Formal Dinner with Angela Pearman

On 22nd March the NCV community gathered for the First Formal Dinner for 2012. Formal Dinners are an important part of life at NCV, where the community hears from a distinguished person in the university or wider community. In 2011 the speakers had been public health academic Ms Anne Bunde-Birouste, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre CEO Mr Ton van Amerongen and prominent UNSW law academic Professor Jane McAdam . This time the invited speaker was Ms Angela Pearman, barrister and former ABC Television newsreader.

Angela is a well-known Sydney barrister with an extensive practice in planning and environmental law, commercial law, administrative law and equity. Since 2000 her practice has focused on matters in the Land and Environment Court where she has advised government departments, councils, developers and community groups.

Prior to her legal career Angela was a presenter with ABC Television News in Sydney from 1988 to 2000, during which time she hosted various bulletins broadcast nationally and internationally. Angela was also the inaugural presenter of the “Compass” program in 1989. Prior to 1988 she presented and produced documentary programs for Radio National’s daily “Offspring” program, and presented various live shows on Radio 702 and ABC Classic FM.

During her presentation, Angela reflected on the trajectory of her career, from working initially as a languages teacher, through the media and ultimately to the law. She identified confidence and resilience as two qualities that were important in having a successful career. Additionally, she gave some fascinating reflections on the impact of social media on the law, highlighting the Kony 2012 and Rush Limbaugh campaigns as having important implications for justice. After Angela’s address, Shamila Vijayamanohar, law student and NCV Senior Resident moved an excellent vote of thanks to her for sharing her wisdom with the NCV community.

During the evening attendees were also able to hear a beautiful piano recital by resident Tan Hsuan. Tan is currently completing his Master of Optometry at UNSW, but continues to play piano at a high level in addition to his studies. At the dinner Tan played Schubert’s Impromptu in B Flat. It was a lovely performance.

Formal Dinner with Angela Pearman

NCV Formal Dinner Aug 2011

Three times each year NCV residents gather for a Formal Dinner.  These events involve a three course meal, a musical item (or two) and a speech on a topic of interest to a higher education community. The evenings typically go into the night as residents enjoy coffee and conservation, not to mention a photograph or two! At NCV’s August Formal Dinner on the 4th August, the guest speaker was Mr Ton van Amerongen. 
 

Mr van Amerongen is currently the CEO of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC), a position he has held since 1994.  In addition to his responsibilities at the SCEC, Ton is also a former director of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce and is an advisor to Business Events Sydney. He is also a founding director and the current treasurer of the Darling Harbour Business Association, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

At the NCV Formal Dinner, Ton spoke about his extensive career in hotel management, which had taken him to cities all across the world. He also gave an overview of his current role as CEO of the Conference and Exhibition Centre, explaining the importance of the SCEC to Sydney and NSW. Ton encouraged residents to make the most of the NCV community’s cultural diversity, arguing that the ability to work with people of many and varied cultures would stand them in good stead for the future.

We were also fortunate to have resident Wayne Yang give a piano recital for us.  Wayne is one of the original members of NCV, having moved in when the building opened in 2009.  On the night, Wayne showed beautiful touch playing Mozart’s Variations on "Ah! Vous-dirai-je, Maman". It was a delightful performance.

NCV Formal Dinner Aug 2011

Cultural Night a Great Start to Semester

The NCV community is highly culturally diverse, with over 40 different nationalities represented.  At present there are residents from every continent, as well as from Pacific nations such as New Zealand and French Polynesia.  With such a diverse community, living at NCV provides a unique opportunity to meet people from many other places and learn about different cultures. 
 

As part of our Semester 2 O’Weekend, NCV hosted its Annual Cultural Night.  This event provided students with the opportunity to showcase their various cultures through food, dress, national symbols, general info, and music.  Countries represented at the 2011 Cultural Night were Australia, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.  

A particular highlight was provided by those residents who donned their traditional dress for the evening.  To see residents in traditional costumes from India, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh highlighted the rich multicultural tapestry of the NCV community.

 

Cultural Night a Great Start to Semester

Japan Fundraising Concert

The Japanese earthquake of the 11th March and the subsequent tsunami brought images of extraordinary destruction into living rooms all around the world.  Members of the NCV community were deeply shocked at the tragedy, with several residents having family and friends in affected areas. In response to the events of 11th March, NCV resident Elina Yasumoto kindly offered to perform a fundraising concert to raise money for the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

Elina is an accomplished pianist, having graduated previously from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and University of Melbourne Faculty of Music.  At the concert, which was held in the NCV Common Room on 28th March 2011, Elina performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor.

During the performance Phillip Shovk, who is a well known Australian pianist and a multiple prize winner at the Sydney International Piano Competition, accompanied Elina. Phillip played a piano transcription of the orchestral part of the concerto.  It was a wonderful privilege to enjoy music of this caliber here at NCV, and we are very grateful to Elina for initiating the event and to Phillip for giving of his time to support this worthy cause.  Residents dug deep into their pockets for the cause, with the concert raising almost $1,000 for victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

Japan Fundraising Concert

NCV BBQ March

Seven times during the course of the year NCV residents gather in the courtyard for a BBQ cooked by the friendly Senior Residents.  The barbecues have become an institution, providing a regular opportunity to socialize over food in an otherwise self-catered environment.

Typical NCV BBQ fare includes marinated chicken thighs, pork or beef sausages and marinated steaks. Spinach and ricotta patties are available for vegetarian residents, and a selection of salads is also available.

On some occasions the barbecue has been combined with other events, such as a table tennis competition, some theatre sports or a games evening.

At our last BBQ on the 25th March, over 150 residents gathered to enjoy great free food and good company.

The NCV barbecue will continue to be an important regular NCV event into the future.

NCV BBQ March

Orientation Week 2011

In 2011 NCV ran its second O’Week program, with the aim of helping residents to settle in and get to know other people. The O’Week program was organized by the Dean and Senior Residents, and included a number of different events.

The week began with two tours of Sydney. On Saturday 19th February, students set off to the Sydney Fish Markets for some delicious lunch, and then went on a walking tour to “Explore Sydney, Its Stories and Secrets”.  The following day (Sunday 20th) saw students head down to Circular Quay to see the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, before taking a ferry across the Harbour to the famous Manly Beach for some ice cream.

On Monday 21st February, new residents were officially welcomed to NCV by the Master, Professor Trevor Cairney, and the Dean Dr John Quinn at a reception in the Main Common Room.  After the formalities, the students joined a supper crawl, moving from floor to floor of the NCV building to meet the Senior Resident team, enjoying a different snack on each floor and meeting other residents (both new and old) as well.

The NCV Building (Sydney City in Background)

For students it’s essential to know where and when to see a good film at a cheap price. For UNSW students and NCV residents the most common destination for this is the Ritz Cinema at The Spot in Randwick on Tuesday night.  So on the Tuesday of O’Week, residents gathered in the courtyard at 6 pm and headed off to the Ritz to see “The King’s Speech” at 7:10 pm. The Spot is also the place for food and dessert, so after the film residents stopped off to enjoy some coffee and cake.

On Wednesday 23rd February two events were held.  Firstly, The Dean hosted a “Research Student Mixer” between 6.30 and 7.30 pm on the Roof Top Terrace. The aim of this event was to introduce the research students to each other, helping to form links between residents embarking on research degrees. This was followed by the NCV Trivia Night (8-10pm), where residents competed alongside their floormates for trivia supremacy. Level 3 carried the day, pipping Level 6 by a single point, with Level 4 a single point further behind.

NCV Residents Enjoying Cocktails

Thursday 24th February saw residents hit some of the classy cocktail bars in the city, at NCV’s Inaugural 5-Star Hotel Crawl.  Destinations included the Shangri La’s Blu Bar on 36, the Opera Bar at the Sydney Opera House and the ECQ Bar at Quay Grand.  Residents enjoyed a quiet drink with great company and magnificent views.

On Friday 25th February the Senior Resident Team cooked up a delicious barbecue of steaks, chicken fillet, sausages and vegetarian patties.  This was followed by a night of theatre sports and other games, with residents able to find their inner thespian or harness their as-to-now undiscovered comedic genius.

Lawn Bowls

Saturday afternoon saw NCVers head to Kensington Bowling Club for a quiet afternoon of Lawn Bowls. After this interested folk gathered for the Local Church Services Introduction (at 5 pm), at which the Dean gave new residents some guidance in what to look for in a new church.  Residents also promoted their own congregations, and introduced some of the various ministry opportunities available within NCV. At 8 pm focus turned to the Roof Top Terrace for the Inaugural NCV Wine & Cheese Night.  Along with enjoying some delicious wine and cheese, residents also had the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of wine, ranking wines in order of price and identifying varietals.

The curtain came down on O’Week 2011 with a Sunday of sport.  Residents headed across to the University Gymnasium at 11 am for Badminton, basketball & Indoor Soccer. Once again, this was a great chance for residents to meet other sports-minded people, as well as check out some of the local sporting facilities.

Circular Quay at night

Orientation Week 2011

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

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 Cultural Night

The NCV community is highly culturally diverse, with 50 different nationalities represented.  At present there are residents from every continent, as well as from a number of island nations such as Mauritius, American Samoa and Fiji. With such a diverse community, living at NCV provides a unique opportunity to meet people from many other places and learn about cultures which are quite distinct from one’s own.

As part of our “O’Weekend” for semester 2, NCV hosted its inaugural Cultural Night.  This evening provided an opportunity to taste food from a number of different countries, as well as hear music from all over the world. Countries represented included India, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Chile, Korea and Japan. A wide variety of food was available for tasting, including savory snacks, main courses and sweets.  For the new and returning residents who attended the evening, Cultural Night 2010 provided a unique glimpse into life in distant places.  Of course, students also had the chance to try some local Australian favorites such as pavlova  and lamingtons.  There was even an opportunity to taste the popular Australian spread “Vegemite”, something only a few residents were courageous enough to try!

A particular highlight was provided by Senior Resident Karthigan Balasubramaniam, who, with the help of some Sri Lankan friends, performed some traditional drumming. There was also an opportunity to be dressed in a sari for a portrait. The night was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

NCV Cultural Night

NCV Formal Dinner

Three times each year NCV residents gather for a Formal Dinner.  These events involve a three course meal, a musical item (or two) and a speech on a topic of interest to a higher education community. The evenings typically go into the night as residents enjoy coffee and conservation, not to mention a photograph or two!

At the last Formal Dinner, the guest speaker was Dr Jessica Milner Davis.  Dr Davis is currently an Honorary Associate in the School of Letters, Art and Media at the University of Sydney, where she pursues research in the broad field of humour studies.  Prior to this, Dr Davis was a long-standing member of the UNSW Council, during which she also served as Deputy Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor. Dr Davis was also a former President of the UNSW Alumni Association and a former member of the New College Board.

At the NCV Formal Dinner, Dr Davis spoke about three remarkable English women who were pioneers in science and mathematics, one of whom was her paternal grandmother.  The talk provided a fascinating insight into times past, with Dr Davis showing many early photographs.  It was particularly interesting to hear how the number of women completing science degrees had evolved over the last century, and how the various policies around women in universities had evolved for the better.

  At the dinner we were also fortunate to have resident Kevin Phang play the guitar for us.  Kevin is a completely home-grown guitarist, having picked up the instrument while a resident at NCV.  On the night, Kevin demonstrated his skills by playing the famed Mason Williams tune “Classical Gas”, and the Andy McKee composition “Drifting”.

NCV Formal Dinner

NCV Harbour Cruise

The New College Village is more than just wonderful air-conditioned ensuite accommodation on campus. The beautiful building that people recognise as the New College Village is home to a community of 315 University of New South Wales students. The residents are drawn for 50+ countries and are primarily postgraduate students.

The NCV Staff and Senior residents provide care and support in many forms. The aim is to provide a safe and supportive place where students can live and learn while they make friends from all over the world.

To help make this happen we run varied social activities that offer opportunities for residents to get to know one another in relaxed and non-threatening ways.

Last night the NCV had its inaugural Sydney Harbour Cruise for over 110 residents. This was a wonderful 4 hour cruise of one of the world's most beautiful harbours. Dinner was provided as was a DJ who provided music for residents to dance to.

It was a wonderful night that was enjoyed by all.

NCV Harbour Cruise

NCV O'Week Activities 2010

While our predominantly postgraduate residents arrive at different times, we have planned an extensive O'Week program to help orient everyone to the community and University life.

The program started on Sunday with a 'Sampling Tour' of beautiful Sydney. This involved taking public transport to the city and touring all the sites before taking a ferry across the harbour to the famous Many Beach area. The residents who went had a fantastic time.

Over the rest of the week we have many other great events planned.

Monday (8-10pm)

Dean's introduction to NCV life and Pancakes for supper

Tuesday (12-2pm)

Treasure Hunt in the Local Area to discover all the key shops, resources and places of interest near to the NCV and the campus.

Wednesday Night

Research Student 'mixer (6.30-7.30pm)
Trivia Night (8-10pm)

Thursday (8-10.30pm)

Movie Night Under the Stars in the NCV Courtyard

Friday (4-8.30pm)

Bush Dance ('Currency Lads' band) and BBQ

Saturday

Lawn Bowls at Kensington Bowling Club (2-4pm)
Badminton & Indoor Soccer (6-8pm)
Local Church Services Introduction (5pm)

Sunday

Floor by Floor Activities - Each floor to have its own social activity

NCV O'Week Activities 2010

The Importance of Community: Why the NCV is special

New College Village is more than just a place to live; it is a place where people make friends for life, where you will find academic support, and where the Senior Resident team led by Carmen and me will support you when struggling in any way. There are a number of ways that this type of community is shaped:

1. We have an excellent team of Senior Residents (see my previous post here) who do after hours duty, get to know everyone on their floors, plan social activities, and look out for everyone.

2. We have an excellent team of 6 Academic Tutors who offer advice and support in relation to life on campus, how to negotiate and understand the various academic programs and courses at UNSW, where to go for academic help, rules and regulations about study at UNSW, and general advice about writing, research and meeting University assessment requirements.

3. The ethos of NCV is reflective of the history of care and concern for residents modelled at New College over 40 years. This is led by the Master and the Dean.


4. We have an air conditioned building designed to support community with many common areas, courtyards, a games room, a business centre, reading room, main common room with piano for the musical and so on.

5. We have a rich social program including many planned activities like BBQs for the whole community (here), academic seminars with outstanding scholars and professional leaders (here), supper every Monday night from 9.00 till 11.00pm hosted by the Senior Residents on each floor (here), formal dinners where we dress up, share good food and hear from an outstanding speaker whose life is inspiring (here). As well, residents organise themselves numerous activities such as the NCV Choir, the Gold Week Concert (here), movie nights, video gaming in the common room, sports activities, trips away, potluck dinners, outings to the city of beach and so on.


Our aim in building the New College Village has been to create a unique community for postgraduate students enrolled at UNSW. Many universities around the world attempt to provide designated postgraduate accommodation (although very few in Australia). However, not many universities have seriously given priority to support and community building. Drawing on experience living in graduate housing in the USA and my knowledge of the best of the postgraduate colleges in the United Kingdom, I developed a design brief that sought to:

• create spaces for residents to meet with each other in varied contexts - 2 common rooms on each floor with lounges, coffee making facilities and in 7 of these cable television; a large games room; two outdoor courtyards; a rooftop terrace; a reading room; a business centre; a main common room; a convenience store and barbecue facilities outdoors.
• ensure that as residents move through the building there are frequent mingling spaces;
• our wonderful location close to key campus-based cafes, restaurants and the graduate lounge (just 100 metres away);
• offer residents the privacy of their own rooms and ensuites, but at the same time provide common space for mingling. All apartments and clusters of studio apartments have generous shared space for sharing meals or just spending time with other residents;
• provide well a equipped business centre that is for the use of all residents to support you in your studies;
• offer internet services that you'd expect in a modern building with data access to all rooms;
  
• incorporate state-of-the-art external design features that ensure that this building has outstanding acoustic features, leading to quiet rooms.
  

The NCV also has many other things going for it that will make life comfortable and interesting, including air-conditioned ensuite rooms; a special membership option for the outstanding University gymnasium and indoor pool (just 200 metres from the front door); a bus stop at the front door that provides access to all the sights of Sydney; some of the world's finest beaches a 20 minute walk away or a short 5 minute direct bus ride.


Added to the obvious strengths of the building, and the many programs that support community life, are the 319 different people who live in the NCV and are all at UNSW to learn from each other. The NCV gives you an opportunity to live among postgraduate students from every Australian state and territory and ever continent of the world. We have residents from 55 nations who bring rich cultural diversity that makes the community and exciting place.

If you'd like more information the NCV website will give you extra information and will allow you to make an online application.

The Importance of Community: Why the NCV is special