Issue 4 April 2006

 John White - Campus Director Caulfield Campus 1997-2002

Hundreds of people attend the recent funeral of much loved and respected, past Peninsula Campus Director, John White. John died on 7 April 2006 after a long battle with cancer.

Anyone who knew John only had a positive impression of him with terms like warm, thoughtful, generous, kind, genuine, fair and empathetic regularly associated with his personality both in his professional and personal life.

John's work ethic to make a difference was felt by many colleagues, who often became life long friends, during his 36 year history at Caulfield Technical College, Chisholm Institute and Monash University. His unique ability to give everyone a voice no matter who they were endeared him to all.

As a senior manager, his open door policy allowed many people to vent frustrations and to discuss concerns and issues to which he gave equal and fair consideration. 

Sport was his true passion (second only to his family), which he was able to indulge through many means including taking on the role of President of Australian University Sport and advisor to the Vice-Chancellor on Sport at Monash. He was instrumental in securing the hockey facility at the Peninsula campus and developing the elite swim program at Clayton.

However his first and main passion was his family, his wife Kathy, his children and their partners Michelle and Mark, Sue and Ivan, Paul and Jen, and Tony and Amanda, and his grandchildren Hannah, Tess, Ella, Eddy, Tom, Paddy and Ben.

During his battle with cancer John's love of life continued to shine and he never gave up hope or that unwitting ability to make people feel important and valued despite his own health worries. Only the day before he died he sent an email talking of the next step in his treatment regime and his "resolve to win this fight".

When John retired as Campus Director in 2002 many people felt a sense of loss. That sense of loss is felt one hundred fold now.

A condolence book is available at Campus Switchboard (Building A) Administration from 20 April to 24 April for people to sign. A memorial service will be held for John at a date to be announced.

(This piece was reproduced from Peninsula Online - with thanks to Julie Baxter).

Holocaust Awareness Week 

This week is Holocaust Awareness Week (HAW), and a commemoration will be held at the university to mark this dark chapter in Human and Jewish history.

All staff, students and members of the Monash University Caulfield campus community are 

welcome to attend this commemoration.

A survivor of the Holocaust will be a guest speaker, together with prayers and poems being told. 

It is important to continue to raise awareness and educate people as survivors pass on.

Details of the commemoration are as follows:

Date: Thursday 27 April, 2006

Time: 11am-11:45am (approx)

Room: A2.10

Monash Designers Cleanup National Awards 

The Monash Faculty of Art and Design has swept the 2006 Interior Design Awards, winning three titles for its towering inflatable structure, the lounge-like Solivoid.

The faculty's interdisciplinary Spatial Research Group took out more titles that any other entrant in the awards that attract the best designers in Australia.

It won coveted Hospitality Interior Design Award, the Best of State award for commercial interior design and the most esteemed award out of all categories -- the Interior Design Excellence and Innovation prize.

The jurors said they were fascinated by the humourous, experimental and evocative Solivoid  project and its methodology. It is "a truly innovative response to exhibition design that simultaneously compresses and expands space," they said.

Towering more than seven metres high, 10 metres long and seven metres wide, the Solivoid is valued at more than $113,000 and took 18 months for Monash design staff, postgraduate students and partners to create.

Exhibited to great acclaim at the DesignEX exhibition last year, and designed as a temporary coffee lounge for use at large trade expositions, it provides a space for visitors to wait, while incidentally generating multimedia patterns projected on to its surface.

Solivoid design director and Monash University Interior Architecture lecturer Darragh O'Brien said the Spatial Research Group had connected industry and academia.

"We have all come from practice backgrounds although we seek to engage with experimental ideas at a level that commercial practice often cannot." he said. "These awards suggest that industry acknowledges the need for this sort of activity."

Art and Design Foundation Dean John Redmond said the tremendous achievement was a great recognition of the professional standing of the faculty. "The awards give a strong endorsement to the interdisciplinary research projects encouraged by the faculty and demonstrate its capabilities in innovation and creativity," he said.

Mr O'Brien said the Solivoid could not have been completed without the support of industry partners, Inflatable Image Technologies, Sakimoto Furniture and BG Architecture.

Aussie Friends of VOLSET (Voluntary Services Trust Team)

Aussie Friends of VOLSET* are holding their first fundraiser in May. Funds raised will be used for the building of a Resource Centre on Sowe Island (Lake Victoria, Uganda), and miscellaneous supplies for many (hopefully) of the VOLSET sponsored school children.

We are planning a fun filled evening –Trivia Night, Silent Auction, and Buy a Brick (or three, or cement, bed, storage box, or washing basin etc).

Some great trivia prizes (including wine tasting at Chandon winery), and greater auction items (including 5 nights accommodation in Maloolabah, Queensland, Ugandan items including beautiful paintings and photographs.)

Details:

Parkview Hotel, 131 Scotchmer Street, North Fitzroy,

26th May, 2006

7:30pm start

$20 per head

Tables of 8-10 people

Finger food provided with drinks available @ bar prices

Table booking and tickets can be organized by contacting Stacey Lynch on 0407 877375 or Kathy Lynch  on 9903 2583 or email to aussieVOLSET@gmail.com.

*Contacts:

Email: aussieVOLSET@gmail.com

Temporary web address for Aussie Friends of VOLSET,

http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/staff/klynch/FofV/

VOLSET web site

http://volsetuganda.tripod.com/ 

Journalism Guest Speaker  

What do students need to know in order to prepare themselves for a career in Journalism?

Colin McKinnon, The Fairfax Group's Learning and Development Manager will speak to interested students on Friday 28 April at 1.00 p.m. in K3.21.  No need to RSVP.  For further information please contact Usha M Rodrigues on ext 47022.

get ACCTIVE Group - 10,000 Steps   

Welcome to The Bahamas - Commonwealth Games Challenge

Here is a photo of some members of the winning team of the last 10,000 Steps Challenge - The Fiery Footnotes

(from left to right - Peter Lausch, Ben Coyners, Gillian Careem and Stephanie Daley)

Congratulations are also extended to Dave Jakovincic, who took out the award of the Highest Stepper, achieving 1,033,277 steps during the four week challenge - a mighty effort!!

Upcoming Events  

The get ACCTIVE Group is pleased to announce some upcoming events that staff, students, friends and family members of the Campus community may be interested in participating in.  You can enter one or all three - the choice is yours:

Million Steppers Club - commences 1 May, 2006.  Register on the 10,000 steps website (100000steps.org.au) - and note your steps as at 1 May.  Record your steps and when you have reached 1,000,000 steps please advise Christel Kent via email (together with a copy of your "recorded steps").  You will then be asked if you would like to become a member of the Million Steps Club and if so, requested to pay a membership fee of $10.00.  Each member of the club, as they walk their first 1,000,000 steps and subsequent million steps will receive a certificate and a reward (t-shirt, cap/visor, water bottle, etc.)

World Cup Challenge  - commences 14 May, 2006 and concludes 26 July 2006 and will revolved around the Soccer World Cup event. This event will be teams of five people - each team member to achieve 10,000 steps per day. Walkers will be randomly allocated to a team and each team will be given the name of one of the competing countries in the World Cup Soccer.  There will be two winners:  the team that walks the most steps and the team bearing the name of the eventual World Cup winner.

Campus Life Event - Mother's Day Classic Fun Run/Walk - A 8km or 4km run or walk around the Royal Botanic Gardens.  All proceeds from the Mothers Day Classic are donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, a not for profit organisation that promotes and supports research into breast cancer prevention and treatment.   Be among the first 300 participants to register with Monash University for the Mother’s Day Classic run or walk and receive a fabulous Monash University t-shirt or singlet absolutely FREE!!

Please go to the following website for additional information and to register:

http://www.sport.monash.edu.au/events/mothers-day-classic.html

Global Corporate Challenge - 2006 Team   

The get ACCTIVE Group is pleased to announce that the Caulfield campus will defend its title in the Global Corporate Challenge 2006.  

The team members are as follows:  Rosemary Demirtas (School of Infomation Technology), Peter Lausch (Library), Jacqui Hughes (Facilities & Conference Office), Jason Ceddia (School of Information Technology), Renee Gedge (Community Services), James Leninah (Business & Economics) and Felicity Allen (Psychology).  This year's Challenge commences on Thursday 25 May and concludes on Wednesday 25 October, 2006 and reports will be provided as to their progress during the Challenge. 

(Five members of the GCC Team 2006 - from left to right Jacqui Hughes, Rosemary Demirtas, Jason Ceddia, Renee Gedge and Peter Lausch)

Justice of the Peace on campus  

Rod Simpson, Justice of the Peace, is available on Tuesdays from 10am to 2.30pm in A1.19 to provide a Certification and Statutory Declaration/Affidavit witnessing service.   If you need documents witnessed at other times please contact Christel Kent who will provide you with names of other staff who can assist.

Media Communications Office  

A reminder that the Media Communications Office has a presence on campus.  Robyn Anns is working at Caulfield on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and her office is 3.115 in Building H.  Robyn can be contacted on 0417 568 781.

Religious Service - Rosary Prayer 

Rosary prayer is available Monday to Friday 12.15 p.m. at the Campus Religious Centre,  Room T3.01.  For additional information please visit website:  monashcatholics@blogspot.com

Campus Nurse Report   

Some ways to turn over a new leaf.  Aim to eat a good variety of health foods every day.  Only then can you expect to improve your wellbeing and lift your energy levels.  Your sleep patters will also improve and you will find it easier to concentrate over longer periods.  It all adds up to feeling great.

Go for variety.   To function properly, you need at least 40 different nutrients for good health.  Eating a variety of healthier foods can help ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs.  Include fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes (such as dried peas, beans and lentils), wholegrain cereals, low fat dairy products, lean meat, fish and skinless chicken in your diet.

Enjoy food.  Remember to enjoy what you are eating, but at the same time being aware about what goes into each meal.  Turn the television off while you are eating and enjoy eating with others when possible.

Start the day well.  At breakfast, sit down to your choice of low sugar cereal, muesli, porridge or rice.  For something different, try making a fruit salad, or spreading avocado, tuna or baked beans on toast instead of butter and/or jams.

Break new Bread.  Pick up some English muffins, pita bread, bagels, foccacia, crispbread, rice cakes, corn cakes, chapattis or pocket bread tortillas.  Try mountain bread, pocket bread, sourdough, multigrain, soy, rye and linseed and fruit bread as an alternative to white bread.

Be strong with dairy. Choose low fat milks, yoghurts and cheeses.

Eat your juice. Eat a piece of fruit instead of fruit juice or fruit drinks, which contain energy, but little fibre.

 Judy Evans (Campus/Practice Nurse)

Caulfield Profiles

This month Peter Lausch of the Caulfield Library is profiled.  

Peter Lausch

What is your position here at the Caulfield campus? 

Lending Services Assistant at the library.

How long have you been with Monash?

Eight years at Monash, the first 18 months at Clayton, then in July 1999 joined 

Caulfield after Wendy Ashburn convinced me Caulfield is a good place to work at. 

Thanks Wendy, the cheque is in the mail.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Love spending time with my girlfriend Leanne and also like spending time at the 

footy or rugby league with mates.  Go the mighty Melbourne Storm.

Do you have a favourite quote you would like to share? 

"Its all happening","is it your shout, Dave" (this is usually said to my mate Dave Jakovincic 

on a Friday night at Tom Thumb's). Pity they don’t sell West End Beer there.

Where do you see yourself in five years time? 

Hopefully running the library, just like Fidel Castro would. (just kidding) 

I hope to be involved with a university in some capacity either in a library or

 sports department.  Enjoy working at universities. Loved my time at La 

Trobe and have really enjoyed my eight years at Monash so far.

 If you would like to be "profiled" in an upcoming edition of Offcourse, please email me at Christel.Kent@adm.monash.edu.au
 

Authorised by the Office of the Campus Manager 

Caulfield Contributions can be emailed to Christel.Kent@adm.monash.edu.au