Summer 2013Part2

College Ball
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1 : The Ball about to start
2: Girls Ensemble (L–R) Rina Kimata, Sarah Peisley,
Samantha Raven, Jayshree Patel, Sara Catto,
Kaylin Hooper, Robin Sikes, Georgia Hay, Emma Hunt
3: Under the marquee
4: Champagne chilling in the ‘ice bucket’
5: Pre-ball drinks in the JCR
6: Pre-ball entertainment on the Front Lawn
7: Merredith Cully & Ryan Kirke
8: Under the marquee
College Ball 2013
FOR THE FIRST time in many years, the 2013 College Ball was held at the
College. The evening began with drinks in the JCR, before seeing a fire twirler
display on the Front Lawn. The students then moved to the marquee set up in
the Quad, where they were entertained by a variety of performers including stilt
walkers, a group from Dance UWA, the Girls Ensemble and the barbershop
group ‘The Newby Blues’. The Ball finished with the band ‘Tripad’ playing
from midnight til 1am in the laneway between the JCR and the kitchen. It was
a fantastic night and a testament to the hard work of a group of residents that
helped put the ball together – in particular Merredith Cully, Ryan Kirke and
Tristan Wheeler. Good luck to the organisers of next year’s Ball, this year’s
Ball will be a hard act to follow! G
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SUMMER 2013
College Ball
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SUMMER 2013
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NAAUC Conference
NAAUC
Conference 2013
EACH YEAR, the College and College
Club support four students to attend the
National NAAUC (National Association
of Australian University Colleges)
conference. The 2013 Conference theme
was “Motivate, Innovate, Integrate; it’s
up to MII!” and a range of leadership,
social and networking opportunities were
made available around these themes in
the week-long conference held at The
Women’s College and St Leo’s College
within the University of Queensland.
Our four delegates this year were
current College Club Secretary, Daniel
Ryan, second year resident Dominic
Hird and first year residents Emma
Hunt and Amelia Place. A range of
informative workshop and discussion
sessions were attended including College
in the Community, Effective Committee
Operation, Conflict Resolution, O Week,
Integration of All Residents, InterCollegiality and Traditions and Change.
The College was also represented by
College Club Treasurer, Emily Denholm,
who was part of the NAAUC Conference
Committee in her role of WA NAAUC
State Representative and as a presenter
on Event Planning and Management
at the conference.
With a guest speaker line up of
Professor Ian Fraser, Deborah Thomas,
Andy Gourley and our very own Akram
Azimi (2007), NAAUC once again did
not fail to put on a fantastic week for
college leaders around Australia. The
social events run at the conference this
year were also innovative and exciting
– ranging from a UV Paint Party,
Parliamentary Debating and an Amazing
Race around the City of Brisbane, to
name just a few. We hope to bring some
of these ideas back to St George’s to
implement in the new year and beyond.
We are thankful for being provided
with the opportunity to attend this
year’s NAAUC Conference, and eager
to contribute back to the St George’s
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College Community in the near future.
The learning opportunities made
available to us were informative and the
conference as a whole reinforced the
overall quality of the St George’s College
experience on a national scale - from the
relationship between residents and the
College Administration through to the
breadth, type and style of events and
opportunities at St George’s. G
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1 : 2013 conference delegates
2: NAAUC Welcome Dinner at
The Women’s College, UQ
3: Conference Glo Party
4: Emma Hunt (left) and Amelia Place (right)
with other conference delegates
Emily Denholm
SUMMER 2013
Mentoring
Gym Membership
Mentoring Trial
THE 2013 TRIAL of the College’s
new mentoring initiative wrapped
up on Friday 1 November with some
wine, cheese and conversation in the
JCR. The focus of the meeting was to
thank Mentors and Mentees for their
participation in the trial and to gather
feedback to assist with the anticipated
roll-out of the full program in February /
March of next year.
All told, there were eleven current
residents and eight Georgians who
participated in the trial. With the uneven
numbers, a couple of Georgians very
kindly agreed to take on two mentees for
the duration of the trial.
When possible, Mentors and Mentees
were matched according to academic
experiences and professional interests.
The trial was conducted over a period
of eight weeks and in that time most
Mentors and Mentees met between
one and three times. Meetings included
one-on-one get togethers over coffee,
some workplace shadowing and even
a couple of visits to the homes of
Mentors for barbeques and other
family-related events.
The overall feedback from Mentors
and Mentees was very positive and
importantly reinforced the value of
ensuring that there is a clear intersection
of interests - with areas of study and
career path being noted as among
the most important. Both Mentors
and Mentees articulated that getting
together was much easier than they had
initially anticipated and emphasised the
SUMMER 2013
Neighbours, mentees and child of Georgian
President looking forward to some Pumpkin
Pie, cooked by the St George’s mentees for
Halloween. All took away a lesson on the
importance of tolerance and patience, and need
for leadership, when dealing with Georgians.
importance of using various College
events to enable some of the meetings.
A clear example cited was the Georgian
Cocktail party which a number of
participants used as an opportunity to
connect in a relaxed, social setting.
In one or two instances, the trail
pairings did not work out as we
had hoped, with those cases further
reinforcing the value of making sure
that Mentors and Mentees are carefully
matched. Even in those instances, the
Georgians involved expressed a great
willingness to support the College in
this fashion. They also indicated that
for many like themselves, a mentoring
program offers a clear and valued link
both to the College and to its current
residents while also providing them with a
specific opportunity to use their skills and
experiences to make a direct contribution
to the life of the College.
It is envisioned that the full
program will commence in the early part
of Semester One, 2014 and the College
is hoping that all (or most) second-year
residents will be keen to be paired
with a Georgian mentor. We will be
contacting many in our Georgian Alumni
network in the coming months in the
hope that we can provide a mentor for
every interested resident. Please contact
the Deputy Warden, David Platt at
david@stgeorgescollege.uwa.edu.au to
express your interest in mentoring a
current resident. G
For the past three years, St
George’s College has taken out
UWA Sports membership on behalf
of all residents. This membership
is now included in College fees
and entitles each member to use
of all exercise equipment, hire of
the tennis, basketball, squash and
netball courts as well as attendance
at any number of group fitness
classes and sessions. In addition,
the membership includes access
to the facilities at the UWA Water
Sports complex including sailing
vessels, kayaks and canoes as well
as the function rooms overlooking
the Swan River.
A final component of the
membership is participation on a
number of UWA Sports leadership
development programs. Over
the winter break, second year
resident, Georgia Hay was selected
to participate on a 5-day sea
kayaking expedition around the
Dampier Archipelago while first
year residents Sara Catto and
Georgia Hirsch joined a group that
walked the Bibbulmun Track from
Albany to Denmark. In addition
four residents were selected for
two different sports and adventure
camps run in conjunction with
Singapore Management University.
Unfortunately, due to the June / July
fires in Malaysia and the resulting air
pollution, the trips were cancelled
by the host university. Despite that
small hiccup, the partnership with
UWA sports has opened doors to
new opportunities and ensures
that each College resident has
ample opportunity to complement
their university studies with a
commitment to overall physical
health and well-being and reinforce
the importance of a well-balanced
approach to life, work and study.
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Concert Series: Semester 2
The St George’s
College Concert
Series: Semester 2
The Homegrown Concert kicked off
Semester 2’s concert series. Performers
included Georgian Keith Tipping
(1966), the Ladies Ensemble, the
‘Newby Blues’ and a number of current
residents, some of whom performed
original works. The depth of talent
on display was very impressive.
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ABOVE: The Homegrown Concert
1: Keith Tipping (1966)
2: The Newby Blues L-R Jaxon Evans, George Giudice-Nairn, Ollie Mashinini
(2008), Angus Turner (1995), Jaxon Lee, Alex Tibbitt, Jayden Catto
3: Samantha Raven & Isra Ezad
4: Marco Spadaccini
5: Katie MacDonald
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SUMMER 2013
Concert Series: Semester 2
Aussie! Aussie! Aüßie!
Two Hands to Tango
During the Spring Festival, a concert was
held each Sunday in September.
Two Hands to Tango was the first concert
in our spring festival. It featured UWA Masters
student Naomi Smout, who recently returned
from New York City where she studied with
acclaimed Argentine concert pianist Rosa
Antonelli. At our concert, Naomi delivered a
passionate program of Argentine tango music
for solo piano.
Aussie! Aussie! Aüßie! UWA final year
woodwind students Faye Saunders, Nicholas
Schurmann and Samuel Cohen-Cooke and
recent graduate Belinda Callaway performed a
variety of solo Australian works followed by a
Beethoven Trio for good measure.
Strings Attached An all strings
extravaganza which follow the violin, cello and
viola from the early days of Bach and Vivaldi
to the recent times of Ravel and Hindemith.
The concert featured UWA’s finest young string
players including Alexandra Isted, Elizabeth
Moss, Ellie Walker and Verity Brockman.
Mostly American: Appalachian Spring
The College was proud to welcome the Swan
Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra performing
some of the classical greats under the baton of
Joel Bass. The concert was an American heavy
program with Copland’s iconic ‘Appalachian
Spring‘ and Barber’s ‘Adagio for Strings’
alongside English composer V. Williams’ ‘The
Lark Ascending‘ performed by young virtuoso
violinist Alexandra Isted.
Integration In the final concert of the
Spring Festival, Perth professionals Adam
Pinto, Matthew Styles and Paul Tanner
teamed up for an evening of classical infused
jazz at the College in a trio of piano, saxophone
and a colourful range of percussion! The
concert featured works by Paul Scott, Chick
Corea, Jason Robello and Paul Tanner.
We were thrilled to have Perth’s best in our
free program.
SUMMER 2013
Aussie! Aussie! Aüßie!
Strings Attached
Integration
Mostly American: Appalachian Spring
The Silver Swan
The last concert for the 2013 Concert Series
was The Silver Swan. The Winthrop Singers
joined forces with the College’s Fazioli piano
and set aside their sacred music repertoire for a
concert of light hearted choral favourites in the
College’s Dining Hall.
Congratulations and
thanks must go to
current resident and
Wolff Scholar Michael
Grebla for his tireless
work organising such a
fabulous concert series
this year. Plans are well
underway for next year
and we look forward to
the College’s Concert
Series recommencing in
March 2014.
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College Tutors
Tutors at
the College
The College tutors
play a vital role in
life at St George’s
and make key
contributions. As
expected, they are
an interesting and
talented group.
Dr Andrew Guzzomi with Sage Excell-Moore
Dr Andrew Guzzomi (2000)
Deans of Studies and Lay Chaplains
Michael and Sarah have been at the
College since 2009, and live in Dell
Cottage with their young son Samuel.
Sarah studied Classics (Latin and Ancient
Greek) and Applied Mathematics at
Melbourne University, but was seduced
by the Byzantine Empire and wrote
a doctorate on a sixth-century hymnwriter, Romanos the Melodist, which she
is currently revising for publication by
Cambridge University Press while also
teaching Latin at the Australian Catholic
University. Michael studied Classics and
Mathematical Physics at Melbourne and
Classics, Ancient Philosophy, Theology
and Late Antiquity at King’s College
London. He teaches Classics and
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
at UWA. His Explaining the Cosmos
is due out with Oxford University Press
in January.
Michael and Sarah have made
many significant contributions to the
College. Sarah initiated a drama program,
directing the College productions of
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being
Earnest and Sheridan’s The Rivals. As
Deans of Studies, they are responsible
for academic programs including tutorials,
organising speakers for the Fireside Chats,
the College’s Academic Journal, and
have been instrumental in setting up
the new St George’s College Laureate.
As lay chaplains, they lead worship,
provide pastoral care, and support
Residential Advisers.
Dr Sarah Gador-Whyte and Samuel Champion
Dr Michael Champion
Dr Michael Champion
and Dr Sarah Gador-Whyte
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Andrew lived at the College for four years
when he was an undergraduate studying
mechanical engineering at UWA. He
returned to the College as a tutor in 2012.
During the intervening years, Andrew
completed a PhD at UWA, was a tutor for
a year at College, and was then appointed
a Whitfeld Fellow of UWA and moved to
Italy to take a position at the University
of Bologna. There he worked as a
postdoctoral researcher and teacher in the
mechanical engineering and agricultural
engineering departments. While in
Italy he was also the secretary, and later
president, of the Rotaract Club - Bologna
Valle del Savena. In 2010 Andrew was
invited back to the School of Mechanical
and Chemical Engineering at UWA
as an Honorary Research Fellow. He
won the 2011 Faculty of Engineering
Computing and Mathematics Teaching
Award. His research work in agricultural
engineering at UWA is receiving
significant media attention. He is also
a director of the company he jointly
founded, Tren Creek Chalets and Goccia
d’Oro Olive Grove, Capel.
As a tutor, Andrew has contributed
substantially to the College. Aside
from providing academic support in
engineering, he designed the cover for the
new pizza oven, the reinforcement for the
raised platform to ensure that the Fazioli
remains in the Dining Hall, and has been
instrumental in assessing the damage and
making safe the stairs leading from the
Quadrangle to the Chapel.
Congratulations to Andrew and his
wife, Sage Excell-Moor, who were married
in the Chapel in November.
SUMMER 2013
College Tutors
Damien Pontifex with Jane Inverarity
Dr Angus Turner
Raymond Yong
Damien Pontifex (2006)
Dr Angus Turner (1995)
Damien was the College’s Senior Student
in 2010. He loved the College experience
that nurtured his many passions including
computer programming, kite surfing
and coffee, so much so that he returned
as a tutor in 2012. His University life
involved dabbling in many disciplines
such as Chemistry, Mathematics and
Physics before finally settling on a
Bachelor of Science in Nanotechnology
and a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical
and Electronic). He currently works as
a Software Developer and Consultant.
While at university he really enjoyed
the research he did in the area of
automatic visual speech recognition after
completing his Engineering Honours. At
College Damien has provided support
and encouragement to the students,
particularly in relation to the installation
of the solar power panels. He encouraged
the St George’s College Environmental
Committee to think big and not let
barriers restrict the possibilities.
Angus was Senior Student at the College
in 1998, while studying Medicine at
UWA. In 2001 he was awarded the
Rhodes Scholarship. He is now an
outback ophthalmologist with frequent
trips to the Kimberley and Pilbara.
When in Perth, he is based at the Lions
Eye Institute where he is an Associate
Professor and head of Lions Outback
Vision. Amongst his many contributions
to the College is the foundation of the
Newby Blues, a barbershop group, which,
since the group formed in 2012, have
busked, done corporate functions and
been on TV, most recently for Telethon.
Angus also mentors the College’s girls’
vocal ensemble.
performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto No
2 in the Sydney Symphony’s Discovery
Series. Raymond Yong is a graduate of
the University of Melbourne where he
studied piano under Stephen McIntyre
and conducting under John Hopkins. He
also holds the German Artist’s Diploma
from the Hanover University of Music
and Drama where he studied piano under
Karl-Heinz Kaemmerling. His teachers in
Perth were Stephanie Coleman and Mark
Coughlan.
Also known as a conductor, Raymond
Yong made his conducting debut in 2010
with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.
He was the founding Artistic Director
of Orchestra 21, Music Director of the
Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra and
Music Director of the Victoria Chorale.
We are very much looking forward to
having Raymond join us at the College.
He will develop our music program further
and support Michael Grebla, the Wolff
Music Scholar, in the arrangement of the St
George’s College Concert Series in 2014. G
SUMMER 2013
Raymond Yong
In March 2014, Michael and Sarah go on
Sabbatical for the rest of Semester 1, and
we are delighted to welcome Raymond
Yong to our team of Tutors whilst they are
away. Raymond, a pianist and conductor,
will be a Music Fellow in Residence. He
has gained widespread recognition as a
pianist around Australia, performing solo
recitals, concertos with orchestras, and
chamber music concerts with some of
Australia’s finest musicians and ensembles.
He has given chamber music
performances at Musica Viva’s
Huntington Festival, the Melbourne
International Festival, the Port Fairy
Spring Music Festival, and the Linari
Classic in Italy. He has been engaged as
piano concerto soloist with the Auckland
Philharmonia, West Australian Symphony,
Tasmanian Symphony and Melbourne
Symphony Orchestras. In 2013 he
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Fireside Chats
ABOVE: Senator Alan Eggleston (1960)
RIGHT: Yes Minister, L–R Ian Hardy,
Willie Rowe (1976), John Duffy (1985), Peter Peck
Fireside Chats
THE FIRESIDE CHATS this semester
have been of the highest calibre. They
have involved:
Senator Alan Eggleston (1960)
A serendipitously timed chat that
took place in the election period. Alan
highlighted the Coalition’s belief that
it offered the prospect of structured
government that he anticipated would be
electorally appealing. He also charted his
progress from childhood in Busselton,
school at Christ Church Grammar
School, residence at St George’s including
tales of Siberia and safeguarded light
bulbs at College Club meetings, medical
training at UWA and in England, and
his political career that started with Fred
Chaney on the steps of Winthrop Hall
and encompassed Port Hedland and
finally the Senate. He also recounted the
potion making of his pharmacist father in
Busselton and the influence of Dr Kevin
Cullen (1940) upon him. He talked of
bringing Asian students to Busselton in
the 50s and how past surprise has now
been transformed into the strong rapport
and understanding that WA today has
with Asia, perhaps the most profound
of all Australian states. Questions were
directed at a wide range of Coalition
policies with Alan handling them adroitly.
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Professor Alex Kerr
Alex was a distinguished economics
teacher at UWA and Murdoch. His
Fireside Chat, however, centred
not on economic policy but Alex’s
extraordinary adventures as a bomber
pilot and Prisoner of War in Germany.
The audience was transfixed by tales of
training in Canada as a first participant in
the Empire Air Training Scheme, Atlantic
convoy under threat and attack, being
shot down over Hamburg, prisoner of
war camp experience (including learning
economics), and two escapes, one by
tunnel and ultimately unsuccessful
and the other at the end of the war
that reunited him with allied forces. In
being shot down Alex was wounded
by machine gun fire from a Luftwaffe
night fighter whose pilot he met after
the war. The spellbinding interview with
this former Perth Mod student will not
be forgotten. Alex also fielded a bevy
of questions from the audience and
generously stayed late into the night. It
should be added that he is now 93 and
irrepressibly upbeat.
Dr Hilde Tubex
Hilde is a Brussels-trained criminologist
who is part of the UWA Crime Research
Centre and has received an ARC Future
Fellowship to work on a project regarding
reducing Australian imprisonment
rates, particularly in relation to the
indigenous population. She shattered
many shibboleths regarding crime and
imprisonment, using data and evidence
from around the world. She emphasised
that incarceration rates relate significantly
to government social policy and
behaviour. She presented a strong case for
the benefits of more consensual politics
that derive from coalition governments,
such as in much of Northern Europe, in
contrast to US, British and Australian
political systems and imprisonment
results. She was also critical about the role
of the press in creating a confrontational
and antagonistic environment that she
believed to be unproductive.
Professor Stephen Hopper
Stephen is one of West Australia’s most
distinguished botanists. At his Fireside
Chat he gave advance notice of his
recent identification of new species of
kangaroo paw. Stephen focused on the
extraordinary biodiversity of Western
Australia. It is this that caused him to
return from serving as the Director of the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to Albany.
He gave an interesting explanation of
the roles and compass of Kew Gardens
and the unique nature of WA’s flora and
the care that needed to be taken in its
SUMMER 2013
Fireside Chats
protection. He commented that 90 per
cent of nutrients were to be found in the
first 10 centimetres of soil; in consequence
deep ploughing was wholly unsuitable
for West Australian conditions. He
added that superphosphate was highly
destructive towards native plants. He
gave a fascinating micro-study of the
plant life of the Gingin Cemetery and
what lessons could be learnt; these sort
of local examples represented marvellous
teaching tools for primary and secondary
school children. Stephen believes that
much can be learnt from indigenous
treatment of local flora and referred to the
considerable help that he had received
from indigenous groups in relation to the
management of Kings Park and in his
current work.
Professor Carmen Lawrence
Carmen had a wide-ranging conversation
that stimulated and challenged the
audience. After an affectionate description
of her early life in Northam, Morawa
and Dongara, she explained her great
concerns regarding the social impacts
of increasing income inequality. As a
member of the Gonski Panel she was able
to provide detail on the reforms that had
finally emerged from the Gonski Report;
in doing so she also emphasised the key
social role of investment in education. She
additionally commented on the Senate
elections and suggested that a qualifying
percentage would remove parties from
the equation who were winning Senate
positions through careful distribution
arrangements despite winning tiny
SUMMER 2013
proportions of the primary vote.
In common with Hilde Tubex she
expressed a belief that an environment
of consensual coalition government,
rather than an adversarial two party
system, might make for more constructive
government decision-making. She
also voiced her belief that indigenous
communities should be given greater
self-responsibility for governance and
funds should be directed directly to
communities rather through the current
process that sees much funding being
directed through intermediary agencies.
treatment. Her enthusiasm and insights
into her significant cancer and heart
research inspired those present.
Yes Minister
On Thursday 22nd August, as part of
the Fireside Chat program, the College
welcomed political insiders Willie Rowe
(1976), John Duffy (1985) and Peter
Peck, who nobly stood in at late notice
for Trevor Whittington (1985). All have
worked or continue to work as ministerial
political advisers, press or strategy
advisers. Political nous exuded from their
every pore and they were exactly the right
Professor Ruth Ganss
people, having substantial experience
Ruth is a research professor at the
of working for both major sides, to
Harry Perkins Institute (previously
commentate on the Federal election and
WAIMR – the West Australian Institute
the condition of State politics. Their
for Medical Research). She has enjoyed
insights were perceptive and delivered
an international career encompassing
with sharp wit that, together with their
research into genetic codes, cancer
verbal inter-play, entranced the audience
and cardiovascular disease. The Chat
who were soon drawn into an extended
reflected her intense commitment to
and highly amusing question and answer
research and she talked extensively about session. Their comments on leadership
the differences between clinicians and
style were acute. And yes, the election
researchers. This interested the many
result and campaigns were very accurately
medical students who were attending.
predicted. The evening was so successful
She also talked of the challenging days
that the gathering, and perhaps even the
when as a young German researcher at
panel, felt it should become a regular
the University of California, San Francisco election event. Extraordinarily there was
she questioned the orthodox thinking with much lamentation that Federal and state
regard to tumour treatment: the prevailing elections were so far distant but perhaps
view was to restrict blood flow to tumours we have had our dream come true and
whereas she could see disadvantages in
the WA Senate election re-run will provide
terms of drug delivery and focused on
the opportunity for another splendid Yes
the normalisation of blood flow to enable
Minister evening. Watch this space. G
effective treatment. She mentioned that
nowadays there is a blended approach in
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Engineering
Trebuchet defends St George’s Honour
L–R Tessa McGrath, Taylem Frost, Susie Nodder, William Cheng, Andrew Brandis, Justin Kruger
THE CALL WENT out from the
University Engineers’ Club (UEC),
looking for teams for a competition
to design and build a trebuchet (a
siege engine used in the Middle Ages).
St George’s College formed a team,
consisting of five engineering students
and one geologist, for the maximum team
size of six. The eager students, Tessa
McGrath, Justin Kruger, Andrew Brandis,
Taylem Frost, William Cheng and Susie
Nodder, came together with the vision of
winning the entire contest, and creating
a cool siege machine for St George’s to
match the awesome castle.
The design process began with a
revision of existing ideas and, given the
long history of the trebuchet, there were
plenty. The team decided to design and
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build a more modern trebuchet, rather
than the classical Roman style, instead
creating a floating arm trebuchet. Design
took place over several weeks, with the
design of the supporting structure and
its geometry happening prior to a final
technical drawing session where the entire
design was brought together as a 3D
model using Solidworks.
Designing the trebuchet went smoothly
in comparison to its construction, which
was the most challenging part of the
process. We quickly discovered that
converting our plans into a well-crafted
machine wasn’t as simple as it first
seemed. The quality of the design did
shine through though, because even with
our less than desirable carpentry skills, the
trebuchet was solid.
Testing was an important step,
although there was little time left
before the competition. Testing began
on Thursday afternoon before the
competition the next day, and the team
was surprisingly dedicated, rising at 7am
on Friday to continue testing before the
launch at 12 noon. A number of test
throws was required to enable refinement
to the sling so that it could consistently hit
the target, and Friday morning saw the
success of the trebuchet for the first time.
The boys of the group nicknamed the
trebuchet “Tray Butt Chet” in mockery of
the pronunciation of the word. As it was
not really an appropriate name for such
an awesome machine, Susie came up with
a better name for the trebuchet – Orbit.
From the brand of weights used on the
SUMMER 2013
Engineering
BELOW: Watching the missile fly
RIGHT: Susie Nodder & Andrew Brandis building ‘Orbit”
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trebuchet, and the fact that it was clearly
going to send the missile into orbit, Orbit
came into being.
Friday the 18th of October was the
launch day. Unfortunately the UEC
wasn’t particularly pleased with the
idea of our trebuchet launching rocks,
so our geologist, Susie, couldn’t use
her knowledge to pick out the best
ammunition for our war machine.
Restricted to throwing baseballs, the
contest criteria involved a test of the
trebuchets on their consistency. An
accuracy test was first; hitting a target at
15 metres consistently over three throws.
The second test was a maximum range
test, measuring the final distance that
the ball travelled after it came to a rest.
The trebuchet was also assessed on its
design and cost. The cost of materials was
standardised and manufacturing methods
were taken into account.
Overall we came in at a respectable
third place. Initially there were eight teams
participating in the competition, although
only four teams made it to the final launch
day. The UEC was so impressed with our
design that they decided to add a design
award to the competition, which we were
awarded, as our design was out of the box
when compared to the competition.
The commitment from the members
of the College’s trebuchet team was
SUMMER 2013
remarkable. Over the entire semester, they
attended regular meetings, taking time out
from their usual busy university lives.
A lot of time was spent building and
refining the design, all concentrated
within a week of the launch date. Every
day of that week, group members built
and refined the trebuchet, to make it
run smoothly and fire consistently. As
the end of semester was near, the ability
of the group members to manage their
busy schedules and dedicate so much
precious time on the trebuchet project
was impressive. The amount of work
that went into the project was immense,
and, because of the dedication displayed
by the team, the project was a roaring
success. Seeing Orbit launch successfully
and consistently was very satisfying, and
the resulting sense of achievement, from
seeing something you’ve been a part of
designing come to fruition in the form
of a sizable catapult, is pretty awesome.
A big thank you is necessary to the
College and the College Club for making
a student submission to the contest
possible through the generous funding
of the project. G
2
4
3
6
5
7
8
A
A
B
B
330
C
C
D
D
945
986.46
E
UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED:
DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS
SURFACE FINISH:
TOLERANCES:
LINEAR:
ANGULAR:
1030
NAME
DEBUR AND
BREAK SHARP
EDGES
FINISH:
SIGNATURE
DATE
DO NOT SCALE DRAWING
REVISION
TITLE:
DRAWN
CHK'D
APPV'D
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MFG
1142.20
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MATERIAL:
WEIGHT:
A3
we're so awsome at solidworks
DWG NO.
SCALE:1:1
SHEET 1 OF 1
The final design
Taylem Frost
Taylem is a 3rd year Engineering
student from Busselton
35
Chapel and Winthrop Singers
From the Chapel
IT HAS BEEN a very busy and diverse
semester in the Chapel, with Sunday
services, Evensong (see insert on the
Winthrop Singers), Morning Prayer and
the annual Valedictory service which gave
the valedicts an opportunity to reflect on
their time at UWA and at the College,
and to formally mark their departure from
the College as Valedicts..
Evensong on the 10th of October, with
the Winthrop Singers, commemorated
Dr John Craig (1937), and we were very
pleased that members of Dr Craig’s family
were able to join us for the occasion.
On the 16th of October, Archbishop
Roger Herft preached at a festive
Eucharist in memory of his predecessor
Archbishop Riley as part of the
College’s contribution to the UWA
Centenary celebrations. He was joined
by a congregation including Riley
family members, senior representatives
of the Diocese of Perth, the Warden of
Convocation of the UWA, the editor
of the UWA Centenary history and
Georgians past and present. The story
of the foundation of UWA is in part the
story of the vision of leading Anglican
citizens in Perth, including Riley and Sir
John Winthrop Hackett. Their vision was
of course responsible for the foundation
of the College, but both played key roles
in establishing the University as a whole.
Prof. Rowan Strong (Professor of Church
History at Murdoch University) delivered
a lecture after the service which traced
Riley’s contribution in detail, from his
formative years in England, his vision
for practical University education and
rigorous intellectual formation for the
clergy to equip them to transform society,
his championing of the Convocation,
to his conflicted relationship with the
University Senate and his eventual
Chancellorship of the University
(1916-1922). Strong’s lecture pointed
to Riley’s desire to see St George’s as a
University College which would train
future clergy and unite the teaching of
theology alongside the other human
sciences. Just why that vision was not
achieved remains something of a puzzle,
especially given the apparent enthusiasm
of Riley’s archiepiscopal successor about
this vision. We hope that something of
that vision, however, remains alive in the
36
College as we seek to promote a place of
creative intellectual engagement between
disciplines, including theology, fostering
intelligent public discourse, founded on
the belief that intelligence imitates the
divine intellect which is characterised by
infinite creative love.
Now as the academic year draws
to a close, and Christmas is fast
approaching, we warmly invite you to
join us for our Christmas Service, with
the Winthrop Singers, at 7pm in the
Chapel on Thursday 13 December and
Friday 14 December.
In closing, we take the opportunity
to wish you all a happy Christmas from
the St George’s Chaplains. ‘The Word
became flesh, and dwelt among us’. We
will hear these resonant words again in the
College Christmas service. As Christmas
approaches our minds turn afresh to the
grace and truth of the glory of God-withus and we rejoice in the God who gives
us life and illumination. In a university
college, the image of God as a word is
perhaps more likely to be appealing than
other less cerebral images. But to think of
the image as merely cerebral is to sell God
– and words – short. The writer of John’s
gospel remembers that ‘word’ and ‘thing’
overlap in Hebrew, and understands that
in Greek ‘word’ can mean the whole
rational structure and animating principle
of the universe. Yeats captures something
of this: ‘God guard me from the thoughts
men think in the mind alone. He that
sings a lasting song thinks in the marrow
bone’. At Christmas, we remember that
God has saved us from such disembodied
thoughts. Divine thoughts, and any
human thinking worthy of imitation of
God, is as free, creative and imaginative as
words can be, and just so is connected to
what it is to be human, directly involved
with all the fleshy, human problems of
our world. And as we grapple with those
problems, Christmas reminds us that God
has come into our world to transform and
redeem it. We are not alone, because God
dwells with us. G
Michael Champion and
Sarah Gador-Whyte
Co-Deans of Studies and
Co-Lay Chaplains
The Winthrop Singers
The second half of 2013 has been
busy for The Winthrop Singers,
with some notable new challenges.
The regular cycle of Thursday
Evensongs included two new
pieces by students: a setting by
Francis Cardell-Oliver of T. S. Eliot’s
extended commentary on the Nunc
Dimittis; and a version of the Ave
Maria by Tamara Simpson. The choir
also celebrated the centenary of
Benjamin Britten with performances
of his Hymn to the Virgin and Hymn
to St Cecilia in St Mary’s Cathedral,
and of the cantata St Nicolas in
Winthrop Hall in a concert mounted
by John Septimus Roe Anglican
Community School.
The Eucharist services this
semester formed a marked
contrast: the drum-driven African
chant of the Missa Luba early
in the term; and Palestrina’s Missa
Papae Marcelli more recently –
the first time the choir had tackled
this Renaissance masterpiece.
A small group of Winthrops also
sang for the Centenary Eucharist
that commemorated the contribution
of Archbishop Riley to the formation
of UWA.
The end of term brought a
significant contribution, on the
part of the Winthrops, to the UWA
performance of Handel’s Messiah
in St Mary’s Cathedral. But we are
still not finished for the year: after
exams, we have Verdi’s Requiem
in Perth Concert Hall, for which
we have been invited to sing with
the West Australian Symphony
Orchestra. And then there are our
much-loved Carol Services on
December 12th and 13th at 7.00 in
Chapel. We look forward to seeing
you there.
Nicholas Bannan
Director, The Winthrop Singers
SUMMER 2013
Art Exhibition
Annual Randolph Stow Memorial
Lecture in Australian Literature
IN AUGUST THE College again
joined with the Westerly Centre for
Australian Literature at UWA to host
the Randolph Stow Memorial Lecture.
This year Prof. John Kinsella gave a
scintillating presentation in conversation
with Dr Tony Hughes-D’Aeth. Kinsella is
a noted poet and critic, and his collection
Jam Tree Gully this year met with high
acclaim, taking out the State Library of
Queensland’s Judith Wright Calanth
Award and the 2013 Prime Minister’s
Literary Award for Poetry. The citation
from the Queensland award could have
described much of Kinsella’s contribution
to the Stow evening at St George’s: it was
‘lyrical, always engaging and focused by
ethical urgency’ as he explored themes
in Stow’s poetry with a poet’s eye for
allusion, intertexts, image, beauty, feeling
and failure. In critically interpreting
poems that did not make it into Kinsella’s
edited volume of Selected Poems of
Randolph Stow, The Land’s Meaning
(Fremantle Press, 2012) alongside more
well-known works, Kinsella helped
the audience – Stow family members,
Georgians, current College members,
supporters of the Westerly Centre and the
wider Perth literary community – come
to a new appreciation of key themes
in Stow’s oeuvre. We thank Kinsella,
Hughes-D’Aeth, Prof. Dennis Haskell
and Assoc. Prof. Delys Bird (Westerly
Centre) for their contributions and look
forward to next year’s Stow lecture, which
is beginning to make its mark in the Perth
literary calendar. G
Art Exhibition
Every year the College exhibits the
artistic works of its Art Club and
the pieces done by its residents
for their university coursework.
Some of the students generously
elected to have their works sold off
in a silent auction to raise funds for
Guide Dogs Australia. A Georgian,
Dr Arnold Cook (1944), brought
the first guide dog to Australia
(and possibly even the southern
hemisphere), and was instrumental
in setting up guide dog training in
Australia, so it was a fitting charity
to support.
Congratulations to Matthew
Goss who not only organised
the exhibition but also donated a
number of artworks, all of which
were highly sought after by bidders
at the silent auction.
SUMMER 2013
ABOVE: The Art Exhibition in the JCR
BELOW: Some of the artworks in the Silent Auction
37
The Little Dragon
From the Georgian President
The Georgians v.
Current Residents
Debate was a new
event this year. The
Georgian team did
a great job but were
beaten on the night
by the current
residents. I look
forward to the
rematch next year…
THE COCKTAIL PARTY was the main
Georgian event this semester. It was great
to see so many Georgians embrace the
‘Great Gatsby’ theme and dress up, and
everyone, including the current residents
who came along, had a terrific night.
The Georgians v. Current Residents
Debate was a new event this year. The
Georgian team did a great job but were
beaten on the night by the current
residents. I look forward to the rematch
next year…
In October I went along to the
College’s Folk Night – my kids and I
loved it and were very impressed with the
depth of talent. I would love to see Folk
Night combine with a Georgian family
night and I’ll be discussing how this might
work with the 2014 Senior Student.
The new Georgian Committee
had its first meeting in November. It’s
made up of 2 Georgians from the 2000s,
2 from the 1990s, 3 from the 1980s,
2 from the 1970s, 1 from the 1960s, as
well as Jo Evans (1988), a Georgian and
College staff member, Ian Hardy and
David Platt. There are many ideas for
future events. Things being considered
are an art and jazz sun downer with live
painting, a poker night and a political
Fireside Chat with Georgian ex-politicians
and staffers. We’re always looking for
new ideas so please get in touch with me
via Jo (josephine@stgeorgescollege.uwa.
edu.au or 9449 5555) if you’ve got any
suggestions about what the Georgians
can do.
To receive up to date information
about Georgian events, make sure
the College has your current email
address, and check the Alumni
(www.stgeorgescollege.uwa.edu.au/
alumni-and-friends/alumni-events)
and the Community Events (www.
stgeorgescollege.uwa.edu.au/ourcommunity/events) sections of the
College website.
A lot is happening at the College and
it’s a great time to get involved! G
Trevor Whittington (1985)
Georgian President
38
SUMMER 2013
Cocktail Party
The Little Dragon
More photos from the night are on the
College’s Facebook page facebook.com/
stgeorgescollegeuwa – you don’t need
a Facebook account to see them.
Georgian Cocktail Party
THE NEW ERA of the Georgians
was kicked off in style with a ‘Great
Gatsby’ themed cocktail party held
in the Dining Hall on Saturday 12
October. Georgians and current
residents enjoyed delicious cocktails
and the fantastic music provided
by the band ‘Tripad’. The members
of ‘Tripad’ are three very talented
brothers, the eldest studying music at
UWA, the second in Year 12 and the
youngest in Year 9!
It was a great night and thanks
must go to the College’s Catering
Manager Annemarie Freeman and
her team. G
3
5
4
6
1: Jess Bayley (Macgowan 2004), Kruti Patel (2003), Michelle Toolin (2003)
2: Trevor Whittington (1986) & Angela Whittington
3: Kirsten McGregor (McGlashan 1985), Drew McGregor, Sarah Knight (1984)
4: Edward Ashman (2008), Aria Lokon (2008), Daniel Hunt (2008)
SUMMER 2013
2
1
7
5: Geoff Simpson (1967) & Margaret Simpson
6: Jayden Catto, Michael Salmon, Sarah Peisley
7: Georgia Hay & Jane Bromley
39
Quinoa
The Little Dragon
Georgian Amongst the World’s
Largest Quinoa Producers
ASHLEY WIESE (1988) is currently
farming in Narrogin WA with his wife
Jo and three children Ruby, Grace and
Louis. He runs a mixed farming operation
concentrating on oats, hay and canola
production. Over the last five years he has
been trialling the production of quinoa
(keen-wa), a South American ‘super food’
grain known for its heath qualities.
After searching for a different product
to grow on his farm, where he could have
more control over the marketing of the
crop, he started growing quinoa because
of its demand as a health food. Quinoa is
very high in protein, is low GI, gluten free
and has a perfect balance of amino acids.
It is also high in iron and contains omega
3 and 6.
“The challenge has been taking a
crop which is grown by subsistence
farmers at high altitudes in the Bolivian
summer, and adapting it to our low
altitude winter environment.” Quinoa is
drought tolerant and frost tolerant and
may eventually have a future as a viable
crop in the Wheatbelt.
As it is still very much a cottage
industry and there are no large broad
acre producers of quinoa around the
world, even in the US and Canada, there
has been limited agronomic knowledge.
Thus, Ashley has basically started from
scratch, learning how to get the most
40
from the crop. ‘It has been challenging
to grow. Each year it teaches us what we
have done wrong and challenges us to do
it better. It has been both a frustrating and
rewarding experience and we are a few
steps away from feeling confident about
our production. Although we have made a
lot of mistakes over the last few years we
are certainly closer to developing quinoa
as a viable crop.”
Most of the Australian quinoa
available in the supermarkets is imported,
although a small portion is supplied by
a farmer in Tasmania who grows about
40 hectares.
This year Ashley has 180 hectares
planted on his farm. Another 100 hectares
has been planted by other growers
across the state who are trialling quinoa
production under a closed loop agreement
with Ashley’s company Australian
Grown Superfoods P/L.
Recently Ashley and his business
partners, Garren Knell and Megan
Gooding, travelled to Washington State
University for an International Quinoa
Symposium, which, for the first time,
was held in English rather than Spanish.
The United Nations has declared 2013
the “International Year of Quinoa” to
promote its potential as a grain that could
assist in solving world poverty. A lot of
work is being done to both acknowledge
Ashley Wiese (1988)
© COUNTRYMAN
the contribution that South American
countries have made in advancing quinoa
to the world, and also assisting the rest of
the world by allowing access to the best
genotypes to increase production.
“It was a great experience to see where
we sat in terms of world production
and to connect with Bolivian farmers,
processors and researchers. We have been
very conscious of reducing any impact
our production may have on subsistence
farmers, and we were overwhelmed with
how we were received at the symposium.
Our aim is to develop new markets for
quinoa by targeting bulk supply into food
products rather than compete against a
Bolivian farmer on a shelf in the health
food isle.”
“We were encouraged that even the
Bolivian farmers recognised that their
production could not meet demand.
They also see the value in raising the
profile of quinoa and making it more
accessible to more consumers. Basically
the quinoa community around the world
is small and everyone has been amazingly
helpful; from a Bolivian processor
helping us to design a processing plant,
to an Argentinian Researcher advising
us on sowing times, and a plant breeder
in Copenhagen helping us to refine our
varieties to suit our climate.”
There have been stories in the media
about Bolivians not being able to afford
quinoa as most of it is being exported,
but at the conference Ashley and his
partners learned that this is not the
case. Quinoa is the base diet of Bolivian
SUMMER 2013
Great Debate
The Little Dragon
Georgians
Ashley and his partners
were surprised to learn
that they are thought to be
one of the largest producers
of quinoa in the world.
farmers and makes up 80% of their diet.
The general Bolivian consumer doesn’t
eat a lot of quinoa as it is considered to
be peasant food. Bolivian farmers eat a
third of their harvest during the year, sell
a third, and store a third in case there’s a
drought the following year. This practice
hasn’t changed even with the rising
price of quinoa. The Bolivian farmers
at the conference were excited at the
opportunities the increase in their income
presented. It has enabled them to build
homes with running water, build new
schools and provide their young people
with a future in farming; leading to them
staying in rural areas.
The general consensus at the
conference was that it is better to
increase production and bring the
price down, thus making quinoa more
accessible to more people, including
those in wealthy societies faced with
diabetes and obesity issues.
At the conference Ashley and his
partners were surprised to learn that
they are thought to be one of the largest
producers of quinoa in the world. They
are in the process of importing a small
processing plant from Bolivia to trial before
investing in a larger plant, so it will still
be some time before they have quinoa
available for sale. At this stage the grain
must be processed to remove a bitter
coating called Saponin before it can be sold.
So far their main interest has been
from large processors such as PepsiCo and
food producers in Asia who manufacture
baby food in China and Taiwan. They
are confident that an Australian and Asian
market exists but the quinoa must first be
processed so that is the next step.
Although the road seems slow, Ashley
and his partners are confident that they
will get there. G
With thanks to Ashley Wiese (1988)
SUMMER 2013
Current Residents
The Great Debate
L–R Josh Maldon (1992), SKoT McDonald (1992), Ollie Mashinini (2008), Kaylin Hooper,
Monica Leslie, Michael Salmon
IN THE FIRST of what many are now
hoping will be an annual event, three
Alumni and three current residents
engaged in a spirited and energetic
debate. The Old Georgians were ably
represented by SKoT McDonald (1992),
Josh Maldon (1992) and Ollie Mashinini
(2008), who all shared in the following
personal qualities; Noted Wits; All
Considered Unusually Handsome;
Remarkable Stamina in a Surprisingly
Wide Field of Human Endeavours, both
Public and Private; Give Freely of Spare
Time to Perform Brain Surgery on the
Poor at all hours, whether they need it or
not (such is their generosity!); and Kind
to Puppies. Kaylin Hooper (a St Cat’s
transplant), Michael Salmon (current
Senior Student) and Monica Leslie
(College Club Academic Rep) fronted up
on behalf of current residents. The topic
for the evening was “St George’s College’s
Fine Reputation is Based on its Past”. The
debate was spirited and well contested
with many salient points made on all
sides. In true College fashion there was
also plenty of bluster and bravado leading
to a very entertaining evening for all those
in attendance. Current President of the
Georgian Committee, Trevor Whittington
(1985), addressed the gathered throng and
commented that the debate was “a great
starting point for what I hope will be a
series of annual events bringing past and
current residents together to better get
to know each other and to connect over
shared experiences and memories of this
great College.”
The debate was adjudicated by
current resident Jordi Lockhart and
Anish Badgeri who both have extensive
experience as debate judges via the
UNYA WA network. After outlining
the strongest points made by each team,
the judges named the current residents
as victors by the narrowest of margins.
When the final decision was announced,
Whittington was heard to remark at the
back of the room “What an articulate and
poised group of young people. We were
slaughtered.”
All in all, the event was attended by
about 50 current residents and a number
of Alumni, all of whom seemed confident
that the 2014 debate could only be bigger
and better. In advance of next year’s
event, the College and the College Club
welcome suggestions for potential topics
and encourage Mr Whittington to dig
deeply into the Georgian network to
marshal a team that can stand toe-to-toe
with next year’s residents.
Thanks must go to SKoT and Justin,
neither of whom had debated since their
high school days, but who enthusiastically
agreed to participate despite limited
time due to major deadlines. They
were fantastic, as was Ollie Mashinini
(2008), who has had more recent debating
practice, having taken part in intercollege
debating during his time as a resident
at the College. Thanks also to Gaelen
Perrone for her work in organising
the event. G
41
50 Year Club
1
The Little Dragon
2
3
4
5
50 Year Club Lunch
THE 19TH ANNUAL Club Lunch
was held on Friday 15 November at the
College. Some members had travelled
a long way to attend the luncheon,
including John Rivière (1945), Lew Ward
(1953), John Browne (1956), Kerry Wark
(1960), Kent Williams (1962), Warren
Baker (1963), Trevor Height (1963) and
Grant Caldwell (1963). Kerry Wark
(1960) made the toast to absent friends
and the toast to the College was
given by David Lord (1963) to which
Ian Hardy replied.
1: David Lord (1963) & Dennis Adams (1963)
2: L-R Tony Lloyd (1963), Stephen Johnson (1963),
Grant Caldwell (1963)
3: Arnold Drok (1960) & Rory Argyle (1956)
4: Kerry Wark (1960)
5: Rob Mercer (1962) & Peter Rock (1963)
6: Errol Crawford (1962)
7: Trevor Height (1963) & Kent Williams (1962)
42
6
7
The College’s 2014 Visiting Music
Fellow in Residence and renowned young
pianist, Raymond Yong, entertained the
gathering, playing Chopin on the Fazioli.
We look forward to welcoming the
freshmen of 1964 to the 50 Year Club
next, on Friday 28 November 2014.
Invitations will be sent out next year. G
More photos from the luncheon are
on the College’s Facebook page
facebook.com/stgeorgescollegeuwa –
you don’t need a Facebook account
to see them.
SUMMER 2013
25 Year Reunion
The Little Dragon
1
More photos from the reunion are on the
College’s Facebook page facebook.com/
stgeorgescollegeuwa – you don’t need a
Facebook account to see them.
2
3
4
5
7
8
1: Susan de Ruyter (Brockman 1988) & Annie Wilson
(Hale 1987)
2: L-R Tim Mathwin (1987), Sarah Pemberton (Binns
1987), Jo Blackley (Harkness 1987), Karina King
(Smith 1987), Kath Merrick (Hewett 1987)
3: Clancy Jarvis (1988) & Alex Eves (1988)
4: L-R Belinda Kerr (Evans 1987), Robyn Fisher
(1987), Vanessa Gould (1987)
5: L-R Sherrin Loh (1988), Katie Brown (1988),
Rebecca Ball (1988)
6: Cath Holloway (Quirke 1988) & Peter Mark (1988)
7: L-R Andrew Prentice (1988), Adrian Quan Sing
(1987), Mike Wiese (1987)
8: L-R Cheryl Johansen (1987), Sharon Manson
(1988), Ben Harvey (1987), Liz Dickson (1988)
9: L-R Peter Kerr (1988), Mark Davidson (1987),
Mitch Peden (1987), Jason Flowerdew (1987)
SUMMER 2013
9
6
25 Year
Reunion
THE 25 YEAR REUNION, for the
freshers of 1987 and 1988, was held in the
JCR on Saturday 29 June. It was a great
night and many of the guests had travelled
a long way to attend, including Susie
Hester (1988) and Bruce Foxall (1987)
from NSW, Sherrin Loh (1988) from Hong
Kong, Bec Ball (1988) from Jakarta,
Mitch Peden (1987) from Queensland;
and Annabel Bainbridge (Viner 1987)
and Annie Wilson (Hale 1987) and
Andrew Wilson (1988) from Victoria.
Others came from all over WA, including
Bridgetown, Margaret River, Kojonup,
Albany and Narrogin.
A very big thank you to Rachael Martin
(Carr 1987) and Susie Hester (1988) for
organising such a fantastic evening. G
43
Victorian Georgians
The Little Dragon
Victorian Georgians’
End of Year Drinks
JUST ON THIRTY Victorian Georgians
and their partners enjoyed a fantastic end
of year drinks night on 7th November
as guests of Sir Rod Eddington (1968)
in J.P. Morgan’s superb boardroom
overlooking the Yarra River and Port
Phillip Bay beyond.
VGs Chairman Peter Marshall (1969)
welcomed all to the function, noting the
high attendance, thanked Rod for his
strong support and passed the gathering
over to Rod for a few words. Rod
confirmed we were all welcome and went
on to talk of his close involvement with
UWA’s centenary celebrations in February
this year and, more recently, assisting in
the planning of the Andrew Forrest family
donation of $65m to West Australian
universities. We then enjoyed a five
minute film clip from Warden Ian Hardy
prepared specially for this occasion.
Ian detailed the significant work by
Rod and Chancellor Michael Chaney
assisting Andrew Forrest in the above
project plus the development of the
Forrest Building, which is intended to be
near St George’s, resulting in a very high
to do the Old Testament Reading. He
enjoyed an excellent roast dinner along
with students before taking a seat in
the Junior Common Room to act as a
‘fly on the wall’ while Professor Ruth
Ganss led the Fireside Chat. It was a
sell-out with all thirty set seats taken
level of ongoing academic excellence at the by students and College staff plus a
College. Another successful College Ball
further ten or so sitting at the back
and Melbourne Cup festivities were also
of the room. Prof Ganss is a research
mentioned.
professor at the Harry Perkins Institute
Ian spoke highly of the value to present (previously the West Australian Institute
day students of the Victorian Georgians’
for Medical Research). She has enjoyed
Travel Prize which is awarded annually to an international career encompassing
two resident students. He sees Melbourne research into genetic codes, cancer and
as a great Australian international city,
cardiovascular disease.
with the visits providing students further
Bob concluded his review of his day
insight into what awaits them in the
at College by remarking just how well
wider world. Victorian Georgians, having it appears to be running, with a strong
already donated the $2,000 needed to fund sense of purpose obvious in the students
the 2014 program, are looking forward
within an environment which can only
to the winners’ visits next year when we
lead to the best possible outcome for
aim to help two more students in laying a
those who want to take advantage of
sound foundation for a fulfilling life.
what is now on offer at St George’s.
VG Bob Leschen then described a
The rest of the evening was spent
most interesting day he spent recently
in excellent fellowship with everybody
at College; meeting with the Warden,
saying what a great night they had
Deputy Warden David Platt and (VGs
enjoyed with Peter Marshall’s further
WA officer) Josephine Evans (1988),
thanks to Rod carried by acclamation.
covering in particular the above topics.
The next Victorian Georgians
He spoke of the beautiful sung evensong
function will be held around St George’s
in Chapel, led by the renowned UWA
Day in 2014. G
Winthrop Singers (who sing at that service
each week), and how privileged he felt
Bob Leschen (1951)
STANDING L-R: Rod Eddington (1968), Ben Killerby (1980), Peter Marshall (1969), Jodie Leonard, Ian George (1969), Simon Beasley (1975), Campbell Bairstow
(1972), Lionel Ward (1953), Ashley Duckett (1984), Narelle Harris, Bob Leschen (1951), Tim Richards (1982), Karen Calder, Edmund Chin (1969), Nick Calder
(1960), Ted Mouritz (1955), John Masters (1954), Margaret Hollingsworth, Rod Hollingsworth (1954), Sam Fisher (1957), Margaret Masters, Michael Mackie (1965)
SEATED L-R: Peter O’Donoghue (1967), Maria Baker, Warren Baker (1963), Errol Broome, Helen Fisher
44
SUMMER 2013
Vale
The Little Dragon
John Boyd Craig (1937)
1918 – 2013
DR JOHN BOYD CRAIG (1937)
passed away at home in Crawley on
12 July 2013 aged 94.
John was a great Australian, whose
contributions to his country in aviation
medicine, anaesthesia and pain medicine,
education and research were never fully
appreciated during his life time. This was
due to the breadth of these contributions
over many years, his reserved demeanor
and his great modesty and humility.
John was born on 8 October 1918. He
was the eldest son of the Hon Leslie Craig
MLA CMG and Frances Craig MBE
(née Boyd). He spent his childhood on the
family farm “Prinsep Park” at Dardanup
near Bunbury. In 1930 John went to Hale
School as a boarder where he excelled
in football and rowing and eventually
became School Captain.
He spent 1937 as a resident at St
George’s College at UWA where he
studied first-year medicine. He then
moved to Ormond College at Melbourne
University to complete his medical
studies. John was in third-year medicine
when World War II broke out and he
graduated as a doctor in 1942.
In 1944, John joined the RAAF as a
medical officer. While in the Air Force,
John became a leader in the emerging
and rapidly advancing field of Aviation
Medicine. He became medical officer in
charge of the decompression chamber at
Point Cook in Victoria and was appointed
Director of Aviation Medicine with the
RAAF in Melbourne.
During this time John began further
training at Royal Melbourne Hospital
where he had the opportunity to work
with the great wartime surgeon Sir
Edward (Weary) Dunlop. In 1952 John
became a founding member of RMH’s
Department of Anaesthetics, the first in
any Australian public hospital, recognising
this as a separate specialisation from
surgery itself. He devoted the rest of his
career to the field of anaesthetics and pain
relief. Having seen his own father suffer
phantom pain all his life from a leg that he
SUMMER 2013
lost at Gallipoli, the work of reducing the
pain of others became a lifelong pursuit
for John.
In 1946, John met Audrey (‘Pete’)
Herring. As a Wing Officer, she
outranked him (and used to beat him
at squash too) but he pursued her
tenaciously, and they were married at St
John’s Church in Toorak in 1948. In 1949
John and Pete were blessed with a son
Leslie (known as Boyd), followed by two
daughters, Frances and Kate, in 1951 and
1953 respectively.
In 1960 John resigned from the RAAF
and moved back to Perth. He entered
private practice with the Perth Anaesthetic
Group and remained there until his
retirement in 1985. He had a long
involvement with the Australian College
of Anaesthetics, being appointed a
Fellow in 1992. In 2011 he became the
inaugural Life Governor of the Royal
Australian and New Zealand College of
Anaesthetists Foundation.
In 1981 John became a patient himself,
when he underwent major heart surgery.
But his own health was never a key focus
for him. This was always something to
deal with and quickly get out of the way
so that he could get on with the important
work of helping others.
Sadly his wife Pete passed away in
1994 after a long illness. John once again
found great happiness when he later met
and married Bobbie Porter.
John was born into a family with a
long tradition of service to the community.
He made a significant donation to the
St George’s College Chapel for muchneeded restoration work. He was greatly
inspired by his parents and the College,
as seen in the words of the Chapel
Commemorative Plaque:
Chapel Restoration 2012
…and in the morning we will remember them
To honour the memory of and love for
my parents: my mother Frances Craig
MBE (née Boyd), my inspiration, nurse
from Donegal, and my father Captain
the Hon Leslie Craig CMG MLC, 10th
Light Horse, stoical Gallipoli veteran,
whose leg was amputated after wounding.
Their support enabled me to come to
this lovely College and its beautiful
and elegant Chapel which were created
through the vision of Archbishop C.O.L.
Riley OBE MA Cambridge and
Sir Winthrop Hackett MA Trinity
College, Dublin.
Dr John Boyd Craig (1937)
MBBS (Melb) FANZCA
7th August 2012
My Parents moved through theys of we,
singing each new leaf out of each tree
(and every child was sure that Spring
danced when she heard my Mother sing)
E.E. Cummings (modified)
John also made generous financial
contributions to numerous worthy causes.
His belief in the value of education
led to him setting up perpetual
scholarships at Hale, St Hilda’s and
St Mary’s to assist outstanding students
pursue their educational dreams and he
created a perpetual grant for pain research
for the Australian & New Zealand College
of Anaesthetists.
John also provided the primary
inspiration for his own grandchildren.
Much to his great delight, all seven
of them have now graduated at
University level.
He is survived by Bobbie, three
children, seven grandchildren, and
one great-grandson. G
Helen Moorhead and Arthur Shacklock
(daughter-in-law and son-in-law
of Dr Craig)
Abridged from The West Australian,
2 August 2013
Vale
Malcolm Bailey (1949)
Bill Gobbart (1946)
Ern Manea (1944)
Andrew Shriver (1995)
45
Visitors & Mailbag
The Little Dragon
Visitors
& Mailbag
Stay in touch
If you have any news or photos
you would like to share with fellow
Georgians, please email it to josephine@
stgeorgescollege.uwa.edu.au or contact
the College Office on (08) 9449 5555
Mac Ngan Boon (1963) was in Perth
recently and visited the College. Mac
was hoping to attend the 50 Year
Club Lunch in November but was
unable to as he had to go to South
Africa on business. While at the College
he caught up with David Cannon (1962),
Peter Foss (1964) and Peter Wreford
(1963) and enjoyed a tour of the College
with the Warden.
Congratulations to Guan Tor (Andrew)
Lim (2010), who won the 21st Annual
GFWA Prize in Geomechanics for
Final Year Undergraduate Projects
in Geomechanics at Universities in
WA in October. The GFWA Prize in
Geomechanics, sponsored by GFWA
Pty Ltd, is awarded by the Australian
Geomechanics Society (AGS) for the
best paper presentation by a final year
student in the area of Geomechanics at
universities in WA. Andrew presented
on the influence of sample disturbance
on intermediate soil characterisation.
Final year students from UWA, Curtin,
Kalgoorlie School of Mines and Edith
Cowan University compete and each
student presents for 12 minutes followed
by three minutes of questions. Judging
is on the basis of the overall quality of
the project and work and the standard
of the presentation on the night.
Ted Hayman (1944) and his son Rob
visited the College in October, when
they were visiting Perth from Adelaide.
They managed to avoid having their
photo taken but enjoyed a tour of
the College with the Warden. Ted
was impressed with the changes and
extensions that have taken place since
he was in residence.
46
Well done to Sherrin Loh (1988) who
completed her first ultra-marathon in
spectacular style – finishing second
in the women’s category and eighth
overall. The Nepal Action Asia Ultra
Marathon course covered 100km
of countryside east of Kathmandu
over three days. Sherrin said that the
highlight of the run was day three when
they went up to 3700m at sunrise and
were treated to 360 panoramic views
of the Himalayas, only to drop nearly
3000m for the race finish.
Ian Osborne (1969)
dropped in to the
College when he
was in Perth recently.
He was in town to
pick up his son David
Osborne (2003)
who was returning
from Canada.
John Glover (1942) visited the College
in the middle of the year.
Congratulations to Jarrad Seng
(2006) pictured with John Inverarity
above, who held his second solo
exhibition in October at Myre, the
old Myer building in Fremantle. His
exhibition ‘ a l l t e r v a t n ‘ (allt
er vatn translates to ‘everything is
water’ in Icelandic) was the result
of Jarrad shooting photos out
of the window of a light aircraft,
capturing surreal images of Iceland’s
volcanic rivers and lava deserts. The
exhibition caps off a year of amazing
adventures for Jarrad, ranging from
travelling as the tour photographer
with a number of musicians,
including Matchbox 20, Ed Sheeran,
Stu Larson and Passenger; going to
the Pilbara to teach photography to
the desert kids in Punmu as a part
of Awesome Arts; Sculptures by the
Sea in Bondi and Cottesloe; a return
trip to Tanzania; and being followed
by Instagram on Instagram.
Isabella Edquist, granddaughter of
Richard Edquist (1931), made a brief
trip to Perth from Canberra. Luckily
her commitments allowed a visit to the
College, where she was shown around
by Peter Wreford (1963).
SUMMER 2013
Visitors & Mailbag
The Little Dragon
Blackwood Marathon Champions
Mick Gavrilovic (1977) was in Perth in
October for business and in Narrogin
for his mother’s 90th birthday, from his
home in Denver, Colorado, USA.
Monty Montgomery (1991) dropped in
to College while in Perth looking after
a group of Pemberton District High
School students on work experience.
At the College he caught up with former
student, now current College resident,
Matilda Grey.
Congratulations to Tim Richards (1982)
who was awarded the prestigious
Travel Industry Analysis Award at the
Australian Society of Travel Writers
2013 Travel Journalism Awards for
Excellence. Tim won the award for his
article “World’s Most Expensive Cities
Not So Bad ... If You’re Australian” which
was published in The Sydney Morning
Herald in February. The award winning
article can be found here: www.smh.
com.au/travel/worlds-most-expensivecities-not-so-bad--if-youre-australian20130207-2e0xw.html
Congratulations to Amy Barrett-Lennard
(1984), Director of the Perth Institute
of Contemporary Arts (PICA), who was
a finalist in the 2013 Telstra Western
Australian Business Women’s Awards.
Congratulations to Fran Davies (1988)
who was named School Psychologist
of the Year at the School Psychologists
Association of Western Australia’s
recent annual conference.
SUMMER 2013
Well done to Sarah Wiese (Davies
1989) and Tim Wiese (1989) who have
once again won the Iron Man and
Iron Woman events at the Blackwood
Marathon for the eleventh year in
a row! The Blackwood Marathon is
a relay race held annually on the
last Saturday of October. When it
was first held in 1979, 54 teams,
consisting of 220 competitors, took
part. Nowadays it attracts over 750
competitors, including many ironmen
and ironwomen. It is a unique event
and top athletes such as Robert
de Castella and Shane Gould have
competed in the past.
Competitors enter the Blackwood
Marathon either in teams of five or as
individuals. Each team has a runner,
a canoeist, a swimmer, an equestrian
and a cyclist – those in the Iron Man or
Iron Woman category complete each
leg themselves. The race begins in the
town of Boyup Brook with a 12 km run,
followed by an 8.5 km canoe leg then
a 1 km swim, both in the Blackwood
River. Next is the equestrian leg, a
16 km undulating course with several
challenging hills that requires a fit,
well trained horse – if the horse’s
heartbeat doesn’t return to below 60
beats/min when checked by a vet 30
minutes after finishing the leg, they are
disqualified. The final leg is a 22 km
cycle finishing in Bridgetown.
Amazingly, when Tim and Sarah first
started training for the Blackwood
Marathon, Sarah could barely swim
one lap of a 50 m pool and Tim had
never ridden a horse before. This
year, Tim finished 8th overall, in a
time of 3 hours, 10 minutes and 29
seconds – 47 minutes in front of
the next Iron Man competitor. Sarah
finished in 12th place overall in a time
of 3 hours, 12 minutes and 23 seconds
– 64 minutes in front of the next Iron
Woman competitor, her niece Jemma
Read. Sarah set a new record for
the Iron Women event beating her
previous record by just over 4 and half
minutes – she also clocked the fastest
horse time of the day.
This year was particularly exciting
because Tim and Sarah’s son Bill
Wiese, aged 12, competed for the
first time and did the paddle leg with
a Narrogin Junior team who won the
Under 18 category.
Calling all Freshers of 2004, 1989, 1984 and 1974!
2014 will be the 10th, 25th, 30th and
40th anniversaries of the first year
you called St George’s College ‘home’.
If you are interested in organising
a reunion for your year group,
please contact Jo Evans by emailing
josephine@stgeorgescollege.uwa.edu.au
or calling 9449 5555. The College has
produced a Reunion Guide brochure
which will help you organise your
event. She will also assist you with the
organising and will put you in touch
with your fellow freshers.
47
Interested in getting in touch with long lost Georgian
friends or organising a Georgian get-together?
The College is happy to help.
Email Jo Evans (1988) at
josephine@stgeorgescollege.uwa.edu.au
or call on (08) 9449 5555.
St George’s College
Mounts Bay Road
Crawley WA 6009
facebook.com/
stgeorgescollegeuwa
@StGeorges_UWA