The University of New England Spring Graduation ceremonies took place last Friday and Saturday, presided over by Chancellor, Dr Richard Torbay. More than 1,000 people graduated from the University, with about 400 of those being presented with their testamurs in person over the two days. Over 2,000 people were in Armidale for the ceremonies.
The well-known human rights lawyer Father Frank Brennan SJ AO delivered the Occasional Address at the ceremony on Friday for those graduating from within the Faculty of The Professions. Father Frank was the founding director of Uniya, the Australian Jesuit Social Justice Centre, and was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to Aboriginal Australians — particularly in the areas of law, social justice and reconciliation. He is a Professor of Law at the Australian Catholic University.
In urging the graduands to believe in — and strive for — change for the better, he recalled a recent visit to Palm Island with the Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter, their meeting there with councillors “educated in the issues”, and their inspection of housing projects that would have been “unimaginable 30 years ago”.
Referring to the famous judgment of the reforming British barrister, politician and judge Lord Mansfield 250 years ago that slavery was unlawful in England, Fr Frank said: “We all wonder what contribution we can make to the world. We can all ‘nudge’ it in a positive direction, but every now and again there will be another Lord Mansfield. And there may be one or two Lord Mansfields here today.”
At the ceremony on Saturday, for those graduating from within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Occasional Address speaker was Dr John Hammett, a prominent physician and Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians who now runs cattle on a property at Wollomombi. In addition to his distinguished career in medicine, Dr Hammett has achieved success as a competitor in campdrafts and working dog trials, and as a computer programmer. The subject of his Address was “Choices”.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences graduation featured a refugee success story. As a young boy growing up in war-torn Sudan, Manyher Makuendit never expected to go to school, let alone attend university. On Saturday, the father of four graduated with a Bachelor of Criminology from UNE – the culmination of years of hard work and a determination to improve himself. Manyher left Sudan in 2000, spending several years in refugee camps in neighbouring Kenya and in Nairobi before migrating to Australia in 2003. After studying English in Sydney and completing a Tertiary Preparation Course at TAFE, Manyher began his studies in criminology at UNE.
“It was very difficult when I first started,” he said. “I found the language hard, and criminology was very challenging. But my lecturers helped me, and now I am very happy to be receiving my degree.”
Manyher now has an offer to study for a Bachelor of Laws degree at UNE, which he hopes to take up next year. He said he would use his qualifications to become an “ambassador” between the Sudanese community in Australia and the Australian justice system.
Story: Gary Fry
