From pediatric palliative care and humanitarian dental work to psychological support for First Australians, the 2018 Alumni Award Finalists showcase the rich diversity of Griffith’s Health alumni.
Outstanding Alumnus Award Finalist
Graduating with a Bachelor of Nursing in 1995, Gabrielle Quilliam is an international thought leader in paediatric palliative care and, with her husband, cofounded the
Gabrielle Quilliam
only children’s hospice in Queensland – Hummingbird House. She is a certified midwife, and has worked both locally and overseas. Overseas, she worked for a humanitarian NGO (Medair) as part of a mobile medical response team in South Sudan and Angola. Back in Brisbane, she continued midwifery for a while, and then went on to become a foster parent caring for children with complex needs.
She is a Non-Executive Director of Health Consumers Queensland and a Non-Executive Director of the international charity Butterfly Children’s Hospice. Gabrielle has received a Premier’s Award for her community service and was 2017 Queensland
Category: Griffith University Feed
Griffith football fans focus on Matildas bid for repeat glory
Football fans at Griffith University will have more than one eye on the final round of games in the Tournament of Nations in the United States this Friday morning, with four members of the Matildas squad that is defending the title having studied or are studying at Griffith.
Clare Polkinghorne, Tameka Butt, Elise Kellond-Knight and Hayley Raso all started in the agonising 1-1 draw with the host nation in the last round when a last-gasp equaliser denied Australia a repeat of its famous victory last year when business student Tameka Butt netted the winner.
In the final round, Australia will be aiming to beat Japan by a few goals and then hope that Brazil either prevents the US from winning or loses by a margin significantly less than Australia’s winning margin. The destination of the Tournament of Nations title could come down to goal difference or even the number of goals scored.
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Chris continues to master infamous time in Queensland history
Reflecting on the 30th anniversary of The Moonlight State and Fitzgerald Inquiry, one of Australia’s best investigative journalists says it’s an apt time to celebrate what journalism can achieve.
Chris Masters’ expose The Moonlight State ultimately led to a change of government in Queensland after it showed the extent of corruption in the state went right to the very top, to the Police Commissioner Terry Lewis himself.
The next day after it screened on Four Corners, acting Premier Bill Gunn declared a Commission of Inquiry would investigate corruption.
The cabinet minutes from this period have been released at the State Archives in a special exhibition Sunshine Rebooted, produced in partnership with Griffith University.
Chris Masters says seeing Four Corners mentioned in those cabinet discussions vindicated his experience.
“I hear people sometimes saying that nothing changes, nothing has changed and I think no that is wrong,” Mr Masters said.
“We don’t automatically have a Police Commissioner who’s a
Changing our endangered relationship with wildlife
By Katie Woolaston
We are in the midst of a mass extinction crises. We are losing entire species at an unprecedented rate, and we – us humans – are to blame. Human-induced climate change, land clearing and human conflicts with wildlife are cited as the primary destructive processes. However, I argue that it is the human relationship with wildlife, and nature generally, that is the most dangerous. I address this relationship in my PhD, and the legal nature of our relationship with wildlife was the subject of my recent paper ‘Ecological Vulnerability and the Devolution of Individual Autonomy’.
Nature, people and the law
Overall, the law in western liberal societies is concerned with protecting individual freedoms and promoting individual autonomy—freedom from interference by government and other individuals.[1]However, individuals don’t always make the best environmental decisions, and as an unfocussed, undisciplined collective, rarely do so. Instead, decisions are often made based on personal gain,
Retreating from the Human Rights Council is not the Answer
By Donald K. Anton
Director, Law Futures Centre, Griffith University
Professor of International Law, Griffith Law School
The United States (US) announced on the 20th of June 2018 that it was withdrawing from its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). It added another sad day for those resisting transparent attempts around the world to undermine the more liberal, tolerant, and enlightened world that our wiser forbearers created after the untold horror, death, and sorrow left by the scourge of two world wars.
The move by the US came a day after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, condemned the Trump Administration’s abhorrent short-lived policy of separating parents crossing the southern US border from their children as a deterrent to migration. The High Commissioner declared that the Trump Administration’s policy of “seek[ing] to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable.” He called on the
Study explores lives of women killed by partners
Most Australian women who become homicide victims are killed by current or former intimate partners and a new Griffith University study aims to find out why.
“Each year in Australia about 100 females become victims of lethal violence,’’ says Professor Paul Mazerolle, Griffith University Pro Vice Chancellor (Arts, Education & Law) and Director of the Violence Research and Prevention program.
Two out of three of those victims are killed by a current or former intimate partner. In contrast just one in 10 (or fewer) male homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner.
Researchers will undertake in-depth interviews with families and friends of 20 deceased women to gather comprehensive information about victims of Intimate Partner Femicide.
They also want to speak with family and friends of women who have experienced non-lethal violence from partners or former intimate partners.
“We know that many victims of intimate partner femicide previously experienced non-lethal intimate partner violence but we do not
Road to success takes many routes
Chart your own pathway to success is Sean Jacobs’s advice for young people.
The Griffith University alumnus and security and policy specialist has worked in many high-profile positions since he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2008.
He was the lead security planner for the athletes’ village at the GC2018 Commonwealth Games, and a security specialist at the Brisbane G20 Leaders’ Summit. He has also been a former Brisbane City Council election candidate, an adviser to all three levels of government, United Nations worker and international youth volunteer.
Sean has distilled the lessons he has learned from his working life into a new book aimed at helping young Australians find their own success in life.
In Winners Don’t Cheat: Advice for young Australians from a young Australian he offers ideas and strategies required to confront adversity, achieve meaning and lay the foundations for success in the early years out of secondary school and
Careers set for take-off
A group of Griffith University students has taken to the skies with the Royal Australian Air Force to broaden their horizons.
The five students from various disciplines were among 17 women selected from around the country to take part in the Air Force Aviation Camp for Women at the Amberley RAAF base west of Brisbane from July 1-5.
The camp is an initiative to boost capability through diversity by increasing female participation in aviation roles, where women represent less than 15 percent of the workforce.
Find out more about the Air Force Aviation Camp for Women.
First-year Bachelor or Aviation student Alexandra Speakman, who has her sights set on joining the RAAF as a pilot, said the camp was a fantastic way to get a taste for a career in the air force.
“It was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” Speakman said.
“Our timetable was packed with leadership/team building activities, squadron
Filmmakers explore life of a screen legend
A pair of Griffith Film School graduates has produced an acclaimed documentary on the life and work of legendary Australian film editor Jill Bilcock.
Bachelor of Film and Screen Media Production alumni Axel Grigor and Faramarz K-Rahber wanted to shine a light on the renowned film editor, whose work includes iconic Australian films like Strictly Ballroom, Muriel’s Wedding, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Red Dog, and The Dressmaker.
Writer/director and co-producer Axel Grigor has admired Jill’s work since he was first introduced to Australian films as a teenager in Sweden. After moving to Australia to study film at Griffith, Axel encountered Jill at a screen editors conference, and decided that her story had to be shared.
“Jill’s outgoing personality, her personal journey, her impact on Australian cinema and her remarkable collaborations with some of the world’s leading directors make for an incredibly rich story,” he said.
“Early in the process, when I approached many of Jill’s
“Because of her, we can,” say Griffith Indigenous women
With NAIDOC week upon us, three of Griffith’s most prominent indigenous students share their personal stories.
Griffith PhD candidate Arabella Douglas’ research explores how behaviourial economics and social impact investing (SII) can improve investment decision making with greatest social impact on Aboriginal wellbeing.
A member of the Yugambeh Nation from the Gold Coast, Arabella credits her extensive education opportunities to her ancestors and the incredible women in her veins.
Arabella Douglas
“I was extremely lucky in that my great grandmother – Jane Currie’s family were all churchgoers and very entwined with community missionaries who allowed the local Indigenous people to balance their culture and values with their own Christian ones,” says Arabella.
“Jane was one of eight children and was my role model. Despite the hardships of the time – no shoes on at times to even wear to church and not having been formally taught any English – she managed to teach herself to read by reading the Bible. This