ANNUAL REPORT 2016 ABOUT US From rural Victoria to the world stage, what is perhaps best known about Sir Robert Menzies is that he remains Australia’s longest serving prime minister. What is perhaps lesser known are his humble beginnings, his strong commitment to education for all and his belief in community service. Menzies Foundation Director and granddaughter of Sir Robert, Diana Menzies, tells us her grandfather “valued the opportunity to be the best that he could be (by virtue of his scholarship CONTENTS VISION & MISSION and education) and he wanted that for all Australians, regardless of their circumstances”. 1 Report from the Chair and CEO To inspire and nurture Australia’s future leaders The Menzies Foundation works to promote and preserve Sir Robert’s education legacy by 2 2016 Highlights The Menzies Foundation works to create a vibrant future supporting leadership through prestigious post for all Australians by: 4 Scholarships and Fellowships graduate scholarships and medical research 6 Celebrations in Sydney • Providing Australia’s leading postgraduate scholarships funding. 7 Alumni making a contribution • Supporting and fostering health and medical research The 2016 annual report reflects the breadth of opportunities achievement and leadership of our scholars, with 8 Alumni Grants a greater focus on their commitment to the • Identifying and partnering with organisations which Australian community, one of the things Menzies 9 Menzies Oration value Australia’s history for the benefit of the future. himself held dear. 10 Regional education legacy 12 Health and medical research Please join us in celebrating our scholars’ achievements in 2016 and our contribution to a 14 The Board better Australia in the name of Sir Robert 15 Governance Menzies. 16 Financials REPORT FROM THE CHAIR AND CEO 2016 has been a year of consolidation and reflection on our Also ending in 2016 was the Menzies Foundation’s untied many successes. Our Menzies scholars have continued their funding to the Menzies Centre for Health Policy after strong track record of achievement and leadership across providing support for 10 years. We continue to take a strong many and varied professions highlighted in the following interest in their direction and achievements beyond the life of pages. We have worked with several scholars this year to tell our funding relationship. some great stories, including producing our first scholar video, A sincere thank you to Brian Doyle AM for his significant Leadership takes many forms. contribution to the Foundation for over 23 years; the last Our scholars’ community leadership skills were recognised three as Chairman. It was a privilege and humbling experience with the awarding of the Menzies Alumni Community to be elected the new Chair of the Menzies Foundation and Leadership Grants. We also partnered with the Melbourne be the first Menzies Scholar to take on this role. We also thank Indigenous Transition School (MITS) to provide a mentoring Dr John Stocker AO for accepting the role of Deputy Chair. opportunity for an Indigenous university student to work with Thanks also to retiring directors Craig Thorburn and Dr Josie indigenous secondary students. Barbaro for their unwavering support of the Foundation and In marking the important education legacy of Sir Robert Menzies, its work. we travelled to his birthplace of Jeparit for the opening of It is with sadness 2016 also saw the passing of Peter Menzies Square. Our work in western Victoria is an important Henderson, Council Member and past Director of the aspect of what we do (see page 14) and we are very proud to Foundation, as well as beloved husband of Heather have provided funding as part of the Square’s initial planning. Henderson, daughter of Sir Robert Menzies. The Menzies institutes continue to grow and we celebrated We were also sorry to hear of the passing of Council Member one year of operation with the Menzies Health Institute Mrs Jean Trethewey OAM. Queensland at Griffith University, where Professor Suzanne Chambers succeeded Professor Sheena Reilly as Director. Most importantly we thank our donors and supporters who have invested in our work and therefore, the leaders As with all Foundations and their funding support, priorities of tomorrow. and partnerships change over time. Lastly, thank you to the staff for their tireless efforts We chose to end our 34 year funding contribution to the RG throughout 2016. Menzies Scholarship to Harvard, offered by the Harvard Club of Australia and the Australian National University (ANU). The scholarship was started by these two organisations and will continue to be managed by the ANU. Professor Simon Maddocks Sarah Hardy Chair Chief Executive Officer MENZIES FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 20162015 1 2016 HIGHLIGHTS The impact of the Menzies alumni is extensive and varied; here is a small selection of their achievements in 2016. A smartphone app which helps parents identify the early signs of autism, ASDetect, developed by 2006 Menzies Scholar in Allied Health, Dr Josephine Barbaro, was one of the 10 Australian finalists in the Google Impact Challenge. The award of $250,000 for the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre at La Trobe University will mean the app can be translated into Mandarin. The app also won a national iAward for Research and Development Project of the Year for 2016. The Australian Government announced the appointment of Victorian Barrister and 1997 Menzies Scholar in Law, Dr Stephen Donaghue QC, as Australia’s next solicitor- general. Stephen’s appointment to the second highest legal position in the country was met with a very positive response from the legal profession. TELLING OUR SCHOLAR STORIES 1993 Harvard Menzies Scholar and architect, Professor Esther Charlesworth, celebrated a decade of Composer, teacher and 2001 Harvard Menzies Scholar, Dr Nicholas Vines, was in Boston for the performance of humanitarian projects with her not-for-profit, Architects Without his music and libretto as part of the 10th anniversary Frontiers. production of Guerilla Opera’s Loose, Wet and Perforated. Esther was part of the Menzies Foundation’s video project, Nick is the only Menzies Scholar to have a PhD in Music Composition and is now balancing a creative career with Leadership takes many forms, released in 2016, to highlight the his teaching at Sydney Grammar School. achievements and impact of the work of Menzies scholars nationally and internationally, and to showcase a number of Menzies’ leaders in their varied professions. Esther is pictured during the video shoot with fellow architect, Peter Maddinson, host of Grand Designs Australia. You can find out more about the Menzies alumni by following us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. 2 2006 NHMRC/RG Menzies Fellow, Dr Nick Huntington, Current NHMRC/RG Menzies Fellow, Dr Alexis Whitton, was awarded the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s who is at Harvard Medical School, will expand her prestigious Burnet Prize for 2016, for his pioneering research into bipolar disorder after being awarded the early career research into innate immunity and Andrew P Merrill Memorial Fellowship worth $US20,000. immunotherapy. During the year, Nick and his team identified the mechanism by which natural killer immune cells can destroy cancer cells. Nick also co-founded a Melbourne-based biotechnology company called oNKo-innate, to develop novel immunotherapies for cancer. 2003 NHMRC/RG Menzies Fellow and haematologist, Professor John Pimanda and his team at the University of NSW, made a major breakthrough in stem cell 2008 NHMRC/RG Menzies Fellow and immunologist, research, which may help the body rebuild damaged Dr Misty Jenkins, was awarded the Suzanne Cory tissue. Fellowship, the NHMRC RD Wright Career Development Fellowship and started a new laboratory head role also with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Dr Jenkins was also named one of the Westpac/Australian Financial Review Top 100 Women of Influence. 2015 Menzies Engineering Scholar, Anna Gould, played a leading role in GapSummit 2016, the world’s first global inter-generational leadership summit in 2005 NHMRC/RG Menzies Fellow, Professor Adrian biotechnology held at Cambridge last year. Anna is Liston, was presented the 2016 Eppendorf Award for completing her MPhil at Cambridge. Young European Investigator of the Year for his seminal work in elucidating key mechanisms by which the immune system avoids attacking its own organism while remaining effective against pathogens. 2015 Harvard Menzies Scholar, Matthew Tyler, is currently studying a Masters in Public Policy at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. In 2016 he was prolific in the media with strong advocacy on a range of social and political issues including the 2016 Closing the Gap statement, tackling homelessness and Pay for Success contracting to improve the effectiveness of social services in Australia. MENZIES FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2016 3 The following scholarships and fellowships were awarded by the Menzies SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS Foundation in 2016, either outright or in partnership. THE SIR ROBERT MENZIES THE SIR ROBERT MENZIES world in the Philip C. Jessup MEMORIAL RESEARCH MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP IN LAW International Law Moot Court SCHOLARSHIP IN THE ALLIED Competition. He graduated second in HEALTH SCIENCES Up to $75,000 per annum his class with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of International Studies in Up to $40,000 per annum for up to Nathan Van Wees graduated at the 2013. He has volunteered at a two years top of his class with a Bachelor of Laws community centre for disadvantaged and Bachelor of Arts from Monash high school students and was heavily Bernadette Brady graduated from a University in 2015. His outstanding involved with the UNSW Law Society Bachelor of Applied Science with first academic record included the and NSW chapter of GivingWhatWeCan, class honours at The University of Supreme Court Exhibition Prize for which evaluates the efficiency of Sydney and went on to complete a Best Honours Thesis (law) and the charities.