The Newcastle University Alumni Association Magazine Issue 8 / … · 2017-08-08 · tickets...

ArchesThe Newcastle University Alumni Association Magazine

Issue 8 / Winter 2006/07

The Culture IssueMaxïmo ParkNorthern StageNew alumni website

02ArchesThe Newcastle University Alumni Association Magazine

Arches ContentsVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

Contents

Editorial Board members are: Dan Howarth (Editor,

DARO), Lauren Huntington (DARO), Kara Byers

(alum), Sharmishta Chatterjee-Banerjee (Business

School), Prof Patrick Chinnery (Faculty of Medical

Sciences), Robin Cordy (alum), Dr Eric Cross (Faculty

of Humanities & Social Sciences), Jennie Gundill

(Union Society), Melanie Reed (Press &

Communications Office), Mark Scrimshaw (Chair of

the Alumni Association), Helen Stark (alum), Melissa

Suddes (Marketing & Student Recruitment Service),

Gareth Trainer (Careers Service), Dr Andrew Young

(Faculty of Science,Agriculture & Engineering)

Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Peter Flynn at

Northern Stage, Prof Peter Reynolds, David Gray at

Prolifica Management, Paul Bilsborrow, Gordon Taylor

and the team at MHR, Sian Evans, Lucy Jackson &

Selina Rodrigues,Anthony and James at Blue River,

and Jennie Gundill & Karl Saunt at the Courier.Very

special thanks to David Whitfield at Infinite, Melissa

Suddes, the Communications Strategy Board,

Melanie Reed and Claire Whitelaw in the Press Office

and all the staff in DARO, who have helped to make

this magazine possible.

Picture credits with thanks: North News and

Pictures, Simon Veit-Wilson Photography,

Northern Stage – Keith Pattison, Peter Atkinson

Photography, Paul Moss (Workplace), Sian Evans,

the Courier, DanceCity image (page 10)

© Richard Moran Photography.

1609

05Paul Moss

‘Thanks to the Blue Dot (January 16, 2006: NE 33)’

is an artwork by Paul Moss that originates from an

ongoing series of advertisements in a well-known

gossip magazine. Readers were invited to touch a

printed blue dot by a specific date that had been

previously energised in order to bring people good

luck. In his version Moss has extracted everything but

the simple text and graphic, presenting an image that

could have its formal history simultaneously in

Constructivist Iconography and 80s revival.This

direct image asking a direct question is part of an

ongoing series of works Moss is developing, which

examine the role of aspiration and communication

through everyday materials and information that we

take for granted. © Paul Moss 2006

Cover Image

Arches Editorial BoardDevelopment & Alumni Relations OfficeNewcastle University6 Kensington TerraceNewcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU

Telephone: + 44 (0) 191 222 7250Fax: + 44 (0) 191 222 5905Email: [email protected]: www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

04 – 08 NewsKeep up to date with the latestnews straight from campus

Arches Feature

09 Sound foundationsBringing hope to the lives of peoplewith disabilities throughout theNorth of England

Arches Feature

10 –11 A regionalrenaissanceArches investigates the role of theUniversity in what is swiftlybecoming a cultural revolution

Arches Feature

12 –13 Taking the stageWe take a look at the brand newNorthern Stage theatre, and howits international scope is reallybringing attention to Newcastle

Arches Feature

14 –15 Art at workThe contemporary art scene inNewcastle is growing at a rapidpace, and we take a look at one ofits main catalysts, Gateshead’sWorkplace Gallery

Arches Interview

16 –17 A certain sensibilityAn exclusive interview withMaxïmo Park frontman Paul Smithon the advantages of being from‘up North’, and the band’sforthcoming new album

Arches Interview

18 Classroom museArches has a chat with novelist andchildren’s poet Chrissie Gittins

19The CourierHighlights from the University’saward-winning student newspaper

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21 26

Foreword Mark Scrimshaw,Chair of the Alumni Association

I’m delighted that this issuehas taken culture as itstheme. Everyone who hasever visited this wonderfulcity will be only too awareof its own unique culture,bred into the bones of itspeople and into every brickof its buildings.

Our alumni have done great things in the arts, not leastin visual art, and later in this edition we profile the two FineArt graduates who’ve opened the city’s new WorkplaceGallery; and in music, nowhere better shown than the fourgraduates who formed Maxïmo Park.Their electrifying stageperformances and Mercury Prize-nominated debut album A Certain Trigger won them huge acclaim, and they’reexclusively interviewed later in Arches.

Another article looks at the long-awaited opening ofNorthern Stage, which is charged with fulfilling the enormouspotential of the space formerly known as the Playhouse andGulbenkian Theatre.Where once it sat a bleak and forebodingguard over Barras Bridge, almost defying the public toapproach, now its glittering face welcomes in the city.

The University’s cultural portfolio is flourishing, and atthe very hub of this is Culture Lab, the £4 million digitalmedia centre in the former Centre for Physical Recreation andSport; the very building in which I used to fence! Still to comeis the biggest of the lot, the Great North Museum, where £26 million will bring together all the University’s wonderfulcollections of art, antiquities and natural sciences – from theShefton Museum of Greek Art and Archaeology and Museumof Antiquities too – in a renewed Hancock Museum.

Through the work of the University, its graduates andother individuals and organisations throughout the region,the city’s cultural revival is bringing new vibrancy to the oldheart of Newcastle.We are all proud that the University is atthe core of this renewal.

Mark Scrimshaw

20 Sowing the seeds of sustainabilityA look at the School of Agriculture,Food and Rural Development’splans to build a fully sustainablescientific community, deep in theheart of Northumberland

21 The global right to healthA team of medical students fromthe University are set to host the2007 Medsin Global HealthConference, which will look at thepressing issue of health inequalitiesthroughout the world

22 A new virtual home for alumniThe Alumni Association has recentlylaunched a brand new website, withaccess to Arches Online, our new,fully interactive webzine

24 –25 ClassnotesCatch up with the latest news from old friends and acquaintancesacross the world

26 –27 EventsHighlights of upcoming events andreviews of recent events includingReunion Weekend 2006


Arches NewsVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

For more information about any of these features and to keep up to date with the very latest AlumniNews from Newcastle University,visit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

News

Recent graduate Steph O’Connor has had the country buzzing withexcitement at her investigations intothe homing instincts of bumblebees.

The Guardian newspaper, BBCnational radio and regional TV wereamong the media reporting on herresearch project in July, after she found a common species of bee, Bombusterrestris, can find its way home fromNorth East landmarks up to eight miles away.

The results have been surprisingbecause scientific literature says Bombus terrestris travels only three milesfor its food.

The project involves Steph catchingbees from a nest on campus, marking

them with tiny identification numbers in the laboratory, dropping them off atlandmarks such as the Angel of the North, the Tyne Bridge and the Metro and then observing which bees return.

Steph’s project aims to find out how far the bees can travel and if certain environments are trickier to navigate than others; knowledge that will ultimately help withconservation strategies.

Steph, who graduated this summerfrom Newcastle University with a WildlifeBiology degree, is working on the projectwith insect specialists Dr Mark O’Neilland Dr Gordon Port, who is also a seniorlecturer with the University’s School ofBiology and Psychology.

Mapping the flight of the bumblebeeUniversity researchers discover the remarkable homing instincts of bees

University topsbusiness leagueNewcastle University spends more timeworking with businesses than any otheruniversity in the UK, according to a survey byHEFCE, the Higher Education Funding Councilfor England.

The number of hours spent by staff ‘engagingwith commercial partners’ was measured at all 160universities and higher education colleges in theUK. Newcastle came out top, with the equivalentof 134 staff working full time with businesses atany one time.

The Higher Education Business andCommunity Interaction Survey is publishedannually, but this is the first time that datacollected from individual universities has beenincluded as annexes to the report.

The survey is conducted by HEFCE to provideinformation for policy makers about value formoney and good practice.The result of the surveyis a shot in the arm for economic strategy, whichforesees universities working more closely withcompanies so that they can benefit fromcutting-edge technology and expertise, givingthem a competitive edge in global markets.

The University is a core partner in theNewcastle Science City initiative, launched byChancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown,which aims to bring together university researchers and entrepreneurs to stimulate the growth of high-tech industries.The initiative is expected to attract around 100 newtechnology-based companies to the region by2010, and create up to 5,000 new jobs.

Professor Trevor Page, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for External Relations and Research at NewcastleUniversity, said:‘Over the last few years we haveinvested in both people and infrastructure to allow our staff to engage more actively with themany aspects of our interactions with business and the community’.

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Updates

● The University has launchedits first ‘carbon neutral’degreecourse, which will aid globalefforts to stem climate change.The title, bestowed by theorganisation CarbonNeutralNewcastle, recognises efforts bycourse designers to compensate forharmful ‘greenhouse gas’ emissionscreated through travel and energyconsumption during the course’sdevelopment.The move fits in withthe ethos of the course, a two-yearMaster of Science degree (MSc) inBiodiversity, Conservation andEcotourism, which teaches studentsto manage sustainable tourismprojects in some of the world’s topvisitor spots.The course will bedelivered in Thailand.

● The University is attracting more students from neighbourhoods whereyoung people are least likely to enter higher education,according to governmentfigures. The Higher EducationStatistics Agency’s (HESA) annualperformance indicators showed atotal of 10.3 per cent of studentsgaining places at Newcastle in2004–05 were from lowparticipation neighbourhoods.Lesley Braiden, Director ofMarketing and StudentRecruitment, said: ‘We arecontinuing to make good progressin terms of broadening our appealto students from all backgrounds,especially in the North East’.

● Meanwhile, performanceindicators released by HESAreveal that NewcastleUniversity graduates have oneof the best track records in thecountry for getting good jobs.In 2005, 95 per cent of graduatingstudents progressed toemployment or further studywithin the first six months ofgraduation – well above thenational average of 88 per cent.

Professor Chris Brink to take up University post in 2007

The head of one of South Africa’s topuniversities is to take the helm of Newcastle University.

Professor Chris Brink, Rector andVice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University,will succeed Professor Christopher Edwards asVice-Chancellor of the University when heretires in 2007.

Professor Brink, an eminentmathematician who studied at CambridgeUniversity, has attracted international attentionfor his transformation initiatives anddiversification policies at Stellenbosch, whichwas once the intellectual home of the apartheidmovement, in the 1960s and ’70s.

Under a programme of inclusivitylaunched by Professor Brink in 2002, the numberof black postgraduate students at Stellenbosch

has increased by 50 per cent, while thepercentage of black undergraduates rose above20 per cent last year.

Professor Brink has resisted pressure tomake proficiency in Afrikaans compulsory for allstudents and academic staff, and argued insteadfor increased inclusivity through a more flexiblelanguage policy.

Professor Brink, who also has management experience in Australian highereducation, said: ‘I am honoured to be given theopportunity of leading Newcastle University.The combination of global and local challengesmanifested here appeals to me, and I lookforward to the prospect of integrating academicexcellence with an international agenda as well as being a driver for local economic andsocial development.’

University names next Vice-Chancellor

Professor Chris Brink, who will be the next Vice-Chancellor



Life-saving project is Tom’s babyMedical student Tom Poulton has seen offcompetition from more than 1,000 entrants towin a national Student Volunteering award forhis work setting up a programme to teach newparents essential skills to save their baby’s life.

Tom, who is a Royal Lifesaving Societylifeguard trainer/assessor with the North SeaVolunteer Lifeguards, was entered for his work indeveloping a pilot scheme to train 28 medicalstudents to deliver community Save a Baby’sLife sessions.These two-hour workshop sessionsare delivered to groups of parents to teach themwhat to do if their baby starts choking orsuddenly stops breathing.

So far the students have delivered sessionsto over 200 parents in the North East, and thescheme has become so popular that another 20students are set to become trainers later this year.

The Royal Lifesaving Society, the charitythat administers Save a Baby’s Life nationally,has given Tom a £5,000 development grant toassist with the expansion of the scheme.

Medical student, Tom Poulton, with his ‘Save aBaby’s Life’ dummies

Rowers George Laughton and Henry Pelly areWorld and European University Championsafter winning the heavyweight men’s doubleevent at the World University RowingChampionship in Trakai, Lithuania.A secondgold medal-winning performance followed, aspart of a men’s quad at the European event inBrive-la-Gaillarde, France.

In Trakai, the Newcastle pair, rowing forGreat Britain, snatched victory over Poland by thenarrowest of margins. A photo finish eventuallyshowed them winning by a mere 0.08 seconds –or one inch – over a 2,000-metre course.

Henry said: ‘We knew that anything couldhappen in the final.We were in with a goodchance of a top three finish, and we could even bein a position to win gold. During the heats, we hadthe fastest time at half way, and we knew we justneeded to stay with Poland and attack them ifthey showed a moment of weakness.’

In France, competing for Great Britain in aquad with fellow Newcastle students StephenFeeney and Richard Francis, George and Henry were again in gold medal position, ahead of

crews from Germany and Spain, rounding off themost successful ever season for the UniversityBoat Club.

Henry Pelly (left) and George Laughton,Worldand European University rowing champions

Rowers celebrate best ever season

Bone marrow campaign goes globalNewcastle University medical students arehelping to tackle a worldwide bone marrowshortage.They are leading the nationalcommittee of Marrow,an organisation set up byThe Anthony Nolan Trust,with UK medicalschools, to recruit, test and counsel potentialdonors at clinics on university campuses.Marrow would like to encourage medicalschools in other countries to follow its example.

A group from Newcastle travelled to Croatiafor the first leg of their global campaign, to shareexperiences with representatives of Croatia’sNational Organ Donation group.They are alsoworking with the International Federation ofMedical Schools to spread the word.

A bone marrow transplant is a proceduremainly given to patients with life-threateningdiseases like leukaemia or other blood disorders.

Newcastle Marrow representative TomSkeath said:‘Bone marrow transplants save lives.

The more people there are on the register, themore chance there is of survival for patientsneeding transplants.’

Newcastle University PhD student Mark Pearson,who has donated his bone marrow to ananonymous recipient in Australia, and Universitymedical student Nadia Stock, a recipient of bone marrow

07

Updates

Efforts to support ethical trading by studentsand staff have been given the seal of approvalby the Fairtrade Foundation, the organisationdedicated to ensuring that producers from theworld’s poorest regions receive a fair price fortheir goods.

The Fairtrade mark is granted toorganisations that adopt a fair trade policy tocampaign for increased sale and consumption offair trade products on campus.

Students’ Union Society Ethics andEnvironment Officer, Lizzie Pitt said: ‘Studentsare becoming more and more concerned for theplight of the world’s poorest people, and for thefuture of the planet. It was demand fromstudents that led the Union Society and theUniversity to work together towards gainingFairtrade status for the institution.’

Professor Nina Laurie is Director of theUniversity’s Developing Areas Research Network(DARN). Established in 2004, DARN bringstogether experts in the field of internationaldevelopment, including representatives fromthe UK’s leading fair trade organisation,TeamValley-based Traidcraft, whose founder RichardAdams was awarded an honorary degree by theUniversity in 2005.

Professor Laurie said: ‘Gaining Fairtradestatus is about much more than just supplyingethically traded produce on the campus. It’sabout encouraging staff and students to thinkcarefully about the origins of their food andclothing, carrying their awareness of the need tofind ways to fight poverty in the developingworld into their everyday lives, and asking whatsteps they can take to make a difference’.

● North East England’s first-evermagnetic resonance researchcentre has opened following a £5 million investment.The keyfeature of the Newcastle MagneticResonance Centre is a ‘super-strength’ magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI) scanner, which is twiceas strong as those normally used inhospitals.The scanner will be used forboth treatment and research projectsexamining conditions such as liverand heart disease, diabetes,dementia, cancer and musculardystrophy. Professor Roy Taylor ismanaging the centre with AndrewBlamire, Professor of MagneticResonance Physics, following anofficial opening by Professor ColinBlakemore, Chief Executive of theMedical Research Council.

● Plans for a £7.75 million centrein Newcastle to develop newtreatments for the diseases ofold age have been approved inprinciple,after being selected asone of the country’s high-priorityprojects. Subject to final approval,the Clinical Ageing Research Unit(CARU) will be built on the Campusfor Ageing and Vitality at the back ofNewcastle General Hospital, in a jointventure by the University and theNewcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHSFoundation Trust.

● A new centre for the study of poisons has opened in theUniversity’s Wolfson Unit.Building on an existingcollaboration between NewcastleUniversity and the HealthProtection Agency (HPA), the centrewill carry out research into diseasescaused by exposure to toxicchemicals such as pesticides, andthe possible environmental causesof illnesses such as Parkinson’s andAlzheimer’s disease. It will also help shape national crisis plans and will inform training ofpersonnel who deal with acutechemical poisonings.

University gains Fairtrade status

Honorary degrees awardedLeading figures from the worlds of music,literature, science and health have beenhonoured by the University.

Tyneside-born Sting, singer-songwriter,activist, author, actor and former bassist andlead singer with The Police, was awarded anHonorary Doctor of Music (DMus) by theUniversity at a ceremony in May.

Receiving honours at the same ceremonywere former Metropolitan Police Commissioner,Lord Stevens (Honorary Doctor of Letters –DCL); Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King

(Honorary Doctor of Science – DSc); Mary Briggs and Elizabeth Hammill, founders of Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books(DCL); engineer and entrepreneur, Dr Alan Reece(DSc); and Len Fenwick, the Chief Executive ofNewcastle Hospitals NHS Trust (DSc).

Professor John Hamilton, the driving force behind a unique partnership arrangement between Newcastle and DurhamUniversities to widen access to medicaleducation, also received a DSc, at a specialceremony held in July.

Updates



● Newcastle University BusinessSchool is to begin trainingenterprise leaders in a newmulti-million-pound, city-centrelocation that will also be its newheadquarters. From January 2007,the teaching of ‘flagship’ Masters’programmes, such as the highlyregarded MBA, will be transferredfrom the main University campus to the new City Wall building on St James’ Boulevard.The complexwill also be home to GovernmentOffice North East and theNewcastle office of Ernst and Young.

●The overwhelming majority offinal-year students at Newcastlesay they are very satisfied withthe learning resources theUniversity provides, according tothe latest National StudentSurvey. The University was amongthe top eight institutions forlearning resources, including libraryand IT facilities.A total of 86 percent of the final-year students whoresponded to the survey expressed ahigh level of satisfaction with thefacilities available to them,compared with a national average of79 per cent. Newcastle students alsocontinue to be very satisfied overallwith the standard of teaching andacademic support they receive.

● A new survey of universitytowns and cities has ratedNewcastle among the bestplaces to be a student in termsof facilities. Students from morethan 70 university towns ratedtheir university’s location for goingout, shopping, transport links,community and facilities. UnionSociety Education Officer, DavidBulmer, said: ‘Students in Newcastlehave always known it was a greatcity, so the results of the surveycome as no surprise. Newcastle hasbeen a bit of a hidden gem, but itlooks like the rest of the countrywill soon be finding out that it’sactually pretty good up north!’

A University experiment, which found a wayof making people act more honestly, ishelping police deter criminals.Theexperiment found that people put nearlythree times as much money into anunsupervised coffee room cash collectionbox when they were being watched by a pairof eyes on a poster.

Now West Midlands Police are using the idea in a region-wide crime crackdowncampaign. Promotional posters will use adistinctive picture of eyes carrying the message‘We’ve got our eyes on criminals’. ChiefInspector Sue Southern, Head of the Press andPR Department at West Midlands Police, said:‘We liked the idea that eyes peering down at

thieves in crime hot spots could intimidate theminto moving on rather than committing crime’.

Dr Bateson, of the Evolution and BehaviourResearch Group in the School of Biology andPsychology, worked with Drs Daniel Nettle andGilbert Roberts on the experiment. She said: ‘Wedid the study just because we were interested inunderstanding human behaviour but it’s reallyexciting that within a month of publication ourfindings are being applied to crime prevention’.

The study, published earlier this year in theRoyal Society journal, Biology Letters, has gainedglobal publicity. Media outlets that have coveredthe story include international TV and radiostations, UK broadsheet and tabloid newspapers,and many others.

‘Big Brother’ eyes inspire police campaign

News headlines around the world havefeatured several developments in the stem cellresearch programme at the North East EnglandStem Cell Institute (NESCI).

NESCI is a partnership between Newcastleand Durham Universities and the NHS, and ispartly based at the International Centre for Life.Karim Nayernia made international news with aworld-first experiment just weeks after arrivingto take up the post of Professor of Stem CellBiology with the University.

Professor Nayernia, colleagues fromGermany and Dr David Elliott from theUniversity’s Institute of Human Genetics usedsperm grown from mouse embryonic stem cellsto produce seven baby mice.The breakthroughhelps scientists understand more about howanimals make sperm, with potential applicationsin male infertility treatment.

The team working on nuclearreprogramming, therapeutic cloning, was in thespotlight for a scheme to source human eggs forresearch.The Human Fertilisation andEmbryology Authority gave Professor AlisonMurdoch permission to recruit donors using an

Progress in stem cell research

existing clinical practice known as egg sharing.Under this scheme the research team willcontributes to the cost of a patient’s IVFtreatment in return for the donation of some ofher eggs for research.

Progress is also being made in researchthat uses material from babies’ umbilical cords.Professor Colin McGuckin and Dr Nico Forrazformed a partnership with a US stem cellcompany, gaining funding to develop newtherapies for liver patients. They are alsodeveloping and testing new tools for drugdevelopment.The pair travelled to the Vatican todiscuss their pioneering work in September at athree-day world congress.

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Arches Feature

Annie Mawson (BA Geography 1971) is thecharismatic founder of Sunbeams Music Trust, acharity which provides music as a form of therapyto children and adults with severe physicaldisabilities and special educational needs. Since itslaunch in 1992, Cumbria-based Sunbeams hasachieved some astonishing results, and through itsMusic for Life programme, currently helps over17,000 people each year to find a passion for musicthat brings new meaning to their lives.

‘Music for Life is based on my passionate beliefthat music can transcend politics, finance andbureaucracy.That it has the ability to help peoplecommunicate when all other strategies have failed’,said Annie. It is this sheer determination that hasgiven a voice to such a large segment of thepopulation, many of whom have been excludedfrom the opportunities and life choices that areoften taken for granted today.

In September, Sunbeams reached the final ofthe National Lottery Awards 2006, after being votedthe North West’s favourite Lottery-funded project;an achievement that has finally brought it therecognition it deserves. Following this success,Sunbeams is now focused on a new project: buildinga bespoke music centre that will allow patients fromacross the world to benefit from the Music for Lifeprogramme.This project is already well underway,mainly thanks to the work of another Newcastlegraduate,Annie’s nephew Will Mawson (BAArchitectural Studies 1999; BArch 2004).

Will, who works for Napper Architects inNewcastle, designed the new centre as part of hisfinal-year architecture project.‘I originallyapproached Sunbeams with the idea of using musictherapy as a vessel to build the project around’, saidWill,‘and the more I looked into the charity, themore it seemed to be crying out for a place of itsown, where its beneficiaries could really maximisethe effects of their therapy’.

Although the idea was initially quitetheoretical, the team at Sunbeams were hooked,and Will began working on plans to build a centrethat was not only very practical, but would alsocaptivate the imaginations of its visitors.

‘The building will be designed around theconcept of music, and how we relate to differentspaces, rhythms and proportions’, said Will. Both heand Annie feel strongly about the environment, andso the centre will be built with sustainability inmind. It will also be open to use by otherorganisations, providing fun and inspirationalsurroundings that will contrast with the bleakclinical facilities of the past.With no otherpurpose-built community music therapy centre inthe UK, there is a clear need for more facilities, andthousands of potential visitors from across theworld have already voiced their excitement aboutthe proposed centre.

Having already acquired a picturesque pieceof land at the edge of the Lake District, thanks tofunding secured from the Francis C ScottFoundation,Annie’s and Will’s vision is being turnedinto a reality.The realisation of the project hasbrought with it a very real sense of continuedresponsibility and dedication.‘You cannot open adoor to show a glimpse of possibility, and slam itshut’, said Annie.‘It has now become our moralobligation to provide a pathway beyond.’

Further information about Annie and theSunbeams Music Trust is available on theirwebsite at www.sunbeamsmusic.org

FOUNDATIONSSOUND

A Newcastle graduate hasbeen using the power of musicto bring hope to the lives ofpeople with disabilities in theNorth of England.

‘You cannot open a door toshow a glimpse of possibility,and slam it shut’Annie Mawson

Top: Annie at her nephew Will’s graduationMiddle: A computer simulation of the proposednew centre Bottom right: Annie Mawson, founderof the Sunbeams Music Trust


Arches FeatureVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

renaissancea regional

With huge developments in art, music, literature,medicine and science, the work of the University isfeeding the culture vulture with a fully autonomous,slap-up meal of cultural diversity. In the wake of thefailed bid to become European Capital of Culture in2008, Newcastle and Gateshead are now leading anew initiative, Culture 10, which is succeeding in fixing an international eye firmly on the region.Here, Arches takes a look at how the city’s culturalrevolution is shaping up, and the key role that theUniversity is playing through its development of aCultural Quarter on campus.

Over the past decade,the North East of England has begun to emerge from the ashes of a onceflourishing industrial empire, in which the harvestingof coal and its mastery of shipbuilding were key toits prosperity.Having already pioneered oneindustrial revolution,the region is now beginning to re-discover its cultural roots,and NewcastleUniversity is at the heart of this renaissance.

11

Art and heritageThe North East is home to a vibrant art scene,whose success is very much due to the fact thatmany graduates from Newcastle, Northumbriaand Sunderland Universities have chosen to stayand work in the region.The accomplishments ofindependent galleries such as Workplace (see page 14) have complemented those of the moreestablished galleries, such as the BALTIC Centre forContemporary Art (which the University has beenworking with in both a practical and academiccapacity), the Laing, and the University’s ownHatton Gallery, and ensured that the local artcommunity has as much of a voice as itsinternational visitors.

Building work on the eagerly anticipated,£26 million Great North Museum project is alsowell underway. Bringing together three museumsand thousands of years of history under one roof,its doors are due to open to the public in 2009.

Music and danceNewcastle is also home to a range of organisationsthat are bringing new life to the region through themedia of music and dance.The Sage Gatesheadhas established itself as an international beaconfor excellence in music, and has attracted artistsfrom across the world to perform in the region, aswell as showcasing home grown talent. Dance is also emerging as one of the most exciting artforms of the twenty-first century, and the £7.6 million Dance City, close to St James’ Park, iscultivating a crop of some of the country’s mosttalented performers.

The new Centre for Excellence in Teachingand Learning (CETL) for Music and Inclusivity,launched in 2005, aims to maximise studentparticipation in musical education, and promote awide range of musical practices through newapproaches within the academic curriculum. Ledby Newcastle University, the centre represents aregional consortium of North East Universities,

known as Unis4NE, in association with The SageGateshead. One of CETL’s current projects gives itsstudents the opportunity to have theircompositions played at The Sage Gateshead bythe Northern Sinfonia, recently described by TheTimes as the UK’s third finest orchestra.

Literature, stage and screenThe North East has long been a hub of literaryactivity, and the University’s School of EnglishLiterature, Language and Linguistics has forgedrelationships with organisations throughout theregion, including New Writing North – the writingdevelopment agency for the North East of England– and Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’sBooks. Staffed by a number of established andprize-winning writers, the School is currentlyworking with New Writing North to build a newhome for literature in the region: the NorthernWriters’ Centre.

The University has also developed links withthe new Northern Stage theatre (see page 12), andour very own theatre society, NUTS, continues toproduce hugely talented performers, scriptwritersand technicians each year, many of whom havegone on to work throughout the region’s culturalinfrastructure.The University also has close linkswith the Tyneside Cinema, which is currentlyundergoing a £6.5 million refurbishment, and thevolunteer-run Star and Shadow Cinema.

BusinessBased in the Careers Service, the University’sEnterprise Centre has been working to populatethe region’s cultural and creative sector with newgraduate businesses. In fact, figures from the pastyear have shown that over 50 per cent of newbusiness start-ups in the region have been withinthe cultural sector, and a large number of thesehave been launched by Newcastle graduates.TheEnterprise Centre holds its annual EnterpriseChallenge Awards each year, which celebrate the

entrepreneurial skills of students and graduatesand help them to develop their business plans intoa reality.

Culture LabThis new £4 million facility is the hub of theUniversity’s interdisciplinary research activityinvolving digital media. Culture Lab provides access to state-of-the-art digital technologies thatdraw together artists, researchers and scientistsfrom all three faculties and external partners in abuilding that fuses the ‘two cultures’ of arts andsciences.The groundbreaking research initiativescarried out in Culture Lab will further contribute to developing the region’s creative, cultural andscientific industries.

Community engagementAside from its commitments to regional andacademic development, the University is also keento engage the local community in its work, andprovide a platform for the public to voice theiropinions. Café Culture is a scheme that provides anaccessible space for intelligent and topical debateon science, culture and politics, and is held at WorldHeadquarters in Newcastle on the first and thirdMondays of each month.The University also runs aseries of public lectures, which in the last year hasattracted such eminent speakers as the writer BillBryson, and Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. Bothschemes are open to everyone and free of charge.

In the next few editions of our bi-monthly e-newsletter AlumNews, we will take a look ateach of these areas in more depth. If you don’talready receive AlumNews, please see page 22 fordetails on how to subscribe.

For further information and links to all of theabove mentioned facilities and organisations,please see the Arches Online version of thisarticle at www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/arches/features

The Sage Gateshead BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art Bamburgh Castle



Encompassing the site of its former landlord, thenow defunct Newcastle Playhouse, NorthernStage was officially opened over August BankHoliday weekend in one of the most rapturouscelebrations that Newcastle has seen thismillennium.A crowd of over 1,000 people joineda phantasmagoric procession from Grey’sMonument to the Barras Bridge site, whichculminated in a breathtaking fire and light show,and performances from some of the city’s mostexciting arts groups.

Having spent much of the last two years inrelative hermitry, Northern Stage is now back atits spiritual home in a building that pushes theboundaries of theatrical expectations. Movingaside from the old-fashioned grandeur of manymore traditional establishments, Northern Stageembraces the versatile nature of black boxtheatre, and still retains many of the quirkyoriginal features of the old Playhouse.

Under the directorship of Erica Whyman,Northern Stage comprises three separate Stages(or performance areas), which have beendesigned to suit audiences of all ages, tastes andgenres. Stage 1 is the venue for the theatre’smore lavish productions, having opened withErica’s sensational interpretation of DennisPotter’s controversial 1968 television play Son ofMan, and hosted Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, whichhas been spectacularly re-worked for the stage byKneehigh Theatre.

Stage 2, on the other hand, is the UK’s firstfree theatre; a bold experiment that is intendedto make the groundbreaking work performedthere as accessible as possible to the public.Afirm believer in open access, Erica Whyman said,‘We want to give our audience the opportunity totry something new, to tell us what they think andto enjoy a very wide range of the best and mostimaginative work from the UK and beyond’.

TAKING THE STAGEFollowing two years ofclosure and a £9 millionrefurbishment, the curtainhas finally risen on the brandnew Northern Stage theatre.

Below: The front entrance of Northern Stage, facingthe Union Society building Clockwise from left:Production photos of Son of Man, On Top of theTown, and Wolves in the Wall

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Although audiences are encouraged tomake a donation after each performance, theyare under no obligation to do so.

The old Playhouse foyer has beencharmingly converted into the small butdynamic Stage 3.A purpose-built ‘gigging space’,Stage 3 is the venue for workshops, comedy andcabaret acts, and a number of productions forchildren.With adjustable seating and its veryown bar, this is one of the most flexible stages in Newcastle.

With a number of UK premieres in thepipeline, and the country’s first free performancespace, Northern Stage is becoming known forthe many ‘firsts’ it is bringing to theatre.A clearexample of this is the soundproof acoustic wall that divides Stages 1 and 2; unique toNorthern Stage and the first of its kind in theworld.When the wall is removed it creates theEpic Stage, which is the largest performance area in the North East, and one of the mostflexible in the UK.

Northern Stage is also home to one of themost talked-about pieces of contemporary art inthe region at the moment: Escapology by CathCampbell. The wooden sculpture has perplexedpassers-by as to whether or not loose timber isactually falling from the roof. ‘It isn’t a safetyhazard’, laughs Peter Flynn, CommunicationsOfficer at Northern Stage, ‘when visitors cometo the theatre, they are escaping life’s normalconstraints of convention and time, andEscapology symbolises this’. Unusual andprovocative, this piece of art certainly mirrorsthe work of Northern Stage, and Cath iscurrently working on a number of otherinstallations for use within the foyer.

Erica Whyman is keen to collaborate with anumber of other arts organisations and projects,and has developed a close working relationshipwith the University’s School of EnglishLiterature, Language and Linguistics. The recentappointment of Professor Peter Reynolds to aChair in Theatre has created a clear bridgebetween the work of the University and thetheatre at Northern Stage, and paved the way

‘The theatre is a place forthe dissemination of bothpleasure and knowledge’Peter Reynolds, Chair in Theatre

for some exciting collaborative projects fusing theatricality with academic teaching and research.

‘The theatre is a place for thedissemination of both pleasure and knowledge’,said Professor Reynolds, ‘and the University has agreat reservoir of intellectual and creativecapital that we hope will prove useful to theartists who work at Northern Stage’.

The unique nature of this partnership hasalready produced some interesting results.Annette Vieussieux, one of Professor Reynolds’postgraduate students, has documented therehearsals of Northern Stage’s first production,Son of Man, enabling audiences to get a feel forthe complex processes involved in makingtheatre. Professor Reynolds added, ‘Annette’swork will also help theatre makers learn aboutgood practice, as the opportunity doesn’t oftenexist, particularly for young directors, to learnfrom each other’s work’. The filming ofrehearsals, photographs, interviews and rehearsaldiaries are available in the Take Part section ofNorthern Stage’s website.

Northern Stage is also keen to developsolid links with the community, and has initiateda number of participation schemes with schoolsand organisations.This has led to projects suchas On Top of the Town, which saw a group of eightyoung thespians from across the North Easttreading the boards at Northern Stage withyoung actors from Holland.

From humble beginnings almost half acentury ago, Northern Stage has emerged as thelargest producing theatre company in the NorthEast, and one of the top 10 in the UK. Itsdedication to presenting the best in local,national and international theatre can only helpto bring attention to Newcastle; and itscommitment to accessibility is opening up themagic of performance to whole new audiences.What a great neighbour to have.

More information on Northern Stage and anup-to-date programme are available on theirwebsite www.northernstage.co.uk



Art at work Vibrant, innovative and verbose,Newcastle’s art scene is buildinginternational renown for itsingenuity; and nobody could bemaking much more of a statementthan the Workplace Gallery.

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An artist-led organisation,Workplace waslaunched in 2003 by Newcastle graduates PaulMoss (BA Fine Art 1998) and Miles Thurlow(MA Fine Art 2000) to help develop projects forartists who live and work in the North East.

The gallery itself was opened in August 2005,to provide a creative space for the group’s work totake root. Located directly beneath the iconicfigure of Owen Luder’s brutalist Trinity Square CarPark in Gateshead town centre, made famous inthe cult classic gangland movie Get Carter, thegallery is a hive of creativity that brings vibrancy toan otherwise bleak, post-industrial landscape. Onlya stone’s throw from the newly regeneratedGateshead Quayside, the town centre has sufferedfrom a considerable lack of investment, whichmakes it an intriguing location for a gallery withsuch a colourful portfolio of artists.

‘The choice to situate a new gallery in thiscontext reflects Workplace’s commitment to theproduction and presentation of art that isuncompromising, direct, and rooted in theattitude of the region’, said Paul whose own workwith architecture and the built environment,mainly in the form of installations, has led tocritical acclaim.

Miles is currently Head of Sculpture at theUniversity of Sunderland, and has exhibitedextensively throughout the North East. Asdirectors of the gallery, Miles and Paul haveintroduced a programme of contemporary artthat has attracted new and established artistsfrom across the world to exhibit at Workplace; thisincludes Lisbon-based Hugo Canoilas, who iswidely considered to be one of Portugal’s mostimportant young artists.

In addition to this programme ofexhibitions,Workplace also represents a portfolioof 23 of the North East’s most promising artists;13 of whom are graduates of NewcastleUniversity.Among these are Cath Campbell,whose installation Escapology graces the roof ofNewcastle’s brand new Northern Stage theatre,and award-winning visual artist Matt Stokes.Matt’s 16mm film Long After Tonight, whichdocuments the gathering of a group of Northern

Soul fans in St Salvador’s Church, Dundee, won himthe prestigious Beck’s Futures prize for 2006, one ofthe highest accolades in British contemporary art.

Successes such as Matt’s have not onlyattracted the attention of a wide critical audienceto the North East, but also allowed artists to teardown the confines traditionally imposed onprovincial art, and take their work to aninternational platform.

The profile of Workplace and its artists isgrowing significantly each year. Now a regularfixture at art fairs across the country,Workplace isforging links throughout Europe, and buildingrelationships with some of the biggest names incontemporary art.Where it was once reliant ongrant support from organisations such asGateshead City Council and the Arts Council,Workplace is now becoming increasingly financedby art sales and private investment. Since openingin 2005, the gallery has sold work by its artists tomajor international collections, including thoseowned by UBS, Ernst & Young, and theGovernment Art Collection, as well as numerousindividuals and private collectors.

Having already exhibited at art fairs andfestivals such as Glasgow International, Pulse inNew York, and Zoo in London in 2006,Workplace isset to travel to Miami for the New Art DealersAlliance (NADA) Art Fair in December, where it willshowcase the work of Matt Stokes as a solo project.

Not forgetting its roots in the North Easthowever,Workplace still continues to promote itsartists within the region itself, and the BALTICCentre for Contemporary Art on Gateshead’sQuayside has been the venue for a number ofexhibitions by Workplace artists, including Paul andMiles themselves.

With a global eye now fixed firmly on theNorth East art scene,Workplace continues toproduce some of the most innovativecontemporary art in the business. It seems a newindustrial age may just be upon us.

For more information on the Workplace Gallery, visit its website atwww.workplacegallery.co.uk

Opposite page: ‘If walls could talk…’ by CatherineBertola (BA Fine Art 1999) 2002 Top to bottom:The opening of an exhibition at the WorkplaceGallery, which sits underneath the towering TrinitySquare car park (below); one of Workplace’sexhibition spaces;‘Forming Attachments’ by TanyaAxford (BA Fine Art 1997), a mixed mediainstallation at Newcastle’s Laing Gallery in 2001


Arches InterviewVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

sensibilitya certain

Since the launch of their debut album in 2005,Maxïmo Park have emerged as one of the UK’smost illustrious rock bands.Dressed likequintessential English gentlemen,anddelivering their post-punk sound with eruditearticulacy,the band have been showered withcritical acclaim for their mix of eclecticmusical styles and poetic lyricism.

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Maxïmo Park consists of four Newcastlegraduates: front man Paul Smith (BA Combined Studies 2001, MA TheAmericas: Histories, Societies, Cultures2002); drummer Tom English (BA CombinedStudies 2001); bassist Archis Tiku (MBBS2000); and keyboard player/vocalist LukasWooller (BA Combined Studies 1999); as wellas one Northumbria graduate, guitaristDuncan Lloyd.

Riding the crest of an international tourthat has taken them from Newcastle to Niigata,the band are also putting the finishing touchesto their second album, which will be due forrelease in 2007. Despite his busy schedule,Teesside born Paul Smith found time to talk toArches about Maxïmo Park’s meteoric climb tothe pinnacle of pop.

From relative obscurity, your first albumA Certain Trigger stormed the UK charts andplastered your names all over the musicindustry, really putting Newcastle on themap. How’s life at the top treating you?We can’t complain, considering thecircumstances.The past two years have given us so many memories and a platform fromwhich to express ourselves in the future. Life isbusy but exciting, although I feel we’re grasping at the middle rungs rather thanclinging to the top!

Although you’re not all native Geordies, youseem well rooted in Newcastle.What is itabout the North East that appeals to you?It’s the place where we all feel comfortable.There’s a rich quality of life and a strangelypleasant isolation from fads and scenes withoutthe loss of cultural activity.The coastal locationis a massive part of why I love the area.

You’ve written a song about the A19 fromTeesside to Newcastle. Has your music beeninspired at all by your time at university?Without a doubt.The intermingling ofcharacters and social situations led me to growup a lot, especially when I was doing my MA.Alot of the first album was written about movingaway from home and the various ties that bindus to places, especially regarding relationships.A19 is a specific song about the realisation that

an entire world exists outside of the bubble wecreate for ourselves. During my time atUniversity, I certainly travelled up and downthat particular road a fair few times!

Do you still maintain any links with the University?I recently signed a petition to keep the old FineArt library, but to no avail. Some friends actuallywork at the University so in the meagre amountof time I spend at home, I try to keep abreast ofthe changes that occur, whilst enjoying theculinary delights of the Old Library building!

A Certain Trigger was packed with such a levelof diversity, and whilst music critics are in areverie over what your influences must be,the rest of us are just enjoying yourdistinctive sound. How did you develop astyle that transcends so many boundariesand tastes?The fact that all five of us have a directinfluence on the songs and their arrangementsmeans our individual tastes and influencessurface without any of us being able to put afinger on them.The rest of the lads were a tightmusical unit before they asked me to join so itwas fairly easy for me to slot in. Conceptually,we decided from day one that we would writepop songs that encompassed as many styles aswe felt comfortable with.

You’ve developed a reputation as thegentlemen of the post-punk revival, and youclearly set a great example to bands all overthe world. How do you feel about bands thatput bad behaviour before their music?I had no idea of our reputation! If people arepolite to me then they’ll receive similarbehaviour.We are lucky to be playing music topay the bills, and our belief in the music meanswe want to communicate with the people wemeet and play for.A lot of bands probably getbored of the regularity of playing the samesongs and answering the same questions, butperhaps their songs weren’t as interesting asthey first thought! Bad behaviour has been seenso many times before and we don’t like cliché…

Maxïmo Park was only fully formed after youall graduated, but you pursued differentmusical interests whilst at university.Whatwas university life like for a bunch ofaspiring young musicians?From my point of view, the instrumental music Iwas making never had any commercial appeal,so my aspirations were purely creative.

It frustrated me that there wasn’t as muchinterest in left-field music outside of a tightlyknit community, but you find your allies quitequickly at university.

Before Maxïmo Park took off, you had some very noble jobs. Paul you were an art teacher,Archis a doctor, and Lukas atrained chorist. Do any of your old skills stillcome in handy?I like to sketch from time to time and I have akeen awareness of what I require from theartwork we produce.Archis has been calledupon frequent times for his medical knowledge,but Lukas is rarely asked for a choral recital!

Over the past few years, the live music scenein Newcastle has really improved, with somegreat venues and some really talentedup-and-coming bands. How do you seethings in Newcastle developing, and are yousticking around for the long term?As long as we live in Newcastle, people will seeus at a variety of gigs.A lot of our friends areinvolved in the music scene, but my worry isthat its standards and methodology remain alittle insular.

However, I see a strong vein of musicalindividualism that gives me faith that the futureof music in the area is rosy enough.We are allcommitted to a long-term future in the NorthEast, but who knows when one of us will feelsufficiently restless and disappear? I read anarticle recently that suggested we should start arecord label and support local talent, which is alovely idea, but I wonder which of our rare daysoff I would choose to do all this…?

You’re currently working on your secondalbum with legendary producer Gil Norton.How’s it coming along?We’ve finished mixing it, but we need to finalisethe artwork and get it mastered.We see it as aprogression from the last record, and we areproud of the results. It’s more open and quiteweighty, but still as energetic and melodic.

Paul – your onstage presence and innovativedance moves can rival the flexibility of

Mick Jagger himself. Did you and Mickswap notes when you supported the Rolling Stones this summer?Hah! I only got to talk about the weather andour outfits before they were whisked off to thestage. I’d love to think I will have the sameenergy when I’m 63 years old, but I’m notcounting on it!


Arches InterviewVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

museClassroom

An interview with ChrissieGittins, award-winningauthor and children’s poet

Have you ever wondered what you might findin a wish sandwich, or what a two-toed slothboasts about? Maybe you haven’t, but theseare the questions that are fascinating kidsacross the country at the moment thanks to anew poetry collection by Chrissie Gittins(BA Hons General Arts 1975).

I Don’t Want an Avocado for an Uncle isChrissie’s second collection of poems that not onlyignites children’s imaginations, but provides themwith a fun way to learn at the same time. Herwork is witty, original and unpatronising, leadingto widespread critical acclaim that has alreadyseen I Don’t Want an Avocado for an Uncle selectedas one of the Poetry Book Society’s recommendedclassroom texts for the coming year.

Chrissie also writes extensively for adults.Her first adult poetry collection, Armature, waspublished in 2003, and a number of her shortstories have appeared on BBC Radio Four. Archescaught up with Chrissie to find out what all thefuss is about:

You write very successfully for both childrenand adults, is it difficult to channel your workin two distinct directions?Not at all. Some ideas are best suited to children’spoems, and others to adult poems, radio plays orshort stories. I tend to work on children’s poems asthe ideas come to me; the rest have to wait forstretches of time, or have to fit into schedules forBBC Radio Four.

Adults are as fascinated by children’s literatureas kids at the minute.Why do you think this is?There’s some very good writing around forchildren. Cross-over packaging and marketing hasintroduced adults to children’s literature, but Ithink that adults have always read and re-readstories that captivate their playful side.

You’ve been described as having a great flair for idiomatic surrealism.Where do you getyour inspiration? From conversations, stories I’m told, incidents Isee, and from situations which amuse, puzzle,disturb and stay with me. A child at a schoolmight suggest a subject – a boy thrust a pencilstub at me and challenged me to write a poemabout it, which I did.Another asked if I could writea poem about what happens to time after it haspassed, this became the poem Storing Time.

You’ve been a resident writer in a number ofschools and libraries, as well as in a prison andat the Refugee Council. How do you think yourwriting impacts on the different groups ofpeople you work with?If the children and adults I work with see howwriting is an integral part of my life, and how it isthe way that I make sense of the world, then itisn’t difficult for them to find their own subjectmatter and see themselves as writers – whetherit’s for an afternoon, a week, or a lifetime.

You’ve navigated rough terrain by boat andquad bike to give poetry readings at hard-to-reach schools. Does it make it all worthwhilefor the reaction you get from the children youwork with?It does indeed! As I left a Bexhill school at the endof the day one week, two boys were sitting outsideon a picnic bench.They had a copy of each of mybooks in their hands and they were reading thepoems to each other. It was a lovely image to goaway with.

Have you got anything else in the pipeline?In March 2007 Salt Publishing are bringing out myfirst collection of short stories for adults calledFamily Connections. One story is partly set inNewcastle: a student in her first term at theUniversity moves from a council property with alandlady and flea-ridden cat in Denton Burn to herfirst flat-share in Heaton!

I Don’t Want an Avocado for an Uncle is availablenow priced £5.99 from selected bookshops,and from Chrissie’s website atwww.chrissiegittins.co.uk

‘I think that adults havealways read and re-readstories that captivate theirplayful side’Chrissie Gittins

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Arches Update

A Fresher kind of funIt’s not often that a sore head and depletedbank balance will leave a smile on someone’sface, but for over 4,000 first-year students, thisyear’s Freshers’ Week has certainly beensomething to grin about.

Run by the Union Society, Newcastle’sFreshers’Week (also known as First YearConference or FYC) has a reputation as one ofthe best in the UK.

The new crop of first years was welcomedto Newcastle with a programme packed full ofactivities, and a mix of big-name acts roped in toentertain the masses. Live performances fromrock band Dirty Pretty Things and globetrottingDJ Judge Jules were two of the week’sundoubted highlights, whilst live comedy andthe opportunity to take part in a spot of paint-balling and go-karting helped to create one ofthe most diverse and enjoyable FYCs in history.

One of this year’s organisers, Ben Potter,was also a contestant on University Challenge,bringing a touch of academia to an otherwiseraucous celebration.

New UnionSociety websitelaunchedThe Union Society has launched a brand newwebsite for 2006/07.With a clearer studentfocus and emphasis on accessibility; the newwebsite has been built with a clean design,easier navigability and a number of newfeatures to bring the Union bang up to datewith the latest web technology.

As part of the new site, the Union hasintroduced a social e-networking system whichwill allow users to share photos, write blogs, andsend each other messages. It also contains up-to-the-minute events and gig listings straightfrom the Union’s Entertainments Team, and willallow users across the world to listen to the new,digitally streamed Newcastle Student Radio(NSR) 24 hours a day.

You can visit the Union website atwww.unionsociety.co.uk

Taking on the world by Tom Marling

Latest news from the independent voice of Newcastle students

A Newcastle rower is quite literally taking theworld by storm as he prepares to embark on anaround-the-world rowing expedition.Mechanical Engineering student Joe Leiserachhas been chosen to join the Row Extreme WorldRow Challenge, the ultimate test of endurancearound the globe. Joe was chosen from a groupof the international rowing community’s finestyoung talents to join a crew comprising someof the strongest and most experienced rowersin the world.

The challenge, which involves rowing 20,000miles around the world, is expected to takeapproximately a year to complete. Joe’s selectionfrom around 50 international applicants is all themore remarkable considering he only learned torow after joining the University three years ago. Hewill join numerous rowing luminaries including IanWoods, a former Olympian, on the final leg of theepic voyage that covers the 7,000-mile, fourmonth-long stretch from South Africa to Australia.

Joe said:‘Most people think I must be mad toattempt this, but it is just such an amazingopportunity to do something so completelydifferent. Nobody has ever attempted to rowaround the world over three consecutiveoceans before, and this will be the experience of a lifetime’.

Joe has just returned from rowing the‘Boston Marathon’ on the River Witham, inLincolnshire, where he completed the 31-milecourse in a time of four hours and elevenminutes – fourteen minutes ahead of hisnearest rival in the senior single scull event.

The first leg of the expedition, fromAustralia to South America, will begin inOctober 2007.The 8,000-mile trip is expectedto take around five months, while the5,000-mile second leg, between South Americaand South Africa, is set to take three months.

If all goes according to plan Joe will jointhe final stage of the challenge in South Africa inJune 2008, arriving in Australia in October.However in the meantime, he is facing the moreimmediate challenge of raising £16,000 to coverthe cost of taking part. ‘I’m aiming to raise thefirst £5,000 by Christmas’, said Joe. ‘It’s hardwork, but I’ve had a great response so far interms of raising the profile of what I’m aimingto do.What I need now is to be able to turn all the good will into serious financialcommitment.’ Joe is due to graduate in July 2007, but hopes to stay in the North East to complete his training, he explained: ‘I’ve loved rowing on the Tyne, and I feel reallysettled here’.


Arches UpdateVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

Situated 18 miles North of Newcastleand owned by the University, CocklePark is a fully working farm thatproduces crops and grazes livestock.It is also the proposed site for one ofthe most exciting ventures in thehistory of the University’s School ofAgriculture, Food and RuralDevelopment.

As part of Science City, a portionof the farm will be converted into theproposed Centre for Renewable Energyfrom Land (CREEL). The new centre willgenerate its own heat and electricity, andprovide space for interdisciplinaryresearch, educational facilities andequipment demonstration, including a virtual reality training facility.

Adjacent to the research andeducation buildings is Pele Tower, ahistoric Grade I listed building, whichis set to be transformed into state-of-the-art business accommodation.Along with a number of surroundingbuildings, the tower will form a ‘sciencevillage’, in which space will be availablefor lease by small and medium-sized

businesses working in the energy andenvironment sectors.

In addition to this, the site containsa number of residential properties thatwill also be fed with renewable heat andelectricity from the centre, embodyingthe very idea of a sustainable community.

Work has been underway todevelop new kinds of fuel, and the Schoolalready operates a fully biodieselpowered mini-bus (pictured), which runsto and from Cockle Park on a daily basis.Produced from waste vegetable oil,biodiesel has a production price of only50 pence per litre, which allows evenmore money to be ploughed back intonew research.

Due to be up and running by early2008, CREEL is expected to become theleading facility of its kind in the UK, andwill significantly aid global efforts toreduce carbon emissions and generateenergy from renewable resources.

Keep an eye on Arches and AlumNewsto keep you up-to-date with all futuredevelopments in this project.

Sowing the seedsof sustainabilityA historic farm,deep in rural Northumberland,is set tobecome an international centre for renewable energy.

Did yougraduate in 2002/03?

You may recall completing a questionnaire,six months after you finished your studies in2002/03, as part of the Higher EducationStatistics Agency’s (HESA) Destinations ofLeavers from Higher Education survey. Youmay have seen information from the survey inthe media – as part of the university leaguetables for example.The information youprovided will also have been used within theUniversity and by the government.

There is now another opportunity for someof you to let us know what you have been doingsince you gained your qualification.YouGov/IFFResearch, on behalf of HESA, are conducting asurvey (Longitudinal DLHE) and they may sendyou a questionnaire. The questionnaire will askyou to detail your current activities, and some ofyou will also get the opportunity to detail all theactivities you have been involved in since yougraduated in 2002/03.Any information youprovide will help in reviewing and promotingcourses and giving current students an insightinto early career progression, as well as providing input to government policydevelopment and review.

If you are contacted by YouGov/IFFResearch (by e-mail, post or phone), please taketime to complete the survey and return it – yourparticipation is valuable.

You will be able to see the results of thissurvey on the web next summer.

21

A team of over 50 medical students have won the chance to host next year’s Medsin Global Health Conference in Newcastle.Set to attract over 400 visitors to theUniversity, the Conference will takeplace on campus from Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 March 2007.

Medsin is a national network ofhealth care students, with branches atmedical schools throughout the UK. Its aimis to empower health care students toeducate themselves about issues peripheralto core curricula, but central to the realityof health care, and raise awareness of theinequalities in health.The annual GlobalHealth Conference is designed to inspirefuture health professionals to take aninterest in issues relating to internationaldevelopment, human rights and social injustice.

Next year’s Conference is themed‘Health and Human Rights’, and aims todiscuss how the establishment of basichuman rights is key to achieving health forthe global community. Over 64 hours ofworkshops, discussions and lectures will

give the 400 visiting health care studentsthe opportunity to exchange their viewswith a number of international experts inhealth and development, as well as todevelop key skills in leadership, teamworkand project management.

Selina Rodrigues, a fourth-yearmedical student and Co-ordinator of theforthcoming Conference, said: ‘We hopeto inspire and motivate a generation ofhealth professionals to be aware of themost pressing health issues facing theglobal community, so that futuremedical professionals can contribute tothe alleviation of poverty, ill health andinjustice in the developing world.

‘As health professionals, it’s ourresponsibility to alleviate suffering andpromote conditions that ensure healthand well being.This goal cannot beachieved without protecting, promotingand fulfilling human rights.’

Selina and her team have alsointroduced a strict ethical andenvironmental policy, by pledging to usefairtrade products wherever possible, andprocessing all recyclable waste.

If you are interested in attending or taking part in the Conference,please visit the Conference website at www.medsinnewcastle.org.uk/ghc

For more information on Medsin and itswork, please visit www.medsin.org

The global right to health

Two Newcastle alumni have beenhonoured for their outstandingcontribution to the development ofhealth services, nursing and medicaleducation in the region.

Professor Alan Maynard (BA HonsEconomics 1968) and the Reverend CanonAlan Maude (MSc Child Health 1990) wereawarded honorary degrees as part of theCentenary celebrations of Newcastle’sRoyal Victoria Infirmary in October. Theywere among six leading figures from theregion to be honoured during the first everceremony held jointly by Newcastle andNorthumbria Universities.

Currently Chairman of the York NHSTrust, Professor Maynard has played a keyrole in reforming NHS policy over the pasttwo decades, and has worked with anumber of international organisations toimprove health care in some of the World’smost impoverished countries.

The Reverend Canon Maude hasrecently retired after giving more than 30years’ service to the RVI.As Head of theChaplaincy, he was instrumental inproviding the great levels of care forpatients and their families that have led toNewcastle’s standing as one of the bestNHS Trusts in the country.

Newcastle and Northumbria honour health pioneers

Professor Alan Maynard (top) andReverend Canon Alan Maude


Arches UpdateVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

A new virtual home for alumniNow you can access everything you need from theUniversity at the click of a button.The Alumni Associationhas recently launched a brand new website, which is packedfull of useful features to help make your life after universityas easy as possible.

The new site includes details of our improvedbenefits and services package, offering exclusivediscounts to Newcastle graduates, as well as theopportunity to track down old friends throughNUGrad, our online alumni directory.The site alsofeatures a fully interactive events section, whereyou can view our full calendar of events, booktickets online, and browse photos from previousalumni events.

Thanks to the phenomenal response fromour recent survey, the new site also heralds thelaunch of Arches Online, allowing readers toaccess the University’s flagship magazine in a fullyinteractive, eco-friendly format.This newpaperless Arches not only allows readers to accessthe magazine wherever they are in the world andsubmit stories and ideas directly to the editor, but

will also help improve sustainability by supporting the University’s carbon neutralcommitments, and allow us to release essentialfunds to support more student-focused projectsthroughout the University.

AlumNews, our bi-monthly e-newsletter,has also received a makeover as part of the newwebsite. Distributed to around 22,000 of ouralumni with up-to-date e-mail addresses,AlumNews keeps readers fully abreast of newsand developments from the University and ouralumni community, and contains details ofupcoming alumni events and reunions.

You can visit the new site at

www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

There are over 50,000 of you whodon’t currently receive AlumNews,so if you would like to subscribe,you can do so using our onlineNUGrad service.

All you need to do is visit the NUGrad website atwww.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/nugradand enter your alumni referencenumber, which you will find printed above your name on thecarrier sheet/ update form that wasdelivered with this copy of Arches.

If you are a new user, thenplease take the time to register a few details to give you full access to the service.Alternatively,if you have already signed up toNUGrad, but forgotten yourpassword, the new service allowsyou to re-set your passwordwithout needing to contact the office.

When you have logged in toNUGrad, follow the link to the‘update your details’ section. If wedo not have your current e-mailaddress, please update us with it inthe space provided and you willautomatically begin to receiveAlumNews in February when thenext edition is sent out.

Why not then continue to useNUGrad to track down old friends,or other Newcastle alumni in yourarea? Containing information andlatest news from alumni all overthe world, it couldn’t be easier toget back in touch.

www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/nugrad

Sign up to receiveAlumNews

23

Calling all brand-new graduatesHave you graduated from Newcastle in the last year? If so, please keep an eye out for animportant questionnaire that should bedropping through your letterbox any time soon.

The University is required to survey allrecent graduates to find out what they are doingapproximately six months after graduation.Overall results contribute to our position inuniversity league tables, so this is an opportunityto influence how Newcastle University isperceived nationally. Please complete thequestionnaire and return it to the address given.Every response is greatly valued.

Ever the topical issue on packed commutertrains across the UK, our quest for a betterstandard of public transport on the country’srailways remains largely unfulfilled.With muchof Europe and many countries beyond enjoyingthe pleasure of quick, reliable and comfortablerailway transport, the UK seems to be stuck inthe past. However, award-winning work fromthe University’s railway research centre looksset to put the UK back on track.

Based in the School of Mechanical andSystems Engineering, NewRail has recently beenawarded University Research Centre (URC)status for the next five years, in recognition ofthe depth and breadth of the research it iscurrently conducting.

Under the directorship of Professor MarkRobinson, NewRail scooped the prestigious JEC(European Composite Exhibition) award for‘Composites in Land Transport’ in 2004, and is

Railway research on track for success

Working together

currently split into four distinct groups, eachlooking at a specific research area.

These research groups range from lookingat safety issues concerning rail systems,materials, structures and the interface betweenwheel and rail, to the interconnection of rail withother forms of transport (ie road, sea andwaterways) and transport studies. Incollaboration with the University’s IndustrialStatistics Research Unit (ISRU), NewRail’s railsystems group looks at issues relating topassengers and freight, in an attempt tomaximise the effectiveness of railway transport.

NewRail has its very own full-scale testfacility in Derbyshire, which includes over a mileof running track, and it is unique for a URC tohave such a facility off-site.

The centre continues to raise its profilethroughout the railway industry through a seriesof newsletters, conferences and open days.

For further information on the work ofNewRail, please visit its website atwww.newrail.org

If you’re looking for a challenging and diverserole that will engage you in the very heart ofactivities here at Newcastle University, thenwe’re looking for you.

Becoming an Alumni Volunteer gives youthe chance to renew your involvement with theUniversity, catch up with old friends and mixwith fellow graduates both socially andprofessionally.Working with the AlumniAssociation also allows you to tap in to ourglobal network of graduates, and engage in someof the groundbreaking work that’s beingconducted both on campus and throughcollaborative partnerships across the world.

‘Alumni Volunteers are playing a key role inensuring the success of the University, andraising its profile throughout the world’, saidLauren Huntington,Alumni Relations Officer.‘Our volunteers are really making a differenceboth on and off campus.’

For a copy of Working Together, our volunteerbrochure, please e-mail your name andgraduation details to [email protected]


Arches ClassnotesVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

1930sTwin brothers Henry SODEN-BIRD (LLB 1937)and Drew SODEN-BIRD (LLB 1935) were two ofthe earliest LLB graduates of Armstrong College,later King’s College, Durham before it becameNewcastle University. Henry’s son, Charles Soden-Bird graduated from the University with a BA inCombined Studies in 1980, and is now also asolicitor. Drew still takes a keen interest inUniversity matters, and lives in Whitley Bay.

1950sDr Salil Kumar MAJUMDAR (PhD Agriculture1957) returned to India after his graduation,where he took up an academic post with GauhatiUniversity. He was appointed as Professor ofAgronomy in 1965, and remained at Gauhati untilhis retirement in 1987. Dr Majumdar was marriedin 1958, and has a son, who also works inagriculture, and a daughter.

John STUBBS (BDS 1958) and Meg STUBBS(MBBS 1958) met as first-year students, andmarried on 4 July 1956.They graduated on theirsecond wedding anniversary in Durham Cathedralin an imposing ceremony, and moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in January 1959,where they worked hard in medicine, dentistry,and civic affairs.They have also enjoyed thebeauty of Africa.About to depart on their GoldenWedding celebration trip around the world,including a cruise in the Caribbean, John and Meg will visit family and friends en route, and end up in Auckland, New Zealand, to settle for afew months.

1960sHeather MÜLLER née GAGE (BA General 1962)taught in the UK following her graduation, beforemoving to work for the Ministry of Education inZimbabwe in 1969, where she married her

husband. In 1972 Heather moved to Botswanaand taught on a part-time basis, before the birthof her daughter in 1974. Since 1975, Heather andher family have lived in Germany, where sheworks as a freelance teacher and translator.

Dr Adrian RANDALL (BA Geography 1963; PhD1972) and other former members of the CrossCountry club held a reunion at Close House,Newcastle in May 2006. If there is anyone outthere who ran for King’s College in the 1960s,Adrian wants to hear from you.You can e-mailhim at [email protected]

Mike SHARPE (Civil Engineering 1968) has just finished his year as President of theInstitution of Highways and Transportation.Previous presidents from Newcastle have beenProfessors Fisher Cassie,Tom Williams and PeterHills. Mike has retired as Director ofTransportation with Cambridgeshire CountyCouncil, and now acts as Regional Director for aconsultancy firm.

Professor Keith SYERS (BSc Agriculture 1960)has been awarded the prestigious InternationalSoil Science Award for 2006. He is currently Deanof Science at Mae Fah Luang University in ChiangRai,Thailand.

Ian WILLIAMS (BSc Naval Architecture 1966)has been made a Member of the Order ofAustralia (AM) in the 2006 Queen’s BirthdayHonours List, ‘for service to transport throughcontributions to the improvement ofinternational maritime safety, and to professional organisations’.After graduating with first-class honours, Ian moved to Australia in1971 and became a leading figure in maritimesafety. Since his retirement, he has continued towork on the safety of, and regulations applying to, ocean-going and small vessels in Australia,the UK,Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Africa.

ClassnotesIf you would like your news to be printed inthe next issue of Arches, please contact DARO

either by phone on 0044 (0)191 222 7250 orby e-mail at [email protected]

1970sDouglas BINSTEAD (BA Modern History 1970)qualified as a solicitor in 1976, and now works asa Higher Courts Advocate and Head of ComplexCasework for the Crown Prosecution Service inCumbria. Douglas is a Rotarian, and is marriedwith five children. Both he and his wife have beenfoster carers for 10 years.

Dr Brian HUGHES (BSc Chemistry 1972) workedin the chemical industry after University, beforejoining BNFL where he remained for 18 yearsuntil his retirement, having held a variety ofpositions with the company. Since retirement, hehas been Company Secretary and Director of aproperty management business. He wasappointed Justice of the Peace in 1999 andawarded an Honorary DPhil in 2004. Finallyretired, he and his wife Margaret have lived inGermany for the last five years, trying to learn thelanguage and loving every minute of it!

1980sSandra HUTCHINSON (BA Economics 1983;Graduate Certificate in Education 1984) haswritten a groundbreaking book on special needs.Published in May this year, The Good SchoolsGuide Special Educational Needs has beendescribed by the writer Nick Hornby as ‘practical,fearless, frank, sympathetic and lively’ and ‘exactlywhat has been needed for a very long time’.

Diana MORTREUX née HOUNSLOW (BA French1985) lives in France with her husband and fourchildren, and is Director of the Pas-De-CalaisTourist Board with which she has been workingsince 1987.

Dr Justin O’BRIEN (BA Politics and East AsianStudies 1989) has recently been appointed asProfessor of Corporate Governance at the Centrefor Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, based atthe Australian National University (ANU) inCanberra,Australia.

Ruth SUNDERLAND (BA English 1983;MA English and American Literature 1986)has moved to a new job as Business Editor of

25

the Observer, a national UK Sunday newspaper.She has previously worked as Business Editor onthe Mail on Sunday and Chief City Correspondentfor the Daily Mail.

1990sRob BEADMAN (BA Financial and BusinessEconomics 1999) married Kate ARDING (BA History 1999) in January 2006. Rob iscurrently working as a Chartered Accountant for Deloitte and Kate is working in Corporate Actions at Barclays Capital – both in London.

James Andrew GIBSON (MEng 1999)married Rebecca Emma JACKSON (LLB Law1999) on 28 July 2006 at All Saints’ Church,Brompton-by-Sawdon, North Yorkshire. Jamesworks as a Senior Engineer for consultants FaberMaunsell in their Leeds office. Rebecca works forBarnsley Metropolitan Borough Council as aTransportation Officer and is currently studyingpart time for an MSc in Transport Planning at theUniversity of Leeds’ Institute for TransportStudies.The wedding was attended by manyNewcastle alumni, including Alex Smith (BAHistory 1999), who was Chief Bridesmaid, andLloyd Kellock (BArch 2002), who was Best Man.The couple have lived in Barnsley, South Yorkshiresince graduation.

David JACKSON (BSc Statistics 1996) andRachel BERESFORD (BA Linguistics 1997) were married in August 2005, after having metwhilst studying at the University.They now live in Manchester.

Dr Manzoor MALIK (PhD Agriculture 1995) has recently been appointed as Director-in-Charge of the regional office of the PakistanCouncil of Research in Water Resources inPeshawar, Pakistan.

Dr Suleyman MUYIBI (PhD Civil Engineering 1995) has been promoted to Professor of Bioenvironmental Engineering at the International Islamic University,Malaysia.

James PAICE (BSc Agri-Business Managementand Economics 1999) and Maria SOLARI (BScAgri-Business Management and Marketing2000) met at Newcastle, and were married inJanuary 2006. Several friends from theirUniversity days were able to attend the wedding,which was held in Shropshire.They now both livein Cambridgeshire and work for fresh producecompanies in the area.

George PHILLIPOS (MSc Marine Engineering1992) currently works with Queensland Railways in Brisbane,Australia. He has recentlywritten a book entitled The Men Inside:Chronicles of a Modern Mariner, which tells anumber of fascinating stories about the lives ofmarines at sea.

Shawki SROUR (MSc Groundwater Engineering 1998) would like to announce thebirth of his son Karim, born on 24 February 2006.

Ross Whitelaw (MEng 1995) and Claire Jordan(BA Combined Studies 1994) married on 9 September 2006 in a ceremony at the Sage Gateshead music venue which was attended by many of the friends they made atNewcastle University. Ross is a consultant withthe Newcastle branch of Royal Haskoning (coastal and rivers section) and Claire is Media Relations Manager with the University’sMedia and Communications Office.They live in Gosforth.

2000sGillian HAMNETT (BA Ancient History 2004)gained a first at Newcastle and then another at Oxford (Master of Studies in Ancient History). She is currently working for the Oxford University Press and is getting married in March 2007.

Jeni HARVEY (BA English Literature 2003) was arunner up in this year’s Paul Foot Award forCampaigning Journalism. Her work for theMiddleton and North Manchester Guardian hasbeen described as ‘local newspaper journalism atits most dynamic and courageous’.

Angela LOWES and Damien WILSON (both BA Politics 2003) were married on 2 September 2006.They currently live inSouthend on Sea, Essex.

Viki TAHMASEBI (BA English Literature 2004)has recently returned from travelling around theworld, having visited Singapore, Hong Kong,Australia, New Zealand, Fiji,Tijuana and the USA.She is now working in public relations and hopesto build a successful career in the industry.

Lee A Wilkinson (PhD Education 2004) is anationally certified school psychologist andProfessor in Education and Behavioural Studies atPalm Beach Atlantic University in Florida, USA. Hehas authored a number of articles on school-based consultation practices for professionaljournals and newsletters in the UK and US, mostrecently on supporting the inclusion of studentswith Asperger Syndrome for the journalEducational Psychology in Practice.

John WILLIAMS (MPhil Speech 2003) held afellowship at the University of Melbourne, SouthAustralia in 2003.The fellowship focused partlyon the debate surrounding the future of English asa discipline in the twenty-first century.

ObituariesThe University is deeply saddened to announcethe deaths of the following Newcastle alumni.Please visit our website atwww.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/news/obituaries where youcan read full obituaries of the deceased.

William BETTON (BSc Geography 2004)Peter Austin COBBETT (LLB 1949)Michael HAZZLEDINE (BA Fine Art 1961)Graeme TURNER (BA Economics andGeography 1999)Frank WARD (BSc Electrical Engineering 1963)


Arches EventsVisit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni

EventsThe Development and Alumni Relations Officeorganises a number of alumni events andreunions each year, and all graduates areencouraged to attend where possible.

For our full events programme, and reviewsand photos from previous events, please visitour website at www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/eventsPlease keep us informed of any change to your

postal or e-mail addresses, using the contactdetails at the bottom of the page, so we canensure that your event invitations arrive withyou in plenty of time.

● Launch of GOLD Network Newcastle:On 20 July, alumni from across the region wereinvited to the launch party of our brand newGOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Networkat Newcastle’s Pitcher & Piano in associationwith Nigel Wright Recruitment.Attendees weretreated to a generous supply of complimentarydrinks, and a speech from Tarek Nseir, founder ofTH_NK – one of the North East’s foremost new

media companies. There was also a prize drawfor a bottle of champagne, which was won byMr Kin Choi (BSc Mathematics and Statistics2000). Designed exclusively for alumni whohave graduated within the last 10 years to meet socially and pool business ideas, theGOLD Network will soon be launching in citiesacross the UK, so keep an eye on our website formore details.

● Alumni drinks reception in Athens:An event at the prestigious St George Lycabettushotel on 5 October marked the re-launch of theGreek branch of the Alumni Association in Athens.Attended by over 250 alumni, and a number ofrepresentatives from the University includingstaff from DARO, the Careers Service, and theVice-Chancellor himself, this was the first alumni event in Greece for six years.We’d like to thank Venetia Koussia (MPhil Agriculture1988; PhD 1994) and Danny Zafiris (BSc AppliedScience 1958), for all their help in re-launchingthe Greek branch.The next Athens event isplanned for Spring 2007, with plans afoot to rollout activity in other areas of Greece in thecoming year.

● Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty events: In September, the University had the pleasure and the privilege of hosting a reunion for Politics graduates at the House of Commons in London.Around 150 alumni representing five decades of former students attended the event, which was highlighted by Professor Hugh Berrington’s Lecture: The Golden Age That Never Was?

● 2006 has also seen a number of othersuccessful faculty events hosted by theUniversity. In July, drinks receptions for alumni ofboth the School of Architecture, Planning andLandscape and Newcastle Law School were heldat the Royal Society for the Encouragement ofArts (RSA) in London.

For more information on the above events,as well as those not mentioned here, pleasevisit our website atwww.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/events

Events reviews

27

Wine tasting eveningOn 2 June, Newcastle graduates met at theVermont Hotel on the Quayside for an eveningof wine tasting, hosted by wine expert ChrisPowell from the Newcastle Wine School.Alumni had a chance to sample an array of finewines and took part in an informal quiz to testtheir palette.

Reunion Weekend Lecture Delivered by Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of the NewcastleGateshead Initiative, this year’s Reunion Weekend Lecture was aninformative and inspiring insight into thedevelopment of culture and tourism inNewcastle and Gateshead.

Forthcoming events:

20 – 29 January 2007 – The Vice-Chancellor’sfarewell visit to the Far East. Prior to his retirementin 2007, the Vice-Chancellor will be visitingvarious locations throughout the Far East, alongwith other representatives from the University.The visit will include a stop in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, between 20–22 January (venue to beconfirmed), and an alumni event at the prestigiousTanglin Club in Singapore on 26 January.

1 March 2007 – Great North Museum Event atthe Hatton Gallery. Sir Terry Farrell (BArch 1961),architect of the Great North Museum project, willgive a public lecture on the history of the HancockMuseum (Newcastle to Beijing and Back Again),followed by a special drinks reception at theHatton Gallery for those involved with the project.Please note that places for the drinks reception areavailable by invitation only.

30 June 2007 – Reunion Weekend 2007.This year we will be celebrating a number ofanniversaries, including the 50th of

Convocation, the 30th of Newcastle LawSchool, 50th of Computing Science and 25th of Mathematics and Statistics. This year’sReunion Weekend will also feature the 2007Walton Trophy alumni golf tournament onSunday 1 July.

10 – 11 July 2007 – Year of 1957 MBBS PrivateReunion. Drs Hedley Brown and Brian Posnerwill be hosting the 50th Anniversary of the yeargroup’s graduation in Newcastle. For furtherdetails please contact Dr Posner by e-mail [email protected]

Provisional dates for your diary:

February 2007 – Newcastle University BusinessSchool event in New Delhi; GOLD Network eventin Newcastle.

March 2007 – 2nd GOLD Network event inLondon; Neuroscience event.

April 2007 – School of Historical Studiesalumni drinks reception.

May 2007 – ‘Past vs Present’ student sportsday; Newcastle-based MBBS alumni drinksreception; ‘International Leavers’ event (forgraduating international students).

June 2007 – Graduation Job Fair andGraduation Ball.

July 2007 – 3rd Gold Network event inNewcastle.

Check our online calendar for all upcomingevents and confirmation of dates and venuesas soon as they become available.

Contact usIf you need any further information on any ofour events, have any suggestions for futureevents, or would like to recommend a venue,please contact our Events Officer Maria Szpitunby e-mail at [email protected] or by phoneon 0044 (0) 191 222 3638.You can also visitour website at www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/events

Review of Reunion Weekend June 2006

Events diary 2007

Afternoon activities On the Saturday afternoon, alumni were invitedon a guided tour to see recent developments onthe Quayside; including the award-winningGateshead Millennium Bridge, the BALTIC Centrefor Contemporary Art and the striking SageGateshead music and arts centre.

Convocation LectureAll of Life is Here by Professor John Burn,Head of the University’s Institute of HumanGenetics, was the most popular sub-eventamong our alumni (with 250 attendees) and itexplored some important advances in medicalresearch, ranging from birth defects to cancerand dementia.

ClothingL20* Newcastle University Rugby Shirt . . . . . . £42.95

Size options XS, S, M, L, XL or XXLL21* Navy/White T-Shirt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.95

Size options XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL or XXLL22* Newcastle University Hoodie . . . . . . . . . . £32.95

Size options XS, S, M, L, XL or XXL

Scarves and TiesScarves and ties are available in general University andfaculty colours, please e-mail or telephone if you areunsure of your faculty.S1* Alumni (Grey or Blue, Silk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . £19.95S2* Lion (Silk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £19.95S3* University Shield (Silk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £19.95

(Navy or Wine)S4* University Shield (See S3, Polyester) . . . . . £9.95

(Navy or Wine)T5* Broad Stripe (Polyester) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.95T4 General University Tie (See T11, Polyester)T11* Humanities and Social Sciences

Tie (HASS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.95T12* Medical Sciences Scarf Tie (MEDICS) . . . £9.95T13* Science, Agriculture and

Engineering Tie (SAgE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.95S7* Lambswool Scarves (100% Lambswool) . £16.95

(Navy, Charcoal, Silver, Grey and Red)S6 General University Scarf . . . . . . . . . . . . . £22.95

(Pure Wool also S11/12/13)S11* Humanities and Social Sciences

Scarf (HASS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £22.95S12 Medical Sciences Scarf (MEDICS) . . . . . £22.95S13* Science, Agriculture and

Engineering Scarf (SAgE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . £22.95

MiscellaneousM18* Newcastle University Monopoly Game . . £24.95

JewelleryJ14* Gold Plated Enamel Cuff Links . . . . . . . . £19.95

Parchment FramesM26 Gilt Parchment Frame (30cm x 40cm) . . . £19.95M27* Black Parchment Frame (30cm x 40cm) . £19.95

Leisure WearL11* Baseball Caps, Cotton Drill . . . . . . . . . . . . £7.95L12* Bronx Wool Hats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £7.95

Wear your Newcastle colours with pride

* Indicates item shown in photographs. Items not to scale. All orders subject to availability and price change. An alternative itemmay be substituted if out of stock. Allow up to six weeks for delivery.Prices correct at time of print October 2006.

Official Memorabilia2006/07

L20L22

J14

M18

S3

S2 T5 S1

S7

S13

S11

L12

L11

T11T12

T13

M27

L21

The Memorabilia Shop has a wide selection of qualitymerchandise, designed exclusively for Newcastle University.For our full range of products, visit our online store atwww.ncl.ac.uk/university-shop which can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Alternatively, you canvisit the shop itself on campus.

To order, please either visit our online store, or complete theenclosed order form and return it to:

Memorabilia ShopMuseum of Antiquities Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RUTel: 0191 222 7849 Fax: 0191 222 8489

The Newcastle University Alumni Association Magazine Issue 8 / … · 2017-08-08 · tickets...

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