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Monash
triumphs at Uni GamesVictorian Minister for Sport Mr Tom Reynolds presents Monash team captains Annette Collins and Scott Mitchell with the championship trophy. Monash came back winners from this year's Australian University Games.
The university took out the overall championship title with a total score of 320 points, ahead of Melbourne with 298 points and Sydney University with 273 points.
Monash's Sports and Recreation director, Mr John Campbell, said that with more than 50 universities competing, Monash's win had been a real triumph - its first Games championship. Last year, the University of Melbourne just pipped Monash at the post for the title.
Mr Campbell said Monash athletes performed consistently in all sports. "But there were some particularly notable efforts which saw Monash teams bring home gold in the men's squash, netball and taekwondo team events and silver in the men's table tennis, men's basketball, men's volleyball, cycling, women's hockey and men's judo," Mr Campbell said.
"Bronze went to the Monash Australian Rules Football, women's volleyball, aerobics and women's badminton teams, and a number of Monash athletes also won individual gold medals in a variety of sports."
Mr Campbell thanked university staff and students for supporting the Monash teams in the lead-up to and during the Games.
More than 5500 competitors, including 453 from Monash, converged on Melbourne to pit their skills in some 20 team and individual sports during the week-long event, held from 28 September to 2 October.
Victorian Premier Mr Jeff Kennett launched the Games, which began with a spectacular opening ceremony at the Glasshouse, and ended last Friday night at an awards presentation ceremony at Monash's Caulfield campus.
Victorian Minister for Sport Mr Tom Reynolds presented Monash team captains Annette Collins (Netball) and Scott Mitchell (Basketball) with the Games trophy at the awards ceremony.
Results, including individual medal winners, can be found on the AUG results page at http://www.unigames.unimelb.edu.au/results.htm
By Cathy Best, Second-year journalism student, Monash Gippsland
During the holidays 29 journalism and photography students, mostly from Monash, braved the mayhem of the newsroom to bring to life The Flame, a publication for the 1998 Australian University Games.
The young newshounds - students from Monash, RMIT, Melbourne and Deakin universities and the Victorian College of the Arts - gained an invaluable insight into news reporting, working shifts and the tight deadlines of a daily newspaper.
For most, the experience provided an opportunity to turn classroom theory into practice and to see their words, pictures and by-lines (their names) in print - for the first time.
Based in the Games Media Centre, sponsored by Fuji Xerox, at Albert Park, the news room operated like any other, beginning with an 8 am briefing, where reporters and photographers were allocated events to cover.
Supervised by professional journalists and media liaison/public relations staff from Melbourne and Monash universities, the students' day was characterised by frantic phone calls, contact between two-way radios and mad dashes from the media centre to competition venues all around Melbourne.
Daily reporting activities culminated in a race against the clock to write up stories and collate results to make the all-important 3 pm deadline.
Stories and results were filed and edited at the Media Centre and designed on the page in Publishing and Design at Monash's Clayton campus. After a couple of sets of proofs were sub-edited by the night shift crew, the first edition rolled off the press about 11 pm on a giant photocopier supplied by Fuji Xerox as part of its sponsorship deal.
The Flame was distributed daily to about 4000 competitors, volunteers and officials, and many stories were recycled as media releases.
Despite the pressure of working to a tight schedule, all students were elated to be a part of a real news team.
"It was great to work in an actual news room environment. It proved that you can work under pressure," said Martine Sheppard, a second-year journalism student from Monash Gippsland.
While reporting on the Games had been fun and exciting, the students said the work experience was the most important aspect.
Working at the Games is a credible accomplishment on a resume and an asset in the writing portfolio of an aspiring journalist or photographer.
Monash University's theatre frontman of almost 30 years, Phil A'Vard, will retire at the end of this year to spend time with his other love - his family.
A'Vard's long and distinguished career in the theatre and television industries as an actor, stage manager, producer and venue director has spanned 42 years.
After joining Monash in 1969 as manager of the Alexander Theatre, he was instrumental in bringing theatre to the suburbs by installing children's theatre at Monash and later developing the popular Monash theatre season. He later assisted other regional centres, including Geelong and Warragul, to introduce similar systems.
During his time at Monash, A'Vard has established the Alex as one of the country's leading presenters of children's theatre - a special interest of A'Vard's and one which led to him receiving a Member of the Order of Australia in 1995 for work in the area.
A'Vard's philosophy of attracting theatregoers while young led to the establishment of the Saturday Club in 1976 - a season of live theatre especially for children.
"When my own children were young, the standard of children's theatre was appalling," he said. "It is important to remember that children are the theatregoers of the future, so instilling in them a love of the medium at an early age should be a priority."
In 1989, A'Vard developed the first subscription season of professional productions in suburban Melbourne at the Clayton campus. A year later, he extended the program to the Peninsula campus's George Jenkins Theatre.
A'Vard said the culmination of long hours, constant pressure and a 52-week lead time led to his decision to retire early. "When my family was growing up, I often spent seven days a week at work. Now, at 61, I don't want to miss out on seeing my two grandchildren grow up."
But A'Vard said he could never retreat from the theatre scene completely. "I am very fond of Monash and have many happy memories of the Alex, and I would be delighted to be able to keep contributing to both."
Twenty theatre box office managers from around Australia attended the BUG (BOCS User Group) conference at the Robert Blackwood Hall on 1 and 2 October.
The conference, organised by the Monash Performing Arts Precinct and BOCS, a leading provider of Box Office Computing Software, provided a forum for developing better management systems in ticket sales, accounting and marketing. BUG conferences are held regularly in the UK, the Pacific Rim, Europe and the US.
The Monash conference was chaired by Sydney Opera House box office manager Mr Keith Dobbinson, and delegates came from venues around Australia, including the Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Opera House, Playbox Theatre Centre, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Perth Theatre Trust.
The BOCS system of ticketing is used for Monash venues at Clayton and Peninsula and for the sale of tickets for Union activities at Clayton, Caulfield and Peninsula.
Mr Phil A'Vard, director of Monash's Performing Arts Precinct, said hosting the BUG conference was an example of how the university's performing arts activities could interact with the arts industry.
Monash masters student Ms Wendy Lawson will launch her autobiography Life Behind Glass at Monash's Clayton campus on Thursday 15 October.
The launch is being presented by Autism Victoria and Southern Cross University Press from 7.30 pm in South One Lecture Theatre, and Monash staff are invited to attend. The cost is $10 and bookings are essential for catering purposes.
Ms Lawson, who has worked on a casual basis with Community Services at Monash's Caulfield campus, organised the launch, titled 'An Evening With Wendy Lawson', together with her family and friends. It will feature readings from her book, poetry, video-clips and other snapshots from her life.
The book is about growing up different and her determination in coming to terms with the constraints of her condition, autism, also known as Asperger Syndrome.
The book takes its name from Ms Lawson's experience of living as though her life is "behind glass". She says that with autism she feels as if she is watching things happening around her but is unable to "touch them" or get directly involved.
As a result, she says, she has often been treated as if she were deaf or stupid, when in fact she is neither. Despite the deficits in communication and social understanding which are part of her condition, Ms Lawson has successfully completed degrees in social science and social work at Monash.
For further information about the launch, contact Autism Victoria on (03) 885 0533.
Monash's Robert Blackwood Hall will resonate with the mystical sounds of Carl Orff's powerful choral force, Carmina Burana, on 17 October, as part of the university's Making Music Series.
The large-scale production is conducted by Andre de Quadros and features Russian pianist Yuri Rozum, the New Monash Orchestra, a grand symphony of nearly 100 musicians, and a massed choir of more than 250 singers comprising VIVA VOCE, Monash Women's Choir, Victoria Chorale, Voice Box, the Victorian Boys Choir and Wesley Adult Choir.
The concert starts at 8 pm. For tickets, contact the Monash Box Office on extn 51111.
The next 'Monash Highlights' advertisement will appear in The Age, Saturday Extra section, on 31 October and will promote community-based events at Monash during November.
The cost will again be covered by University Marketing & Development.
To have an event included in 'Monash Highlights', send a 20-word synopsis on the topic and its interest to the wider community to Ms Adrianne Dooley. You will need to include the date and time of the event, its title, speaker, venue, cost (if applicable) and an inquiries number.
Email the details to adrianne.dooley @adm.monash.edu.au or fax extn 52582. The deadline for copy is Tuesday 20 October at 5 pm.
Mr Stuart Beever, a member of Security and Traffic staff at Monash's Clayton campus, is leaving after about seven years' service in the former Gatehouse and Security control room.
Friends and colleages are invited to a small farewell function to be held on Friday 9 October at the Security and Traffic Office.
Those wishing to attend or contribute to a gift should contact Mr Steve Harris on extn 55795.
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