With Valentine’s Day just around the corner (Hint: It’s tomorrow for anyone needing to do some last minute shopping), check out some of Flinders’ very own love stories that have bloomed on campus.
Maritime Archaeology Technical Officer Hiro Yoshida and wife Sandra, who is currently studying a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management, took the depth of their love to a whole new level at their 2013 wedding, setting a Guiness World Record when they got married 130m below the surface in a cave at Song Hong Lake, Trang, Thailand. Now raising their four young children, Hiro and Sandra are passing on their love for the environment to the next generation.
University campuses feature heavily in Lina and Scott Maney’s love story, as they met while working at the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia. Scott then made the move to Flinders to take up the role of Technical Lead in Exercise Physiology and Sports Science, before Lina made the journey to Bedford Park a few months later. Despite working on different campuses, with Scott at Sturt and Lina at the main campus, they make time to catch up for coffee or grab a bite to eat when they need to talk through a tough day – and they say the walk between campuses provides a good way to get some fresh air and sunshine.
Heather Robinson and Professor John Long met in 2001, when they were both working at the Western Australian Museum. He invited her up to the Kimberley region to look for ancient fossil fish and the rest, as they say, is history.
Sharing a love of adventure, Heather and John have travelled to remote places in search of ancient species, from the depths of Nullarbor caves to the wind-swept plans of Spain. Even though they work on “opposite sides of the lake” – John is Professor of Palaeontology, while Heather is an Adjunct Research Associate in CHASS – their shared background in research, education and writing prevents any interdisciplinary divide.
“We don’t believe in a gap between the sciences and humanities,” says Professor Long. “Scientists, artists and researchers all face the same challenges and imperatives, drawing on ideas, expertise and knowledge that has come before, to unveil new perspectives and understanding of our changing world. It’s great being in a partnership which values this, and we have a lot of fun exploring it together”.