Alumni in Australia get down at reunions Down Under
- By Deborah Minors
| Hundreds of alumni in Australia reunited at events that the Alumni Office hosted in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney from 13-15 August 2012. The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Loyiso Nongxa was the guest of honour at reunions where alumni enjoyed sundowners and canapés in city hotels and at the Sydney Opera House respectively. Local alumni supported the events through their attendance and by providing counsel and assistance on the ground. At the Perth reunion held on 13 August at the Rydges Hotel, engineering alumnus Zvi Yom-Tov supplied interesting information gleaned from previous reunions in Perth. A former convener, Yom-Tov provided feedback from previous surveys indicating that socialising and networking most motivate Perth alumni to attend reunions. The Utzon Room in the iconic Opera House complex was the venue for the Sydney reunion held on 14 August. This was the most well attended reunion, with more than 60 alumni in attendance - confirming the dominance in numbers of Sydneysiders amongst Australia-based alumni. At the Melbourne reunion held at the Windsor Hotel on 15 August, law alumnus Philip Mayers welcomed guests. Mining engineering alumnus and Rhodes Scholar, Graham Craig reflected on his time as a student leader at Wits in the turbulent '70s. Law alumnus Andy Schmulow delivered an entertaining vote of thanks. Several alumni expressed an interest in convening alumni networking opportunities in their districts in future. The University's alumni programme will continue to expand to other cities in Australia and New Zealand, where there are a significant number of Wits alumni and friends.
Several alumni in Australia who attended reunions were anxious for news of ‘home’. Read this encouraging and balanced article by First Rand CEO, Paul Harris. |
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