Our 60th celebrations are underway
19 September 2011
As the year unfolds, AVI is running a range of events from May 2011 to June 2012 to celebrate 60 years of international volunteering.
Left: The Hon Michael Kirby (centre) with the Hon Prof Michael Lavarch (centre left) and QUT Law Faculty colleague with special guest Nigerian lawyers at AVI's 60th event in Brisbane. Photo Samantha Boardman / AVI
We've already run these events, with many more to come:
Queensland
At the stunning location of Government House in Brisbane on 19 May, 150 Queenslanders celebrated 60 years of international volunteering with AVI and the Queensland University of Technology, with speeches from three generations of legal volunteers.
While the Hon Michael Kirby talked about the importance of the Australian legal community embracing opportunities to share their skills with developing countries, the highlight was when he joined 15 Nigerian lawyers in an impromptu rendition of the Nigerian national anthem.
Returned AVI volunteer and former Queensland Attorney-General the Hon Cameron Dick MP, Minister for Education and Industrial Relations, reflected with good humour and pride about his volunteer assignment in Tuvalu and its impact on his career.
Recently returned AVI volunteer Lyma Nguyen inspired guests with her account of working alongside Cambodia's legal community to support victims of Khmer Rouge policies.
Victoria
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| Returned volunteer Adele Perry talks about her role as an Occupational Therapy Specialist at UNRWA Syria with long term friend of AVI Alec Simpson. Photo Bree Manley / AVI |
On 15 June, over 250 friends of AVI returned to the birthplace of Australia's international volunteer movement, the University of Melbourne, for AVI's 60th celebrations.
The first volunteers under the Volunteer Graduate Scheme (VGS, AVI's predecessor) were all University of Melbourne graduates.
In the audience volunteers from every decade of AVI's, the Overseas Services Bureau and the VGS' volunteer history was represented.
During the speeches returned volunteer Hugh O'Neill sat under a photo of himself taken whilst a volunteer in Indonesia in 1958.
It was amazing to hear the stories of Dorothy Jones and Barbara Praetz, volunteers in the 1960s, and the only two of our volunteers to go to Singapore.
On the evening we were entertained with a talk by Jemma Purdey, the author of the recently released Herb Feith biography From Vienna to Yogyakarta: The life of Herb Feith.
Returned Volunteer Roger Pryor talked about lessons learned in cross-cultural communication while in Samoa in the 1970s, the lifelong relationships developed through the volunteer experience and his ongoing connection with the Samoan community.
Tamara Jolly confessed that chocolate cake had been the catalyst for a memorable time in Malawi and how the wisdom of a Malawian friend, Amai Chimatira, who ran a biscuit and banana store out the front of the medical centre where Tamara worked, still has an impact in her life back in Australia.
Read more
Tamara Jolly's volunteer story
City 2 Surf - NSW
Returned volunteers and AVI staff competed under the team name, “The Herb Feith All Stars” in Sydney’s City2Surf on Sunday 14 August, which drew a record crowd of 85,000 competitors, the largest running event in the world.
Leading the team was AVI Board Member and wheelchair athlete Kurt Fearnley who won the elite wheelchair athlete event, which was being staged in the City2Surf for the first time in 38 minutes and three seconds.
Kurt joined team mates and returned volunteers after the race to commemorate AVI’s 60th.
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Northern Territory
The Arafura Sea was the stunning backdrop of the Darwin celebrations on Sunday 4 September.
Returned volunteer Tim Stats reflected on his volunteer journey as a Branch Rehabilitation Architect in Timor-Leste. On the eve of his return to Timor, Tim inspired guests with tales of the Tour-de-Timor, a grueling 551km cycle across the rugged Timor-Leste countryside.
In honour of AVI’s 60th and to pay homage to our first volunteer, Herb Feith, Tim was participating in the team “The Herb Feith All Stars” raising money for the Lospalos Sustainability Centre, in the Timor-Leste district of Lautem.
Recently returned volunteer George Butler shared tales from his role as Communications Advisor in PNG.
For more information on the Tour-de-Timor and to donate
See how you can get involved in upcoming celebrations