Month: October 2024

Academic achievement among members of Graduate House is an important part of the celebrations during the cycle of the academic year. We have recently farewelled several Doctor of Medicine Year IV students whose coursework finished at Mid-Semester break. All of these budding young doctors head off to their first full-time internships at hospitals around the state in the coming weeks or after a short well-earned break. Other coursework higher degrees finish at the end of the semester but those doing masters degrees or doctorates by thesis are finishing gradually with thesis submission, and then emendations and resubmission.

Jack Stephens, apart from being the resident Director of Music, has also just submitted his completed thesis for the award of his Doctor of Music, one of the rarest of all degrees at the University. The Graduate House community congratulated Jack on his amazing work at the Academic Dinner on Monday 14 October.  In recognition of his standing as a new DMus graduand he received a Cambridge doctoral bonnet (originally worn in 2019 by Dr Brandon Munn, UG 2012-14 and GH 2019, the first PhD in Graduate House) and the sword of learning (an original gift to the College in 2020 from the second PhD in Graduate House Dr Mingyuan (Yvonne) Bai, GH 2020).

Katherine Rosen was also awarded an Amy Louise Hart Scholarship for attaining the highest accumulated marks of all the members of the Graduate Community this year. She is studying for a Master of Communications through coursework. She joins ten other Hart scholars currently resident.

Distinguished guests included Dr Philip Clifton-Bligh Endocrinologist and former Associate Professor in Medicine and David Greco, who is a Lecturer of Classical Voice at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

University Scholarships and Prizes

Josh Gaul is in his 2nd year of a Doctor of Medicine and his first year in Graduate House and has been awarded the University’s Dr John Osbourne RN Scholarship. This scholarship supports residents of St Paul’s College enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine in their second, third or fourth year of study and was established through a bequest to the University in 1919 by Kate Cunningham Moffat.

Ines Wen, in her second year of a research PhD in the Business School and her first year in Graduate House, has been awarded numerous grants for her research and travel: from the Business School Research Unit to present a paper at the Global China Conference in Melbourne and a Postgraduate Research Support Scheme grant to present at the Academy of International Business Oceania symposium in Sydney; the International Association for Chinese Management Research for data collection abroad; a Taiwan Government Scholars in Australia grant; and the 2024 SUPRA Social Impact Grant to organise sustainable decision-making workshops for PG students at the University. Ines, originally from Taiwan, came to Sydney via study at home then in France, Germany and China and is conducting regular tutorials in Chinese at St Paul’s. She has a MBusAdmin and BBusAdmin (MechEng) from the National Taiwan University. Her research into business management disruption in China is described in more detail in this story: https://www.stpauls.edu.au/international-research-award-for-graduate-house-phd-student/

Lara Holburn, in her 1st year of a PhD in Chemistry and first year at Graduate House, has been awarded the University’s Agnes Campbell Prize, a postgraduate scholarship supporting postgraduate students in the School of Chemistry who demonstrate excellence in organic chemistry. This scholarship was established in I996 by a bequest from Jack Campbell Norrie to provide scholarships to students enrolled in a master’s by research or PhD.

Congratulation to all those post graduate members of the College who are achieving so much at the highest levels of academia.  

The Graduate House community operates a student body similar to the undergraduate community’s Student’s Club. Established in 2018 the Middle Common Room (or MCR) also hold regular general meetings and at the AGM they community elects its executive committee for the year ahead. The senior students is the Middle Prefect who is the chair of the executive.  

Congratulations to the following elected to the 2024/5 MCR Executive at the AGM held on 11 October:

• Middle Prefect: Claudio Garcia
• Secretary: Emmanouil Vourvahakis
• Treasurer: Simon Homsanay
• Calendar Officer: Anna Corff
• House Officer: Helena Pathimos

Also appointed to the roles of Judicial officers (senior members of the MCR) for 2024/5 are: Vered Chhakchhuak, Pawani Mathur and Jason Zhu He.

The College community acknowledged the work of the retiring 2023/4 Executive and thanks the Middle Prefect – Jim Wong; Hon Treasurer – Samuel Zagame; Hon Secretary – Vered Lalrinpuii Chhakchhuak; Calendar Officer – Lauren Lim; House Officer – Patrick Golemo.

The St Paul’s College Chapel Choir will embark on a highly anticipated tour from Saturday, 28 December 2024, to Thursday, 9 January 2025, performing in some of the world’s most renowned churches and cathedrals.

If you are nearby, all Paulines, their families, and friends are invited to attend the public services and concerts during the tour.

The touring choir consists of members of the 2024 Chapel Choir, as well as choir alumni from the past three years now living in the UK and Europe, all under the direction of Jack Stephens, our Director of Music. Their repertoire spans English church service settings, psalms, responses, anthems, motets, and music ranging from Gregorian Chant to contemporary works composed by current students.

The Choir will be accompanied by our Organist and Composer-in-Residence, David Drury, along with Organ Scholar Bailey Yeates. They will also give solo performances on the grand organs of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster, La Madeleine, Saint-Sulpice, and Saint-Eustache.

For a download of the program poster below CLICK HERE

After mid-Semester break the Undergraduate community held its Students Club elections for the 2025 committee. The results of the election are:

• Senior Student: Matilda Walker
• Hon. Secretary: James Edwards
• Hon. Treasurer: William Stafford
• Committee: Jack Dawson; Sahara Elfar; Owen Marschner; Jack Rowe; Harry Scambler.

The committee-elect begin their roles in the New Year with a retreat to coalesce as a team and to work with the Warden, Dean and residential life staff to formulate plans and goals for the year ahead.

Readers will notice our Senior Student[1] for 2025 is Tilly Walker and we offer her particular congratulations being the first woman to hold this most significant role at St Paul’s. Congratulations on this electoral result. We all wish Tilly and her committee the very best for next year.

The College community acknowledges the work of the incumbent committee under Senior Student Ed Taylor and thanks them for their untiring support for the College, Intercol, and the work they have done and are still doing for the benefit of every member of the St Pau’s community.   

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[1] In July 1928 the St Paul’s College Students Club was formed under its first constitution and in so doing elected the Senior Student and committee. Prior to this the senior student was the resident who had been longest on the books of the College.  [see Alan Atkinson, Hearts and Minds, 2017 p 246]