Seminar Series Archive
'Modern Day Slavery' .............................................February 20
'President COTA Vic' ................................................................March 20
'Life with Gough: E.G. Whitlam and the Politics of Reform' ...................April 17
'Muscles, exercise and whole body health: an investment in the future' ... May 17
'The Order of Malta: past and present'......... June 19
Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Immigration - Q&A @ U3APP ............. August 21
Perspectives on Population Growth: a panel discussion .................. October 16
'Crime and Justice' .................... November 20 POSTPONED
February 20 2010 - Modern Day Slavery
Speaker: Mr Roscoe Howell.
The year from March 2009 marks the two hundred and second anniversary of the abolition of slavery by the British Parliament. The Act eventually suppressed slavery and the slave trade in the British Empire and on the seas. However slavery did not end 200 years ago. There are 27 million slaves in the world today - poor and vulnerable people who are owned, bonded or trafficked - children, women, child soldiers, sex slaves, debt slaves. The speaker describes how Australians may encounter modern slavery and what we might do to avoid its continuation.
March 20 2010 - U3APP 6th AGM
Guest speaker Janet Wood, President COTA Victoria
April 17 2010 - Life with Gough: E.G. Whitlam and the Politics of Reform
Speaker: Dr Race Mathews.
Race Mathews has been chief of staff to Gough Whitlam when Leader of the Opposition, a federal MP, a state MP and minister, a municipal Councillor and an academic.
May 17 2010 - 'Muscles, exercise and whole body health: an investment in the future'
Speaker: Professor Gordon Lynch.
Prof Lynch is Head of the Basic and Clinical Myology Laboratory. His research is focussed on the study of muscle wasting particularly understanding the mechanisms responsible for altered skeletal muscle structure and function as a consequence of aging, muscle injury, neuromuscular diseases, and cancer cachexia. He is passionate about translating his research and knowledge to the community, promoting the benefits of physical activity to people of all ages. He gets this important message out to the community in a variety of ways including via the radio as the ABC 774 Overnights' Health and Fitness expert, where he can be heard every Tuesday morning promoting the benefits of good nutrition and physical activity to people of all ages.
June 19 2010 - 'The Order of Malta: past and present'
Speaker: Professor Mary Galea, Dame of the Order of Malta.
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta commenced as a monastic community, the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem dating back to 1048, from which time the knights of the Order cared for pilgrims, the sick and the needy. With the responsibilities of military defence of the sick and the Christian territories, the Order evolved into both a religious and a military chivalric Order. The Order played a key role in some of the mightiest battles in Europe, built dispensaries, hospitals and medical centres, invested in medical research, and has been a patron of the arts. In the 21st century the Order still actively demonstrates the humanitarian and medical commitments that inspired the founding of the Order.
August 21 2010 - Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Immigration - Q&A @ U3APP
This topic is engendering impassioned debate within the community. Join a panel of experts to tease out the issues.
October 16 2010 - Perspectives on Population Growth: a panel discussion
Explore current and future issues on population growth and the future of our society with a panel of senior experts.
November 20 2010 POSTPONED - Crime and Justice.
Speaker: Robin Bowles.
Join Melbourne author, Robin Bowles National convenor of Sisters in Crime Australia as she talks about her brush with the law. Robin has written extensively about justice in Australia through books such as Blind Justice, Justice Denied and more recently Blood Brother.
'Transparency International uncovered' .............................................February 21
'Stem Cells Made Easy' ................................................................March 21
'GM foods: the science, issues, application and ethics' ...................May 16
'Battling bugs on boats: How can we minimise the risk of marine pests ...?' ... June 20
'700,000 Non-Government Agencies - Are They Sufficient or .............?'......... July 18
Language endangerment: How should we respond? Ethical dilemmas ............. August 15
February 21 2009 - 'Transparency International uncovered'
Speaker: David Mattiske
Transparency International, the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, brings people together in a powerful worldwide coalition to end the devastating impact of corruption on men, women and children around the world. Its mission is to create change towards a world free of corruption. This global network includes more than 98 locally established national chapters and chapters-in-formation as well as its International Secretariat in Berlin who fight corruption in the national arena in a number of ways. They bring together relevant players from government, civil society, business and the media to promote transparency in elections, in public administration, in procurement and in business.
March 21 2009 - 'Stem Cells Made Easy'
Guest speaker: Dr Mary Familari, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne
As an internationally recognised research scientist in developmental biology and after a number of years as a Fogarty International Fellow at the National Institute of Health at Bethesda in Maryland, USA, Dr Familari was appointed as a lecturer and senior research fellow in the Department of Zoology. Mary is also the current President of the Victorian Society for Developmental Biology. She is fascinated by all aspects of developing embryos, and in particular how bunches of cells within an embryo know when and how to form an organ, such as an ovary, a liver or a gut. She studies the events of early development and the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to specialized cells in an embryo, including the formation and differentiation of embryonic stem cells. Whither now ….?
May 16 2009 - 'GM foods: the science, issues, application and ethics'
Speaker: Jason Major, Manager Gene & NanoTechnology Information Service
Explore the complex issues surrounding this topical scientific, economic and politic reality. The Gene & NanoTechnology Information Service was established to meet a growing community need for balanced and factual information on biotechnology. It is funded by the Australian Government and operates in partnership with the University of Melbourne, CSIRO and relevant Australian government departments and authorities. It provides a free information service and an outreach program which provides a range of balanced and factual explanations to help raise awareness about biotechnology and the associated issues. GTIS's ultimate aim is to help people make an informed decision, especially with the more controversial technologies.
June 20 2009 - 'Battling bugs on boats: How can we minimise the risk of marine pest invasions?'
Speaker: John Lewis, Principal Marine Consultant, ES Link Services
John Lewis is a nationally and internationally acknowledged expert on marine antifouling technologies. His primary research interests have been on studying and managing marine biofouling, included the development of a solution for painting of the rubber tiles on the Collins class submarines. His research has contributed the International Maritime Organization in developing international conventions for international shipping. John’s major focus has now moved on to introduced and invasive marine pests, the risk posed by vessel biofouling in translocating these pests, and the development of national and international strategies to minimise this risk.
July 18 2009 - '700,000 Non-Government Agencies -Are They Sufficient or Are There Too Many?'
Speaker: Dr David Scott AO,
Dr Scott, former Executive Director of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Founding Director of Community Aid Abroad (OXFAM Australia) and President of ACOSS asks - "Where did they come from; what do they do; how are they governed; who pays; do they spend money well; do they overlap; are they doing the government's work; do they ever fade away?"
Dr Scott is the author of 'Don't Mourn for Me: Organise. A study of the Political Uses of Non-Government Organisations'.
August 15 2009 - Language endangerment: How should we respond? Ethical dilemmas in 'saving' a language.
Speaker: Dr Tonya Stebbins, Research Fellow, Linguistics Program, La Trobe University
Language endangerment is not in the news as much as linguists might like but it does get publicity. Linguists around the world, and particularly in Australia are actively involved in a broad range of communities seeking to slow or halt the shift to major world languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese. The difficulty is that there are no quick fixes - in fact there can be real difficulties in sorting out where to focus community energy and the research dollar. In this presentation Dr Stebbins will outline some of the ethical complexities associated with responding to language endangerment.
'Housing Designs for all Stages of Life'.............................................February 16
AGM & 'History of U3A in Australia.'...............................................March 15
'The Australian Fabian Society - then & now!'.............................April 19
'The Rise of Local Climate Change Action Groups' ...................May 17
'The Australian Synchrotron: a new source of enlightenment'.... June 21
'Beyond the Melbourne Hofbrauhaus: ...'. ............................ July 19
'The Collins Class Submarine Story: Steel, Spies and Spin' ... August 16
'An afternoon with Alan Hopgood' ....................................................October 18
'Winning the Vote: women and suffrage in Victoria' ........................November 24
February 16 2008 - 'Housing Designs for all Stages of Life'
Speaker: Bridget Sutherland, Aged Care Environment Consultant
March 15 2008 - 2pm U3A Port Phillip 2008 AGM
Seminar speaker: Cliff Picton, co-founder of U3A in Australia
April 19 2008 - 'The Australian Fabian Society - then & now!'
Speaker: The Honourable Dr Race Mathews, National Chairman, Australian Fabian Society, Adjunct Professor, Business & Law, Deakin University
Established in 1947 and active ever since, the Australian Fabian Society is Australia's oldest political think tank. For more than half a century, they have been at the forefront of research into political ideas and public policy reform and their publications have played an important part in determining both state and national political agendas. Famous Australian Fabians include some of the great Prime Ministers and Political leaders of our country.
May 17 2008 - 'The Rise of Local Climate Change Action Groups'
Speaker: Deborah Hart
100s of 1,000s of Australians are forming or joining local action groups to force leadership on climate change. Deborah Hart, local campaigner for L.I.V.E. (Locals Into Victoria's Environment) will discuss how to turn your concerns about climate change and your worries about water into positive action. Based in the City of Port Phillip, L.I.V.E. is a non partisan, independent group which engages with governments, industry and other community groups to secure a healthy future for all through a transition to a more sustainable economy.
June 21 2008 - 'The Australian Synchrotron: a new source of enlightenment'
Opened in July 2007, the Australian Synchrotron is an exciting new tool for researchers in many different fields. Synchrotrons have been used to develop smoother chocolate, wool that feels like silk, better flu drugs, more absorbent nappies, and more reliable plastic products. They are also helping to locate gold deposits, reduce mineral processing costs, develop hi-tech materials, and investigate new methods for identifying and treating cancer.
A synchrotron is a large machine that accelerates electrons to almost the speed of light. When huge magnets make the electrons change direction, the electrons emit ‘synchrotron light’, which is then used for scientific experiments and analyses.
July 19 2008 - 'Beyond the Melbourne Hofbrauhaus: German speakers in Victoria's past and present'.
Speaker: Leo Kretzenbacher, Chair of German, Russian & Swedish Studies, School of Languages & Linguistics, University of Melbourne
Explore the history and diversity of German speakers in Victoria from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire through the Sorbian migrants who settled in Thomastown (then Westgarthtown) in the 19th century to the present.
August 16 2008 - 'The Collins Class Submarine Story: Steel, Spies and Spin'
Speaker: Dr Peter Yule, Honorary Fellow, School of Historical Studies, University of Melbourne
A unique and outstanding military and industrial achievement, the Collins class submarine project was also plagued with difficulties and mired in politics. Its story is one of heroes and villains, grand passions, intrigue, lies, spies and backstabbing. It is as well a story of enormous commitment and resolve to achieve what many thought impossible. Dr Yule co-authored this riveting and accessibly written chronicle of a grand-scale quest for excellence.
October 18 2008 - Festival special with Alan Hopgood
November 15 2008 - 'Winning the Vote: women and suffrage in Victoria'
Speaker :Dr Rosemary Francis, Honorary Fellow, School of Historical Studies, University of Melbourne.
Dr Francis will speak about the fight to grant women the right to vote in Victoria. It's a staggering and stunning piece of our history. Victoria was the state where women’s suffrage was first raised but the last Australian state to grant women the vote. Victoria was also the last state to grant women the right to stand for Parliament. As part of the Australian Women's Archives Project, Dr Francis is working on a project to compile an online register of all the female candidates who stood for election to the Victorian Parliament from 1924, when women in Victoria gained the right to stand for parliament, until the present.