Macquarie Matters » Sport & recreation

2024 Graduate Outcome Survey (GOS) – November 2023 Round

Yue Zhang — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 22:30:26 +0000

Did you graduate in October 2023? Keep an eye on your email inbox for your unique invitation to participate in the Australia-wide Graduate Outcome Survey (GOS).

The GOS is a national survey being conducted for the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills, and Employment. Your feedback is important and will contribute directly to the experience of current and future students at Macquarie University. Results from the survey are used to gain insight and make improvements to teaching and learning, and services for students. Please see the highlights from the 2023 GOS and initiatives undertaken by the University.

All responses are confidential and aggregated for reporting purposes. Summary results from this national survey are published on the Compare Ed Website.

As an incentive for your participation, you will have the chance to enter the weekly prize draw to win a $1,000, or $500 or $250 pre-paid VISA gift card. Prize draws take place at the end of each week over the four-week survey period. Additional prize information, including terms and conditions, can be found on the GOS website.

We encourage you to participate and complete this important survey.

* Go to http://www.srcentre.com.au/qilt/gostcsb for prize draw term and conditions Results from previous Graduate Outcome Survey https://students.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/1278973/Graduate-Outcomes-Survey-Nov2023.pdf

It’s the same campus, just not as you know it

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 06:40:57 +0000

To prepare for the next 50 years of growth, we are investing heavily in our campus with two major projects – the Central Courtyard Precinct and the Arts Precinct. Within the Central Courtyard Precinct, the University is building state-of-the-art facilities for staff and students. Designed by leading design studio Architectus, the new buildings will serve a variety of functions, delivering social and educational infrastructure to the very heart of the campus. Existing structures will be redeveloped to be lighter and brighter than their predecessors, creating vibrant and dynamic spaces for all to enjoy. Significantly, new accommodation for students will be created right at the heart of the campus. Macquarie is also investing in a new Arts Precinct. This transformational project will consolidate 10 of 12 departments, highlighting the unique nature and focus of each. In addition, the project will deliver a new building with offices, showcase areas and a museum. PART OF THE PLAN Both projects are part of Macquarie’s Campus Development Plan, which is helping future-proof the University by building a dynamic, sustainable world-class campus. “The University’s Campus Development Plan is connecting people and enhancing their collaboration, as well as learning and research outcomes, so that Macquarie continues to play a leading role as a place-maker, education provider, research institute and employer, both now and into the future,” says Professor S Bruce Dowton, Vice-Chancellor. The overarching plan includes several other projects focused on improving convenience, connectivity and accessibility, green spaces and sustainability. Some are already complete, such as the Macquarie University Incubator, which opened in 2017 and promptly received four awards at the Australian Timber Design Awards. Created for students, researchers, staff, small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), entrepreneurs and start-ups who are working on research or ideas that can be commercialised, a number of concepts have already been nurtured at the Incubator through to the commercialisation stage. The Macquarie Active Zone Experience (MAZE) also opened for business and is now the new hub for student clubs and societies, with the purpose-built space above the Macquarie University Spatial Experience (MUSE) featuring a number of large areas, as well as a variety of smaller meeting rooms and event spaces. Removal of buildings C9A and C10A (the former Campus Hub) also began at the end of 2017 to make way for an innovative new learning and teaching building, food and beverage outlets, and the first two of five student housing buildings. In place of the Campus Hub is the Campus Common, an exciting new social precinct in the centre of campus, where it will become the epicentre of student life over the next few years. Law School of the future Plans to redevelop the Macquarie Law School that will re-imagine the University’s campus by establishing a new purpose-designed Law School building at its centre were announced in November 2017. Construction on the new building is anticipated to begin in early 2020, with completion in 2022. “This venue will provide unparalleled facilities for contemporary modes of learning and teaching,” explains Professor Dowton. “The Law School has a rich history of contribution to Macquarie University, the lives of its students and alumni, and the legal profession. This new facility will provide a home for the Law School to ensure its trajectory as an Australian leader.” The new Law School building will be known as the Michael Kirby Building in recognition of the contributions the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG has made to the University, and his commitment to advancing social justice both in Australia and around the world. He served as Macquarie University Chancellor from 1984 to 1993 before going on to serve as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1996 to 2009. Both the Macquarie Law School and Michael Kirby are committed to social justice as a key component of legal education, and the new Law School building will house the Macquarie Social Justice Clinic, a new initiative that allows law students to partner with public interest legal practices to service pro-bono cases, helping the most vulnerable in society.

From Conception to RE:Conception

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 06:40:19 +0000

The widely acknowledged father of Conception Day was pioneer alumnus Phil Gibbs (Bachelor of Arts, 1977). “We had a bit of an inferiority complex back in 1969 because of our moonscape campus and the lack of a student muck-up day to rival UNSW’s Commemoration Day or Sydney’s Foundation Day,” says Gibbs. According to Gibbs, they looked at different dates to hold a celebratory event, but every official date was at the wrong time – in the holidays, for example. “We couldn’t use Lachlan Macquarie’s birthday because it fell during exams, but at a drunken party we joked that we could have it nine months earlier and call it Conception Day. Unfortunately, someone got the date wrong and it ended up in September.” A SPIRITED BEGINNING The first Conception Day was a half-day event involving rain, flour fights and a student band on the roof of the union building that upset the academics. Although they weren’t quite as upset as the hardworking students who wanted to spend the day studying – and had the fire hoses turned on them for their lack of festival spirit. The following year, organisers decided they needed to lift the bar, and the great gnome hunt was initiated on the eve of Conception Day. (See the 2015 edition of Sirius for Dr Brian Spencer’s account of the evening.) “The gnome hunters exceeded their brief and stole everything not nailed down,” Gibbs reminisces. “In the end, it was a mass heist of garden kitsch. Initially we tried to hide them in the forest, but only their heads stuck out, so we decided they would line the path between the library and the union building. They provided a 1000-strong guard of honour that greeted students for the main event.” Gibbs says the gnomes were transported to Eastwood and Epping police stations where they were categorised according to type – frogs, storks, statues and hundreds of pouting gnomes. There were so many they had to move the police bikes out, and little old ladies argued vigorously over which concrete frog belonged to them. “I was made to go to the police station and apologise formally on behalf of the gnome-nappers to the very stern sergeant on duty,” says Gibbs. Things did not end there though. THE CAMEL OF CONCEPTION In the interest of creating a memorable festival, the organising committee had decided to hold an old-fashioned colonial garden party to formally mark Conception Day. It was felt that a camel would lend the right tone to the event, so one was hired from a local farm. “The deal was that we had to look after Egypt the camel for two days, and we planned to keep her at the rugby house behind the university,” Gibbs says. “Unfortunately, boys being boys, the rugby team decided to give the camel some celebratory drinks and cheese, so in the middle of Conception Night we had to rescue Egypt and take her to a safe house further along Epping Road. “There’s no easy way to make a drunken camel go where you need it to. In the end, I decided to ride her along Epping Road and past El Rancho, now known as The Ranch, where earlier that day students were offering moonshine brewed in a toilet they called the ‘seat of learning’ to truck drivers who stopped at their roadside stall.” As Gibbs inconspicuously plodded along on the inside lane, he was spotted by a police car that ordered them to pull over. “When I eventually managed to stop the camel, who should emerge from the car but the same police sergeant that I’d had to apologise to about the gnome hunt. He was not amused.” RE: INVENTED The night of mayhem marked the beginning of a much-loved tradition. “In the years that followed, there were religious statue hunts, conducted with all the irreverence you would expect from a bunch of larrikin students, and gala balls with very non-PC prizes awarded to Mis Conception, Mis Hap and Mis Behaviour,” Gibbs says, adding that to celebrate Conception Day’s 40th anniversary in 2009, he was invited to give a talk about the festival’s history. “I thought I would be speaking to a genteel audience, but it was more like Woodstock – 10,000 students were in a range of levels of sobriety, impatiently waiting for the next act, Wolf mother, to hit the stage.” Conception Day ran until 2014. It became Australia’s longest-running music festival, with a record of producing great line-ups and attracting huge crowds to the three stages around the lake. Over the years there were mass streakings, while in 2003 more than 1000 festival goers broke the world record for the most tequila shots in a row. Unfortunately, owing to concerns about increasing drug and alcohol abuse, Conception Day had to be stopped in 2015. It has since been replaced with RE:Conception Day, an event that still features a great musical line-up, just without some of the other excesses. “I’m just so grateful to the University for keeping my baby alive all these years,” Gibbs says. “Even now, students and alumni approach me and tell me how great it is.” What's your favourite MQ moment? Share it with other alumni at awc.alumni.mq.edu.au/experiences

2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards – Liz Ellis AO

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 05:06:47 +0000

CATEGORY: SPORT Liz Ellis’ reputation as one of Australia’s greatest netball players often precedes her academic achievements and other interests. You may not know that she has a double major in Ancient History and Politics – and is a history buff. “I still love it”, Ellis says. A happy pastime and relic from her time as a student is devouring history books and downloading podcasts. In light of the load of her law studies, she says “history kept me sane”. Although it has been 20 years since she left university, she says she is still grateful to the passionate lecturers and tutors who shaped her brain. “What I was taught didn’t give me answers; it showed me multiple ways of coming to an answer. “When I analyse an issue, I try to bring another perspective. Things aren’t always black and white; there’s a whole lot of grey.” It would seem the combination of history, law and politics complemented each other, and held her in good stead for the work she now does in general and with government. “I have an understanding of how things work, the mechanics behind the political process and the critical thinking skills to analyse a situation.” Of course, all sports people have to prepare for life after the game, and Ellis has found that her studies have informed her media work too, where she is able to “look at an audience, see what’s being said, and pick up on what others might be missing.” It would seem that all the threads of her life so far are now coming together. Happily ensconced in northern New South Wales, Ellis says of the award, “I am humbled. It’s a real honour for your old university to still want to claim you and continue the relationship.” Former Australian netball captain and champion, broadcaster and media commentator, Liz Ellis was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia for her ‘distinguished service to netball as an elite player and coach, through support and advocacy for young women, as a contributor to the broadcast and print media industries, and to the community’ in 2018. Ellis graduated from Macquarie with a Bachelor of Arts with Bachelor of Laws (1997). View other 2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards winners here Alumni Awards Macquarie University is extremely proud of every one of its 184,000 graduates – their achievements and their contributions in our local and global communities. Our alumni are a source of pride and motivation, and they embody the University’s association with excellence. The Macquarie University Alumni Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of alumni. The awards provide a platform for sharing their inspirational stories with other alumni, staﬀ, students and the wider community. We are now accepting nominations in the following award categories:

Arts and Culture
Education
Environment
Innovation and Enterprise
International Achievement
Medicine and Health
Public and Community Service
Rising Star (aged 30 years under)
Science and Technology
Sport

Nominations close 31 October 2018. Nomination forms and details are available at mq.edu.au/alumni/awards

2018 Macquarie University Alumni Awards

David Han — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 05:02:55 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3371" align="alignnone" width="743"] 2018 Macquarie University Alumni Award trophies[/caption] Macquarie University Alumni Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of alumni, and provide an opportunity to share their inspirational stories with the University and the wider community. Our alumni are a source of pride and motivation, and they embody the University’s association with excellence. The award categories ensure alumni from all areas of the community are recognised for their local, national, and international achievements. Congratulations to our alumni award recipients.

Arts and Culture - Adam Hills
Education - Dr Anthony Field AM, Dr Greg Page AM, Dr Murray Cook AM
Environment - The Hon Dr Rob Stokes MP
Innovation and Enterprise - Matt Barrie
International Achievement - Bruce Gosper
Medicine and Health - Professor Alan Mackay-Sim
Public and Community Service - Dr Andrew Scipione AO APM
Rising Stars - Jennifer Star and Shaun Star
Science and Technology - Dr Abigail Allwood
Sport - Liz Ellis AO

ALUMNI AWARDS 2019 Macquarie University is extremely proud of every one of its 184,000 graduates – their achievements and their contributions in our local and global communities. Our alumni are a source of pride and motivation, and they embody the University’s association with excellence. The Macquarie University Alumni Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of alumni. The awards provide a platform for sharing their inspirational stories with other alumni, staﬀ, students and the wider community. We are now accepting nominations in the following award categories:

Arts and Culture
Education
Environment
Innovation and Enterprise
International Achievement
Medicine and Health
Public and Community Service
Rising Star (aged 30 years under)
Science and Technology
Sport

Nominations close 31 October 2018. Nomination forms and details are available at mq.edu.au/alumni/awards

Discover ‘You to the Power of Us’ – Macquarie’s new ad campaign

Jeff Hargrave — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 02:39:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3405" align="alignnone" width="743"] You to the Power of Us[/caption] If you've visited the cinema or checked your social media feeds recently, you might see some familiar faces pop up on the big screen, with some of Macquarie’s notable researchers featuring in the University’s new advertising campaign. Focusing on the power of human collaboration to achieve outcomes and impact, the campaign launch is a major milestone in the University’s ongoing ‘Shared Identity’ project, which aims to improve Macquarie’s distinctiveness in the higher education sector. The new brand campaign highlights Macquarie’s research impact, particularly how the collective power of business, research and academia can solve real-world problems. The research stories that feature in the brand campaign demonstrate how Macquarie is a place of collaborative innovation:

Additional impact collaborations will highlight unique elements of the Macquarie learning experience, including PACE and the global exchange program. ‘You to the Power of Us’ campaigns will be shown in cinemas, digital and outdoor for the remainder of the year. Let us know what you think below.

Winners are grinners: Macquarie’s Sport Scholars bring home medals from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

Jeff Hargrave — Thu, 10 May 2018 05:37:37 +0000

Macquarie University Sport Scholars have bagged two gold medals, one silver and one bronze at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Sport Scholar Esther Qin (pictured above right ) won a gold medal at the women’s three-metre board synchronised diving event (with Georgia Sheehan, pictured above left) and a bronze medal in the women’s one-metre springboard final. Esther and Georgia stepped up and nailed an inward two-and-a-half somersault to score 71.10 for a total of 284.10, which proved enough to win gold in the synchronized event. The gold was Esther’s second at a Commonwealth Games, as she won the three-metre springboard event in Glasgow four years ago. Tom Craig and the Kookaburras (our men’s hockey team) continued their extraordinary 20-year Commonwealth Games gold medal streak with a punishing 2-0 win over New Zealand in the final. MQ Sports Scholar, Dominique Du Toit, and the Women’s Rugby 7’s team won silver against New Zealand who got their revenge claiming gold at the Commonwealth Games in an epic contest that had to go to extra time. The trans-Tasman rivals couldn’t be separated at full time with both teams locked at 12-12 in front of a packed house at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast. It took until the end of the first passage of extra time for New Zealand to claim a 17-12 victory, with Kelly Brazier producing a length-of-the-field effort to score. Fellow Sport Scholar Lachlan Anderson and the Men’s Rugby 7’s team finished fifth following a 26-0 win over Scotland. Congratulations also to Sport Scholar James Boyer who represented Australia at the games as a basketball referee. Read more about Macquarie University’s elite sport scholarship program.

Macquarie alumni feature in 2018 Australia Day honours

Jeff Hargrave — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 02:54:58 +0000

Twenty Macquarie alumni were recognised for their contributions to a range of endeavours in the 2018 Australia Day Honours. Former Australian netball captain and champion, broadcaster and media commentator, Liz Ellis (B Arts / LLB 1997), and Industrial Relations academic, Emeritus Professor Russell Lansbury (Doctor of Laws (HonorisCausa) 2005), received the Officer of the Order of Australia award. The Macquarie University alumni Australia Day Honours recipients:

Mark Anderson AM (B Arts / Dip Ed 1980) for significant service to secondary education in New South Wales through administrative and executive roles, and to educational standards.
Warren Atkins OAM (M Arts 1970) for service to mathematics education
John Bateman OAM (B Arts / LLB 1981) for service to local government, and to the community of Nepean.
Dr Caroline Bowen AM (PhD 1996) for significant service to speech pathology and clinical linguistics as a therapist, academic, educator and mentor.
Emeritus Professor Shelley Burgin AM (PhD 1989) for significant service to environmental science and education as an academic, author, and mentor, and to zoology and conservation.
Dr Sharyn Eaton OAM for service to chiropractic medicine, and to education.
Elizabeth (Liz) Ellis AO (B Arts / LLB 1997) for distinguished service to netball as an elite player and coach, through support and advocacy for young women, as a contributor to the broadcast and print media industries, and to the community.
Emeritus Professor Russell Lansbury AO (Doctor of Laws (HonorisCausa) 2005) for distinguished service to industrial relations education as an academic, researcher and author, through contributions to international arbitration foundations, and as a mentor of young academics.
Dr Ross Littlewood AM (B Arts 2016) for significant service to medicine as an ophthalmologist, to professional medical organisations, and to the international community of Timor Leste.
Associate Professor Henrietta Marrie AM (M Environmental and Local Government 1999) for significant service to the community as an advocate for Indigenous cultural heritage and intellectual property rights, and to education.
Dr Wilfred (Alan) Morrison AM (M Public Administration 1986) for significant service to the community through development and support for international standards, to the energy supply sector, and to engineering.
Lieutenant Commander Sandon Morrell CSM RANR (M Policing, Intelligence & Counter Terrorism / M International Security Studies 2017) for meritorious devotion to duty in the field of operational planning and implementation in direct support of Australian Defence Force operations.
Andrew Nicholls PSM (B Arts Hons 1993) for outstanding public service to transport and insurance policy development and reform in New South Wales.
John Reid PSM (B Arts / LLB Hons 2002) for outstanding public service through the provision of legal advice to the Commonwealth.
Ian Sayers ED OAM (B Arts Hons 1973) for services to veterans and their families, and to the community.
Michael Shobbrook AM (M Chiropractic 1994) for significant service to the chiropractic profession through leadership in education, accreditation and development programs.
Dr Michael Stanford AM (MBA 1991) for significant service to the health sector through executive roles, to tertiary education, and to the community of Western Australia.
Gregory Whitby AM (B Arts / Dip Ed 1976) for significant service to education in the Catholic school system as a leader, administrator, advocate and teacher.
Vivienne White AM (B Arts 1984) for significant service to education through leadership in the development of initiatives that support disadvantaged students and schools.
Professor Richard Wortley AM (PhD 1993) for significant service to criminology and psychology through the development of security and crime science education.

Friends of Macquarie were also recognised for their contributions to the community.

Angelos Frangopoulos AM for significant service to the broadcast media sector, to higher education and the promotion of journalistic standards, and to the community.
Colleen Godsell AM for significant service to youth through Scouting, and through roles with educational, historical preservation, Indigenous tourism and social welfare groups.
Peter Henchman OAM for service to conservation and the environment.
Peter Levett AFSM awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal.
Paul Robertson AM for distinguished service to the community through ethical leadership and management of, and philanthropic contributions to, health, social enterprise, research, education and arts.

Macquarie University congratulates each alumnus and member of staff for their exceptional contributions to our communities.

Its Been An Eventfull Alumni Year

Jeff Hargrave — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 02:03:04 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2926" align="alignnone" width="743"] Macquarie University alumni at the Backpack to Briefcase event in October 2017[/caption] Over 3,000 Macquarie alumni have shown their professional and social spirit by attending over 27 Macquarie alumni events held in Sydney, across Australia and across the world in 2017. The Macquarie University Global Alumni Impact Series continues to offer a range of thought-leadership discussions featuring alumni and industry experts. Topics included:

Leadership (Sydney)
Healthy minds for all ages (Sydney)
How big data and artificial intelligence are revolutionising the way businesses operate (Sydney)
Introducing the new FBE Executive Dean (Melbourne)
Cybersecurity: a global priority (Singapore)
Cyber Security: A Global Priority (Canberra)
Innovation (New York)
Healthy communication over the life course (London)
Cyber Security: A Global Priority (Brisbane)
Workforce of the Future* (Hong Kong)

Alumni Networking Receptions were also popular with alumni in Seoul, Beijing*, Shanghai* and Hong Kong* coming together to refresh old friendship and create new connections. Faculty, Schools and Discipline-themed events were well supported with alumni from MGSM, Faculty of Human Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie Applied Finance Centre (MAFC) and the Department of Educational Studies (Trendsetter Lecture) enjoying the opportunity to hear the latest trends, best practices and network with their peers. Younger alumni in Sydney had the opportunity to hear alumni and industry speakers offer their tips and techniques to jump the professional ladder with two events in 2017. Alumni were given a free masterclass in Is LinkedIn Your Best Friend? and Does Your Network Work For You? Initiated this year, Sydney and Melbourne hosted Pop Up Drinks events for informal catch ups and networking over a casual drink. The Pop Up Drinks were promoted through the Macquarie Alumni Facebook Group which saw alumni living in Sydney or Melbourne but some ‘just travelling through’ joining the get-togethers. The 2017 alumni events year began on 5 March with a reunion celebration for the Golden Jubilee Symposium: celebrating 50 years of students. The inaugural students (and alumni) of Macquarie’s first ever lecture were welcomed back to campus, enjoying presentations and discussions in the same lecture theatre (Theatre Room 1, now called the Peter Mason Theatre, in E7B). * Held in late November 2017, video and images available soon For invitations to 2018 Macquarie University Alumni events, please update your contact details or follow us at Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter

2017 Blues Awards: honouring the green and gold era and elite athletes

David Han — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 05:43:22 +0000

[caption id="attachment_2871" align="alignnone" width="743"] The Full Blues winners, Tayla King, Nathalie Moen Balhald, Emily Laundry and Jackson Mills[/caption] In a ceremonial showcase of performance, the Macquarie University 2017 Blues Awards were held on Wednesday 25 October. A number of athletes were recognised for their outstanding achievements athletically and academically while representing Macquarie University, their state or nation across the past year. Former Olympic Gold medallist and OAM Brooke Hanson was the Master of Ceremony, with Macquarie University Chancellor Michael Egan and Vice Chancellor Professor Bruce S Dowton also in attendance. “The annual Blues Awards is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and recognise outstanding sporting and academic achievements, and in 2017 Macquarie University students showcased another successful year in which their achievements continue to reach new heights. Since the inception of the event our Blues evening has continued to grow, providing greater opportunity for our twelve Blues, and six award recipients to be acknowledged by their academics, peers, alumni, family and friends” said Rob Tweddle, Acting General Manger Sport and Recreation. Four athletes were awarded the highly prestigious Full Blue Award and eight received a Half Blue Award. Five athletes, one club and one sport administrator received recognition with other major awards, including the Female and Male Sport Athlete of the Year and the prestigious Chancellor’s Award. The Full Blues winners were; Nathalie Moen Balhald, Tayla King, Emily Laundry and Jackson Mills. The Half Blues winners were; Lachlan Anderson, Nicholas Andrews, Chantelle Kerry, Peter Livingstone, Kyle Mcindoe, Belinda Maxworthy, Steiner Ahn Nguyen and Thomas Schramko. Female Sport Athlete of the Year – Dominique Du Toit. Dominique was a member of the squad that won Gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil, and has spent 2017 playing for Australia in the World Rugby Sevens Series. She played for the Macquarie Sydney Rays in the inaugural AON Women’s University Sevens Series. Male Sport Athlete of the Year – Nicholas Brooks. Nicholas is a current member of the Australian Men’s National Water Polo team who recently finished seventh at the 2017 World Championships. Nicholas was selected in the Australian team to compete at the 2017 World University Games and recently attended the 2020 Olympic hopeful camp for the Australian Men’s team. The Rookie of the Year – Deanna Kyriazopoulos. This award recognises high-level sport performance by a student in their first year of study at Macquarie University. As a current member of the Australian Senior Taekwondo National Team, 46kg representative Deanna is ranked 28th in the world in her division. She made history this year as the first Australian athlete to compete at the Asian Indoor Games and she was chosen by the Australian Olympic Committee to be Australia’s first flag bearer at the event. Club of the year – Squash Club. 2017 marks the clubs 50^th year and they have gone from strength to strength, becoming the largest University Squash club in Australia. In 2017 the club has engaged the University campus and wider community through participation in multiple on campus events, including open tournaments, internal competitions, learn to play and social sessions. The prestigious 2017 Macquarie University Chancellor’s Award was presented to Dominque Du Toit. In addition to Dominique’s outstanding performance on the field in the Australian Women’s team which earned her the Female Athlete of the Year Award, she was also named a Macquarie University Sport Ambassador in 2017. The John Lincoln Services Award, which recognises long term volunteer service to a Sport Club, Sport Program or Unisport event, was presented to Yagiz Alp Aksoy from the Table Tennis Club. MQ Sport’s most prestigious scholarship, The Ted O’Keeffe Scholarship was presented to Thomas Green. In 2017 Thomas has been racing domestically and internationally with the GPM-Stulz Racing team. After competing in nationals and the New Zealand Cycle Classic in early 2017, he is currently competing in the National Road Series and looking forward to the summer period racing in France. Tom has previously focussed on the discipline of cyclocross where he represented Australia in the World Championships.