For the first time UNE has participated in the Australia Japan Society NSW Student Awards Evening.
On Thursday, 15th May, Rosamund Plummer was awarded the Prize for Japanese Studies for 2024, along with representatives from nine other universities in NSW. Rosamund received her prize, giving a speech in both Japanese and English. An accomplished musician, Rosamund concluded the prize giving ceremony by performing a haunting but thrilling piece on the Japanese ryūteki 龍笛dragon flute while her colleague Henry Liang who played the shō 笙. Rosamund reported on the evening as follows: The other students were so nice to me and it was lovely to hang out with those clever young people, though it was amusing when the Consul-General used the word “young” before every mention of “student” in his speech … maybe 15 times! I thought, wait ‘til he meets me! In her speech, Rosamund highlighted that her Japanese studies began after she spent an extended period in Japan learning to play gagaku music from the 7th century with the masters. During this time of intense and esoteric study she realised that in prioritising her music studies, her practical Japanese skills had been left behind — in her own words, she could ‘still could not order a coffee at Starbucks’.「へんな日本の笛で雅楽のうたをたくさん演奏したりできるようになりましたが、スターバックスでコーヒーの注文の仕方がわかりませんでした。」 It was then she enrolled in UNE’s Japanese program and began her Japanese language journey.
Senior Lecturer Xiang Gao and Associate Professor Paul Smith attended the ceremony on UNE’s behalf.
In their nomination, the Japanese language teaching staff said the following of their student:
Rosamund Plummer is thoroughly deserving of the UNE-AJS NSW prize for Japanese Studies 2024 for persistence, collegiality and ability in Japanese studies. … It was an absolute pleasure for all staff to teach Rosamund. Rosamund has focused on Japanese language learning for the long haul. Despite set-backs including studying from hospital and difficult study conditions, she has continued over many years, and the lecturers in the discipline congratulate her for her tenacity along the way.