Under a cerulean blue sky, Armidale is welcoming spring and I gather the same is true across the state as we emerge from under the Antarctic weather bubble; one feels joyous!
This week has prompted a range of reflections around the spaces which apparently exist between facts and assertion, and the process of respectful engagement. Yet again I have been dealing with a series of different reports that have been issued both internally and externally which basically assert that I have misrepresented certain critical facts. Not one of the authors of such materials sought any dialogue before publication, or commented in an open forum so that the ‘information’ provided might be checked, confirmed, explained, revised, updated, contextualised or withdrawn. Many colleagues have now shared the same concerns, and we ended up reviewing the purpose of ‘false news’ paradigms where ‘facts’ stand to forfeit.
At the other end of the spectrum, I have been generously bombarded with emails and texts from many colleagues who have participated in the recent Time for Change webinars and the associated Q&A sessions. They noted the effort expended to provide written answers to all questions; sentiment analysis suggests that colleagues truly appreciate the openness of the dialogue and the efforts being made to build the UNE Conversation, and engage openly and purposefully. |
Cerulean is a range of colours from teal-blue, sky-blue, bright blue, or azure to deep cyan. The word cerulean comes from the Latin word caeruleum, which means “sky” or “heavens”. This was in turn from Latin caeruleus deep blue: resembling the blue of the sky.