Richard Torbay, James Harris honoured by UNE

October 06, 2007

Richard Torbay, Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly and Member for Northern Tablelands, was made an Honorary Doctor of the University during a graduation ceremony at the University of New England today (Saturday 6 October). He then presented the Occasional Address, which he began by saying that, although he had attended more than 30 graduation ceremonies at UNE, this was the first one at which he had graduated.

Dr Torbay explained that he had started work as a kitchen hand at the UNE Union in 1980. In that position, his experience of "people in suits walking past without any acknowledgement" prompted him to vow that, in his own career, he would "never do that to anyone". "As you enter the workplace," he told the graduands, "one of the important things to understand is that you will become part of a network of other human beings who have their priorities and concerns just as you do."

By 1991 Richard Torbay was Chief Executive Officer of the UNE Union. This position, he said, in allowing him to serve not only the University but the wider community, had been "almost a perfect apprenticeship for public life".

Dr Torbay acknowledged the role of his parents (who were in the audience at the graduation ceremony) in teaching him that "in any business, if you look after the people you will always succeed". "Another thing they taught me was to try to find the positive in every circumstance," he said.

"The interesting challenge in public life is to know when to stand your ground and fight on an issue," he continued. He recalled his fight – several years ago – to save the train service from Tamworth to Armidale after the State Government had proposed to discontinue it. He said that, once he had taken his stand and begun working with the community, "people power took over and proved such a compelling force that the Government backed down and we still have our train."

The Occasional Address speaker at the graduation ceremony yesterday (Friday 5 October) – the University's Deputy Chancellor, James Harris – was also made an Honorary Doctor of the University.

Dr Harris has continued a long and close family interest in the University which began when his grandfather, Thomas Richmond Forster, donated the family home "Booloominbah" to the New England College of the University of Sydney in 1938. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, said when introducing Dr Harris that his "interest in and support of UNE, both on and off the campus", had been "untiring".

Dr Harris recalled that UNE, Australia's first "bush University", had been founded by a group of local people (including his grandfather) who had believed that education should be available to everyone – whether they lived in the city or the country. He went on to outline the leading role that UNE had played in making that belief a reality.

Then, looking to the future and saying that Australia faced "enormous challenges but extraordinary opportunities", he outlined some of the ways in which UNE could take advantage of those opportunities in the national interest.

A total of 845 people graduated from UNE over the two days of Spring Graduation ceremonies, with more than half of them being able to attend the ceremonies in person.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows Dr James Harris (seated, left) and Dr Richard Torbay (right).

Posted by Jim Scanlan at October 6, 2007 06:58 PM