Christmas Day at the NCV

Because the New College Village was established as a postgraduate community, and the majority of residents are overseas students, many don't leave over the traditional Christmas period.

This year over 100 residents were still around for some of the Christmas period.  As a result, the residents organised a Christmas BBQ on the Rooftop Terrace.

Over 30 residents came along to enjoy the company of others on Christmas Day (25th December), to share good food and to celebrate. 

It was a wonderful time for people to enjoy wonderful warm, weather and sunshine without the pressure of classes. Residents shared food and helped to cook meat on the BBQ - Aussie style!

Summer is such a wonderful time at the NCV with plenty of oppretunities to enjoy the local beaches, big events like the New Year's Eve fireworks and the Festival of Sydney that runs through most of January.

Fireworks New Year's Eve 2011 (Sydney Harbour Bridge)

Christmas Day at the NCV

2010 Christmas Service - 9th December

The 2010 NCV Christmas Service was held in the Main Common Room on Thursday 9th December.  This provided an opportunity for residents to gather and reflect on some of the events which occurred around the time of Jesus’ birth, and the significance of those events for people 2000 years later.  The Master of New College and New College Village, Prof. Trevor Cairney, spoke on Matthew 2:1-12, a passage in the Bible which talks about the visit of the so-called Three Wise Men (more correctly, “The Magi”). The passage highlighted the response of the Magi to Jesus’ birth, and contrasted it with that of King Herod. Trevor drew some important conclusions from the passage, challenging residents to think about the real events which lay behind Christmas.

During the service the Dean of NCV, Dr John Quinn, also gave some historical background to the traditions around Christmas time: the use of conifers as Christmas trees, the tradition of decorating trees with baubles and lights, the association of red and white candy canes with Christmas and the origin of the term “carol” to describe Christmas songs. NCV’s always-able musicians led the residents in some well-known Christmas carols: “Silent Night”, “Away in a Manger”, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, “Once in Royal David’s City”, “O Holy Night” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain”.  To finish the evening residents joined together in decorating the NCV Christmas Tree and enjoyed some traditional Christmas food: pannetone, Christmas cake, fruit mince pies and candy canes. It was a great way to start the holiday season with the NCV family!

2010 Christmas Service - 9th December

Science On Display

The foyer in the NCV now has a wonderful exhibit that celebrates the contribution of science and scientists at UNSW. A central focus of the display is the life and work of C.J. Kit Milner- UNSW’s Chair of Applied Physics (1952-1976) and the first Dean of Science.

Staff from New College and UNSW, together with family & friends of Kit Milner attended a morning tea on 24 September 2010 to view the new Kit Milner Scientific Instruments Display. The informal gathering included 3 generations of Milners, UNSW Archives staff, past and present senior UNSW academics, including the current Dean of Science, Prof. Merlin Crossley.

Above: Members of the Milner Family

The exhibition includes is a wall display covering some of the significant events Milner experienced while working at the UNSW School of Physics and a separate display cabinet housing personal artefacts highlighting Milner’s student life, work, literary interests and Christian faith. The physical display is also complemented by a virtual display that you will find HERE.

Above: Dr Jessica Milner Davis, daughter of Kit Milner

There were several short speeches from the College Master, Prof. Trevor Cairney and family members. Trevor outlined how the exhibit evolved over a couple of years with various people involved in the project throughout that time. The concept for an exhibit originated from the College’s desire to acknowledge the Milner family’s contributions to New College Village and recognise academics of UNSW’s past whose work shaped the university as we know today. There was special significance in NCV being home to such an exhibition as the site on which it stands was once home to the University's collection of historical scientific instruments.

Guests were also given an introduction to web pages of the exhibit on a large screen. The website also includes additional material not in the exhibit.

Following the speeches, guests wandered through the NCV foyer viewing the exhibit and scientific instruments. It was an enjoyable time for family and friends to catch up and reminisce.

Science On Display

Thanksgiving - 25th November

NCV is home to students from all over the world, including quite a few from the United States of America and Canada. At Thanksgiving time, a group of our American residents (led by Anetra Moore and Jaye Del Rosario) put together a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner for the NCV community. This was of great interest to the local residents, as in Australia there is no Thanksgiving celebration. In fact, such was the dearth of Thanksgiving-related products in Australia that many of the decorations were ordered in from the United States! The dinner had all the Thanksgiving essentials: turkey, cranberry sauce, roast vegetables, sweet potato, pumpkin and apple pie.

During dinner Anetra gave a short presentation about the origins of the Thanksgiving, which dates back to 1621.  There were also a number of interesting “Thanksgiving Facts” presented:  we learnt that Minnesota is the top Turkey-producing state of the US, while Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington lead the way on cranberry production.  Residents also learnt about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Black Friday shopping specials and the host of football games that fall on Thanksgiving.  Anetra and Dino then showed a short clip of the Presidential Turkey Pardon, one of the more unusual Thanksgiving traditions.  Thanksgiving at NCV gave some fantastic glimpses into American culture – yet another benefit of living in a diverse and enriching community.

Thanksgiving - 25th November

Carols by Candlelight - 18th November

Unlike the in Northern Hemisphere, in Australia Christmas time falls in summer. Instead of snow, Christmas is associated with warm sunny days, long daylight hours, and the long school holidays. As a result, many activities around Christmas will be held outside.  Families enjoy barbecues together, play some outdoor games, go to the beach and generally enjoy the fantastic Sydney weather.

One activity which is held in communities all around Australia is “Carols By Candlelight”.  At “Carols By Candlelight” people gather outdoors around dusk and sing Christmas songs together. To help them see the lyrics, people hold candles as they sing.  “Carols By Candlelight” events are generally organized by churches, groups of churches or local councils.  A typical event might also include a talk about the birth of Jesus, a visit by Santa Claus, fireworks or a performance by a local band or well-known singer.  The two most famous examples of “Carols By Candlelight” are those held in The Domain in Sydney on the Saturday before Christmas Day, and at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne on Christmas Eve.

In 2010 NCV held its own “Carols By Candlelight” for the first time.  A talented group of NCV musicians prepared a program of Christmas songs including “The 12 Days of Christmas”, “Silver Bells”, “O Holy Night”, “O Come All Ye Faithful”, “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” and “Silent Night”, to name but a small selection of the songs sung. Candles were distributed and people enjoyed a warm, late spring evening singing traditional songs and hymns about Christmas.  Midway through the evening the program paused so that students could enjoy some food a drink together.  After this the band were then kind enough to take requests, singing some resident’s favorite songs late into the evening.

Carols by Candlelight - 18th November

November Drinks & Canapes

To finish off the year in style the NCV community gathered after the final exams for a Drinks and Canapés Evening in the Main Common Room.  Of course, being a postgraduate community one of the unique features of life at NCV is that it never really stops – there is no “end” per se to the year’s events. That said, for the significant number of NCV residents doing coursework programs the exams had finished on 15th November and so there were plenty of reasons to celebrate!

Students enjoyed a couple of drinks and a host of delicious short eats: spring rolls, cheese and spinach triangles, falafels, Cajun prawns, vol au vents, sausage rolls, vegetable sticks, corn chips and dips. The Dean of NCV Dr John Quinn made a few short remarks about the great year which NCV had enjoyed.  Dr Quinn posed the question “what makes for a great year?” and answered it with three key ingredients:  great events, great staff and great residents.  Dr Quinn paid special tribute to the Academic Tutors, Senior Residents, office staff and maintenance staff for all the great work they did responding to the various needs of the community.

The night continued on until about 9:30 pm, when the lights suddenly went up and the piano was opened. A group of residents gathered to rehearse for the next NCV event – Carols By Candlelight.  So much for “the end of the year”!! As noted above community life continues at NCV the whole year around.

November Drinks & Canapes

NCV Oct Formal Dinner

 On the 13th October the NCV community gathered for the final Formal Dinner for 2010.  So far in 2010 we had heard from former UNSW Deputy Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor Dr Jessica Milner-Davis and prominent Australian businessman and actuary Dr Ian Pollard.  This time it was the scientists’ and engineers’ turn to have the spotlight.

On 13th October the NCV community welcomed eminent physicist Prof. Michelle Simmons from UNSW’s School of Physics. Prof. Simmons is currently the Director of the Centre for Quantum Computing Technology and the Director of UNSW’s Atomic Fabrication Facility. Her research involves the development of novel electronic devices at the atomic scale.  Michelle spoke of her research group’s investigations into the development of quantum computing technology, with its promise of providing an exponential increase in processor speeds. The mixed audience of scientists and non-scientists could clearly appreciate the significance of Michelle’s research and its implications in a wide variety of fields which depend on ever-faster computers. Libin George, PhD student in the School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications moved an excellent vote of thanks expressing the community’s appreciation for having heard from such a distinguished scientist.

During the evening the NCV community was also fortunate to hear two pieces performed by resident Elina Yasumoto.  Elina is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Music, and is currently completing her Juris Doctor degree in UNSW’s Faculty of Law.  Elina played two pieces at the dinner, Franz Liszt’s “Gondoliera” and Australian composer Miriam Hyde’s “Study in Blue, White and Gold”.  They were fabulous performances.

NCV Oct Formal Dinner