Archive for December 5th, 2008

The University of New England has celebrated productive partnerships with three Hong Kong universities at a UNE graduation ceremony in Hong Kong.

Sixty-two students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, and the City University of Hong Kong graduated with UNE degrees this year. Forty-two of them attended the ceremony at “The Mira Hong Kong”, Kowloon, on Wednesday 19 November.

In giving the Occasional Address at the ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, said the occasion was a celebration of both past achievements and future potential. “A graduate’s responsibility is to bring about constructive change in society,” he said, “and to do this, he or she should be open to the concept of life-long learning.”

Professor Pettigrew thanked the Hong Kong universities and their staff – represented at the ceremony by Dr Chan Shui Kin from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Dr Ann Moir-Bussy from Shue Yan University, and Dr Charles Wong from the City University of Hong Kong.

The UNE degrees conferred at the ceremony, and taught through the Hong Kong universities, are: Master of Administrative Leadership, Master of Health Science (Gerontology), Master of Counselling, Bachelor of Professional Studies, Bachelor of Administrative Leadership, and Bachelor of Arts (Communication and Management).

Wong Pui Shan Sky (pictured here), from Shue Yan University, who graduated with a Master of Counselling degree, gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the graduates. “UNE presented us with the opportunity to further our studies and to attain our degrees,” she said. “We have not only grown more knowledgeable, but have also developed practical skills, communication skills, and a strong sense of responsibility.”

“UNE and the Hong Kong academic staff worked hard and were dedicated to their students,” she continued. “Each professor brought to us different skills and knowledge and helped us to grow.”

Among the representative of UNE at the ceremony were the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of The Professions, Professor Victor Minichiello, the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Professor Margaret Sedgley, and the Chief Development Officer, Mr Chris Patton.

THE PHOTOGRAPH of Wong Pui Shan Sky displayed here was taken as she delivered the vote of thanks at the Hong Kong graduation ceremony. Clicking on this image reveals a photograph of Wong Pui Shan Sky with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew.

The University of New England will be the venue this weekend for the world premiere of an extraordinary piece of musical theatre with music written by one of Australia’s most distinguished composers.

God’s Drawing Board is an “environmental epic” directed and partly written by UNE graduate Dr David Curtis.

The show follows the success of Plague and the Moonflower, with which Curtis and hundreds of members of the Armidale community captivated audiences at the Woodford Folk Festival in 2004.

God’s Drawing Board, based on the work of renowned British Gonzo artist Ralph Steadman, has music by the Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin (pictured here), who arrived in Armidale during the week and will be present for the weekend’s performances.

In summing up the impact of the show, Dr Curtis, who is an Honorary Associate of the Institute for Rural Futures at UNE, said potential audiences could “think ‘Abbey Road’, think ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, think Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 or the final movement of Beethoven’s 9^th.

“Like these pieces, God’s Drawing Board has at least 12 brilliant melodies that get stuck in your head,” he said. “It has every imaginable musical texture – from children singing with recorders, smashed dinner plates, and sopranos and piano, to full chorus and orchestra and earth-shattering bass drums. It covers every mood – including reflection, anger, hilarity, satire, and transforming elation.”

While the impetus for the project is partly the result of Dr Curtis’s studies of – and interest in – the role the arts can play in raising awareness of environmental issues, the show is a hugely creative enterprise that has taken shape in Armidale due to the talents in music, dance and acting that the local community supports.

Tickets are still available for the show, which will be staged at the University’s Lazenby Hall at 8 pm on Saturday December the 6th and at 3 pm on Sunday December the 7th. They are available from Angus and Robertson (Centro, 6772 6000) and Armidale Art Gallery in The Mall (6772 9993).

THE PHOTOGRAPH of Elena Kats-Chernin displayed here was taken during a rehearsal for God’s Drawing Board in Lazenby Hall.