ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµSpringbank Circle Long Lunch returns

16 Nov 2022

This October, ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµbequest donors and friends gathered for the annual ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµSpringbank Circle Long Lunch, for the first time in three years.

Professor Brian P. Schmidt, ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµVice-Chancellor and President, along with talented ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµresearchers and students, joined guests at the Marie Reay Teaching Centre to thank ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµSpringbank Circle donors for their generosity and recognise their continued support of the University.

The Vice-Chancellor welcomed donors back to campus, talked about the opportunities that come with a great university education and how critical philanthropy is for supporting ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµstudents and researchers to realise their extraordinary talents.

Access to education should not be dependent on your background, gender or postcode; rather if you have the talent then we, as a great university, should find ways to support you to succeed.

Professor Brian Schmidt, ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµVice-Chancellor and President.

Guests were treated to a traditional long lunch, accompanied by an insightful panel discussion moderated by Arik Thormahlen, Head of Advancement at the ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµCollege of Health and Medicine.

The panel discussed the role of philanthropy in research and highlighted their individual areas of expertise. Professor Mark Polizzotto, Head of the ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµClinical Hub for Interventional Research (CHOIR), and Dr Tracy Murphy, Visiting Clinical Fellow CHOIR, discussed the clinical research they are undertaking in haematology and cancer at the newly-established Clinical Hub, where they hope their work will improve clinical trials and result in new discoveries. Associate Professor Caillan Davenport, Head of the ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµCentre for Classical Studies, presented a new direction for the Centre's teaching of classical civilisations to help understand their relevance today. Jessica Needle, a postgraduate honours student in English and Classics, talked about her research into the myth of Medea and how the many historical and contemporary interpretations of this archetype continue to be recognisable in our society. Seemingly worlds apart, the panel highlighted the shared experience of academic excellence and passion for applying deep understandings to some of the pressing issues of our time.

The ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµSpringbank Circle celebrates donors who have made the special commitment of a gift to ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµin their will, which will contribute to the advancement of research and education for generations to come.

If you would like to discuss your plans with a member of the Gift & Estate Planning team, please email bequests@anu.edu.au or visit Giving in your will - ANU.

To view more photos from the 2022 Springbank Circle Long Lunch go to our .