of the Fergusson family. He says moving from Flinders Island to Launceston for his senior years of high school had its challenges, but that he recognised the move was necessary to pursue more opportunities and learning experiences.

“It was a big difference moving from a place where there isn’t a single roundabout or traffic light to what I think of as a big city,” Marshall said.

He said the scholarship has helped immensely: “It has allowed me to not work as much and to focus on my studies and developing skills and techniques in architecture.

“A lot of the course is computer based using 3D modelling software, and then there is theory and practical hand-made models – all have up-front costs associated with them, plus the time required to learn the necessary techniques.”

He said the scholarship helped him to purchase the required software and meet other course-related costs, as well as assisting with living expenses.

Marshall says he has always been interested in construction and building. He performed well in his ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank), scoring in the top four per cent of students nationwide, and was interested in pursuing a tertiary pathway.

“I like seeing things being built and am interested in the use of sustainable products, such as timber, as well as energyefficient houses,” he said.

It’s clear this is just the beginning for Marshall, who is fascinated with architecture in North America and adds, “Flinders will always be my home, but the world is a big place.”

▶ Marshall Clarkson | Image: Oi Studios

▲ Brianna Fenton | Image: Oi Studios

Scholarship supports student carer to excel

Education has been a central pillar in Judith McKernan’s life. Now, she is making sure others have the same opportunity.

When University of Tasmania alumna Judith McKernan (BSc 1962) returned to university as a mature-aged student in Sydney, she was struck by a realisation: many students were struggling to make ends meet. She noticed the same when her children went to university.

“I could see that there were young people who were struggling, not through a lack of ability but the wherewithal to keep themselves fed, or to pay for somewhere to stay, or to buy a computer, or have access to one.”

Judith, a fourth generation Tasmanian, had been giving to the University for some time before she began donating specifically to scholarships, which fitted well with her hope to make a difference and improve access to higher education.

“I was privileged. I went through university on a scholarship,” she said.

“When you think that a small amount from me can help these students with living expenses and the equipment they need, it’s a great thing to do.”

Judith’s father’s family owned The Mercury newspaper, and her father was an electrical engineer looking after a number of large firms that ran big machinery.

“He had ideas that I might go to Oxford,” Judith said, adding that he encouraged her in the sciences. But Judith chose to remain in Hobart, where she studied science at the University of Tasmania. She then went on to do her master’s and two degrees in maths in Sydney.

“I was lucky. Others aren’t, but I can help some of these young people to get a degree so they can get a good job when they finish,” she said.

Since 2019, she has been supporting College of Science and Engineering student Brianna Fenton through the Judith McKernan Scholarship in Science. Brianna has been dealing with significant challenges while at university following a family tragedy.

Seven years ago, Brianna’s mother had a serious car accident that left her with an acquired brain injury. Brianna became the carer for her mother and took on a parenting role for her younger siblings.

Brianna says the scholarship helped her with study expenses and to take on less part-time work.

“During the first couple of years of my degree, the scholarship helped me purchase all the study materials I needed –the laptop was the main thing, which really helped when university went online during COVID,” she said.

“I was able to get a desk and a good chair, to set up my study space. In the following years, the scholarship helped with my living expenses, so I was able to stop working as much. I saw a major improvement in my grades. I was much happier and less stressed.”

Judith says she is very proud of Brianna, adding, “She has obviously had a few hurdles in her time at university, something which I didn’t have … I am glad that the times have changed and females are allowed in the Engineering School!”

When Judith attended high school in Hobart, she had to travel to The Hutchins School to study the science subjects she wanted to pursue, a topic she has discussed with Brianna.

“I really enjoyed my degree,” Brianna said. “It was different to what I expected. I grew up in rural areas and was not aware of the domination of men in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) … It was interesting talking with Judith about this and how it was back when she was at school and university – it was even more divided then.”

Judith says she congratulates Brianna on graduating and wishes her well in the new phase of her journey.

“I hope that she will enjoy putting what she has learnt into practice,” she said. “Times have changed, but there are still problems for females in a male-dominated world – I was horrified when my then 15-year-old daughter told me that a lot of girls in her year said, ‘I am not doing maths because my mother didn’t do it, so why should I?’.

“I am very proud of being part of Brianna’s journey in the science/engineering world. I’m glad it has helped her. She has done so well. I’ve been pleased to be taking some of the pressure off the day-to-day side of the equation. When you’re trying to look after someone as well as doing a degree – it’s not easy.”

Brianna is now working at Hydro Tasmania for the next three years, testing out different areas of work to help her decide on her career focus. And, like Judith, continued education is not off the agenda.

“I’m not opposed to doing more study in future,” she said.

With scholarship support, the sky is the limit

Neve Clippingdale was only two years old when she first saw a jellyfish dance.

Eyes pressed against the glass, the toddler from the NorthWest Coast of Tasmania was mesmerised by the strange pulsating blob inside the aquarium.

A curiosity about the natural world has been a constant in Neve’s life, whether she is bushwalking, scuba diving, reading, or adding shells and rocks to her extensive collections.

“For a while I even had a bug collection, much to the horror of my mum who was constantly finding bugs in her freezer,” Neve recalls.

“Since that trip to the aquarium, I have read many books on marine life, watched documentaries, been snorkelling, scuba diving, and in high school I took every science class possible.

“When I was accepted into a Bachelor of Marine and Antarctic Science at the University of Tasmania, I cried I was so happy.” There was only one potential problem – Neve lived in Westbury, a small town in northern Tasmania, which is more than 200km away from the Hobart campus.

Fortunately, a friend told her about The George Alexander Foundation (GAF) Scholarships.

For the past decade, more than 50 University of Tasmania students, who had to move home to start their tertiary education, have received life-changing financial support through the prestigious scholarship program.

The independent philanthropic organisation founded by the late George Alexander AM 50 years ago has supported more than 1,000 Australian students, recognising their academic excellence, leadership and commitment to community.

“George Alexander’s early life experiences of hardship and a lack of education, then, later in life, the support of a scholarship, meant he was very conscious of the barriers to pursuing educational opportunities and the benefits scholarships can bring to life,” The Honourable Susan Crennan AC KC, Governor of The George Alexander Foundation said.

“As a result, he was motivated to help others access opportunities to succeed.”

Neve was delighted to become a GAF scholar in 2022.

“I really love that George Alexander used his wealth to break down barriers for others, so they could access further education to one day serve the community,” Neve said.

For as long as Neve can remember, she has given up her time to play music, support older people and help children learn to read.

The scholarship is enabling her to stay at residential college, Jane Franklin Hall in Hobart, which has given her stability and social support.

“I absolutely love Jane and have made some wonderful friends there,” Neve said.

“This scholarship has also allowed me to be more financially independent and has reduced the burden on my parents, and I am so thankful that GAF decided I was worth supporting and that I had the potential to be one of their scholars!”

Neve is in the second year of her degree and she’s still fascinated by jellyfish, but is developing a passion for benthic ecology (the study of marine life on the seafloor).

Fellow GAF scholar, Murphy Knowles also has a clear view of what is on his horizon, thanks to the support of the Foundation.

The University of Tasmania Paramedicine student has his sights set on a career as a Flight Paramedic, performing advanced medical treatments thousands of metres high in the sky.

“It’s an exciting time to enter the profession, with the standard of paramedical skills and knowledge growing exponentially to meet evolving health demands,” Murphy said.

Murphy is driven by an interest in people and their stories and a desire to provide timely care to those in need.

Whether it’s studying tiny creatures on the seafloor, or learning to save lives in the sky, meet two Tasmanians intent on shaping the world beneath, above, and all around us.

He’s already made waves for all the right reasons in his hometown on Tasmania’s North-West Coast, serving in the Ulverstone Surf Life Saving Club for more than 15 years. It was here that he discovered his innate ability to remain calm, think clearly and act quickly in stressful situations –skills that will serve him well in the emergency services. When he’s not patrolling beaches, Murphy is responding to emergency call-outs as a member of the Ulverstone Emergency Response team, or supporting the Lifesaving Advisory Committee.

Murphy plans to practice Paramedicine in rural and remote areas and continue to contribute to public safety in his community.

This is where the scholarship has been of most assistance to him.

“It has enabled me to continue volunteering in a substantial capacity, without diverting attention from my important studies,” Murphy said.

“I am extremely grateful for the Foundation’s support.”

▲ George Alexander Foundation Scholarship students (L-R): Jay Saward, Bianca Jones, Neve Chippingdale, Catherine Bean, Oliver Bailey | Image: Oi Studios

Island of dreams

US-born Thomas Crawford spent only three of his 59 years in Tasmania but told friends that those three years studying at university were his happiest days. Indeed he dubbed Tasmania his “island of dreams”.

A central theme in Thomas’s life was a belief in the lasting value of a good education, so supporting other students to have the same opportunity that he did was a fitting focus of his generous bequest.

Thomas studied a Bachelor of Arts majoring in history in the sixties, but his interests were diverse. He was not prescriptive about what courses recipients of the scholarship in his name should pursue. The long-running scholarship has evolved over the years from a memorial scholarship assisting overseas students to study in Tasmania to one that is now also open to students from Tasmania and interstate. But the central wish remains the same, to support high-achieving school leavers further their education.

Current recipient Olive Anderson, who is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Science and Engineering combined degree, is a shining example of someone for whom the scholarship has provided a springboard to further opportunity.

Olive was born in Tasmania, but her parents moved interstate during her schooling. Wishing to return for her university studies “because Tasmania is such a lovely place”, Olive applied for the scholarship, which she was awarded prior to commencing the first year of her combined degree. The scholarship assisted her to rent share housing and to focus on her studies without the demands of part-time work.

“I got High Distinctions across the board in my first year, which there is no way I would have got had I worked as well,” Olive said.

“Those grades also flowed into other opportunities, like attending conferences relating to the power industry. The scholarship has been a launching pad for everything else.”

Olive has an internship with Hydro Tasmania and last summer completed an internship at TasNetworks investigating the reliability of power systems in the north-west of Tasmania.

“I’m able to integrate my two degrees. The niche of engineering and statistics is hugely important in effectively managing power assets, which at the end of the day helps keep the lights on and the costs down,” she said.

“It’s pretty exciting change that is happening in the industry with the move towards renewables. It’s cool to be part of global-scale change.

“Big decisions are needing to be made about choosing the right technologies and managing them. Working anywhere in that space is exciting.”

Given her excellent grades, the University offered Olive the opportunity to add a fee-paid Bachelor of Philosophy to her power engineering and statistics undergraduate studies.

“So I can do learning for the sake of learning,” Olive, who is also an Australian Football Field Umpire, said.

Olive is currently focusing on developing her leadership and networking skills through the Australian Power Institute’s Early Career Leadership Program.

It is likely that Thomas Crawford, who kept a current Tasmanian driver licence until his death in 1996, would have approved of Olive’s thirst for knowledge as well as her decision to move back to Tasmania, which was something he had always hoped to do.

Leaving a gift in your Will is a powerful and lasting statement of your life, passion and values. Your generosity can make a vital impact for future generations. To find out more or for contact details please visit utas.edu.au/bequest

Our Bequest Society recognises donors who have confirmed their intention to leave a bequest to the University of Tasmania in their Will.

Long-term support for education offered through generous bequest.

▲ Olive Anderson enjoying the Thomas Crawford Trail. As well as supporting students to further their studies, Thomas Crawford is memorialised in an enduring physical legacy: a 200-metre-long pathway in Sandy Bay through the Tasmanian environment he so enjoyed. Preserved are many threatened species and biological communities. | Image: Oi Studios

Charitable trust makes enduring impact

How one woman’s dual wish to support critical research to combat multiple sclerosis, as well as enabling more Tasmanians to further their education, is leaving a powerful legacy.

“Sometimes donor funding, like the support we are receiving from Irene’s trust, is the only thing that keeps a project going, other times it allows us to take the next critical step in developing or testing a treatment faster.”

As much as Irene’s legacy has a global impact, it also has a local focus. Scholarships bearing her name are transforming the lives of Tasmanians by allowing them to further their

This is particularly poignant, as higher education was not possible for Irene.

She attended Beaconsfield Primary School and Riverside High School, but her rebellious and independent streak saw her leave formal education at age 15.

However, these same characteristics stood her in good stead to make her own way in the world. Irene became one of the first female managers of clothing store Just Jeans, before moving to London to travel and further her career. She soon returned to Melbourne to establish her own successful real estate company.

Despite her business acumen, Irene regretted not finishing high school, which is why educational attainment is central to the Irene Phelps Charitable Trust’s mission.

The Irene Phelps Memorial Scholarship has provided Bachelor of Education student Monique Schouten with invaluable

“When I applied for the scholarship I was experiencing financial hardship and I couldn’t fall back on my parents to help with the cost,” Monique recalls.

“When I found out I had received Irene’s scholarship there was a sense of reassurance that my dream could be achieved and I am so very thankful and honoured to receive it.

“Not only has it released some of the financial stress, knowing that Irene was thinking of future students, I feel that I have the ability to pass on her message and help students with their learning needs.”

Monique would like to work as a teacher in the West Tamar Community, as a way of giving back to the local community.

On the medical research front, Irene’s trust is providing vital support for a trial to examine the safety of magnetic brain stimulation in people with MS and its effectiveness in brain repair.

The TAURUS trial, led by Menzies Institute neurologist Professor Bruce Taylor, is based on Professor Young’s previous laboratory research, which discovered that magnetic brain stimulation (MBS) increased the number of new cells added to the adult mouse brain.

“The trial targets the repair of the central nervous system in MS via a process called remyelination,” Professor Young said.

“Currently, all drug treatments available for MS target and reduce the body’s immune system attack on the central nervous system.”

It’s hoped that a treatment capable of repairing and protecting the central nervous system may be able to reverse, or even stop the debilitating symptoms associated with MS.

The trial aims to determine if the potential treatment improves symptoms of fatigue, cognition, quality of life, sleep, anxiety, or depression in 108 Australians with MS.

The trust is funding the provision of a staff member to coordinate work at each of the phase two clinical trial sites.

“We are so thankful that the trust has been able to support us in this way,” Professor Young said.

Thanks to Irene’s vision, moves to establish a world-first biobank of 140 stem cell lines generated from people with the disease is being bolstered.

Professor Young said the team is collecting stem cells from people with and without MS.

“We will reprogram them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can be used to generate brain cells and immune cells, which are important in identifying the genetic causes of MS and developing treatments," she said.

◀ Irene Phelps | Image: Supplied ▲ Professor Kaylene Young | Image: Oi Studios

Staff giving from the heart

That’s all changing now, as an increasing number of year 12 students and adult learners from across Tasmania look to the University as the portal to the future.

Associate Professor Ashley Townsend, a leader at the University’s Central Science Laboratory (CSL), and a specialist in the field of elemental analysis, earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University in 1990 and, four years later, a PhD. He had an unorthodox start to his academic career, as the beneficiary of a pilot program in science, engineering and arts offered by the University on the North-West Coast in 1986.

Ashley gives regularly to student scholarships, out of what he calls “deep-rooted matters of person and heart.”

“At the core is gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunities I have received through a world-class education from ‘my’ University of Tasmania.

“I would never have imagined that it would be possible to forge my career journey from such simple country town beginnings.”

Burnie-born and raised, Ashley set off for university in the 1980s before scholarships really existed.

“It cost a lot back then to pack up and shift to Hobart to study,” he recalls.

“Work all summer, save up, and then make those dollars last the year. I was lucky to get vacation work to make ends meet. Similarly, students today typically work part-time jobs to support their learning journey. Others are supported by partners or families. But not everyone is so lucky – many come from challenging family, financial, or geographical situations. They just need a hand, and I feel that my giving towards student scholarship can help.”

Leanne Arnott, acting Director of Engagement in the Division of Future Students, went to Scottsdale High School, in northeast Tasmania, and recalls the challenges of leaving home at the age of 16 to move to Launceston for years 11 and 12. “I’m very grateful to my parents for their support, particularly as neither went beyond high school. When I enrolled at the University in a Bachelor of Commerce in marketing and human resources, I was the first in my family to go to university,” she said.

She sees her university education as the “catalyst that set me on the path of an amazing life, from the lifelong friendships I made during this time, to the professional opportunities over the course of my career”.

Much like Ashley, she is acutely aware of the gift of higher education, and passionate about giving in return. Her salary contributions help students from disadvantaged areas of the State.

“I have personally become connected with scholarship recipients and watched them thrive in a university environment, and then to see their brothers and sisters and the occasional parent also pursue higher education and do the same, it is such a privilege to be part of that story,” she said.

Leanne Arnott and Ashley Townsend, contributors to the University’s access scholarship program, were born and raised in regional communities where a university degree was considered, for much of the State’s history, a rare and exotic achievement.

▲ Alumni and staff members Leanne Arnott and Ashley Townsend | Image: Oi Studios

University Foundation Committee

We are grateful to the University Foundation Committee (UFC) members for volunteering their time and expertise in fulfilling their role in ensuring the prudent management of philanthropy at the University of Tasmania.

The mission of the UFC is to ensure that the University’s philanthropy practices and policies are consistent with its mission and goals, that trusts and funds provided through philanthropy are compliant with the wishes of donors and used for educational, research and other purposes of the University.

The Committee is comprised of 8-10 members, including the Vice-Chancellor or nominee and the Chief Operating Officer or nominee. The remainder are independent members.

Over the past 12 months the Committee has focused on a range of strategic initiatives and projects. They include overseeing the completion of the review of endowed funds directed to the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, endorsing the revised Gift Acceptance Procedure, and reviewing and approving the implementation of the pilot Southern Lights Scholarship Alumni Mentoring Program for new and continuing scholarship recipients to commence in March 2023. The UFC also ensures all funds under management are appropriately disbursed in accordance with donor intent.

During the course of 2022, two members of UFC concluded their term on the Committee and we thank both Yvonne Rundle and Peter Worrall for their exceptional contributions. Peter was noted for his stakeholder management and navigation of legal complexities that have resulted in successful allocation of major donations to the University. Yvonne has played a pivotal role in establishing a framework of trust, championing the University’s cause, steering the Committee towards a greater detail of reporting and helping to ensure the fundamentals of the Committee are well established.

The Committee also welcomed new member Edward Kemp in the first quarter of 2022. Ed is an alumnus of the University who brings outstanding passion, commitment and substantial experience in wealth management and investment in the ‘for purpose’ sectors. Alice Herbon was appointed in August holding the ex officio position for the Chief Operating Officer.

To contact the UFC, or find out more, please email: UFC@utas.edu.au

▲ Committee members (L-R): Edward Kemp, Alice Herbon, Professor Rufus Black, Rebecca Cuthill, Associate Professor Ashley Townsend. Absent: Dr Damian Bugg AM, Susan Gough, Dr David Warren | Image: Peter Allen

Thank you for your support of the University of Tasmania

We value your contributions and recognise donors’ generosity online in annual donor lists and giving membership categories at utas.edu.au/donors

For more information contact us: utas.edu.au/giving university.giving@utas.edu.au

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University of Tasmania

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