CONNECTIONS

African
Ambition
ISSUE 12: Summer/AUTUMN 2010

HARVESTING SKILLS . bridges to texas . BEATING CANCER

www.vu.edu.au
 CONTENTS
4. VC WELCOME
The VC welcomes the University’s
new Chancellor, George Pappas and
introduces recent developments
including a timely report into
international student safety.
11. Cutting the toll
VU Master of Business graduate
John Thompson was named the
Certified Practising Marketer of the
Year for developing memorable TAC
campaigns which have successfully
reduced Victoria’s road toll.
16. Harvesting skills
Partnering with VU and Sunshine
College, Harvester Technical
College is helping to address the
country’s skills shortage.
2 3
5. IN BRIEF
This issue includes prestigious
awards, a trip to Vancouver by our
Olympics expert, developments
to VU’s Sustainable Community
Centre, and fundraising for children
in need.
12. Healthy choices
The Australian Community Centre
for Diabetes is researching
and actively engaging with
communities in Melbourne’s west
to reduce the rates of diabetes in
the region.
18. Global learning
Twenty teaching students return
from a study tour to VU’s partner,
Beijing Information Science and
Technology University, having
learnt more than they expected.
8. Renaissance man
Songwriter and musician Ego
Lemos is a VU Masters student
undertaking vital food research
that he hopes will help developing
countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
14. Hard at WERC
The Work-Based Education
Research Centre’s diverse
projects foster strong, long-term
partnerships with community and
industry.
19. Kicking goals
Exercise Science honours student
James Podsiadly discusses his
success coaching at the Geelong
Cats Football club, as a personal
trainer and as an up-and-coming
AFL footballer.
10. Student safety
VU’s study into international
student safety in Melbourne
surveyed more than 1000
students and has been praised by
Victoria Police.
15. A new Chancellor
Introducing VU’s new Chancellor,
successful Melbourne businessman
and corporate adviser George
Pappas.
20. Beating cancer
Victoria University alumnus
Dr Ronny Veljanovski is working
with a team of researchers
developing new technology that
will assist in the early detection
of cancer.
22. Bridges to Texas
A strengthening collaboration
between VU and the University
of Texas (El Paso) creates global
learning experiences for students
on both sides of the world.
26. Walking the walk
Seven years on, the Yannoneit
program continues to improve VU’s
relationship with the Indigenous
community, with almost 30
Indigenous staff now employed at
the University.
30. VU FACTS
T he most up-to-date facts
about VU.
PUBLISHER
Marketing and Communications Department
Victoria University
PO Box 14428
Melbourne VIC 8001, Australia
© Victoria University
CRICOS Provider No. 00124K
Background image: ©istockphotos.com/Delefraye Nicolas
23. Out of Africa
Students from Africa are
passionate about their studies,
and about sharing their stories
with other Australians.
28. Young justice
V U’s third and fourth-year law
students work at the Sunshine
Youth Legal Centre to help
disadvantaged and troubled young
people gain access to justice.
31. NEW BOOKS
Backyard zoology, footy fever, war
mystery and tax law are just some
of the diverse topics covered in
new books by VU authors.
CONTACT US
Phil Kofoed – Managing Editor
PHONE +61 3 9919 4956
EMAIL publications@vu.edu.au
PO Box 14428
Melbourne VIC 8001
www.vu.edu.au
24. Careers gateway
The Community Gateways portable
course and career booth is a
new VU initiative that broadens
the way educators connect with
people in the western region of
Melbourne.
29. Where is Eddie the
Engineer?
Dr Akhtar Kalam, a VU Professor
in Electrical Engineering, reflects
on the drought of engineers in
Australia.
32. Student art
Recent artwork by a VU student.
PHOTOS
Sharon Walker
Tim Burgess
Kate Scott-Young
25. Enterprising
minds
The Students in Free Enterprise
(SIFE) club in the Faculty of
Business and Law have discovered
new opportunities for African
retailers in the west.
30. KEY events
A calendar of what’s happening in
and around Victoria University for
the next five months.
COVER PHOTO
Wehazit Haile arrived in Australia five
years ago and is using VU pathways to
achieve her goals. Read more about our
students from Africa on page 23.
This publication is printed on
recycled paper.
 WELCOME
Welcome to the Summer/Autumn 2010 edition of Connections.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Victoria University’s new
Chancellor, Melbourne business leader George Pappas, who is featured on page
15. VU is fortunate to have someone of Mr Pappas’ calibre on board as chair of
the University Council. I look forward to working with the Chancellor this year as
we steer VU to an even stronger position as the leading education provider in our
dynamic and growing region.
Research from VU’s Institute for Community, Ethnicity and Policy Alternatives
(ICEPA) into the safety of international students in Melbourne was widely reported
in the media earlier this year. ICEPA researchers surveyed more than 1000
international and domestic students about their perceptions of safety, and also
conducted in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, including Victoria Police. The
fascinating results of this important research are found on page 10.
VU Masters Degree student, Ego Lemos, is a well-known songwriter and musician
in his home country of Timor-Leste, as well as a champion of its permaculture
agricultural movement. You can learn more on page 8 about this remarkable man,
who recently won an APRA award for his music while completing his degree at VU
in International Community Development.
VU alumnus Dr Ronny Veljanovski is working with a team of world-class
researchers developing new technology to assist in the early detection of cancer.
Dr Veljanovski, currently a project manager at the Monash Centre for Synchrotron
Science, says he developed his ability to manage projects while at VU by engaging
with a range of industries through our microelectronic engineering programs.
VU is proud of its connections with Melbourne’s west, and one of our new
initiatives, Community Gateways, is helping us further these ties in the region. The
Gateways offer mobile course and career advice, delivering a service for residents,
who for a variety of reasons, might not normally seek out future-planning
information. Find out more on page 24.
4 5
We are also proud of our connections across the world. At first glance, the
University of Texas in El Paso (UTEP) on the US-Mexican border appears to have
little in common with VU. But both share a commitment to the ideals of access
and excellence. Exciting joint activities have been taking place as students
from opposite sides of the world collaborate while studying common issues of
cultural diversity, migration, settlement and dislocation. Details about our UTEP
partnership can be found on page 22.
This year, the University will be refining its education strategy to address the
opportunities and challenges that are emerging in the increasingly deregulated
and competitive marketplace. The State Government’s contestable framework for
vocational and further education has opened up delivery of education in the TAFE
sector, and Federal Government initiatives will enhance student choices.
These changes, coupled with strong population growth in our catchment of
western Melbourne, mean that VU must ensure our courses are strongly aligned
with industry and community needs, and that we continue to enhance the quality
of our courses and service delivery.
Professor Elizabeth Harman
Vice-Chancellor and President
April 2010
BRIEF
HELPING HAND FOR THAI kids
Steph Ellis, manager of VU’s English Language Institute (ELI), returned triumphant
from her second fundraising bike trip through Thailand in January, personally raising
$12,000 for children orphaned by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Her team,
comprising 32 riders, raised $380,000.
Ellis has now signed up with others for a running event in Phuket on 13 June 2010.
With a choice of 10.5 km, a half marathon, or full marathon, an international
group will run the streets of Phuket to raise money and awareness for the orphaned
children, supported by charity group Hands Across the Water. VU is in the final stages
of formalising a collaboration agreement with Hands Across the Water, which will
include a VET Hospitality program, a schools program for English language teachers
and a staff exchange program.
Participants in a Hands-Le Meridien fundraising group aim to raise $2000 each –
100 per cent of which goes to projects to improve the lives of the orphans.
Donations are tax deductible and can be made to www.handsacrossthewater.com.au
Thai children orphaned by the Boxing Day Tsunami will benefit from Steph Ellis
and her team’s outstanding fundraising efforts.
Sustainability Star is born
Work is set to start on VU’s new Eco-Living Centre at Iramoo Sustainable Community
Centre in July, with the recent appointment of DL Design Group, an agency renowned
for its Greenstar expertise. VU TO HOST SPORT
The original building will be retrofitted as a demonstration Sustainability House, with
the latest green products and best practice systems wherever possible. This will give SYMPOSIUM
visitors maximum exposure to environmental sustainability concepts they can apply
A VU delegation attended the inaugural Exchange and Research Symposium at
in their own homes.
the German Sport University (GSU) in Cologne last November. The event brought
Project co-ordinator, Dr Colin Hocking says the development will complement and together VU, GSU and Canada’s University of Western Ontario (UWO) to discuss
utilise the surrounding environment. “The design for the Eco-Living Centre will expanding their collaboration in sport and exercise science, particularly in research.
incorporate a relocated timber house, typical of the local St Albans area, with
The School of Kinesiology at UWO has been an active exchange partner with VU’s
an additional new extension taking advantage of the vista over the Wildflower
School of Sport and Exercise Science since 1988, with more than 400 student
Grasslands Reserve and Jones Creek wetlands.”
exchanges and staff visits. GSU and VU have been partners for 20 years with almost
The Iramoo Eco-Living Centre will become a focal point for the community and a key 75 student exchanges and staff visits in recent years. The symposium was held to
feature on the western suburbs’ green corridor. The centre will be a meeting place honour this partnership.
for educating people on green technology and sustainability practices, and as a
Organiser of VU’s delegation, Dr Richard Baka, says the three universities are excited
workshop for volunteers.
about their future plans. “VU will host this event in 2011 to coincide with the
Stakeholder and community consultation will form a significant part of the design opening of our new Learning Commons and Exercise Science and Sport Building, and
phase. Share your views at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/L6RDD2Y the establishment of VU’s Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL).”
For updates on the project visit www.iramoo.org
 BRIEF
Quick flicks competition
The Austrade Short Film Competition encourages multimedia students to work
with business students to produce short films that address trade and investment
opportunities.
Launched by Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Trade Anthony Byrne at Victoria
University in March, the competition calls for entertaining but informative short films
that highlight issues for Australians doing international business.
Successful films will supplement the range of multimedia teaching resources produced
by Austrade as part of its Exporting for the Future (EFF) program.
Associate Professor Anne-Marie Hede from the School of Hospitality, Tourism and
Marketing says VU had built mutually-beneficial links with Austrade.
“Austrade has been supportive of Victoria University, providing input into course reviews
to ensure our programs are highly relevant and current.”
Byrne says Australia was well known globally for “punching above our weight” in
overseas trade. “We are widely regarded as a good place to do business.”
There will be six prizes of $500 for state winners of the film competition and a national
prize of $2000 for the overall winner. The competition closes on 29 May 2010.
For further information visit www.austrade.gov.au/film-competition or
phone 02 6201 7430.
Achievement scholars
start studies
The 66 recipients of Victoria University’s newest scholarship program commenced
their VU studies in 2010.
In an Australian-first, VU’s Achievement Scholarship program, launched in 2009,
allocates two scholarships to each school in Melbourne’s western region – one each
for students enrolling in higher and vocational education.
Forty-nine schools participated, from the local council areas of Brimbank, Hobsons
Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley and Wyndham.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Elizabeth Harman says the innovative new program
demonstrates VU’s commitment to supporting the educational development of people
in the western region of Melbourne.
“This is a unique initiative,” she says. “The scholarships will recognise the talent and
potential of the many highly capable young people in Melbourne’s west.”
The Achievement Scholarships will last for the duration of the student’s course, with
undergraduate students receiving $5000 a year and vocational education students
receiving $2000 a year.
VU partner, the Western Bulldogs Football Club, has committed to contributing $1 from
every club member each year – around $28,000 in 2009 – to help fund the program.
BRIEF
Golden opportunity for
Olympics expert
Victoria University Olympics studies expert Dr Richard Baka attended his sixth Games at
the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February. Dr Baka, of VU’s School of Sport
and Exercise Science, is one of Australia’s few Olympic Games academics and historians.
One of his roles while in Vancouver was setting up a network of Australian, Canadian
and German universities to conduct future live elluminate lectures (similar to a
webcasts) to university students taking Olympic subjects.
“I attended the Opening Ceremonies and numerous other sporting events,” says
Baka. “Besides the sporting competition there was a tremendous amount of other
interesting activity. I attended an Austrade corporate Olympic function, toured the Main
Press Centre and visited numerous expo-like display centres from various nations, the
Canadian provinces and other organisations.”
Other highlights included the carnival like atmosphere in the CBD and the generosity of
the Canadian people. “The international guests praised these Games and the hospitality
shown by an almost fanatical Canadian public. The singing of O Canada and the
presence of red and white were prolific, even among the large international audience.”
Free public transport for ticket holders and an enthusiastic city made for a five-star
Olympics studies expert Dr Richard Baka at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
experience. “My Vancouver experience will definitely assist me in adding new
information to my Olympic curriculum and future research,” says Baka.

Energetic research
On yer bike! Breen wins national Victoria University is now at the forefront of research in sport, exercise and active living.

State Member for Footscray, Marsha Thomson joined Victoria University Pro Vice-
Chancellor (Institutional Services) Rob Brown in March to launch a new bike hub at
the University’s Footscray Nicholson Campus.
The hub is part of the University’s commitment to sustainable transport and has been
installed to encourage students and staff to cycle to the campus.
Funded partly by the Victorian Government, the facility features parking spots for up
to 41 bikes in a secure lock-up area with shower facilities and lockers.
Other bike hubs are planned later this year in the new Sport and Learning precinct
now under construction at Footscray Park Campus and at Whitten Oval.
VU aims to increase the number of staff and students using sustainable transport by
five per cent each year. Currently four per cent of students and five per cent of staff
cycle to Footscray Nicholson Campus.
VU Sustainability Officer Anne McLean says the bike hub will provide staff and
students with a secure facility to park their bicycle during the day and will overcome
Professor Ian Macdonald uses VU’s new bike hub, which encourages physical
impediments associated with cycling to the campus, such as being hot and sweaty on
fitness and sustainable transport.
arrival or the dreaded ‘helmet hair’ syndrome.
teaching award
Professor John Breen, director of VU’s Centre for Tourism and Services Research, won
the prestigious national Business and Higher Education Round Table award for Best
Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year for 2009.
His award, presented by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, was for his involvement
in the support and development of entrepreneurial activity in young people in the
western region of Melbourne.
Breen is from the School of Accounting and has been involved in teaching and
research in entrepreneurship and the small business sector for more than 20 years.
Most recently, he steered the University’s inaugural ‘I Plan A Business’ (iPAB)
competition for high school students in Melbourne’s west.
He sits on many advisory boards, including the Victorian Employers Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (VECCI), the Small Business Leaders Panel and the Small
Enterprise Research Journal editorial board.
This is the third time VU has won the award in the past five years.
Its new Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL) is undertaking
progressive, multidisciplinary research in world-class facilities with internationally
recognised experts and dynamic postgraduate students.
ISEAL uses its collaborations and strategic partnerships with industry, government,
schools, universities and other organisations in Australia and overseas to establish
itself as the national leader and major international contributor to research and
engagement in the field.
Some of these partnerships include the Australian and Victorian Institutes of Sport, as
well as elite sporting clubs such as the Australian Football League, Western Bulldogs
Football Club, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Storm. Health sector partners
include Western Health, Melbourne Health, Alzheimer’s Australia and the Council
on the Ageing. ISEAL also has relationships with community organisations such
as local arts centres, and sporting and recreation organisations such as the YMCA,
Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre and Riverside Golf.
ISEAL’s state-of-the-art facilities are part of the University’s Learning Commons
Exercise Science and Sport building, which will also include an exercise rehabilitation
clinic, and a health teaching, training and research centre.

6 7
 MAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

East Timorese Masters degree student Ego Lemos is a true Renaissance man.
Whether on stage as an award-winning songwriter and musician, in jungle
clearings training farmers in sustainable agricultural practices, or online conducting
research on food production, the man dubbed the ‘Bob Dylan of Timor-Leste’
radiates tremendous passion about the environmental and social revitalisation he
foresees for his young homeland.
Last year Lemos won the Australasian Performing Right Association’s (APRA) best
original song for screen for a hauntingly beautiful song he composed for the title
track of the film, ‘Balibo’. He crafted the tune in the middle of the night in only a
few hours after reading the book on which the film was based.
“My music is not just for fun or entertainment,” he says. “It combines my interest
in peace, the environmental movement, art and healing people.”

He hopes his thesis – exploring food production practices in a country where Lemos is a self-taught musician who can neither read nor write music. He picked
80 per cent of the population makes its living from agriculture – will be used to up a guitar as a young man to accompany his mother who played harmonica at
improve farming, nutrition, the environment and the economy, not only of night to mourn the losses of Lemos’ three siblings, his father and grandfather to
Timor-Leste, but also of other developing countries in the region. the trauma of war, disease or malnutrition.

His co-supervisor, Dr Helen Hill, a VU senior lecturer who specialises in
Timor-Leste’s development, says Lemos’ thesis is the first piece of original research
to examine both scientific and traditional methods of agriculture in East Timor,
with the aim of extracting the best from both.
Lemos became a devotee of permaculture, a method of organic farming that
explores and copies how plants and animals naturally interact, while studying
agriculture at the University of East Timor (now the National University) in the
mid 1990s. He founded the organisation, Permacultura Timor Lorosa’e (Permatil)
– which addresses sustainable development in East Timor – and wrote books to
encourage farmers to return to their traditional ways of raising rice, corn, sweet
potatoes, fruit and animals.
These practices had largely been abandoned during colonial times and under
Indonesian occupation, and replaced with a reliance on fertilisers, pesticides,
hybrid seeds, and artificial production schedules.
As he completes his thesis, the father of two is also juggling a busy schedule as
an increasingly well-known musician, representing his people to the world through
evocative, simple folk songs that he writes and sings in his native Tetum language.
“I learned much about music listening to Bob Dylan and John Lennon on a
neighbour’s radio,” he says. “I would figure out the tune on the guitar and learn
the meaning of the words by translating them, one by one.”
Lemos was recently signed to Australia’s Skinnyfish Music and invited to tour with
its biggest star, ARIA-winning singer-songwriter Geoffery Gurrumul Yunupingu, who
is also making headlines internationally as an Indigenous musician.
Ironically, for a man who has lived a difficult life in a developing country, Lemos
considers his thesis among his hardest challenges because of his concern about
learning academic English. Before starting his masters degree in International
Community Development in 2007, Lemos enrolled at VU’s English Language
Institute for his first-ever formal English class.
“Everything is now happening for me,” he says. “I am writing a thesis. I am
recording albums. I am touring as a singer-songwriter. I am happy I can contribute
as much as I can in so many ways.”
ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT

AN ENDURING PARTNERSHIP
As Ego Lemos nears completion of his Masters thesis
on sustainable agricultural practices in Timor-Leste,
he provides a fitting link to the University’s lengthy
collaboration and engagement with his newly
independent nation.
VU has supported vocational and higher education
development in Timor-Leste for many years. By
focusing on the country’s intellectual infrastructure,
these educational projects continue to make a real
difference in the ability of the fledgling nation to
build its skills and capacities.
In 2000, VU assisted in the establishment of the
Department of Community Development at the
country’s main institute of higher learning, the
National University of Timor Loro Sa’e. It continues
that relationship with ongoing partnerships,
conferences and exchange agreements.
VU was also involved in the founding of Dili Institute
of Technology, established by VU graduate Joao
Cancio Freitas, now the country’s Minister for
Education.
In 2005, VU began raising funds to establish an
East Timor Scholarship Fund to enable Timor-Leste
students access to a VU education, particularly
those students who, on graduating, could make
an immediate and significant contribution to the
development of their new nation. Three scholarships
have so far been granted, with the recipients
returning home to take on roles as senior advisers
and lecturers in their country.
A highlight of the VU–Timor-Leste partnership is VU’s
relationship with José Ramos-Horta, a man who won
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his lifelong fight
for his country’s freedom, and is the current president
of his country.
In 2001 he was appointed Distinguished Visiting
Professor at VU, an honorary position conferred on
those who have achieved national or international
eminence in their field. In July 2009, the University
bestowed on him an Honorary Doctorate in
recognition of his outstanding commitment to the
defence of human rights and his contribution to
establishing Timor-Leste independence. Ego Lemos: “Everything is now happening for me. I am writing a
thesis. I am recording albums. I am touring as a singer-songwriter.”

8 9

STUDENT
A report from Victoria University’s Institute for
Community, Ethnicity and Policy Alternatives (ICEPA)
into the safety of international students in Melbourne
has been praised by Victoria Police as a helpful and
intelligent contribution to the debate.
ICEPA researchers surveyed more than 1000
international and domestic students about their
perceptions of safety, and conducted in-depth
interviews with a further 35 students and 29
stakeholders, including police, student associations,
youth services and consular officials for the report.
The study, released in February, found that more than
three-quarters of international students found the city
to be safe, but half also reported experiencing threats to
safety that had a racial, religious or cultural element.
One of the study’s researchers, Associate Professor
Michele Grossman says the causes of violence were
often simplified as either racism or opportunism, when
in fact the distinction could often be blurred.
“The co-existence of opportunism and racism in
some attacks against international students was
acknowledged by virtually all students and police who
participated in the study,” she says.
10
Research from VU’s ICEPA showed many international students reported
experiencing threats to their safety that had a racial, religious or cultural element.
“The opportunity to strengthen how we identify,
address and prevent racially and ethnically influenced
crime should be seized with both hands – and now is
a good time to start.”
The impetus for conducting ‘The Community Safety of
International Students in Melbourne: A Scoping Study’
arose from growing concern and media attention over
threats to international students’ safety following
increasing levels of violence against international
students, especially those of Indian descent.
The report indicated that international students were
more likely to be exposed to safety risks due to:
lack of private transport options and access to safe,
affordable housing; reliance on high-risk employment;
and absence of family and friendship networks.
It also identified a ‘disconnect’ between those
responsible for policy, planning and delivery of
education, and those relying on the system.
It suggested several strategies including: an international
student complaints system; better cross-cultural training
for police; more consultation with community leaders on
how best to support victims of crime and address barriers
international students face when engaging with police;
and better understanding by education providers of
students’ needs and experiences.
Community engagement
Some of the key findings of the study into international
students safety include:
• 90 per cent felt safe at work
• 85 per cent of safety threats experienced by
students were not reported, with the main reason
being the belief that ‘it wasn’t serious enough’
• 78 per cent said Melbourne was a safe place to live
• 57 per cent said Melbourne was less safe than
they expected
• 50 per cent who reported perceived safety threats
said those threats had racial, religious or cultural
elements
• 58 per cent had experienced verbal abuse
• 11 per cent had been physically attacked
• 10 per cent had been robbed
‘The Community Safety of International Students in
Melbourne: A Scoping Study’, produced by Professor
Hurriyet Babacan, Ms Joanne Pyke, Ms Alexandra
Bhathal, Dr Gurjeet Gill, Associate Professor Michele
Grossman and Associate Professor Santina Bertone is
available at: www.vu.edu.au/icepa.
ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT
A marketing objective related to death and injury
is an unenviable task. But a passion for educating
the community to reduce road trauma has been the
driving force behind the success of VU alumnus John
Thompson.
As Senior Manager of Road Safety and Marketing
for Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC),
Thompson is responsible for the development and
strategy behind the organisation’s harrowing road
safety public education campaigns.
“Death and injury is the worst key performance
indicator that any company has to deal with in
marketing,” says Thompson. “It’s a lot easier to sell
sporting events.”
Despite the tough sell, Thompson was named the
Australian Marketing Institute’s Certified Practising
Marketer of the Year in 2009. The award was given
in recognition of the success of TAC campaigns in
reducing the state’s road toll, which is half that of 20
years ago.
In the past two years, Victoria recorded its lowest road
tolls since records began in 1952. In 2008 there were
303 deaths, and 295 people lost their lives in 2009.
Alumnus John Thompson, Australian Marketing Institute’s 2009 Certified Practising Marketer
of the Year: “Death and injury is the worst key performance indicator that any company has to
deal with in marketing.”
THE TOLL
“It is an honour to be involved with organisations like
the TAC,” he says. “Thanks to the combined efforts of
many, including the Victoria Police and the Victorian
State Government, our state is now one of the safest
places in the world to drive.”
Thompson completed a Master of Business in
Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Sociology
and Communications at VU. He worked in marketing
and communications roles in consulting, energy,
publishing, residential property development and elite
sport environments before joining TAC in 2004. Since
then he has been instrumental in bringing some of the
organisation’s most successful campaigns to fruition.
His innovations include the Vanessa Bus, a former
Booze Bus that has been transformed into a burnt
orange 1970s panel van. Concert-goers at large-scale
music events can use it as a chill-out zone and for
blood alcohol testing before driving home.
In line with the habits of TAC’s key target audience
– 18 to 20 year-olds – he has taken 15 per cent of
TAC’s advertising campaigns online. The organisation
advertises in the PlayStation gaming environment and
hosts Yellowcard.tv – a website that allows users to
speak out about the worrying driving habits of friends.
ALUMNI
TAC also posted its 2009 Christmas advertising
campaign on YouTube. A montage of all TAC’s advertising
campaigns from the past 20 years and set to the
haunting voice of Melbourne singer Angie Hart, the video
was viewed more than 700,000 times in one month.
“Young people get a lot of flack but I think a lot of
them are actually heeding our key messages – don’t
drink and drive, and don’t speed,” says Thompson.
“We have altered a lot of bad behaviour but we still
need to continue to find new and innovative ways to
get road safety messages out there.”
Thompson is still actively involved with VU and gives
back to the community by mentoring graduates
through VU’s Career Bridge Program.
“VU gave me a great grounding in the community, in
particular in dealing with people from different cultural
groups,” he says. “My masters course was first-class.
It gave me a fantastic grounding in marketing theory
and the content was very practical and current, and the
teachers have diverse experience.”
CANDICE NEUMANN
11

St Albans greengrocer Abdul Allan (left) and daughter Nibal (front) share a healthy bite with
ACCD staff members Dr Gurjeet Gill, Harry Bryce, Liping (Stella) Wang and Godefa G’her.
Choices
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in both Australia and the rest of the
developed world, and Melbourne’s western region has been identified as having
the highest rate of the disease in Victoria. Almost 3.5 million Australians have
diabetes or are close to developing the disease.
The Australian Community Centre for Diabetes (ACCD) at Victoria University’s St
Albans Campus is at the forefront of tackling the disease in local communities
throughout Melbourne’s west.
The ACCD harnesses existing expertise in diabetes and in partnership with health,
education and community organisations, uses education and engagement to
reduce the impact of the disease.
ACCD’s executive director Harry Bryce describes how the centre’s approach to
reducing rates of diabetes is developing new paradigms of thinking.
12
“Diabetes is a lifestyle-driven disease, which is why what we’re doing is all about
prevention,” says Bryce. “We like to think our approach is all-embracing, guided
by grassroots community involvement and education.”
Although type 1 diabetes* is a chronic disease with serious health risks, the research
and community work the centre is undertaking deals specifically with type 2
diabetes, which affects 85 to 90 per cent of those diagnosed with the disease.
Type 2 diabetes is incurable and the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia.
Possible causes are a combination of genetic and environmental factors, including
high blood pressure, excess weight and insufficient physical activity, and it is
more common among the 55+ age group. Untreated it can create severe health
problems including damage to many of the body’s systems, which can lead to
amputation, blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and peripheral
vascular disease, with serious conditions becoming potentially fatal.
In addition to the physical and emotional burden placed on individuals and
communities, chronic diseases such as diabetes are costing the Victorian
healthcare system $600 million per year, and Victorian workplaces $440 million
annually in absenteeism.
Support from local industry groups and communities is crucial if ACCD’s prevention
work is to be successful. So far, partnerships with health and community
organisations, clubs and local councils have proved invaluable in providing
expertise, cultural connections and attracting funding.
CURRENT ACCD PROJECTS
Mapping
In collaboration with Diabetes Australia-Victoria, ACCD has completed a mapping
of the incidence and prevalence of diabetes in Melbourne’s western region – by
suburb, local government area, age and CALD group. This research demonstrates
that Melbourne’s western suburbs are in the grip of a diabetes epidemic.
The mapping project has helped to define the problem – where it is and who it is
affecting. It also helps to determine where the work into finding solutions should
be focused.
The data includes ‘hot spots’ by geographical area and ethnicity, with South East
Asian, African and Middle Eastern communities rating particularly highly.
The suburb of Ardeer has the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in Melbourne’s
western region – 13.5 per cent of the population. This is more than six times the
national average.
Knowledge portal
An interactive online knowledge portal is being developed to improve
communication and share information about diabetes among healthcare providers,
researchers, the community and individuals. The results of the mapping exercise
will be published on this website.
Community-based work
ACCD is engaging with community leaders, bilingual health educators and
community volunteers to provide health literacy and develop multi-lingual
education materials. An advisory committee from more than 20 CALD community
groups helps to inform this work. ACCD is also working with the Indigenous
community through a peer mentor program, a nutrition and physical activity
program in schools, as well as with online diabetes support.
Communities demonstrating high and increasing rates of diabetes are typically
Two very successful diabetes roadshows were held in the Footscray and Sunshine
socio-economically disadvantaged, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD),
community centres in February and helped spread awareness of diabetes
and Indigenous. The dedicated ACCD team uses its diverse expertise in research,
prevention and management in the area.
education, nutrition, medicine, statistics and community development to create
programs that are meaningful to these communities.
For more information, and for the comprehensive results of the mapping exercise
“Our team of experts examined the best international program models that are visit www.diabetesepidemic.org.au/westernmelbourne and the ACCD website
culturally and linguistically relevant; then we are guided by the community,” says www.vu.edu.au/accd
Bryce. “It is a collaborative approach.”
JESSICA JURY
*Type 1 diabetes ACCD’s community and industry partners
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic, incurable disease with • HealthWest • Western Health • Western Bulldogs Football Club
serious health risks, but unlike type 2 diabetes, it is • Western Melbourne Division of General Practice • Australian Industry Group
caused by genetic predisposition and other triggers
• Western Suburbs Indigenous Gathering Place • Western Region Health Centre
which result in the immune system destroying the
insulin-making cells in the pancreas. The body then • Diabetes Australia–Victoria
has no control over blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes • Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Check out your risk factor.
is prevalent among children and adults alike, and is • Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute Foundation
Try the Victorian Government’s type 2 diabetes risk
controlled by insulin injections and medication. • Six local councils
assessment tool to determine your risk probability:
www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au/rat/index.html
13
 WERC is Australia’s premier organisation for the delivery of research,

new chancellor
development and consultancy in work-based education, such as aged care.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Judging by his résumé, VU’s new Chancellor George Pappas gives the impression
of being an exceptionally good fit for the role.
He brings to the position a sharp business focus as a leading corporate adviser
in the US, Japan and Australia. His wealth of professional experience includes
chairmanship of the Committee for Melbourne, a recent stint as a senior
economics adviser to the Brumby Government, and an ongoing role as chair of the
Federal Government’s Defence Strategic Reform Advisory Board.
He also recognises that a research profile is essential for a university, and the
pre-eminence of sports and exercise science research and teaching at VU has not
been lost on Pappas, who sits on the board of VU partner the Western Bulldogs.
He says institutions should concentrate on those things that they do better than
anybody else. “In that way you can develop a reputation for excellence, you can be
a leader, you can attract the best people. I think sports science is a natural for VU –
there aren’t many tertiary institutions that are doing what VU is doing in this field.”

But there’s more. Pappas, a first-generation Australian of Greek heritage, shares
something that is precious to many VU students – he was the first in his family
to graduate with a degree. His father, a tailor by day, worked a second job as a
waiter at night to ensure his family had every opportunity to succeed.
At a graduation ceremony in 2007, Pappas told VU graduates: “I have a very
He believes VU has a special place in Melbourne. “VU is a contributor to what
makes Melbourne the city that it is because it provides a place where socially
disadvantaged students can go and have their lives transformed.”
Pappas’ tenure as Chancellor began on 1 January and will run until the end
of 2011. His appointment followed the retirement in August last year of VU’s

AT WERC
simple message: the investment in my education was the most important gift that previous Chancellor, Justice Frank Vincent AO QC.
my parents, my teachers and many others gave to me.”
JIM BUCKELL
Topping the state in matriculation economics and British history, he received a
scholarship to study economics at Monash University. “Doing well at school was
EDUCATION RESEARCH my way of repaying my parents,” he says.

Last September, Work-based Education Research
Centre (WERC) Director Berwyn Clayton was preparing
a trip to Canberra to visit her grandchildren.
“They told me they’ve forgotten what I look like, so I
think a visit is long overdue,” says Clayton.
Such is the toll of 12 months’ hard work spent
establishing WERC as Australia’s premier organisation
delivering research, development and consultancy in
vocational and work-based education.
Clayton joined Victoria University in 2008 after more
than a decade as inaugural director of the Centre
Undertaking Research in Vocational Education (CURVE)
at Canberra Institute of Technology.
With the support of WERC’s deputy director,
Associate Professor Shelley Gillis – one of Australia’s
leading researchers in vocational competency-based
assessment processes and systems – Clayton quickly
secured a lucrative tender with the National Quality
Council to develop best practice documentation for the
validation of work-based training assessment.
Given the centre is still in its infancy, many of WERC’s
current projects are intended as the first links in a chain
that will foster strong, long-term partnerships and
collaborations. Clayton offers the example of a training
needs analysis they are producing for Bega Cheese.
“It involves a review of training requirements and This expertise, combined with their colleagues’ more He performed so well at Monash that he won a second scholarship to study for
resources for Bega over at Strathmerton,” says traditional skills in commercial and educational his MBA at the prestigious Harvard Business School in 1969. He stayed in the
Clayton. “While this is interesting for researchers, pedagogy, ensures WERC is well equipped to respond US for many years after being offered a job by the country’s leading business
what matters strategically for the centre, and Victoria to challenges posed by an increasingly tech-savvy consultancy, The Boston Consulting Group.
University more broadly, is that we are establishing a society.
So what can VU expect from its new chancellor? A series of briefings is under way
strong relationship with a view to becoming training
“Establishing and deepening our networks is the key to bring him up to speed on the workings of the University.
provider of choice for Bega. This would have the knock-
on effect of WERC being able to engage the services to entrenching WERC at the heart of strategic decision
“I was trained to gather data, to learn and to analyse first, and only then to
of multiple VU faculties across vocational and higher making in the field of vocational and work-based
speak,” Pappas says. “I think there’s always an assumption that a new person
education.” education,” says Clayton. “Our mission is clear, and
coming into a role has instant advice and instant solutions to the issues. I’m not a
after a strong performance in our first year we are well
believer in that. So I’ll take my time.”
The centre’s current projects are diverse and take on our way to success.”
place across Australia and overseas. The application of He is enthusiastic about the pragmatic mission of the University in preparing
web-based technologies is a theme running throughout Visit www.werc.vu.edu.au
students for their chosen professions. “One of the things that I found very
many of the projects. Three of the centre’s eight staff CRAIG SCUTT encouraging about VU when I was considering the position was the strategy
have considerable skills in multimedia and e-learning. of developing industry clusters, and relationships and partnerships with
stakeholders,” he says.
CURRENT WERC PROJECTS
• A collaborative research paper with Open University Malaysia is examining current industrial workplace
learning practices in both countries. The paper will present new strategies for consideration, with a focus
on new technologies.
• A Skills Victoria Innovation Grant is funding a study to assess a new online tool that measures users’ skill
sets. It will also assess other skills recognition resources.
• A n examination of ways to ensure the continuation of ongoing teacher development in industry
engagement, employability skills, and workplace delivery and assessment.
• T he WERC Exchange project is mobilising teachers in Australia and New Zealand to share skills and
resources.
• T he development and monitoring of a Trade Pedagogy website that encourages teachers to share their
knowledge while networking locally, nationally and internationally.
VU Chancellor George Pappas

14 15

Harvesting
Leigh Lonigro of Laverton North does not mind taking
two trains, two buses and 90 minutes to get to school
in Sunshine.
The Year 11 student knew years ago that he wanted
to be an electrician and learn his trade on the job. But
Leigh also understood the value of completing his Year
12. At Harvester Technical College, the 17-year-old
found he could do both.
The College is a successor to the Howard Government’s
Australian Technical College at Sunshine, one of several
facilities established around Australia to combat the
country’s skills’ shortage. In November 2009, it was
taken over by the State Government’s education and
training system.
Operating from a $9 million ultra-modern building
named in the 2009 World Architecture Awards as
Education Building of the Year, Harvester College is a
partner of Sunshine College, Victoria University, and an
advisory board of members with businesses mainly in
Melbourne’s west.
The partnership allows students “to go further, faster
and higher in a trade career than any other pathway,”
says Andrew Williamson, Associate Director of VU’s
Faculty of Technical and Trades Innovation, and the
College’s founding CEO.
All 130 students currently enrolled at Harvester in
Years 10, 11 and 12 will graduate with a Victorian
Certificate of Education (VCE) or a Victorian Certificate
of Applied Learning (VCAL), or both.
16
They will also emerge with a pre-apprenticeship or
Certificate III in their trade, allowing them to slot into a
second-year apprenticeship right out of high school.
“Harvester offers a senior secondary education
alternative with a curriculum tailored to the needs
of future tradies,” Williamson says. “It provides
the foundational skilling expertise and nurturing
environment of school with the trade training of TAFE.”
Year 10 students are enrolled as Sunshine College
students and do ‘taster’ programs for careers
in automotive, building, construction, metals,
engineering, electro-technology and cookery. The
College is looking to soon expand into hairdressing,
and transport and logistics.
After choosing a specialty, Years 11 and 12 students
are classified as VU students and undertake specialised
programs at various VU campuses (and at Kangan
Batman TAFE for automotive students).
During the three years, the students also study
VCE English and VCAL Maths, as well as business,
technology and personal development.
The College champions vocational learning not as a
last resort for non-academic students or as a form of
re-engagement, but as a means to launch careers that
are valuable in their own right.
“Employers tell us they are comfortable teaching trade
skills on the job, but they don’t want to be teaching
reading and writing,” Williamson says. “The young
people we prepare will have the skills and knowledge
to be future leaders in their trade.”
Harvester Technical College is an innovative hybrid
of secondary school, TAFE and workplace learning.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
The students also undertake authentic projects that
help them generate a sense of importance and
engender pride in a trade career. For example, last
year they built a cubby house for a kindergarten in the
burned-out town of Marysville.
Harvester College also uses its state-of-the-art building
– where electronic white boards and plasma-screen
TVs are built into huge open-plan rooms – for public
events. The aim is to increase awareness of trades’
education and to erase labels about students who are
attracted to it. The College hosted a literary festival
last year in a deliberate attempt to prove that students
with vocational aspirations can also enjoy culture.
The man responsible for inspiring Harvester’s name
would undoubtedly be pleased with its aims. Hugh
Victor McKay, a farmer who manufactured agricultural
equipment at his Sunshine Harvester Works at the turn
of last century and became one of Australia’s leading
industrialists, was also known for his remarkable
vision.
He not only employed thousands of workers in the
area, but also built its first trade college and provided
housing, libraries and parks for his “Sunshine Family”.
It seems appropriate the College tip its hat to the
remarkable history of the area.
“Harvester College is carving out an identity as a hub
of innovation that harvests knowledge and skills for
our young people,” says Williamson.
Harvester Technical College is located at 76 Suffolk Rd,
Sunshine North, Phone: 03 8311 5555.
ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT
17

Experience, travel: these are as education in themselves
– Euripides, 5th Century BC
Late in 2009, 20 pre-service teaching students
from VU’s Faculty of Arts, Education and Human
Development (AEHD) embarked on an educational
journey of their own – a two-week study tour to China
and the Beijing Information Science and Technology
University (BISTU). For many of the students,
particularly those who had never travelled overseas
before, it was an opportunity of a lifetime.
The trip was funded through VU’s Student Mobility
program with additional funding from BISTU.
Accompanied by two teachers, lecturer Julie Arnold and
senior lecturer Dr Marcelle Cacciattolo from the School
of Education, the students completed an International
Study subject by taking Chinese language, culture and
history classes at BISTU. They visited many of BISTU’s
campuses and experienced diverse teaching methods.
It was a whole new world of learning both inside and
outside of the classroom.
Unseasonably cold weather couldn’t put a dampener
on the trip, with the first sight of snow an
unforgettable experience for many of the students.
18
learning
Other highlights included the Great Wall of China,
Tian’anmen Square, the Beijing Olympic’s Bird’s Nest
stadium, Chinese opera and traditional Chinese cuisine.
Being fully immersed in Chinese culture and welcomed
into the university’s community gave the students a
new appreciation for a different way of life, and of
being an outsider in unfamiliar surroundings. Through
daily journal entries, the students reflected on how
they believed their experiences will enrich their future
teaching careers.
“I can talk about the country of China with new eyes”,
wrote one pre-service teacher. “I can explain to [my
future] students how this feels and show photos, and
allow them to see the differences between the two
countries.”
Another student wrote, “Now I can understand how
it feels for people to come to Australia and not be
understood.”
Cacciattolo says she believes the pre-service teachers
now understood what it feels like to be an outsider.
“One thing that was quite clear was how they felt
perceived as the ‘other’. Having a sense of the
language barriers, thinking creatively and problem-
Students Sarah Nolan and Candice Drozdek with
Dr Marcelle Cacciattolo on the Great Wall of China
International education
solving tested their comfort levels. When they have
students of their own, particularly English as a
Second Language students, they will have a better
understanding of what their students are feeling.”
Professor Deborah Tyler, AEHD Associate Dean,
International, says the educational impact of students
having this sort of experience is huge. “They uniformly
understood the future value it will bring to their
lives as teachers,” she says. “The flow-on effect this
experience will bring to them as teachers will be
significant.”
The overwhelming generosity the group received from
BISTU’s staff was ultimately what made the tour such
a success.
The program has further strengthened VU’s partnership
with BISTU. In September 2010, the School of
Education will reciprocate by hosting 20 BISTU
students and two staff members for a two-week study
tour of VU and Melbourne.
There are plans for another VU study tour to Beijing
in 2011.
JESSICA JURY
James ‘Pods’ Podsiadly knew he had come to a
crossroad in his life when he was called into the office of
the Geelong Football Club’s recruiting manager last year.
The Victoria University Bachelor of Exercise Science
graduate was asked whether he wanted to continue
in his exciting new role as coach on the 2009 AFL
premiership-winning club’s fitness team or follow a
dream that had eluded him for more than a decade –
to be an AFL player.
“It was a no-brainer – I jumped at the opportunity,”
says Podsiadly.
For a man who only started playing football when he
was 17 but quickly became a legendary goal-kicking
machine in the minor Victorian Football League (VFL),
this was not his first shot at the AFL.
The now-28-year-old played pre-season AFL games
with Essendon in 2000 and Collingwood in 2002, but
was de-listed by both clubs before the regular season
began. He then carved out his impressive VFL career as
a full forward, first with Williamstown, then Werribee,
where last year he qualified for lifetime membership
after 175 games. In 2008 he picked up the J.J. Liston
Trophy – VFL’s Brownlow Medal equivalent – as the
VFL’s best and fairest.
GOALs
During those years, Podsiadly also studied full time at
VU, earning his degree in 2008. He is now working on
an honours project about neuro-muscular recovery. On
top of that, he established a successful personal fitness
training business, managing a range of clients from out-
of-shape office workers to professional surfers.
“My degree helped give me an academic framework
around what people’s bodies go through, and how to
improve their health and performance – whoever they
are,” says Podsiadly.
Because of his background in exercise and training,
as well as professional football, last year Podsiadly
was offered the assistant high-performance fitness
and conditioning coaching job with the Geelong
Cats, guiding players in weight sessions, running and
recovery work.
“I believe you create your own good luck,” he says.
“All of my hard work at uni opened the door for me
with the job at Geelong.”
Podsiadly’s thesis supervisor at VU, Dr Alan Pearce,
says James’ honours project in neuro-muscular
recovery was not only appropriate as an academic
study, but it was also proving beneficial to the Geelong
Football Club.
EXERCISE SCIENCE
“When I first met him, James impressed me with his
academic ability, and topped the class,” says
Pearce. “When he asked to undertake honours and
combine it with his football, I didn’t hesitate.”
Outside of work and study, Podsiadly’s performance on
field as the new captain of Geelong’s VFL team quickly
turned heads among Cats’ management. They decided
to draft him at the end of last year as a mature-aged
rookie, and offer him a third opportunity to play in
the AFL.
“I have no preconceptions about this opportunity
because playing on the MCG is still a long way
off,” says Podsiadly. “Whether I play one game or
whatever, it will be a great story to tell the grandkids.”
Optimistically, Podsiadly thinks it might be third-time lucky
this time. “My game has gone to another level since I
studied at VU,” he says. “My motivation is as high as it
has ever been and I am much stronger physically and
mentally than I have ever been in my life.”
ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT
James Podsiadly: “Whether I play one
game or whatever, it will be a great story
to tell the grandkids.”
19

Bondi Beach: Each towel represents one of the 1700 deaths in Australia caused by skin cancer in
2009. 440,000 skin cancers are diagnosed in Australia each year. Source: Cancer Council Australia
In 2010 more than 40,000 Australians will die from cancer and more than
400,000 new cases will be diagnosed. Luckily, not all cancer diagnoses are a
death sentence – especially if the disease is caught in its early stages.
Victoria University alumnus Dr Ronny Veljanovski is working with a team of
researchers developing new systems that will assist in the early detection of this
pervasive disease. Veljanovski completed a Bachelor of Science, a PhD in Electrical
and Electronic Engineering, and a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education at
VU. He is currently the Project Manager of the Detectors R&D at the Cooperative
Research Centre for Biomedical Imaging Development (CRCBID) based at the
Monash Centre for Synchrotron Science.
Two types of medical imaging systems used in the detection and diagnosis of
many cancers are Computed Tomography (CT) which provides three-dimensional
X-rays and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) which provides images of a
radiopharmaceutical tracer that has been injected into the body. Because
20
CANCER
ALUMNI
cancerous tumours are usually more active than normal tissue, they take up more
of the injected substance and appear different on a PET scan.
These imaging systems provide information about the size and location of the
tumour and whether the cancer has spread. The information can also be used to
guide a biopsy, help plan radiation therapy or surgery and determine whether the
cancer is responding to treatment.
Researchers at CRCBID are investigating ways to enhance the ability of these
systems to capture data to assist clinicians with the early detection, diagnosis,
treatment and management of diseases such as cancer.
Veljanovski says significant progress has been made towards the development of a
prototype, small-scale, hybrid pixel detector for CT systems.
“There is so much scope to improve current CT/X-ray systems to give better image
quality by increasing the contrast in the images they produce,” he says. “This will
allow us to differentiate better between similar elements of composition in the body
such as tumours and muscle tissue.”
“The challenge is to design and manufacture sensitive and fast hardware; getting
the microelectronic chip design is crucial to the success of these systems. We hope
to be able to reach a stage where we can produce real-time colour X-rays. Such
novel technology will greatly improve the diagnostic capacity of X-ray imaging, and
would enable doctors to accurately diagnose and precisely locate tumours that are a
fraction of a millimetre.”
Potentially, the detectors under development by CRCBID will be able to perform both
PET and CT measurements at the same time. This would provide a more complete
picture of a tumour’s location and growth or spread, improving the ability of doctors
to diagnose cancer, determine how far it has spread, and follow patients’ responses
to treatment. The combined PET/CT scan may also reduce the number of additional
imaging tests and other procedures a patient needs.
What causes cancer?
• one in nine cancers, and one in five cancer deaths, are due to smoking
• about 3% of cancers are related to alcohol consumption
• many cancers occur as a direct result of dietary influences, from
infectious agents or exposure to radiation (especially skin cancers
from ultraviolet radiation)
• some cancers result from inherited ‘faulty’ genes
• cancer is not caused by injury or stress
Source: Cancer Council Australia
www.cancer.org.au
Cancer Council Australia CEO, Professor Ian Olver, says the ability to perform CT and
PET scans simultaneously has many potential benefits. “For example the combination
of PET and CT measurements could be useful in a number of ways,” says Olver. “It
may be very useful in helping to diagnose lung cancer. If a nodule is found on the
lung it would give you a better idea about the nature of that nodule.
”The new technology could also help doctors determine if the cancer has spread to
other organs aiding them in determining the best way to treat the primary cancer.
“Doctors could make more accurate decisions about treatment eliminating the need
for patients to undergo heroic treatment procedures that will not have a curative
effect,” says Olver.
But while early detection should be the goal for all cancers, Olver emphasised the
value of cancer prevention. “Prevention can have a significant impact. One third of all
cancers in Australia could be prevented through lifestyle changes.”
Veljanovski, who also worked at VU as a Senior Lecturer and Director of Postgraduate
Programs in Electrical and Electronic Engineering for a number of years after
graduating, says he developed his ability to manage projects at the University by
engaging with a variety of industries via the Microelectronic Engineering programs.
“VU gave me the ability to see what the industry required – their needs were
well articulated in our courses. I was also given the chance to develop my project
management skills and I wouldn’t be where I am today without these.”
CRCBID (www.crcbid.com.au) is a leading edge research company established and
supported under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre (CRC)
program. CRCBID’s research partners include the Australian Nuclear Science and
Technology Organisation, Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, Garvan Institute of Medical
Research and Monash University.
CANDICE NEUMANN
Dr Ronny Veljanovski is part of a research
team developing technology that will assist in
the early detection of cancer.
21

At first glance, the University of Texas in El Paso (UTEP) appears to have little in
common with Victoria University. One is located in a North American desert close
to the Mexican border, and the other on the opposite side of the world in one of
Australia’s busiest cities.
But that is where the differences end.
Both were founded nearly 100 years ago to educate a working class – UTEP as
the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and VU as the Footscray Institute
of Technology. Both also have large populations of students from non-English-
speaking backgrounds: more than 100 nationalities are represented at VU,
while UTEP is the largest university in the US with a majority Hispanic student
population.
But perhaps most importantly, both share a commitment to the ideals of access
and excellence, attracting large numbers of students from modest backgrounds
– often the first in their families to go to university – and providing them with a
quality education.
The two universities began collaborating in 2005 and signed a multi-faceted
Memorandum of Understanding in October 2007. The MOU focused on developing
programs that would further widen access to learning and build bridges between
the students of both institutions.
VU College Dean Susan Young says that in recent years delegations have crossed
the Pacific in both directions to strengthen the partnership and to create global
learning experiences for their respective students.
22
TO TEXAS
PARTNERSHIPS
The relationship moved from conversation to action to create systematic responses
to benefit our students,” says Young.
Last year, VU formed a team to scope future joint opportunities to improve the
learning experiences of disadvantaged students. It developed five University-
wide strategies, such as offering them job opportunities on campus so they can
earn where they learn. A ‘students as staff’ program now provides around 100
students with paid jobs at VU.
The two institutes have also exchanged ideas about boosting academic support
by incorporating centres for student writing, maths and technology within their
libraries.
Joint activities that directly link students from each country are also taking place.
The Global Learning Community pilot project saw students from VU’s Diploma
of Liberal Arts and UTEP’s 1301 Entering Students Program collaborating via
video-conference while studying common issues of cultural diversity, migration,
settlement and dislocation.
They were assessed by their home institutions through their contributions to a
social networking space created for the project. This year, five students from each
university will switch universities for a semester of study and work.
“VU and UTEP students are using this class to experience life and culture in
different countries through a structured learning program, using technology and in
conjunction with their new global learning partners,” says Young.
ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT
VU and UTEP share a commitment
to the ideals of education access.
out
Adil Mohamed, 58, uses ‘cultural activist’ as his title. It’s a jarring label, but one that
helps explain the mammoth barriers he has overcome to get where he is today.
He speaks about the imprisonment and torture he endured in Sudan due to his
role as a writer and opposition politician in the same matter-of-fact manner as an
Australian might mention the flu.
Mohamed’s interest in cultural awareness as a medium for social connection is
a key part of his present life. Less than a decade after arriving in Australia as a
non-English-speaking refugee, Mohamed is now working toward his PhD at VU.
His thesis is an examination of the way the identities of his fellow Sudanese are
developed and expressed once they arrive in Australia, in particular their sense of
displacement, conflicting values and loss.
“My dream of doing studies in my home country was disrupted, but here I can
progress with much support,” he says. “Sometimes I feel the teachers at VU are
beyond teachers – they act more like social workers, advocates and friends.”
VU enrols many students from overseas, but those from Africa frequently arrive
with complex backgrounds similar to Mohamed’s. Culturally, economically and
politically many find themselves in an alien world in Australia, some experiencing
city life and urban values for the first time.
Students from Africa – in particular those from Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and
Liberia – are an increasing portion of VU enrolments. African-born students now
comprise about five per cent of VU’s student population, but many second-
generation students of African descent don’t show up in that statistic.
Through the University’s Concurrent Assistance program, VU College recently
held an open conversation and lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant near Footscray
Nicholson Campus. Dubbed the ‘Harambe Conversations,’ the event was a chance
for some of VU’s African students to share their experiences and aspirations.
Wehazit Haile and Adil Mohamed share their experiences and aspirations
as part of a growing number of African students at Victoria University.
VU COLLEGE
Wehazit Haile, 30, from Eritrea, decided she never wanted to be dependent on
anyone again. After a forced marriage at age 15 and three children before she
was 20, Haile came to Australia five years ago as a determined single mum.
She steadily progressed through foundation courses and adult VCE, focusing next
on VU TAFE courses in financial services. Haile’s goal is to earn a VU degree in
banking and business within the next three years.
“It has been a challenge to do this, but I am very motivated and am showing my
children what is possible with hard work,” she says.
Majok Doong, 32, from Sudan, has been learning accounting at VU since 2002.
Apart from his studies, Doong is passionate about helping other new arrivals,
especially young people. He runs the New Sudanese Youth Association, helping
young migrants enrol in language classes and youth activities. Doong feels
fortunate he has found work at a logistics company because it gives him hope
about bringing his parents to Australia.
“Many of my teachers have worked with me one-to-one and I can say that VU has
helped me build my future,” he says.
Like Mohamed, the participants in the Harambe Conversations displayed incredible
dedication to their studies, knowing the opportunities education provides.
Mohamed says he is like a new man in Australia, especially after recently learning
his masters’ study had been upgraded to a PhD, and with the imminent birth of
his first child.
“My knowledge has been broadened and my choices in life are multiplied because
I am here.”
ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT
BARRY GARNER
23

Nineteen-year-old Giramachew Kebede had his heart set
on a career as an automotive spray painter. But three
months into his apprenticeship the Yarraville resident
developed an allergy to the chemicals in the paint.
“I couldn’t finish my course,” says Kebede. “Since then
I’ve been doing some work and thinking about my
options.”
So when Kebede stumbled across Victoria University’s
portable career and courses advice booth at Highpoint
Shopping Centre in Maribyrnong, he used the
opportunity to start exploring his study options.
“It’s really convenient to walk past a booth at the
shopping centre and find somebody to talk to,” he says.
VU’s portable course and career advice booth, called the
Community Gateways, is a new VU initiative to broaden
the way educators connect with people in the western
region of Melbourne. The Gateways delivers a service for
people, who for a variety of reasons might not seek out
future-planning information. Some people feel unsure
about visiting a university campus, while others are not
particularly mobile and prefer to stay in their local area.
Community Gateways Project Manager Christine
Mountford says the service helps overcome these issues
by providing a familiar space where people can enquire
about local training opportunities, careers advice and
find information about courses or skills assessment.
24
GATEWAY
“This service reduces the barriers to accessing career
counselling and encourages the participation of
students in university from non-traditional university
backgrounds,” says Mountford.
VU has established a partnership with the GPT Group,
managers of the Highpoint Shopping Centre, which
provides the Community Gateways with six weeks’
prime mall space annually. In mid January the
Gateways’ team spent two weeks at the centre and
spoke to 250 people.
“We saw a huge range of people with a variety of
interests,” says Mountford. “Some wanted guidance
about upgrading their skills, some about changing
professions and some about returning to do the degree
or diploma they’ve always postponed.”
The booth is staffed by professional VU career
counsellors offering study and career advice to a broad
audience, including retirees, the unemployed, migrants
and career-changers. Mountford says the information
available was not just about courses offered by VU.
“This service is not a course promoter for VU. People
using our service are given information matched to
their interests and needs which may relate to other
universities or trainers.”
The Community Gateways will be at Highpoint again in
May and December this year and will move around to
various community locations within Melbourne’s
Prospective student Giramachew Kebede gets
advice with VU’s Community Gateways.
COMMUNITY
western region. It can provide three levels of service
depending upon the location and needs of the
community.
• Level 1 – Course information for prospective
students and parents; individual and group career
counselling, advice on pathways and referrals to
appropriate education and training providers.
• Level 2 – English language and numeracy
assessment; recognition of prior learning
competency assessment with referral to gap
training courses within VU.
• Level 3 – Provision of short courses, general and
further education programs and referral through
pathways to VU and other providers.
VU is currently developing other ways of delivering the
Community Gateways service to the wider community.
As well as the transportable careers booth, a permanent
in-situ location has been included in designs for VU’s
student precinct in Flinders Arcade in the CBD. The
University is also purchasing a vehicle to be repurposed
as a mobile Community Gateways. It will be used to
deliver off-campus workshops, career counselling or
group activities.
Find out more about the Community Gateways:
www.vu.edu.au/future-students/community-Gateways
Phone 03 9919 6100
CANDICE NEUMANN
A stroll through multicultural central Footscray in the heart of Melbourne’s west is
like walking through a crowded bazaar in Addis Ababa. Clusters of colourful shops
abound, filled with handmade carpets, traditional clothing, polished tea sets and a
dizzying range of other African and Middle Eastern imports.
Most passers-by would not see beyond this fascinating collection of exotica. But
most passers-by wouldn’t have the same business sense and community spirit as
the Victoria University students from the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) club.
The students – all volunteers from the Faculty of Business and Law seeking
real-life projects outside their studies – saw immediate opportunities when they
examined the way African retail businesses in the area operated. They decided to
team up with the shops’ owners to offer them advice as one of their SIFE projects.
Established more than 30 years ago in the US, the club now includes around
36,000 university students from all over the world who design, fund, deliver and
document community service projects on top of their regular studies.
VU SIFE president Gavin Draper, a third-year Bachelor of Business student
specialising in entrepreneurship says the VU SIFE team believed they could
improve some of the business practices of the African shopkeepers.
“Many of the traders were selling identical products to each other, borrowing from
their families instead of banks, and closing their businesses for extended periods
to take holidays,” says Draper. “By giving them the right information and ideas,
many have been able to improve the way they run their businesses.”
The team of eight students arranged seminars for the shopkeepers at VU’s nearby
Footscray Nicholson Campus. These covered topics such as marketing, finance,
taxation and merchandising. Expert volunteer speakers included VU professors and
a member of state parliament.
MINDS COMMUNITY
African shopkeeper Nimat Mohamed says her decision to subdivide and lease part
of her variety shop as a result of the seminars helped boost her profits and focus
her product lines.
The SIFE program has been running at VU since 2007, attracting up to 25
students each year, mainly second or third-year Business and Law students. The
students work in teams to develop two or three community service projects a year
with the help of executive-level business mentors. They devote about two hours a
week to their projects outside of their regular studies. The program is voluntary,
but participants get academic credit for their involvement.
Club members also have the chance to showcase and be judged on their projects
in national and international competitions. The venture with Footscray’s African
shopkeepers received a national merit award last year in competition with SIFE
clubs from 20 other Australian universities.
“We’re very proud of our students’ performance and the contribution this project
made in connecting us with the western region of Melbourne,” says Professor John
Breen, deputy dean of the Faculty of Business and Law.
VU SIFE vice-president Tim Baxter says the program offers other benefits besides
the satisfaction of participating in meaningful community projects.
“We have access to some of Australia’s top executives and get to network with business
people with 30 or 40 years’ experience. They can give us one-on-one advice about real-
life projects, and that’s something we just can’t get in the classroom.”
For information about VU’s SIFE program: www.business.vu.edu.au/current_
students/sife.asp
ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT
Nimat Mohamed, owner of the Nimat Variety Shop, with VU SIFE
president Gavin Draper (centre) and VU SIFE vice-president Tim Baxter.
25

Indigenous Australians know first-hand how public figures
can talk up schemes that benefit the descendants of
Australia’s first people. Respect for the traditional owners
of the land underpins nearly every public speech given in
Victoria, yet outcomes for Indigenous Australians remain
skewed towards unemployment, low levels of education
and poverty.
Seven years ago, Victoria University made a commitment
to undertake measures aimed at improving the lives of
Indigenous people – chiefly through the recruitment of
Indigenous staff.
The University’s 2005 Indigenous Employment and
Career Development Strategy, introduced best-practice
policymaking designed to improve the VU’s relationship
with the local Indigenous community.
This was not an over-zealous attempt at affirmative
action but a carefully considered action plan based on the
University’s broader commitment to improving the lives
of all members of the community, with a focus on people
living in Melbourne’s west.
In 2006, to honour the local Wurundjeri people and keep
alive their Woiwurrung language, VU renamed the strategy
‘Yannoneit’ – meaning ‘to walk’ or ‘come walk’. By using
the word Yannoneit, VU is symbolically inviting Indigenous
Australians to join its mission to transform the lives of
individuals, and develop industry and communities through
the power of education.
The publication, Living Yannoneit, showcases VU’s
achievements over the past five years in delivering its
Yannoneit strategy.
“Victoria University is the largest education provider and
employer in the western suburbs of Melbourne,” says Vice-
Chancellor Professor Elizabeth Harman in her introduction
26
THE WALK
to Living Yannoneit. “We are proud to have students and
staff from over 100 nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
“The University recognises that proactive action is needed
to ensure Indigenous Australians are properly represented.”
Living Yannoneit is the brainchild of the University’s
Indigenous Employment Co-ordinator, Marlon Booth.
Hailing from Central Queensland, Booth was brought up
on Woorabinda Aboriginal Reserve in an area he says was
‘bypassed’ by the 20th century.
Booth’s career developed while working at Aboriginal
Hostels Limited, a Federal Government agency that
provides culturally appropriate, temporary accommodation
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. For more
than two decades he travelled Australia, developing a
sophisticated national perspective of the diversity of
Indigenous people and their circumstances. After moving
to Victoria in 1996, Booth established strong connections
with the local Indigenous community, prior to joining VU
in 2005.
“My role is to promote the employment of Indigenous
Australians, while assisting managers to find and create
opportunities for Indigenous people,” says Booth. “I am
also responsible for co-ordinating and implementing the
recommendations outlined in Yannoneit.”
One of the major challenges in implementing Yannoneit’s
recommendations is communicating its benefits to senior
managers and external partners, as well as Indigenous
people who may otherwise believe VU is paying lip service
to its claims of supporting the Indigenous community.
“In Living Yannoneit, we introduce some of the 23
Indigenous staff recruited since the strategy was
introduced. Hearing their stories is a great way to see what
Yannoneit means in real, human terms,” says Booth.
EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Bottom left: Representatives of VU’s Indigenous staff: Mat Jakobi, Karen Adams, Tony McCartney, Joseph Murphet, Davina Woods, Marlon Booth and Sue Madden.
Below: Mariah Charles, 9, at ‘Reconciliation Rocks’, an event held last May at Iramoo Sustainable Community Centre to celebrate Indigenous culture.
The publication also provides an overview and update
on the strategy’s 16 key recommendations, including
increasing the number of Indigenous employees at VU to
two per cent of all staff by the end of 2013 (this figure
represents the percentage of Indigenous Australians within
the broader community).
Booth says the University should be extremely proud of
what has been achieved so far.
“Our successes are adding up,” he says. “We now have a
dedicated Indigenous Community Liaison Officer focused
on attracting new Indigenous staff and supporting those
who are already here. The Moondani Balluk Academic
Unit, under the leadership of Acting Director Karen Jackson,
(VU’s longest serving Indigenous employee) continues to
support understanding, respect and inclusion of Indigenous
culture. And in 2009 we initiated a program for Indigenous
childcare students, enabling them to study while working
at the campus’ childcare centres.”
There are now almost 30 Indigenous staff employed
across VU, and Booth is optimistic the University will
achieve its target of 50 by 2013.
“VU is playing an important role in improving outcomes
for the Indigenous community in Melbourne’s west,”
says Booth. “It is generally acknowledged that increased
Indigenous employment at universities leads to an increase
in Indigenous student enrolments.
“Creating the opportunities for people to have a good
job and a good education are the first steps towards
alleviating the disadvantage and associated problems
faced by Indigenous Australians.”
CRAIG SCUTT
27
 VU law students Abdoullah Fakhouri, Emre Ozgezici and Robbert Roos
are providing young people in Melbourne’s west with legal advice.
For a few days each week, a select group of Victoria
University law students leave VU’s grand Queen Street
law building in the heart of the city’s legal district and
cross town to the Sunshine Youth Legal Centre, part of
an imposing red-brick building built in the 1930s. The
building, a former industrial bulk store, was recently
transformed into the Visy Cares Hub, a one-stop-
service for the area’s young people.
The third and fourth-year law students go to the centre
to help disadvantaged and troubled young people from
Melbourne’s west access justice.
Volunteering their services, the students spend up to
12 hours a week over five months assisting 16 to 25
year olds with legal advice. Their cases may range
from speeding tickets to theft charges. They could be
victims of crime themselves, require intervention orders
to manage domestic violence, or have questions about
their rights at work or as a tenant. Sometimes they are
referred; sometimes they just walk in the door.
Under supervision, the students conduct interviews,
research legal procedures, draft documents, and
negotiate with third parties including insurance
companies and police. If the matter goes to court, the
students can help arrange pro-bono representation.
28
JUSTICE
In return, the law students gain invaluable practical
experience with real clients and real cases.
Program co-ordinator and law lecturer Abdul Rahman
Mohamed Saleh says students selected for placement
must have an absolute commitment to the program as
they are seen as VU ambassadors.
“Most law schools don’t offer this kind of first-hand
training,” says Saleh. “So once they get out there
[graduate], they are steps ahead of other law
graduates.
Third-year law student Abdoullah Fakhouri says
working at the centre has been better than he
expected.
“The cases challenge you because these are real
people, not textbook examples,” says Fakhouri. “And
you gain confidence in a supported setting. At the
same time, we need to be on the ball and ensure we
are doing everything correctly and maintaining ethical
practice.”
Many of the young people who come to the centre are
identified as offenders who should be given a second
chance.
LAW
Fakhouri cites a recent ‘great win’ involving a
homeless refugee teenager who had fallen in with a
bad group and charged with six offences, including
speeding and driving without a licence. The VU
students were able to get all six charges waived, giving
him a second chance at a better life in his new country.
The centre’s clinical legal supervisor, Judith Dredge,
says she gets more satisfaction seeing the students
gain authentic experience by helping other young
people than she did from her decades as a high-
powered city lawyer.
“Working here allows the students to test their ideas
about justice and the law,” says Dredge. “Many of
our clients require ‘therapeutic justice’ and diversion
programs, rather than just to be thrown into the
system.”
The law students receive credits towards their learning-
in-the-workplace study requirements. They keep
reflective journals about their cases, which form the
basis of their assessment.
Sunshine Youth Legal Centre: 03 9091 8200.
ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT
EDDIE THE ENGINEER?
Akhtar Kalam reflects on the effect the drought of
engineers is having on Australia and why so few
young people are choosing engineering as
a profession.
A well-known television serial for young people last year
introduced a lesbian couple into its storyline. Presenting
such characters during prime-time viewing has polarised
viewers as either unnecessarily confronting, or as a
genuine reflection of our modern society. Either way, this
kind of programming is a powerful way of influencing a
target audience to think in new ways.
Much less provocative an issue for the next generation of
working Australians is the skills gap that is increasingly
widening in this country, in particular, in engineering.
A strategy to introduce ‘Eddie the Engineer’ as a
character on the types of programs popular among
young people could only help attract students to
engineering studies at university. Even better, ‘Emily the
Engineer’ could encourage young women into the field.
There is little doubt the profession needs a major
public relations facelift. Engineering as a career choice
has consistently lost out to law, medicine, commerce,
veterinarian science and trades like carpentry and cookery
– all of which are interestingly reflected in our TV culture.
Perhaps some of the reason for ignoring the engineer
lies in the relative lack of contact engineers have with
the general community compared to these other careers.
Yet industry has been crying out for qualified civil,
electrical and mining engineers for years, and is
prepared to pay top salaries to get them. It is too easy
to oversimplify this as being a recent outcome of our
unprecedented resources boom, led by China’s demand
for raw materials to feed its manufacturing industries.
Demand for engineers has been strong everywhere in
Australia, despite the global financial crisis.
But there is no way that we can expect to satisfy that
demand when fewer than 6000 engineers graduate
from Australian universities each year.
Engineers Australia – the largest and most diverse
professional body for engineers in Australia – estimates
we now have a shortfall of about 28,000 engineers.
And it will only get worse with up to 30,000 baby-
boom-aged engineers set to retire over the next decade.
Compare that to China, which graduates between
250,000 to 600,000 engineers each year.
The number of Australia’s engineering graduates per
million lags well behind many other OECD countries,
including Singapore, Korea, Japan, Finland, Denmark,
Taiwan, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland,
Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway and France.
Skilled migration offers, at best, a short-term, partial
solution. Australia cannot continue to rely on migrant
engineers into the future if it is to maintain any kind
of competitive edge. The gap is already threatening
growth in government infrastructure, delaying essential
and urgent projects in water and transport, and
compromising our day-to-day quality of life.
It is well documented that many secondary school
students are just too scared of the hard-core maths and
science subjects to consider a career in engineering.
But how did they get to that point? In the early years
of their schooling we need to find new ways to expose
students to exciting projects and show them how
critically important engineers are to our economy and
way of life.
At universities, the demand for engineering courses
is in decline and many first-year engineering places
remain unfilled. There is a perception that engineering
is not a lucrative career, but that is far from the truth.
Engineering graduates are among the first employed and
best paid of all university graduates – earning about
$45,000 in their first job. So why are so few students
opting for this noble profession?
OPINION
Industry, universities and professional bodies must do
more partnering with schools in projects that go beyond
science fairs and competitions. We need more innovative
problem-based learning at all levels of education, more
industry placements, more scholarships and more
engineering centres for excellence.
Any strategy to attract young people should also look at
boosting the status of engineers and addressing the de-
professionalism of engineering caused by the increased
use of technicians in jobs that were previously carried out
by professional engineers.
The shortage of professional engineers is not just
an education problem, or an economic problem,
or an industry problem. The solutions will only be
found through co-ordination at the highest levels
of government, and the involvement of all levels of
education, industry and technology.
Australian Engineering Week (2-6 August 2010) is one
way to draw public awareness to the profession and
promote engineering as a career of choice.
But thinking outside the square a little, perhaps we could
also start by introducing at least a few engineers into our
popular culture.
Dr Akhtar Kalam is a Professor in Electrical
Engineering at Victoria University.
29
 EVENTS BOOKS
Spineless Nutshell: Tax Law
By Bronwen Scott By Michael Spisto
Published by Allen & Unwin Published by Thompson
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A VU-sponsored community event. This is an essential text when
www.willylitfest.org.au 30 July–1 AUG quick, clear answers are required.
MELBOURNE CAREER EXPO
This premier event showcases the finest educational institutions and
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7.30am Email alumni@vu.edu.au August Love, Hope and Heartbreak at Rise and Fall
13–14 WRICA CAREERS & EMPLOYMENT EXPO 8 VU OPEN DAY the Footy By Greg de Moore
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There’s something about Australian flawed genius, sporting libertine,
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Email alumni@vu.edu.au Drawing on the experiences of Greg de Moore has carefully
fans, this book follows the annual pieced together this extraordinary
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horror and glory. one of our first sporting heroes.

VU FACTS Killing: Misadventures in Violence International Journal of

By Jeff Sparrow Actor-Network Theory and
ENROLLED STUDENTS AWARDS PRESENTED STAFF GENERAL ENQUIRIES
Current student population: 51,280 Total awards 2009: 15,321 Total: 2532; Academics: 620; PHONE +61 3 9919 4000 Published by Melbourne University Technological Innovation
Higher education: 22,423 Higher education: 5201 General: 1361; TAFE teaching: 523 Press By Arthur Tatnall
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PHONE +61 3 9919 1164 Ninety years after World War I,
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Technical and Trades Innovation deadly violence. technologies.
Sunshine
Workforce Development
Werribee
VU College

30 31
 ART

ARTIST/STUDENT: Rochelle Duke

COURSE: Diploma of Visual Art
TITLE: ‘Pink and Green’
DATE: 2009
MEDIA: Oil, pencil and acrylic

www.vu.edu.au
CRICOS Provider No. 00124K