South Australian alumni night of nights

A who's who of luminaries, young and old, gathered in Adelaide last weekend for the 28^th annual dinner hosted by the South Australian chapter of the UNE Alumni Association (SACUNE), one of our most active in Australia.

From a recent 15-year-old music graduate to an eminent 90-year-old organic chemist, the crowd contained representatives from each of UNE's seven decades and demonstrated the extraordinary applications of a UNE education.

Past Distinguished Alumni Award winners in attendance included former South Australian Premier Dean Brown AO; former Governor of SA Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce; former CEO of Adelaide Zoo and the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Ed McAlister AO; and co-founder of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, Peter Cosier AM. Attending an SACUNE dinner for the first time was Dr Emily Kirkpatrick, the former deputy chief medical officer who led the state through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making the interstate trip to meet members of SACUNE were UNE Chancellor James Harris, Deputy Chancellor Jan McClelland and Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Moran.

SACUNE President Grace Taylor said the evening was an opportunity to reflect on the enduring friendships made at UNE and it was wonderful to see the room alive with people connecting and re-connecting.

"I was really proud of the cross-section of people who came along, including illustrious chemist George Gream, who was raised in Guyra; nationally renowned geologist Keith Yates AM, from near Tamworth, who has shaped this state's mining sector policies after making economic discoveries; and Kerrie Davies, a nematologist of international repute from Breeza, to name a few.

"Having a country university like UNE was incredibly important for these very bright people. It meant they didn't have to traipse off to the cities, and their achievements reflect highly on the quality of the education they received."

2016 Distinguished Alumni Award winner Barbara Chambers, who studied Education at UNE and until 2016 was Professor of International Development at the University of Canberra, gave the keynote address. And a family of musicians who have or are soon to graduate from UNE provided entertainment.

Each year, SACUNE hosts several get-togethers like regional tours or family events "to keep the flame burning", build connections and raise money for an annual scholarship. This year's recipient is Bachelor of Pharmacy student Bonnie Pearson, a registered nurse who works in Port Lincoln and is researching the de-prescribing of anti-depressant drugs for her Honours project.

"Supporting the next crop of UNE talent coming through is very important to us," Grace said. "While, like me, many of us enjoyed college life, a growing number of UNE students in SA study online. Attending intensive schools is an expensive exercise with all the travel involved, which makes our scholarship all the more important."

SACUNE welcomes new members and anyone interested in becoming a part of this vibrant group should email [email protected] or go to https://www.une.edu.au/alumni/une-chapters/SACUNE

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