News Archive

Last year, while waiting to be diagnosed with what I now know to be two rare, life-threatening diseases, I fell suddenly and critically ill. Some of you know this already, some of you don't, but it isn't really the story of my illness that is important.

What is important is what it showed me about the community in which we work and learn every day.

Many of my doctors and specialists were UWA-trained. There are several specialists and registrars who stand out in my memory as not only incredibly intelligent people, who are leaders in their fields, but people who are also extraordinarily caring and compassionate. Some of them didn't leave their computers or phones or books or other resources, working long into the night to try to uncover what was making me so unwell.

I think there was more to their passion than just the search for knowledge; a problem to solve. These people cared about me and my family and they wanted to help. Their medical abilities saved my life at a time of need, but their compassion enabled them to work closely with my family, giving them reassurance and confidence.

Our university has, and fosters, a sense of community.

This sense of community was apparent in the UWA graduates I met in hospital and it is evident in our student base. Many of our students not only work part time, but also complete volunteer work with some amazing results for those less fortunate. We can look to people like Young Australian of the Year, Akram Azimi, and our Young Western Australian of the Year, Michael Sheldrick, for inspiration within the student population. Their stories are now well known, but among our students are many other are impressive people who commit themselves to helping others. Whether it is through social justice initiatives or through doggedly researching an area that will improve the lives of others, our students are focused on positive outcomes beyond their own academic achievements.

And then there is our staff. My experience showed me the depth and breadth of support we have for one another. Last year many people contacted me with cards, emails and other messages of support. Many people baked and cooked so my young family didn't need to worry about food. The power of these acts of kindness is evident in my health today. And like our students, many of our staff spend countless hours working on projects with broad social enhancement agendas.

The sense of community at UWA presents opportunities and challenges.

It is easy to get lost in the busyness of every day. It is easy to gripe about tricky work situations or difficult clients. It is easy too to complain when it seems that consultation periods are too long or laborious. And these challenges are not small things.

But what also isn't a small thing is the community of people who call this place home for the majority of the week. A community strengthened by its ability to work together. A community networked and integrated because of a culture of shared vision, responsibility and a passion to seek knowledge and act with kindness. With a staff body of almost 4,000 and a student body of close to 25,000 it is amazing that we have a community here that interacts and supports so strongly when people need it the most.

The stories of our people who save lives, change lives, build and create lives; those are the stories of UWA. And I think they should be told more often.