NEWS JUNE 2 012 • Issue 41 SHANE GOULD At home in the water MY OLYMPICS Dreams, persistence – and medals UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA (Special feature pages 3-13) DO YOU HAVE A PASSION FOR POLITICS AND POLICY? Formalise your professional knowledge or upgrade your qualifications by studying a postgraduate degree with the School of Government. Postgraduate degrees are available in the following subject areas: • International Politics • Public Policy • Public Administration (International) As well as the flexible option of studying on campus or online, UTAS can give you the edge you need in a competitive labour market. For more information visit www.utas.edu.au/government or contact the UTAS Info Centre on 1300 363 864. CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B USRM7759_RJ CONTENTS Alumni News is the regular magazine for Contents graduates and friends of the University of Tasmania. UTAS alumni include graduates and diplomates of UTAS, TCAE/TSIT and AMC. Alumni News is prepared by the Communications and Media Office for the Advancement Office. Written and edited by Janette Brennan Contributors Sarah Nicol, Lana Best, Cherie Cooper, Mark Bennett, Teisha Archer, Eoin Breen, 6 Sharon Webb and Melanie Roome Design Clemenger Tasmania Advertising enquiries Melanie Roome Deputy Director, Alumni Relations Phone +61 3 6226 2842 Let us know your story at [email protected] Phone +61 3 6324 3052 Fax +61 3 6324 3402 25 14 UTAS Advancement Office Locked Bag 1350 Launceston Tasmania 7250 3–13 My Olympics – 18–19 Moments of impact Special Feature A career for the betterment 3 Simon Hollingsworth of other people. Balancing the Rhodes 20 Stretching his wings and the Olympics. Designs turn full circle with The Australian Ballet. 4–5 Shane Gould At home in the water. 22–23 Accolades NEWS JUNE 2 012 • ISSUE 41 Distinguished Tasmanians shine. 6–7 Scott Brennan 24 Chasing a moment of perfection. Research The raw truth about 8–9 Melissa Carlton unpasteurised cheese. Swimming for equality, 25 Faculty news confidence – and gold. The latest from your 10–11 Maree Fish former school. From goalkeeper to gold keeper. 26–29 6 degrees 12 Dana Faletic Helping us all keep in touch. SHANE GOULD At home Enjoying the ‘getting there’. in the water 30 Books 13 Kerry Hore MY OLYMPICS Profiles of some of the many Dreams, persistence – The gold-medal approach books written by UTAS alumni. and medals to achievement. UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA (Special feature pages 3-13) 31 Vale Cover: Shane Gould was 15 when she won 14–16 Investing in nature Farewelling friends who’ve five individual Olympic medals at the 1972 helped make UTAS great. Don’t beat around the bush – Munich Olympics. She is the only swimmer buy it! 32 Alumni and friends ever, female or male, to hold every freestyle world record simultaneously – A special thanks to those 17 Inventive architecture and today, we’re proud to say that she’s who supported the 2011 Thinking outside the block. one of ours! Shane is one of seven UTAS Alumni Annual Appeal. alumni Olympians who have graciously shared their memories of the Games in this issue of Alumni News. Photo by Chris Crerar. ALUMNI NEWS | JUNE 2012 • Issue 41 | 1 WELCOME Achievement, excellence and personal best The journey towards achievement, I thank our Olympic champions for sharing excellence and personal best was one their memories in our Alumni News special of the insights that most impressed me feature and I wish every success to those as I read the reflections and ambitions select few Australians who are taking part of our alumni Olympians, featured in the London Olympics next month. in this issue of Alumni News. Simon To the rest of us, may we continue to Hollingsworth’s pursuit of balance, Shane pursue ‘gold-medal’ excellence in all Gould’s commitment to community, Scott of life’s endeavours. Brennan’s stubborn refusal of mediocrity Warm regards, and Melissa Carlton’s powerful Professor Peter Rathjen self-belief – just to highlight a few – Vice-Chancellor, University of Tasmania provide blueprints for success that we can apply to any field of endeavour. And that includes universities. Our mission at the University of Tasmania is the creation, preservation, communication and application of knowledge. This too, responds to the commitment, focus and perseverance exemplified by these and other alumni. Since I wrote in the December issue of Alumni News, the University has celebrated more than 3,000 graduations. Several months later we welcomed the arrival of new and returning students for the 2012 academic year, invigorating our community with the aspirations of another generation. May we always remember that sense of optimism, passion and hunger. Supporting the next generation of thinkers EOPLE are EXTREMELY GENEROUS And that’s where we can help. The UTAS Pwhen it comes to helping others. We’ve Annual Appeal is an opportunity for all seen that recently with support flowing to graduates and friends of the University to help Australians in need following floods give something back. Think of what could in Queensland and bushfires in Victoria, as be achieved if all UTAS living graduates well as in Japan following the tsunami. We (55,000) each gave $50 once per year. dig deep and lend a hand. Think bigger, and amazing possibilities So why don’t we show similar support really start to emerge. The education and for our universities? I think it may be training provided by the University of a historical issue. Many Australians Tasmania and its antecedent institutions think that support for universities is have enriched each of our lives in so many a government problem, and all the ways. Please consider joining with me in responsibility lies with politicians and the making a contribution to the UTAS Annual purses they oversee. Then there are the Appeal. More details are provided on page fees that students pay. I remember HECS 22. Of course, helping UTAS is not just well as these fees were first introduced about dollars. Please consider offering while I was at uni in the late 1980s. your support in other ways through What about the extra fees that overseas mentoring programs, assisting us to students pay – doesn’t some of that flow reconnect with ‘lost alumni’ or attending on to help out a system in need? What UTAS events. All are equally valuable. No most of us fail to realise is that dollars matter how you can help, your contribution from all sources are being stretched will support UTAS and will play an further than ever before – building important role in providing opportunities maintenance, new research and teaching for the development and training of the programs, attracting and keeping top- next generation of leaders and thinkers. class staff, student scholarships – just to name a few. There simply aren’t enough With my very best wishes, unmarked funds to support everything that Dr Ashley Townsend a great university aspires to do. Chair, University of Tasmania Alumni 2 | ALuMNI NeWs | JUNE 2012 • Issue 41 MY OLYMPICS – Special feature Balancing the Rhodes and the Olympics Simon Hollingsworth (BCom-LLB (Hons) 1996) was the recipient of the1997 Rhodes Scholarship and also represented Australia in the men’s 400 metre hurdles at both the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Last year Simon became the chief executive of the Australian Sports Commission and we recently celebrated his achievements by naming him co-winner of the 2012 UTAS Foundation Graduate Award (see page 23). By Simon Hollingsworth* N Australia, IF PEOPLE hear that II’m a former Rhodes Scholar and an Olympian, then most seem more impressed by my sporting achievements than the academic honour. I think this reflects just how important sport is in the Australian psyche. Both were equally hard to achieve, but what makes me most proud is that I was able to maintain a balance in my life. The need for balance was always instilled in me by my family as well as my coach Kevin Prendergast, who was actually the person who encouraged me to go for the Rhodes. I still think it was amazing of him to do that because the Rhodes and the Olympics both require such consuming levels of application that they can easily detract from the other. Kevin was very selfless. The trade-off between study and training is something I continually had to work at because it’s hard to maintain a high standard of academic success when you’re competing overseas for eight weeks in the middle of each year. It was during one of these mid-year competitions in Europe that I was told that I’d made the Australian team for the Barcelona Olympics. I remember an interesting moment when I first walked Chasing excellence: What I love most about elite sport, and I think I appreciate this even more now I’m into my room in the Olympic village. I a parent, is that it encourages individuals to compete at their best level. Photo courtesy of the Mercury. dropped my kit on the bed and looked out the window at the enormous village – that’s that I distinctly remember whenever I watch and a happy one at that. What I love most when it hit me. I knew that regardless athletes line up at the start of their event. about elite sport, and I think I appreciate of how I performed in the hurdles, this You walk out to the lane marker, put your this even more now I’m a parent, is that experience would be with me for the rest tracksuit in the small bucket behind you, it encourages individuals to compete at of my life.