When Lilly McKenzie signed onto the Griffith University Student Media Centre at the GC2018 Commonwealth Games and discovered a group of Indigenous protesters had set up camp near Surfers Paradise, she immediately asked to cover the issue.
“I asked whether we could join the protesters, so got in touch with the organisers and told them we’d love to stay if we could,’’ the final-year journalism student recalls.
“They wanted media coverage and because we were student journalists they knew we didn’t have a particular agenda.”
As it turned out, Lilly and fellow student Dylan Crawford, were the only journalists on the ground reporting from the actual protest site. Their resulting story and photographs, published in the Sydney Morning Herald and Brisbane Times, have earned them a Walkley Young Journalist of the Year nomination in the Student Journalist category.
“The police cordoned off the area when the protests started during the Queen’s baton relay and
Category: Griffith University Feed
New Griffith Law School Dean aims for deeper alumni links
Developing deeper relationships with Griffith Law School alumni is the aim of Griffith Law School’s new Dean and Head of School Associate Professor Therese Wilson.
“I want to work more closely with our graduates to help them stay better connected and to provide more remarkable professional engagement opportunities for our students,’’ she says.
“I have been privileged over my 18 years at Griffith Law School to build strong relationships with many of our amazing alumni. I want to reach out to even more, as they are all so keen to be involved and support our current students.”
Associate Professor Wilson said she also wanted to ensure that Griffith Law School staff feel supported in undertaking impactful research as well as providing a high-quality learning experience for students.
“It has always been our point of difference at Griffith Law School that we take teaching very seriously and make ourselves available to our students. We need
Griffith grad scripts Picnic at Hanging Rock remake
Griffith Film School alumnus Alice Addison has penned a critically-acclaimed remake of Picnic at Hanging Rock – re-imagining Joan Lindsay’s iconic Australian novel for a new generation on the small screen.
The $20 million, six-part series, which had its world premiere on Foxtel, will also be released in the US, UK, France and New Zealand.
The series stars British actress Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) and Aussie star Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black). It opened the prestigious ‘Berlinale Series’ of the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year and also screened at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Alice, who co-wrote the series with playwright Bea Christian, said she was a little daunted by the prospect of remaking Peter Weir’s iconic film for the small screen.
“I was a huge fan of the original film, and was initially resistant about tinkering with it,” she said.
“The film was very moody and atmospheric, but then I
Griffith Law School walks to support community legal service
Griffith Law School staff and students will walk alongside hundreds of legal professionals in Brisbane and around Queensland on National Pro Bono Day to raise money for community law organisation LawRight.
The annual Queensland Legal Walk, now in its tenth year, reaffirms the legal profession’s commitment to pro bono work and addressing the gaps in the civil justice system by providing free legal help to the most vulnerable in our community.
LawRight aims to raise $150,000 to provide legal services to clients of hospitals, mental health and Aboriginal health services. Griffith Law School has set a team fundraising goal of $1,500. Donations can be made through their team fundraising webpage.
Griffith Law School’s Ms Zoe Rathus AM says staff and students participate because of a shared interest in social justice and the School’s historical connection with QPILCH, the former name of LawRight.
“We were the first to set up a legal clinic with them
Sip while you slip into the world of science
Some of Griffith University’s biggest names in science will trade the lab for the pub when fun and informative evening sessions kick off at pubs around the country in May.
From May 14-16, the Pint Of Science festival will give Gold Coasters the opportunity to sit at the cutting edge of science with a beer in hand at Parkwood Tavern, opposite Griffith’s Gold Coast campus.
School of Environment and Science Senior Lecturer Dr Erik Streed, from Griffith’s Centre for Quantum Dynamics and the Institute for Glycomics, is among the university’s science experts appearing on the line-up and said the festival was the perfect opportunity to connect his work with the public.
Dr Erik Streed.
“A curious, well-informed public is important for society,” Dr Streed said.
“It’s not just about me saying something is true as ‘an authority’ but that I can make a persuasive case, backed up with evidence, and that the people listening
Griffith film grad directs Australia’s first Netflix original feature
Griffith Film School alumnus Yolanda Ramke has written and co-directed Australia’s first Netflix original feature film, Cargo.
The post-apocalyptic zombie movie stars Martin Freeman and Susie Porter, and recently made its international debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
Netflix bought the global rights to the film – a multi-million deal that ensures the film will be seen by millions of movie fans around the world and puts the young filmmaker on the map.
“Our biggest goal has been for people to see the film,” Yolanda said.
“To screen it in New York and have it picked up by Netflix is a dream for us.
“We originally hoped it would have a theatrical release, but when Netflix made an offer, it was an easy yes – they have 125 million subscribers in 190 countries, so their reach is massive.”
Cargo is based on a short film that made the finals of Tropfest in 2013. The
Allison Baden-Clay’s legacy lives on through MATE Bystander Program
Speaking out or having a conversation with loved ones if you notice something amiss can be the key to saving lives.
This is the message from Griffith University’s MATE Bystander Program which is working with the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation to promote the prevention of Domestic and Family Violence.
“We think having the conversation is worth doing, of taking the risk. Yes, these are private matters but they can also be matters of life and death,” said Professor Paul Mazerolle, Director of the Griffith University Violence Research and Prevention Program.
“It’s really about educating people that there’s a way to intervene in a way that’s sensitive and careful.”
Targeting the business and corporate environment, the MATE Bystander Program will weave Allison’s story throughout, encouraging participant discussion while providing tactics on how to be an effective bystander.
“The bystander holds the key to preventing violence and harmful behaviour. We just need to equip all people with the
Renowned art museum acquires work by QCA student
Queensland College of Art doctoral candidate Anna Carey will join the ranks of artists like Pablo Picasso, David Hockney, and Claude Monet with the acquisition of two of her works by the renowned Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
LACMA is one of the world’s premiere art institutions, boasting a collection of more than 100,000 works by the greatest artists in history.
The venerable art museum acquired two pieces from Anna’s Stardust series: ‘517 North Vine Street, Hollywood…then’ and ‘517 North Vine Street, Hollywood…now’.
Both works feature ‘Stardust’ motels from different parts of the world. Using old postcards for inspiration, Anna designed and fabricated miniature models of the motels in their prime. She then photographed the models within ‘sets’, which featured oversized photographs of real landscapes.
Using Google Maps to find images of how the motels currently looked, Anna then ‘renovated’ the models to produce realistic ‘… now’ versions of the motels.
“I’m inspired by artists
Shifting sands: A brief cultural immersion for Griffith staff
Four Griffith university staff, including Dean and Head of School Professor Donna Pendergast, had the opportunity to travel to Riyadh, for the First Forum on Educational Professional Development, which was hosted by the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia.
The Griffith Program, within the Khebrat initiative, is jointly delivered by the Griffith English Language Institute (GELi) and the School of Education and Professional Studies and involves 26 Saudi Arabian teachers. Griffith was one of four Australian university and five other countries to host teachers for a year-long professional learning program as part of the Saudi Arabian Vision 2030.
The Khebrat Program is a teacher leadership and school immersion model. Following a two-week orientation, Khebrat delegates engage with GELi for intensive language learning in preparation for their education professional learning and school immersion. In June, they commence an education intensive to develop a shared language and engagement with education theory and practice. During
Bringing music to the masses
Queensland Conservatorium graduate Astrid Jorgensen is bringing music to the masses with her wildly successful project, Pub Choir.
Astrid believes that everyone can sing… and Pub Choir is the proof. Her ethos is simple: ‘no audition, no solos, no commitments, no sheet music, no worries’.
The talented singer and choral specialist graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium with a Master of Music Studies (Vocal Performance) in 2011, after winning the Griffith Award for Academic Excellence.
“The Con was an amazing place to study,” she said.
“I loved being with other people who were equally passionate about music, and I had some fantastic teachers.
“It also gave me a chance to get some contemporary performance experience – I don’t think I could lead Pub Choir if I didn’t have that training.”
After several years leading choirs around Brisbane, she hit on an ingenious way of spreading her love of singing – hosting an informal sing-along at a pub in