International Women’s Day provides a timely reason to discover our ‘living memorial’ of prominent women near the Flinders Footbridge, while we also celebrate achievements in the creative arts, archaeology and childhood glaucoma awareness.
Take a walk on the women’s side
A little-known historical treasure trove that identifies prominent South Australian women – spanning past and present achievers – can be found near Flinders University’s main footbridge. The ‘living memorial’ line of plaques citing notable women can be found along the avenue of 54 trees planted more than 25 years ago along the main path between the footbridge and University Hall.
Each tree honours a woman who has made a significant contribution to society, reflecting the aims of the early suffragists. These trees were planted in May 1994 as part of celebrations marking the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage.
Women included along the avenue are SA’s first female Member of Parliament Jessie Cooper, SA’s first female Member of the Upper House Joyce Steele, early suffragist Mary Lee, social reformers Catherine Helen Spence and Elizabeth Webb-Nicholls.
Others include former MP and Governor Dame Roma Mitchell, former Flinders University chancellor Sister Deirdre Jordan (Dlitt ’86), humanitarian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander campaigner Lois (Lowitja) O’Donoghue and luminary educators such as Rebecca Bailey-Harris, Sister Mary Carmel Bourke and Sister Judith Redden (MEdAdmin ’81, EdD ’19).
Also featured is Flinders alumna and former MP Diana Laidlaw, who was awarded an honorary doctorate by Flinders University in 2003 for her commitment to visual and performing arts in SA.
Graduates win big reward through innovator program
Flinders University graduates, Alexander Salkicevic and Bryce Kraehenbuehl have received funding through the Creative Innovator Program, an initiative of the Helpmann Academy. Alexander and Bryce received $20,000 in seed funding for their film production business, Two Up Films, after impressing the pitch panel with their innovative business model.
The Helpmann Academy Creative Innovator Program is a six-month tailored program designed to help participants develop their business model and hone their entrepreneurial mindset. Overall, 14 emerging creatives were named as participants for 2022, including several other Flinders graduates:
• Emerging filmmaker Aiden Van Nielen aims expand his videography business, while emerging film and television producer Brooke Bowering will learn from industry professionals and collaborate with other creatives, while developing a solid business plan.
• Chloe Tornow is an emerging fashion designer who runs equestrian apparel business Tornow Equestrian and has designed a tailored equestrian jacket with impact protection built into the design.
• Felicity Boyd, an emerging dancer and co-founder of dance collective Motus Collective, will better equip herself, colleagues and collaborators with the tools to continue employing local artists and engaging local audiences.
• Emily Eilers and Hannah Ranger are emerging filmmakers looking to establish a film production company that that promotes and celebrates diversity through media, by focusing on documentaries about female-led stories, LGBTQ+ issues and disability rights.
• Susie Althorp is an emerging ceramicist who wants to translate her exhibition pieces into a polished line of customised porcelain lighting designs for domestic and commercial settings.
• Melissa Pullinger, Ren Williams, Aarod Vawser and Connor Reidy formed the CRAM Collective, a new South Australian independent arts company with a focus on ‘cramming’ a range of creatives and art forms together and creating brave new work. The collective hopes the program will help develop its business model and hone an entrepreneurial mindset as a creative company.
Childhood glaucoma researcher reaches wider audience
Final year College of Medicine and Public Health PhD candidate Lachlan Knight is studying the quality of life of individuals with childhood glaucoma, and their parents. He recently published an interview study in Ophthalmology Glaucoma with PhD supervisors Dr Emmanuelle Souzeau and Professor Jamie Craig, detailing the quality of life of adults with childhood glaucoma. Another paper he has produced details the lived experience of the caregiver.
After presenting at the Australian and New Zealand Glaucoma Society meeting, he was declared runner-up for the Kath Holmes Scholarship and then won best presentation for his paper on the quality of life of children with glaucoma at the Orthoptics Australia annual conference. He will continue to put his knowledge into the public arena by presenting tomorrow to the Glaucoma Australia Facebook Support Group.
Rock shelter archaeology explained
Flinders University researcher Associate Professor Ian Moffat will deliver the first lecture for the Royal Society of SA’s 2022 scientific program this week. His seminar, titled Using Geophysical Techniques in Archaeological Rock Shelters, will be delivered to members online.
Dr Moffat is an Associate Professor of Archaeological Science at Flinders University, specialising in the application of earth science techniques (particularly geophysics, geochemistry and geoarchaeology) to archaeological research questions. His work is currently focused on examining hominin and faunal responses to climate variation at sites in South Africa, Indonesia, Australia, France and Israel, and the landscape scale investigation of archaeological sites in Mongolia, Cambodia and Australia.
One of his most recent papers, Environmental influences on human innovation and behavioural diversity in southern Africa 92–80 thousand years ago, has been published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.