UNE's latest honorary appointments are economist and businessman Dr Don Stammer, business leader Douglas Daft, contemporary musician Don Walker, scientist and science communicator Dr David Ellyard, and New England youth worker Bernie Shakeshaft.
"This is a fitting and deserved honour for recipients who have made a substantial impact on their fields," said UNE Chancellor, James Harris.
"Four of these appointments are to UNE graduates whose subsequent careers have taken them to the highest levels of their profession."
"The appointment to Bernie Shakeshaft recognises the decades he has spent working in the New England to change the lives of disadvantaged youth, which advantages us all."
Dr Ellyard has been awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of Science honoris causa (HonDSci); the other recipients have been awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters honoris causa (HonDLitt).
All recipients have been invited to receive their awards at a future graduation ceremony.
Dr Don Stammer took a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) at UNE in 1962 and Master of Arts at UNE in 1966. His award recognises his exceptional public contribution to the field of economics, particularly to the Australian business community.
Dr Stammer's banking and investment management included terms as Deputy Chief Manager of the Reserve Bank for nine years; Director of Investment Strategy at Deutsche Bank for 10 years; Director of ING Australia for four years and non-executive chairman of Praemium Limited for nearly seven years.
Dr Stammer has also been an influential communicator. Until 2001 he made a weekly broadcast on the Australian economy and share market for the BBC World Service, and he contributed a regular column to a Japanese financial newspaper. From 1987 to 2006, Don contributed a fortnightly column on the economy and investments to the Business Review Weekly. He now contributes a fortnightly column on investments for The Australian.
Mr Douglas Daft AC took a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Mathematics at UNE in 1968, and served on the University’s Senior Advisory Group. His award recognises his exceptional contribution to the field of commerce in the Australian and international business communities.
Mr Daft joined Coca-Cola the year after his Major and worked steadily up through the corporation's ranks to become its Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Coca-Cola Company from 2000 to 2004 – the first non-American to lead the world-famous Coca-Cola brand.
Throughout his career he worked to promote international business relations between the US and other countries. He was co-chairman of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, a corporate advisory board member of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS and a NSW business ambassador.
He also served on the inaugural UNE Advisory Group, and is a founding member of the Alumni Leadership Group of the Faculty of Commerce and Economics at UNSW.
Mr Don Walker took a Bachelor of Science at UNE in 1973 and Honours in 1975. His award recognises his exceptional contribution to the field of contemporary music in the Australian community.
Mr Walker is best known for writing many of the hits for iconic Australian band Cold Chisel, for which he was keyboard player. He has been called ‘the poet laureate of Australian rock ‘n roll music’ and was named “Australia’s Greatest Songwriter” in June 2019 by the Weekend Australian Review.
His credits with Cold Chisel include the hit singles Flame Trees, Saturday Night, Choirgirl, Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye), Cheap Wine, Breakfast at Sweethearts and Khe Sanh, which was voted the 8th greatest Australian song of all time by the Australian Performing Rights Association in 2001.
Dr David Ellyard enrolled to study for a Bachelor of Science degree at UNE in 1959, majoring in physics and mathematics and graduating with Honours in 1962. He was a foundation member of Robb College.
His subsequent career has embraced many dimensions of science: research, high school and university teaching, radio and TV broadcasting, journalism, book writing and government service.
He spent 30 years pioneering aspects of science broadcasting on TV and radio, has written more than a dozen popular science books, and from 1988 to 2005, served as a senior officer in economic development agencies of the NSW government.
In 1991 Dr Ellyard returned to UNE to serve a two-year term on the Board of Governors, helping steer the University through a stormy period of amalgamation and restructuring.
Mr Bernie Shakeshaft has made an exceptional contribution to the support of youth in the New England and wider regional areas of NSW.
He is the founder and CEO of BackTrack Youth Works, an organisation dedicated to turning around young lives that are going astray. Backtrack pursues three goals; to keep kids alive, out of jail and chasing their hopes and dreams. The organisation achieves these goals through a holistic, flexible and long-term service model that builds resilience in young people and the communities that support them.
Backtrack's model of deep, patient engagement has been proven in university studies to have a genuine impact on a significant number of the youth it works with. As a result, BackTrack's work has the support of magistrates, police and mayors.
