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News and events

AUIAC 2002

The Australian Universities International Alumni Convention will be held at the Hotel Sofitel in Melbourne from 5 to 7 September 2002, on the theme 'Networking in the knowledge economy'. Speakers include Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty, The Honourable Gareth Evans and The Australian newspaper's Paul Kelly. See www.auiac2002.com for further details, or to register your interest, email auiac2002@meetingplanners.com.au

Gippsland

More than 370 alumni and staff gathered in March for an overwhelmingly successful reunion at the Gippsland campus to celebrate the three stages of the institution's history ­ as Yallourn Technical College (1928­1968), Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education (1968­1990) and Monash University (1990­present). Charles Adams, of the engineering class of 1950, writes: "The event was a moving experience as we explored a complex facility, were entertained, suffered speeches, had a pleasant meal, recognised changed faces and exchanged histories."

USA

Monash alumni in the San Francisco Bay area gathered for a third annual reunion in February and met with Monash vice-chancellor Professor David Robinson, deputy chancellor Mr Paul Ramler AM, and dean of the Faculty of Information Technology Professor John Rosenberg, who had been in Salt Lake City for the launch of Olympic Games Knowledge Services (www.ogks.com), a joint initiative of Monash University and the IOC. Professor Rosenberg also hosted the inaugural reunion in Los Angeles, where he spoke on Monash's global development.

UK

A second reunion event is planned for London in July as part of a week of activites to launch the Monash Centre London. If you're in the UK, be sure to let us know (monashalumni@adm.monash.edu.au).

Networks

Law

The Monash Law School invites law graduates to reconnect with their former peers, network and develop professionally via the Law Alumni Association. Events over recent months have included the inaugural Law Alumni Lecture given by the Reverend Tim Costello, young graduates networking sessions in Melbourne, and gatherings in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur hosted by the dean of Law, Professor Stephen Parker, together with Law Alumni Association president Mr Ian Pyman. To be part of the group or to assist in any way, email alumni@law.monash.edu.au

Environment

The soon-to-be-launched Monash Environ- mental Student Alumni Network (MESAN) plans to bring together students and alumni of Monash programs with an environmental focus, and as well as other graduates who have an interest in environmental matters. To read more, or to join the Monash Environment Institute (MEI) news list, visit the MEI website at www.mei.monash.edu.au

Civil celebrants

The Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology at Monash is presenting a series of monthly lectures and panel discussions at the university's city premises in Melbourne on the theme 'Rites of passage: marking life and death in contemporary Australia', as part of an initiative to strengthen professional education for civil celebrants. The series is supported by the Monash Civil Celebrants' Graduates Association. For further information, contact judy.watt@arts.monash.edu.au

Pharmacy

2001 was an active year for the Victorian College of Pharmacy alumni program, with the first alumni newsletter published, the inaugural international reception in Singapore and the first of a series of regional dinners held in Bendigo. This year is set to be even more active, with reunions, graduation year dinners and regional events. To view the program for 2002, visit www.vcp.monash.edu.au/alumni

Malaysia

Ivy Cheong (BBus(Mktg) 1997) took up the role of alumni coordinator for Malaysia during 2001, based at the Monash Malaysia campus. In addition to the regular Leading Ideas Forum series, Ivy is helping to provide further opportunities for career networking for young alumni. If you can assist or have an interest in getting involved, email ivy.cheong@adm.monash.edu.my

Visit www.alumni.monash.edu.au to subscribe to 'At Monash', the monthly newsletter for alumni listing the latest in news and events from Monash and our alumni groups around the world. Out on the first Monday of each month.

AO (Officer of the Order of Australia)

Emeritus Professor Charles Bridges-Webb (MD 1971) - Department of Family Medicine at the University of SydneyFor service to medicine, particularly in the field of primary care research and practiceMavis Marjorie Gallienne (AssocDipArts (WelfareStuds) 1995) For service to community health in relation to motor neurone disease at local, state, national and international levels, as an advocate for the development of support services, and for raising public awareness of this conditionEmeritus Professor John Melvin Swan (DSc 1994) - former Dean of Science and Pro Vice-Chancellor For service as an outstanding contributor to the advancement of Australian science, particularly in the fields of chemistry, marine science and meteorology, to education, and to the management, protection and conservation of the natural environment

AM (Member of the Order of Australia)

Donald Henry Hyde (MA 1993)For service to the community through the promotion of activities to celebrate Australia Day, to medical research through the Centre for Molecular Biology & Medicine, and to children through programs aimed at the prevention of abuseLorraine May Morgan (BEd 1985)For service to athletics, particularly as an administrator, and as a contributor to the organisation pf the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic GamesProfessor Judith Milburn Parker (BA(Hons) 1975, PhD Arts 1981)For service to nursing, particularly in the fields of nursing education and the development of evidence-based nursing practice, and as editor of the international journal Nursing Inquiry

OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia)

Francis James Colcott(BEd 1983)For service to youth through programs aimed at improving education, health and welfare services, and providing employment opportunities for young people.

William Thomas Deveney (AssocDip(WelfareStuds) 1978) For service to the community through the development of aged care and youth services, and as a health administrator within the Melbourne metropolitan region

Maxwell Wallace Hopper - Director, Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education 1970 - 1983For service to education, particularly through the development of distance education programs and the establishment and management of tertiary institutions in regional Victoria.

John Alexander Ware (PhC 1950)For service to pharmacy and pharmaceutical administration by advancing the professional standards of pharmacy, and to the Seymour community through support for health and aged-care facilities.

Derek John Whitehead (MLib 1985) For service to library and information services, particularly in the areas of acquisitions, collection management and the promotion of internet use, and to the development of multicultural library services in Australia.

CSM (Conspicuous Service Medal)

Lieutenant Commander John Bernard Merton, RANR (BA 1974)

Glenda Noelene Strong (DipTeach(Primary) 1983)For outstanding public service to education, particularly in the area of early schooling.

APM (Australian Police Medal)

Commander Robert Jeffery Hastings (AssocDipArts(PoliceStuds) 1988, BA(SocSci) 1993)

1960s

Malcolm Spry (BEc 1967) and his wife Helen (nee Stanley) (BA 1967) have moved to New York, where Malcolm is executive vice-president of the Media Measurement and Information group of VNU Inc.

The Australian National University has re-appointed Tony Milner (BA(Hons) 1968) as dean of Asian Studies and Basham Professor of Asian History for a further five-year term.

Carol Boughton (BSc 1968, MSc 1974) is now managing director of Software Improvements, a company jointly owned by Carol and her husband which developed the pioneering electronic voting and counting system used for the ACT Legislative Assembly election.

Former business graduate Piyaporn Erbprasartsook (BEc 1969) has found an enlightening position as adviser to the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Thailand.

The University of Tel Aviv has honoured Rabbi Rodney Mariner (BA(Hons) 1968, DipEd 1969) by displaying a set of prayer books he has written for his congregation ­ a work he sees as his greatest achievement.

Stelarc, a student at Caulfield Technical College in the 1960s, now part of Monash University, will be artist-in-residence at Monash's Faculty of Art and Design from June to September 2002. Internationally recognised in the field of conceptual, performance and body art, Stelarc was awarded an honorary doctorate by Monash in March 2002. He is pictured (right), with Monash University chancellor Mr Jerry Ellis.

1970s

Research professor Hasna Begum (PhD Arts 1978) of Dhaka University, Bangladesh, has been re-elected as a board member of the International Association of Bioethics.

Robert Leone (BEdSt 1979) has moved to England to fill a position as a full-time supply teacher at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury.

Botany enthusiast Dr Chris Cargill (BSc(Hons) 1979) recently completed her PhD at Southern Illinois University, USA, in bryophyte taxonomy and systematics. She is now curator of cryptogams at the Australian National Herbarium in Canberra. Following a stint as visiting professor at the University of Minnesota, where she progressed her environmental policy research.

Dr Kate Crowley (BA 1979) has returned to the University of Tasmania to lecture in public and environmental policy.

Arthur Hallett (BEc 1979, LLB 1981) is principal of Hallett West and Johnston lawyers, specialising in family, migration and entertainment law.

Sue Taylor (BA 1972) reports that her first book has been published: a humorous account of bird-watching in Australia titled How Many Birds is That?

Agnes Bankier (MB BS 1973) has been appointed director of Genetic Health Service Victoria but continues her involvement with Monash Medical Centre, both as a lecturer in genetics and contributor to the development of the new medical curriculum.

Lee Emmett (BSc (Hons)1973, DipEd 1975, MBA 1989) continues her work in natural resources as a member of the Central Coastal Board in addition to her recent appointment as director of Lower Murray Water.

Roberta Varrenti (BA 1976, DipEd 1977) is interested to know what became of fellow French and education graduates of 1976. She can be contacted at iosmond@vtown.com.au. Since resigning from formal work in 1995.

Diomanie Deepamali De Silva (MA 1977) has enjoyed reading and doing volunteer work, both as a tutor in the Department of Disability Studies at Deakin University and with intellectually disabled adults.

A former Papua New Guinea judge and resident of PNG since 1964, Brian Brunton (LLM 1978) is now working as a lawyer for Greenpeace as their forest specialist.

1980s

Practising chiropractor Dr Ronald Roberts (BA(SocSc) 1980) recently authored "Asthma: An Alternative Approach", which has since been published by Penguin in Australia, England and America.

LA-based entertainment lawyer Craig Emanuel (BJuris 1980, LLB 1983) has lived in the United States for 17 years, where his boutique practice, Loeb & Loeb, boasts among its clients Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood.

Martin Hunt (BEc 1981, LLB 1982) and his wife and two boys are leading the country life on a small farm near Mansfield where they breed horses, fatten steers and try to re-establish native vegetation. Martin also keeps busy as a Partner in Williams Hunt Solicitors, a vibrant and varied local practice.

"Life is great, as is my love for learning" exclaims Lucy Giudice (BA(SocSc) 1985, GradDipAppPsych 1987) who is director of her own business, Practical Performance Solutions, and president of two local business groups.

After assisting in a civic education program in Dili for the East Timor elections, former Sale of the Century winner David Smith (BA 1985, LLB 1988) is working as the Legal Advisor to the United Nations Development Program in Honduras.

MENSA Malaysia member Ken Leong (BE w/hons 1986) recently assumed the post of Head of Engineering with Lycos Asia in Shanghai, China.

Rosemary Waterman (BA(Hons) 1988) would like to thank the Department of Environmental Science at Monash University for their positive input into the four year project to gain organic accreditation in growing chemically free beef cattle, a rewarding journey she describes as "worth every minute!"

Dominic Doyle (BBus(Mktg) 1989) has recently purchased a Snap Printing franchise in Port Melbourne.

Being active in business, helping the Monash University Alumni Association of Hong Kong, and devotion to family life are apparently no impediment to extra-curricular achievement for Grace Yen (BE 1989, GradDipTranTrafEng 1997). Grace, currently President of the Rotary Club of Hong Kong Harbour, led three fundraising projects last year raising HKD400,000, three quarters of which was donated to a school project in China. Grace's Rotary team also boasts the talents of fellow Monash graduates Peter Ngai (MB BS 1974) and Theresa Chan (BEc(Hons) 1988).

Dr Edwin van Leeuwen (BSc(Hons) 1977, PhD Sci 1981) has been awarded a 2002 Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award for leading the team responsible for "the most significant development in mineral exploration technology in 50 years", according to the awards committee. The mineral technology team at BHP Billiton developed "Falcon", a practical airborne gravity system for mapping mineral and hydrocarbon deposits.

1990s

With an Arts Degree in Sociology and Visual Arts, Justine Spicer (pic below) (BA 1996) has applied her double major to a career in making shorts films, music clips, television commercials and dance videos, recently travelling to Russia to produce a documentary.

Nicholas Barr (BBus(BusAdmin) 1991) has owned a Video Ezy franchise for the past 8 years and was recently appointed State Manager for Mortgage Australia, a Perth-based company specialising in matching a mortgage to a client.

Rowena Perry (BA(Craft) 1992) and her husband Phil (ex Faculty of Education) are about to embark on their third "China Close-Up" tour in May as leaders of the trip.

Michelle Lewis (nee Loschiavo) (BSc 1994) was blessed with the birth of her son Malachy on Mothers' Day 2001.

After completing his thesis on Aristotle's Poetics at Monash, Dr Lok Chong Hoe (PhD Arts 1994) has gone on to teach in the School of Humanities at Universiti Sains Malaysia. He now specialises in eastern critical thinking and informal logic, and Chinese civilisation with an emphasis on the philosophy of Confucius.

While employed by Deloitte Consulting of Selangor, Alain Boey (BEc 1994) is also club service director for the Rotary Club of Subang in Malaysia where he helps uphold the motto "Create awareness, take action".

Patricia Paraide (MEdSt 1995) has taken up a new position overseas as senior research fellow in the Education Studies Division of the Papua New Guinea National Research Institute.

As a founding co-director of Jott Engineering, Giovanni Barbieri (BBus(Mgt) 1995) is working in thermal power and process engineering consulting throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Since graduating from Monash, Anthony Audoa(LLM 1995) was a Member of Parliament for Nauru and has been Minister for Justice, Home Affairs, Health, Culture and Women's Affairs among other portfolios. Recently he has moved to the private sector as Chairman and CEO of his own law firm, the Nauru Agency Corporations Group.

Pauline Petrus (MA 1996) studied music at Monash University and now writes as a freelance journalist doing anything from CD and concert reviews to research, while teaching private piano lessons and tutoring in music theory.

As managing director of Rent-a-Home, Justin Butterworth (BCom(Hons) 1996) is helping business travelers feel comfortable with their surroundings by providing a service of fully furnished apartments and houses all over Australia.

After undergraduate study at Monash, Kirsty Alnwick (BA 1997, GradDipEdPsych 1998) has recently completed a Masters in Educational Psychology. She began work in 2001 at Star of the Sea College, Melbourne as school psychologist.

Meanwhile, in South Australia Luis Sanchez-Cunat (PhD Arts 1997) reports he has been appointed Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ecuador.

Settled with his family in Zurich, Switzerland, but missing Australia and Monash, Dr Hardeep Singh (PhD Comp 1998) is working as Director of IT at UBS AG.

Mitra Rahmatzadeh (BSc 1999) writes that her Science degree at Monash has helped her a lot in her current chiropractic course, where she is now helping patients of her own and loving it!

Congratulations to Dr Rhonda Dotson (MB BS 1999) on her engagement to Dr. David Fitzgerald. They are currently both RMOs in the Emergency Department of the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie, Tasmania.

Having completed her second degree at Monash, Marigold Murray (BA 1999, MMktg 2001) is currently enjoying work in the Marketing Department of the Herald and Weekly Times.

Congratulations to Michael Rush (BEc(Hons) 1998, LLB 1999) who has beaten a strong field of candidates from all over Europe to win the European Prize for the best business law student. He is currently undertaking further law studies at Oxford.

2000s

While working full time as a web developer, Catherine Duc (BBusSys 2000) has launched a website with her own original music compositions at www.mp3.com/cath. One of her songs went to number 1 on the Australian and Oceania ambient charts within the first week of release and to number 6 in Adult Contemporary worldwide

After teaching for one year just outside Barcelona, Margaret-Ann Thomson (BEd, BA 2000) has returned to Australia noting that "it was an incredible experience and one in which I was happy to have a Monash teaching degree behind me".

Good luck to Delia Manning (BA, BSc 2000) who is looking forward to graduating as a doctor in four years time. She is adding a few feathers to her cap by undertaking Medicine and Surgery degrees in Melbourne University's Graduate Medical Program.

Emma Dyer (BPerfArts 2000, GradDipEd(Sec) 2001) is using her performing arts and educational study in her professional career as Head of Drama at Ballarat and Clarendon College in Ballarat.

Dr Raymond Pau Wai Man (MFamMed 2000) is based in Hong Kong's Tung Wah Hospital where he acts as an associate consultant with the hospital authority.

Sally Johnson (GDipIndEmpRels 2000) has continued her work in human resources, most recently as performance development advisor in local government.

Jennifer Adams (MSocWk 2000) says she is finding her degree from Monash very useful in her new job working for the South Australian Passenger Transport Board.

Yeo Chern Tat (BA(Comm) 2000) is currently working as an Associate Producer with Walt Disney Television, making promotions and trailers for The Disney Channel catering to the Asia-Pacific region.

Adore Beauty co-founders Kate Morris (a final year business student) and James Height (BA, LLB 2001) recently enjoyed the success of having their online beauty boutique ranked as sixth best e-tailer in Australia. The ranking was based on research by Global Reviews after a nationwide survey.

Yian-Hun Cheong (BE(Civ&Comp) 2000) is hopeful of moving to the United Kingdom soon to further his career after working in concrete technology in Kuala Lumpur and flood mitigation in Sabah, Malaysia.

Hailing from Lusaka, Zambia, Joyce Masempela-Ngandu (MA(Arch&Rec) 2000) has been a lecturer heading the Library and Information Science section of Evelyn Hone College, a technical and vocational training school. She was recently appointed to head of the department concerned with Librarianship, Records and Archival Management.

Emily Tan Tze Wui (BCom(Acc&Fin) 2001) is happy to be in her first job post-university as a staff accountant for Andersen Consulting and is based in Singapore.

Living in Winchester, England, Andy Muscat (BBus 2000) has been consolidating a career in the wine industry with a recent appointment as Account Manager for Oddbins in the city of London while also completing a diploma in wine.

Sashika Miniwan Munasinghe (BBus(Acc) 2000) has traveled to the United Kingdom to pursue a Masters of Information Technology degree at Keele University.

Vale

Leanne Whiteside (BA 1992, LLB 1993), who tragically passed away in the New York terrorist attacks of September 11.

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