As Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), Nicole Brigg advances the University’s relationships with governments, universities and partners around the world to support our international student recruitment, outbound student mobility, and international academic and research collaborations.

It’s quite fitting then that Nicole’s passion is China – a place she first discovered in books as a child, and has visited countless times since. Here she shares more about her connection with this amazing country.

My first ‘journey’ to China was at eight years old when my parents gave me a book called Marco Polo Junior – By Land to Xanadu. The story of Marco Polo’s journey through India and China fascinated me and I went on to study Chinese history in high school before completing degrees in Political Science and Chinese History and Language at ANU. During this time, I was twice an international student at Chinese universities.

Since then, my career has always involved working with China in some way – firstly in the textiles industry, then in horticulture and for the past 18 years in international education.

My Mandarin is at an intermediate level now – it’s hard to find time to maintain a working facility with a language that’s so notoriously difficult to speak and read/write.  I listen to music and podcasts to try to ‘keep my ear in’, and I am encouraging my children to also learn Mandarin which helps me as well.

Of course, it’s always great to travel to China and spend time immersed in the language on the ground. I’ve travelled all over the country by plane, train and bus, and am particularly interested in the regional cities outside the Shanghai-Beijing corridor.

In 1993 ­– long before it was discovered by tourists – I was lucky enough to visit Lijiang, a historical city perched on one of the seven Tibetan plateaus in the deep southwest of China. It’s a beautifully preserved stone town, home of the Naxhi tribe and noted for its canals, which are fed by snow-rush streams.  On this trip I also rode a bicycle 22 kilometres across the Lijiang plain to see the famous Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on a day of flawless blue skies with the cleanest air imaginable.

There’s still so much for me to discover about this amazing country and its history, food and culture, and it’s wonderful to now be building linkages between Macquarie and China as part of my role.

Macquarie International has been very successful in attracting international students from China to study at our University, but there is also a great deal that Macquarie International can do to support faculties in building the scale and quality of their research collaborations with China.

With its continued economic growth, China is investing heavily in its education system and in research and development, with Australia seen as a desirable partner. I really look forward to being part of our exciting collaborations with China in the years ahead.

As the Director of Campus Wellbeing and Support Services, Darren Peters is a vital part of the Macquarie community. Here, we get to know a little bit more about Daz.

Tell us about a personal passion or hobby – what is it and why do you enjoy it?

My passion is soft sand running. I’ve loved it since I was 16 years-old.

When you walk down the beach at 5am and see the sun coming up, and a beach with no footsteps on it, it seems like you are on a secluded island. Running on the beach is special, except when the tide is up too high and the wind is against you.

What led you to be interested in this, and when did your passion first develop? 

Some of my school mates were in a surf club and my twin brother joined, so I eventually did. When he won his first medal beach sprinting, I watched everyone think he was the best ever and I got a touch of the green eyes.

My obsession for it started when I was 21. Training and racing gave me purpose in life and led me towards studying exercise science at university, rather than banking.

Can you share a particularly special memory relating to your passion? 

Just last year I went to the World Masters Championships in Amsterdam and I won the beach sprint and relay again, 24 years after I won it as an Open Athlete for the Australian Team. It meant a lot to me to prove that I could still do it. In addition, running with my first ever coach and twin brother made it special.

How does your soft sand running affect your personal wellbeing? How do you make time for it with your work commitments?

I don’t feel like ‘Daz’ when I can’t do it. It gives me another purpose in life other than being a dad and a manager, but better still it drives me to continually try and understand how to master movement on the soft sand. Finally, I feel that I belong.

I train every morning and just do weights 2-3 times a week at lunchtime so it doesn’t affect work. The gym here is very good.

How does soft sand running influence or inform the work you do at Macquarie?

I think it’s made me appreciate academic enquiry. I wrote my first assignment in 1988 on beach sprint starts, and my first book was about ‘Nipper’ training, so being grounded in enquiry is so important. My present focus is understanding student wellbeing and engagement – having a passion makes you aware of the excitement learning can bring. I try to use this to motivate students who struggle.

As the faculty’s Executive Dean, Professor Simon Handley oversees a unique combination of teaching and research designed to investigate and answer some of the big questions about what makes us human.

Simon’s secret passion is running… very long distances.

Simon began running around 15 years ago in his native England. “I was living a pretty unhealthy lifestyle that included a number of vices and saw running as a way out of that,” he says. While he declined to go into detail about the vices, Simon did say the first trophy he ever won was for drinking a yard glass of ale…

As an indication of the seriousness of his lifestyle turnaround, Simon’s second trophy was for running – 52 kilometres up and down the hills of Devon in a race called the Dartmoor Discovery. He was fourth overall and the first local runner across the line.

Simon says he began the sport with a “small” run of just ten kilometres before progressing to half (21ks) and full (42ks) marathons, then to ultra-marathons; races measured either in distance (50 to 160 kilometres being the most common) or time (eg 24 hour and multi-day races). Either way, Simon’s done both:

• the London to Brighton race – 88ks in a little over seven hours and placed 19th
• a 160k race in which he raised £5,000 for a cancer charity for his dad
• 22 hours running around an army training ground that he describes as brutal – “I couldn’t walk for a week”
• The Endurancelife Classic Quarter – 72ks along the cliff tops and down into the coves of England’s spectacular Cornish coast, from Lizard Point to Land’s End (he came 5th)
• A 24 hour race, running with “20 other crazy people” around a 400 metre track for more than 220 kilometres. “Every four hours you got to change direction, which was something to look forward to,” he says.

Of all his running highlights, Simon says his most special was finishing second in a 160 kilometre run at a rugged venue called Caesar’s Camp. “My dad was there to see me finish and toast him with a swig from a bottle of champagne,” he said pensively, voice edged slightly with emotion.

Now settled in Australia, Simon says he’s about to reignite his passion for running, possibly starting in September by taking on the Great North Walk, the 250 kilometre track stretching from the Sydney CBD, through suburban streets, national parks and bush to central Newcastle.

Asked how his passion helps in his work, Simon warms quickly to the theme saying running’s taught him some fundamental things about his and other people’s capabilities.

“When you’re running, you get to the point where you think you can’t move another metre; that your body’s breaking down,” he says. “You learn you can hit that wall five to ten times in a long race but if you keep going you can get through it.”

“It’s about resilience; seeing what you and others are capable of and it’s quite a powerful lesson.”

Simon says it’s the same in life and work. “Runners aren’t special people; it just takes commitment, motivation and training,” he says.

“Whatever the adversity or no matter how terrible you feel physically or emotionally, if you persevere it will go away. You can find new energy to keep moving forward.”

“There are also important applications for today’s students who can expect to have many more careers and job changes than their parents,” he says.

“The ability to shift, to find the confidence and resilience to apply their skills to different challenges will be very important to them throughout their lives.”

Growing up in the golden age of backpacking, I’ve always been passionate about getting out and seeing the world.  I believe we are uniquely privileged to be living in a time when people and places across the globe are more accessible than ever before.

Since my first big journey through Asia in my mid-twenties, I’ve tried to fit in a major trip every few years.  Planning around work commitments can be challenging, but the experience is always uplifting and I come back to work re-energised every time.

I’m never happier than when trekking high in the mountains of the Himalaya or the Andes.  I love the peacefulness and the grandeur of the surroundings.  And the people you meet – both the locals and other travellers from all walks of life – make it constantly entertaining and thought-provoking.

Travelling has let me experience different cultures first-hand and afforded me small glimpses into the way other people see the world.  It’s taught me the importance of perspective, which I try to apply in my professional career through being more open to new ideas and new ways of solving problems. But more importantly, it’s taught me that the world is full of amazing people in the most unexpected places … you just need to go and find them!

As Macquarie’s Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Tim Beresford looks out for people. There is one group of people he is particularly keen to support – the most vulnerable members of the Australian community.  Here he speaks about his experience serving on the board of The Benevolent Society and the potential we all have to change people’s lives for the better.

A commitment to social justice is a part of who I am. As a young boy I watched my grandfather’s contributions to his local community, they were simple things such as delivering Meals on Wheels or raising funds for the local community at the local bowling club, all grassroots stuff with tangible and immediate impact. Spending time with my grandfather made me realise you can change people’s lives for the better.

The Benevolent Society (TBS) is about helping vulnerable people in vulnerable communities, at both ends of the age spectrum – whether it be young children and their parents or helping older people age well within their community. I am currently the Deputy Chair of TBS and have been on the Board for about three and a half years, working with people, communities and governments to deliver social impact and change. For example, recently I was in La Perouse and saw first hand the positive social impact TBS is having with the local indigenous community.

Prior to TBS, I was on the Plan International Australia Board for nine years. Like the Benevolent Society, Plan is very much about social purpose and meaning, helping children and families in developing countries have meaningful lives.

By nature, I’m an optimist who views the world’s challenges as an opportunity.  Yes, there is still a lot of work to be done and I am confident as a society we can and will continue to make positive difference.

What’s great about Macquarie is that through scholarship we provide all our students with the knowledge and skills – both soft and hard – to play critical roles in tackling major social, cultural, economic and civil challenges facing our society. Now that is purpose and meaning with real impact!

Macquarie University actively supports community volunteering by providing up to two days leave for continuing full time and part time staff to participate in fun activities with local communities.

“Effective leadership is complex and nuanced. I see it as a marathon, not a sprint and I believe I can be a more effective leader if I am content, well, fit and mentally healthy.  It is what I call the totality of experience that I value – my work, my family and my outside interests like exercise.

Being fit and active is an essential aspect of my existence – a core part of who I am.  I swam and played rugby at medical school and while I was never very good at competitive sports, I have always enjoyed being active and have just kept it all going from there.

As a child I rode my pushbike to school every day, and joined my father – who loved to hike – on many hikes throughout the northern English countryside.

Hiking, in complete solitude and amongst magnificent wilderness, still brings me immense joy. My favourite place in the world is the Drakensberg Mountains in Zululand, South Africa, where my wife’s family comes from. Next year I will spend five nights under canvas in the Drakensberg with my 21-year old son and a small group of photography enthusiasts. I can’t wait.

As a doctor I know how much our own health and wellbeing can be influenced by what we eat and drink, how we move, and our mental state. I can control much of this, so I do my best to.

What that means for me is a one-hour swim, every single morning. I wake up early and am usually the first in the pool when it opens at 6am.

And for the past 20 years I have made a point of breaking my (usually very long) day in the middle, to include a short period of intense exercise. Most days I also manage to get 30-45 minutes in the gym, lifting weights and adding a little high-intensity interval training.

I use this time to listen to podcasts and expose myself to new topics.

My role at the University involves a lot of international travel, mainly supporting our alumni engagement, fundraising and corporate relationships work.  Keeping active is especially important on these trips, as I hate sitting down for extended periods. So I swim and/or run everyday whether I’m at home or abroad. If I am organised, I can make time for fitness and still get everything done.

I have a wonderful role at the University and I enjoy working in support of my frontline academic colleagues, and in partnership with executive colleagues. I enjoy being busy, active, and committed to all that I do, including my ongoing work in teaching GPs how to manage patients with skin cancer.

My work, my family and my outside interests all blend and it is the totality that nurtures and sustains me.

Read more about David’s role as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Engagement and Advancement).

“One of the things I have a great passion for is food. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a foodie – I’m less interested in the art of food and more in the everyday joy of it.

For me, the family dinner is an important ritual, where we sit down to a home-cooked meal and just talk. And preparing that meal is part of the ritual. So part of the passion is definitely cooking. I think good food is essential for wellbeing and home-cooking is not just for physical well-being. The act of creating and sharing a meal is integral to the human experience.

My mum used to have dinner on the table at 6:30pm every day and, being a Chinese family, there would always be three dishes, plus soup and rice. It was only after I left home that I discovered the joy of cooking myself, and the creativity involved.

When I was an undergraduate I had an Indian friend who would buy big bags of spices and rustle up curries to die for. So I figured out that it was possible to live very cheaply on tasty combinations of rice, vegetables and spices. Then there’s things I experimented with that have now become dinnertime staples – cassoulet, a particularly tasty Korean fried chicken, seared salmon (the kids like it v-e-r-y pink) with udon noodles, a wicked tiger eating pig dish, and a five-minute-to-make banana cake.

We do quite a lot from scratch. Our veggie garden was a staple until the dogs started eating the goodies, but we still do our own breads and doughs (pizza bases, tortillas and focaccia), and things like curry pastes from scratch. And there’s nothing like cooking a fish you’ve just landed yourself – steaming a bream, Chinese style, or frying a just-caught flathead in butter.

To me, recipes are inspirations rather than instructions. Once you get a feel for the flavours of your ingredients, it’s easy to improvise. For example, we do Sunday roasts regularly. But when we do, say, a roast chicken, it’ll be marinated in Indian spices and (home-made) yoghurt and the leftovers will be fried with rice to make a version of Biryani for the next evening.

There’s a book called ‘Ratio’ by Michael Ruhlman which doesn’t provide recipes but instead provides guidance on how ingredients work together. I like that approach to learning to cook. That way no matter what you have in the fridge and pantry, you can throw together something delicious.

It’s the same with learning how to do anything. Giving our students the ability to adapt to the challenges they’ll have to face is much better than only teaching them how to follow recipes.”

How often does your family sit down for dinner together? Tell us in the comments below.

It was five years ago, in a poor Namibian town called Otiwarongo, that I met a woman called Petra who was fostering 50 different children. She’d taken them off the streets, placed them in secure accommodation, enrolled them in school and was finding them sponsor parents from around the world.

Already struck by the poverty I had witnessed in Namibia, I was completely inspired by the impact that this one person was having on so many vulnerable young people. My close friends and I wanted to make a similar difference and, from that, our charity Hope Africa was born.

I asked Petra a simple question: “What can we do to help?” After a long discussion we landed on building a youth centre that would increase access to quality and affordable education, skills training and recreational facilities, and would give sustainable social and economic empowerment to underprivileged children and their families. It is against this background we began to make a meaningful contribution to this vulnerable community by empowering the youth through education — ultimately providing them with an opportunity for a better life.

The youth centre will be established in direct partnership with the local government and community-based NGOs that are involved in youth matters. It is an enormous undertaking, but the benefits will be significant.

I’m lucky enough to be able to apply my passion for developing potential in young people in my everyday work,  through my role as DVC Students and Registrar at Macquarie.

But — after having been blessed with a life that has afforded me an education and opportunities to travel and experience the amazing world we live in — I now  also have a very special means of giving something back. Being involved in this project has changed my life and there is not a day that goes by when I don’t reflect on what I saw in the eyes of the children that I met in Otiwarongo.  It keeps me going.