In Principio v16 no2 (2005)

AROUND I THE UNIVERSITY VALE, REGINA GITAU In April of this year, the University paid tribute to Regina Gitau who passed away on 17 April. Ms Gitau, an international student from Kenya, became part of the Notre Dame community on an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship. She was .A Regina Gitau only weeks away from completing a Doctorate within the College of Education. Ms Gitau was a member of the Christian Life Community (CLC) in Kenya and continued her involvement with this organisation when she moved to Fremantle. She was also nominated for the Catherine McAuley Award - Leadership Program, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, which she commenced at the beginning of this year. Members of Ms Gitau's family travelled from Nairobi to attend a memorial mass held in her honour. Director of Student Services Tracey Bahen said, "Regina's memorial service was very special and we were grateful for the support that the Notre Dame community was able to offer. Special mention should be made of the support offered by members of the Mosman Park parish where she was a parishioner, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Kenyan community living in Perth." Support was also offered by Oxford University Press, who published a book written by Ms Gitau. COLLEGE OF HEALTH'S BLESSING OF HANDS CEREMONY The University celebrated its annual Blessing of Hands Ceremony in May coinciding with International Nurses Day and Florence Nightingale's 184th Birthday. The Blessing of Hands has traditionally been celebrated by nursing students but this year was extended to the whole College of Health which includes students from the Schools of Counselling, Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Health & Physical Education. Australian of the Year Dr Fiona Wood was the guest speaker at the ceremony. Dr Wood spoke of her journey and experience in the profession of medicine. "Some of the most inspirational people I meet are the patients I treat. They tolerate such suffering and pain and then move on and lead extraordinary lives," said Dr Wood. Over 350 people attended the ceremony in which students' hands were anointed with oil in a liturgical service conducted by the University Chaplain, Father Greg Watson OMI. Foundation Dean of the College of Health, Professor Michael Quinlan said the special day had quickly become a symbolic and important tradition of the College of Health. "Hands not instruments or machines are the common denominators of our health students' professional careers," he said. A Staff and students at the Blessing of Hands Ceremony - Photo courtesy of Jamie O'Brien ANNUAL STUDENT AWARDS CEREMONY .A Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Dallimore with award recipients Gerry Kelly & Catherine Mijat-Vose Twenty-four students were honoured during the annual Awards Ceremony held in April to celebrate their outstanding achievements. The recipient of the undergraduate Vice Chancellor's Medal (awarded each year to the highest achieving undergraduate student), was Gerry Kelly and the recipient of the postgraduate Vice Chancellor's Medal (awarded to the highest achieving postgraduate student), was Catherine Mijat-Vose. Due to her outstanding achievements Gerry Kelly received the Vice Chancellor's Medal for the second year running. Following 18 years of a successful bank career Ms Kelly decided to seek tertiary qualifications to complement her employment history. Attracted by Notre Dame's focus on small class sizes, Ms Kelly has continued to display the drive and ability that saw her rise to Senior Management in the banking field by achieving consistently high results. Upon completion of her studies Ms Kelly plans to continue her employment in accounting and finance. Ms Mijat-Vose's interest in accounting started five years ago when she and her husband started their own company providing contract consulting engineering work. Due to her experience with accounts in her own company Ms Mijat-Vose successfu lly assisted other small businesses with their accounts. This gave her the impetus to follow her interest in accounting. She graduated with a Master of Professional Accounting in December 2004 and is currently working at professional services firm Ernst and Young in indirect tax.