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GREETINGS FROM THE UNIVERSITY It gives me great pleasure to send greetings on behalf of the University of Edinburgh to The University of Edinburgh Alumni Association (New South Wales). Although rooted in Scotland and drawing on the rich Scottish intellectual tradition, which gives us our distinctive contribution and identity, the University is also an institution of world-wide renown and standing. We take pride in the diversity of nations from which our staff and students come. This diversity is also reflected in our alumni - some 100,000 people spread through every country in the world. I am delighted that you can fly the flag for the University in New South Wales. We wish you well as you develop your association with the University of Edinburgh. Stewart Sutherland |
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HELLO ALUMNI On behalf of the New South Wales Group, I wish to thank Professor Sir Stewart Sutherland, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University for sending us greetings in this very special occasion of the publication of our first issue of Newsletter. We are so proud to belong to the University which cares so much for the alumni. The publication of Newsletter is intended to bring the alumni together, keep alumni informed of the Association and promote alumni network. When it comes to the network, we look beyond the state boundaries of New South Wales and the shores of Australian waters. There will be four issues of Newsletter in a year: March, June, September
and December. The Newsletter is published in the New South Wales web site
of http://www.edalumni.com . Alumni
(in New South Wales) who use emails will be informed when a new issue
is posted to the web site. Others will receive printed copies sent by
post. Ven Yee Foo |
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GREETINGS FROM AFUE American Friends of the University of Edinburgh sends greetings to all University of Edinburgh alumni and friends in New South Wales. Congratulations on the success of your Annual dinner on 27 October 1999. We are all grateful to you and to your President, Ven Yee Foo, for leadership efforts in creating an world wide alumni internet forum for all alumni of our great University. AFUE looks forward to continued contact with the New South Wales Group, and to hearing of your successes. May you go from strength to strength. With best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season. Sincerely, Editor: AFUE is an alumni association in USA raising funds for various development projects of the University of Edinburgh and the awards of scholarships. It is possibly the largest alumni group of the University and certainly the most active. |
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NEWS FROM EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY I hope news of our planned alumni weekend has reached you all by now. Alumni 2000 will be the first alumni weekend held in the University for several years and is timed to coincide with the end of the Edinburgh Festival. We have been thrilled both by the response from alumni - over 1,200 have indicated that they are interested in coming and the enthusiasm from the academic community who are organising a full and varied programme of lectures, tours and talks. Following a gala dinner, the weekend will culminate in an event held in the McEwan Hall - a question and answer session with Members of the Scottish Parliament, all of whom are fellow alumni. We are hugely looking forward to this party and would hope to introduce it as a regular part of our alumni programme if it is a success. If you would like more details of this event, please contact Development and Alumni Services, Old College, South Bridge Edinburgh, EH10 5PB. Telephone: 011 44 131 550 2240. Email: Development@ed.ac.uk We have a new alumni group setting up in France. A lively meeting of more than 70 people was addressed by Vice Principal Professor Boulton, to discuss various ways in which alumni could become involved in the University. This was set in a Scottish pub in the middle of Paris, with the World Cup Rugby playing in the background. We were disappointed that Gregor Townsend, one of our alumni based in France could not attend - as he was part of the Scottish Rugby team playing in the World Cup! It was agreed that the group would be officially launched in Spring of 2000. In December, we will be welcoming Ian Rankin (MA 1982) as the eleventh alumnus of the Year. Ian Rankin the well respected author whom created the Edinburgh detective, Inspector Rebus. No doubt those of you who have read his novels will have been reminded of your time in Edinburgh. He will be presented with the Alumnus of the Year trophy at the December graduations, in the splendour of the McEwan Hall. Finally, we were delighted that the University of Edinburgh Development
Trust, which oversees the University fundraising activity, made awards
of £500,000 from the Alumni Fund. The awards included: Finally, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas - and a very Happy New Millennium. Editor: Ms Catrin Tilley sent this article on 24 November 1999. She
writes regularly for AFUE. The same article also appears in our Newsletter.
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BEST WISHES FROM ALUMNI SERVICES
Best wishes to all the alumni in NSW for the forthcoming festive
season. We look forward to welcoming as many alumni as possible to ALUMNI
2000 here in Edinburgh in September. A guid new year to ane and a'. |
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EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES It is now nearly five years since the University of Edinburgh decided it could no longer do without the services of a professional archivist. There was a recognition that without the raw materials of history - the archives of the University - it would be impossible to document its functions, development and achievements over time. At the same time it was realised that an archivist could contribute to better records management in the University, by identifying which modern records should be preserved permanently as archives, thus releasing valuable office space. There was also a need to manage those archives which had already found their way to the University Library, which was designated as the base for the new post, with the University Archivist also becoming a senior member of the Special Collections team. A great deal of progress has been made since 1995. The holdings have virtually quadrupled in size from 400 to approximately 1600 linear metres. Much of this has come from the departments that make up the University administration, thus providing a cross-sectional view of the institution through for example the files of the Secretary to the University, or the records of the Estates and Buildings department documenting such as the controversial development of George Square in both written and photographic formats. Teaching and research material has also been transferred from academic departments and centres but coverage of this tends to be much more patchy. For this reason it is important that present day alumni should consider gifting their lecture notes and other course materials to the archive, as this may be one of the only ways to record what was actually taught in the classroom or laboratory. The major additions to the archive have enabled detailed postgraduate research on the history of the University via specific MSc Studentships supervised by the Department of History. Other activities have included participation in and management of externally funded projects. Along with other Scottish University archivists, £20,000 was secured to fund a detailed study of the records of UK Higher Education Institutions. This project has since been developed to produce a detailed ‘function/activity’ model which should prove to be a very valuable tool for the sector as a whole. In conjunction with the Lothian Health Services Archive, a grant of £28,000 was obtained from SCRAN, (Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network), to digitise photographs relating to the Edinburgh Medical Community 1750-1950 and mount same on the world wide web. A grant of £250,000 is expected imminently from the RSLP (Research Support Libraries Programme) to produce NAHSTE (Navigational Aids for the History of Science, Technology and the Environment), based on the outstanding manuscripts and archives collections held by Edinburgh, Glasgow and Heriot-Watt Universities. RSLP will also be funding a large project led by Glasgow known as GASHE, (Gateways to the Archives of Scottish Higher Education). Both NAHSTE and GASHE should produce much needed high quality standardised descriptions to important collections on the world wide web, and thus promote even greater research activity in the academic community. The archive will continue to expand its holdings in coming years. The records of the former Moray House Institute of Education are due to become the responsibility of the University Archivist in October 1999, and further transfers are expected from the administration and academic departments. But the archive is always on the lookout for additional archival material relating to the University, so please contact me if you think you may have any material of interest from your own connection with Edinburgh: Arnott T Wilson, Editor: This article (originally appeared in September 1999 Newsletter
of AFUE) is published here with the permission of Mr Arnott Wilson who
also indicated his interest in preserving a copy of alumni association
archives within the main EU archives! |
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HONG KONG ALUMNI ASSOCIATION I sent a letter to Mr R Murray Burton (LLB, 67) when I was on a business trip in Hong Kong. At a result, we arranged to meet in the afternoon of 23 November to exchange our experiences and ideas on alumni matters. Hong Kong has about 300 alumni in the list. In our discussion, we agreed that organising an alumni function has not been an easy job. We have to ask ourselves what do we have to offer when we ask alumni to come to a function. Our consensus is that alumni dinner may be held biennially rather than annually. We agreed on the general concept to promote business networking within our associations. I wish to thank Bentley Systems Hong Kong Limited for the conference room facilities and Winnie for making us very nice coffee. I also like to thank Mr. Burton for his valuable time and the discussion. Ven Yee Foo PS: Mr R Murray Burton is the Marketing Director and Legal Council (Asia
Region) of Decision Strategies Fairfax International in Hong Kong. This
US company has its presence in London, Rome, Singapore and other US cities.
Email: rmburton@dsfxasia.com.
Web site: http://www.dsfx.com. |
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ABOUT THE NEW SOUTH WALES GROUP The Group held its inaugural meeting on 27 October 1998 to formally set up The University of Edinburgh Alumni Association (New South Wales) with 24 members and a Constitution in place. The committee, which includes the office-bearers, is responsible for the management of the organisation, in accordance with the regulations set out in the Constitution. The Constitution cannot be amended without prior notification to all members and the opportunity for all members to vote on any such amendments. An Annual General Meeting should be held to which all members must be invited. It is at this meeting that a review of the previous year's work is given, the accounts are presented for acceptance, office-bearers are elected and any constitutional changes are formally accepted. The programme for the forthcoming year is, normally, also announced. Because of local conditions. New South Wales group allows ongoing amendments of Constitution by correspondence and decided by a simple majority of members voting.
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REVIEW OF PREVIOUS YEAR'S WORK This following is a review of the work of Association in year 1998/99. 1. The web site http://www.edalumni.com was set up on 1 February 1999. 2. Maintained regular contact with and received valuable assistance and advice from the Development and Alumni Services of the University. 3. Maintained well established contact with American Friends of the University of Edinburgh (AFUE). 4. Assisted the Accommodation Services of the University in the promotion of holiday packages, Edinburgh Cultural Breaks and Millennium Celebrations in the web site. 5. Held an informal drink on 8 June 1999 at the University of Sydney Staff Club with four members attending, Dr Mary McCulloch, Mrs Morag Robinson, Dr Ian Robinson and myself. 6. Dr Ian Robinson and myself represented the Association to attend the Mass of Thanksgiving for the life of Professor Emeritus Gerald F Murnaghan on 24 June 1999. 7. In response to the request of Dr Tom Barron of the International office of the University, the Association contacted Dr Mary McCulloch who then assisted in the Taught Masters information session organised by the British Council to promote the university education in UK. 8. The membership was 23 as at 3 October 1999 when we sent the letters inviting alumni to attend the annual dinner and non-members also to join the Association. The annual dinner was successful and enjoyable. The current membership is 44. The Association wish to thank Dr Ian Robinson, the President and myself (of course?) for the excellent work done in year 1998/99 and also the assistance and support of all the alumni in New South Wales. Ven Yee Foo |
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THE ACCOUNTS Ven Yee Foo |
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STATE OF THE ASSOCIATION 1. The Committee 2. The Constitution 3. Membership 4. Alumni in ACT 5. Discussion on Amendments 6. The next alumni dinner will be held in October/November 2000. The committee will finalise the date, format and venue as soon as possible and keep the alumni informed.. 7. Our focus in 1999/2000 year is in the creation of business network among the alumni. The Association will try to establish contacts with other alumni association/clubs. 8. The Association would promote the University in New South Wales. |
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THE ANNUAL DINNER The newsletter for the annual dinner held on 27 October 1999 at Scuzi Restaurant, Leichardt, Sydney can be viewed from the web site http://www.edalumni.com. Alumni who do not use Internet may obtain a printed copy of this newsletter from the Association. The annual dinner was a success after a spell of 12 years with the previous one held in 1987. The invitations were dated 3 October and because of long weekend holiday, they were not sent until 6 October giving the alumni a notice of 21 days. I cannot agree more with an alumnus who replied that we need to give at least six months' notice! Seventeen alumni and nine guests attended the annual dinner from 7.30pm and lasted until 11.30pm. Many alumni in various parts of New South Wales who were not able to attend the dinner sent their apologies a selection of which were posted to the newsletter. The latest was a letter dated 30 October from Mr Charles Derek Cooke who lives in Katoomba (see Alumni News in this issue). The New South Wales is a very special group for all of us to be proud of. The Italian food was excellent. Never mind that the Scottish songs and music were not heard because of a fault in the sound system. The noise level was high enough because we all enjoyed our talking.We had an over supply of wine, 8 bottles for 26 people. The ladies received flowers with compliments from a friend, Mr Malcolm Sherar, a primary producer in Mebourne. I requested feed backs from some alumni about the annual dinner. It is now clear that the division of the dinner in two separate rooms was a mistake on my part. The mistake was made partly due to my passion with the balcony area of the restaurant. The lack of opportunities for the alumni and guests moving around to talk to others is another shortcoming. One reply pointed out a silver lining of the cloud that we had had a restaurant floor for our exclusive use. Thank you for the feed backs. The general consensus is that we had a successful and enjoyable annual dinner. Thank you everyone and see you again in the next annual dinner. Cheers! Ven Yee Foo
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ON MEMBERSHIP FEE "AFUE tried a membership fee (sometimes we called it an administration charge) but had to drop it because so few people were willing to pay. The annual appeal method is the best we have been able to come up with. We are seeing a slow but steady increase in the number and amount of donations. However, it does mean a fair amount of administration, and overhead costs." The Hong Kong group is less formal and has no membership fee. In Section 9 of our Constitution: I have indicted my intention to propose an amendment to reduce the membership
fee to $10 per annum retrospectively. The Association shall start asking
alumni for membership fee in May 2000 after the proposal is voted upon.
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UNIVERSITY PLAQUE, ABBREVIATED NAME ETC. At the dinner to welcome the Rugby Team from Edinburgh University on 18 August 1998, the captain of the Rugby presented a University Plaque to the New South Wales group. The plaque is with Dr Ian Robinson who sent apologies for forgetting to take it to annual dinner. I would have forgotten about it too. Dr. Robinsion advised that it can be collected from him on a suitable time. I need suggestions for the custody and display of the plaque and any future collections. The name of our association is definitely too long. You may abbreviated
it to "ED Alumni NSW". It makes life easier when you write it
on envelope, letter or email. If you have other suggestion of abbreviated
name, please let me know. |
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RECIPROCAL MEMBERSHIP ARRANGEMENT Dr Henri Battersby told me that when he came to Australia many years ago, he automatically became a member of the Student Union of Sydney University because of the reciprocal membership arrangement between Sydney and Edinburgh Universities. Ms Maureen Clowe, Development and Alumni Services confirmed that the reciprocal agreement for Student Union membership between Edinburgh and Sydney is still in place. However I am not sure that Dr Battersby or other alumni still retain their Student Union memberships of Edinburgh University. I never have one. The General Council of The University of Edinburgh is the body to which all graduates belong after graduation. It is a statutory body set up by the Education Act of 1858, which applies only to the 4 'ancient' universities in Scotland - Glasgow, Aberdeen, St Andrews and Edinburgh. Editor: How lucky we are to belong to the University of Edinburgh. |
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ALUMNI NEWS Charles Derek Cooke (MRCVS, 50) is 78 this month (December 1999).
Happy birthday! Charles sent a lovely letter after his recent operation.
He had hope to go to the annual dinner on 27 October - cadging a night's
lodging with a daughter in Randwick and taking her along to the dinner
with him. However, at the time the letter came, she was away at a conference
delivering several papers, so he put the letter to one side and got involved
with solving a heart problem having found that it could be permanently
corrected. So he was at the hospital the day of the dinner, having forgotten
to RSVP. His heart problem caused by a sneaky conducting pathway was zapped
and now no more drugs. I received Charles' letter sent on 30 October,
three days after his operation. I am glad for his fast recovery and wish
him good health, good appetite and look forward to meeting him in the
next alumni dinner. Two Dick Vet graduates are moving south to Sydney. Mr Bill Howey (BVM&S. 66) now spends part of his time working at the University of Sydney Post Graduate Foundation in Veterinary Science. Mrs Elizabeth Thompson (BVM&S, 67) will move to Sydney to accompany her daughter who was awarded a scholarship to study at Abbotsleigh. Our alumnus in the wild west of Western Australia, Mr Clark Ward (Geology 69) has his own company Prospect Resources International Pty Limited to facilitate the development of resource properties by identifying companies with similar corporate objectives and matching the appropriate resource assets. Email: geos@mns.net.au. Web site: http://www.prospects.com.au His son Steve is finishing his Ph.D. thesis on a Koala project at the University of Western Sydney. In the Autumn 1999 issue of Edit magazine, I am delighted to see the names of two members of the Association. Our congratulation to Professor Ian S Fraser (BSc 64, MB ChB 67, MD 86) who is this year President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Dr Sheila Harvey nee Spark, (MB ChB 52) wrote an interesting article "Down the Garden Path" in the Edit Magazine. Dr Mary McCulloch, a staff member of the University of Edinburgh will finish her assignment with the University of Sydney next April. She helped on behalf of the Association in the Taught Masters information session organised by the British Council, Sydney on 14 October 1999 which promote the University education in UK. Mr John Cunliffe and Mr Oliver Gilly have returned to UK and discontinued their memberships with the New South Wales group. We wish them all the best in their new endeavours. A pleasant surprise for me was to have met Dr George Paul (Ph D 69) at the Annual Dinner on 27 October. He went to study Physics at the University of Edinburgh more than 30 years ago when I was also a student at the University. I heard about an Australian doing research in the "Crystal Palace", not knowing that I would come to settle down in this country some 15 years later and met him at a dinner after 30 years. He is the COE with a high technology company at the Riverside Corporate Park, North Ryde. Email: george.paul@cap-xx.com |
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IN MEMORY The Association is saddened with the loss of its Honorary Vice President Professor Emeritus Gerald F Murnaghan. Dr Ian Robinson and myself attended the Thanksgiving Mass for the life of Professor Murnaghan on 24 June 1999 and sent a condolence to the family. Professor Murnaghan had a distinguished career and was well respected in his medical fields. I spoke to him several times on phone and regret not having a chance to meet him.
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EDITOR The Editor for this issue is Ven Yee Foo, MSc 1967. Email: vyfoo@hotmail.com, Address: 11 First Farm Drive, Castle Hill, NSW 2154. The Newsletter is in need of your articles or messages to enrich its
content. Alumni in New South Wales are welcome to be the Editors of the
subsequent issues and please contact the Newsletter to indicate your interest.
I shall assist in transferring the text to the web page. |