News of Alumni
Check out the latest news from alumni who have been in touch recently
In Memoriam
Dr Basil Voyagis
Dr Margaret RUGLESS
Of Alumni
Valerie HAZLEWOOD (1967-1969)
Dennis SCHATZ (1969-1970)
Mealy TRUONG (1970)
Khosrov SHAHABI (1971)
Dangman YI (1971)
Leong LIM (1971-1973)
Alan Edwin BRAIN (1977-1980)
Nora (VITZ) HARRISON (1978)
Ben FONG (1978-1980)
Ted CHAN (1980)
Termidzi JUNAIDI (1980)
McKey MPHEPO (1983)
Roger JONES (1981-1985)
Amy HERRING (WEINPER) (1991)
Heather SPRATT (1995)
Shaupaun KOUMAR (1999)
Shafeenez ABDUL-SATTAR (1999-2000)
Wai Ying HUI (Debbie) (2000)
Jill GAMBILL (2002-2003)
Haley DOTY (2003)
Idit REGEV (2003)
Rachel WALLACH (2005)
Of the IH Office
Faith Sevilla
Claudia Morales
In Memoriam
Dr Basil Voyagis
It is sad once again to be recording the death of one of the early staunch supporters of International House. It reminds me that the House incredibly is now 40 years on from its foundation.
Basil Voyagis was a committed member of the local Newtown Rotary Club and had worked for the House for a number of years before being appointed by Senate to the House Council. The Newtown Club, although relatively small, was uniquely involved in the Rotary Appeal which brought our International House into existence, together with that at the University of New South Wales. It had played a critical role in establishing the local magazine “Rotary Down Under”. The RDU’s office was in Newtown; its editor, Paul Henningham, was a member of the Club; and RDU kept the Rotary Appeal well and truly before the Rotary community.
Inspired by Rotarian Ernie Crome, the Newtown Rotary Club for years made a substantial donation for the House Library, a tradition which Basil ensured continued, and responded to the House’s desire to have this contribution modified to meet the changing needs of the House. In the House itself Basil served loyally on the Council and the House and Finance Committee including a term of office as Chairman.
A graduate of this University’s Dental Faculty, Basil had a solo practice in the Newtown hub. He many times came to the rescue of residents and staff. He spent one day a week at the Dental School where he was a valued Tutor in Surgery.
Basil was a shy man interested in his fellow-man, and a person of goodwill and kindness. He continued his association with the House and his enjoyment of meeting with its residents as a Fellow. He was at the Foundation Day Lunch last year, shortly after which the brain tumour from which he suffered led to his withdrawal and his early death. He was intensely proud of his children and their achievements. To them and his widow the House is indebted for their having shared Basil with the IH community.
Graeme de Graaff
April 2006
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Dr Margaret Rugless
We have received notification that Dr Margaret Rugless, who was an IH resident studying for a Masters Degree in Public Health in 1968, passed away in December 2005.
Graeme de Graaff recalls: " I remember that Dr Margaret Rugless came from Adelaide and did the Masters in Public Health programme at SU. She had a family of several children and she used to tell the story of how the teenagers, when seeing her off for Sydney, cheered her up no end by saying 'for goodness sake don't fail Mum, we couldn't stand the disgrace.' " She didn't fail...
SUIHAA would like to express its condolences to her family and friends.
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Of Alumni
Valerie HAZLEWOOD (1967-1969) recently sent in the following report: “At the 2005 Foundation Day Address, a group of alumni who met in the first few years of International House, arranged to visit Ben (1970-1971) and Elizabeth Hassan at their olive farm at Lithgow, west of the Blue Mountains. Accordingly, on 15th October, Nuli Lemoh, Lan and Karl Wehrhahn, Lois Tam, Val Hazlewood and, Harry and Gayle Bergsteiner, set out in two cars at about 9am. Nuli had arranged for himself, Lan Karl and Val to stay overnight in a house at Mount Victoria. When we arrived and opened it up we were amazed at the beautiful view directly over the Megalong Valley. The slow combustion heater was started with the atmosphere of an open fire.
Then we drove to Tarana, just beyond Lithgow, to meet Ben and Elizabeth. We enjoyed a Pot Luck lunch complete with an olive oil tasting (pieces of sourdough bread dipped into the extra virgin olive oil). It was delicious. The oil is locally pressed, attractively bottled and labelled Tarana. Quite a number of bottles were purchased by alumni. Ben is justly proud of their 45 acre farm which in its fifth year (April 05) began to yield a substantial harvest, despite difficult drought conditions. He and Elizabeth gave us a guided tour of the property and we were particularly interested in the dams he has had dug. Ben and Elizabeth have taken to the farming life in every way and hope to introduce organic methods soon. Ben still practises as a lawyer and Elizabeth teaches music.
We went back to the house for a light evening meal around the hearth, more olive oil tasting, and a sound sleep. Harry, Gayle and Lois left for their Lithgow hotel. The bushwalk planned for Sunday was impossible since it was raining. The beautiful Megalong Valley was blanketed in a heavy mist. Instead, Lan led us capably through some yoga exercises. Then we visited some local shops, where Lois found her High School Biology Teacher still running her own business at 85. A supply of deli items was purchased and we returned to the house to prepare sandwiches. Over lunch we all talked about life and work, relaxing with the unique International House tradition of fun and fellowship. Late afternoon we set off home after a memorable weekend.”
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Dennis SCHATZ (1969-1970) This time last year we had news of Dennis’ National Science Teachers Association’s lifetime achievement award – the Distinguished Service to Science Education Award. Now, with the news of his latest children’s books, the new Fossil Detective series, he has included an all-inclusive kit with the books (designed for young palaeontologists) to be placed in the International House Library in the section devoted to books written by Alumni. There they will form a fascinating addition to our library, for all interested in what may have happened to these huge reptiles.
In the coming year Dennis is looking forward to visiting his sons during his travels to Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, in the course of his work, and several book signings around the country. He and his wife, Leila, hope to get back to Australia in the next couple of years and we look forward to seeing them again in the not too distant future.
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Mealy TRUONG (1970) Mealy wrote again at the end of last year to give us the good news of the success of his recent surgery and that his blood tests no longer showed any traces of disease. ‘Due to my health conditions,’ he wrote, ‘I have to continue my student work in Japan for a while longer – life is weird with its twists and turns!’ He sent his warmest regards to all his friends from IH.
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Khosrov SHAHABI (1971) sent a postcard to International House from Isfahan, Iran, to wish all a happy Christmas and New Year, and to say “anybody visiting Iran is most welcome to come to Isfahan to see us”.
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Dangman YI (1971) recently sent in an update saying: “more than twelve years have passed since I retired from the teaching profession. My retired life goes on as usual. My daily routine’s are: reading, writing, mountain-walking and occasional trips home and abroad. This year I have had four overseas trips: Vietnam and Cambodia, ancient Silk Road (Xinjiang Uygur, North West China), Mount Beck-du (Korean Mont Blanc), and Confucius’ birth place, Shandong China (in spite of global disasters...).” It was good to hear that Dangman is fit and well, able to continue on his travels and that he still keeps such fond memories of his time at International House.
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Leong LIM (1971-1973) Leong returned to Sydney recently with his wife, Anne, and spent some time in residence at International House. In an email before his arrival he wrote: ‘I worked for the National Parks
& Wildlife Service for some fifteen years and spent a couple of years at Sydney’s Taronga and Western Plains Zoos as their curator before setting up an environmental consulting company. I finally went back to law school in 1994 as my old injuries from a bad helicopter accident in 1980 started to catch up with me and threatened to end my ability to function effectively in the field. The wonders of medical science have kept me functioning still, so I am still active in the field – better known as a marsupial specialist than one who has made any impact on the legal profession...I plan on ruminating in chambers when my past sins finally catch up with me – which may be sooner than I think...’ He adds: ‘Places like IH have a strong impact on people’s lives and their outlooks...’
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Alan Edwin BRAIN (1977-1980) is now Zoe Ellen Brain.
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Nora (VITZ) HARRISON (1978) sent Thanksgiving greetings last November. Nora and her husband Jon recently moved into their newly constructed house in Portland, Oregon, which Jon helped to build. In July, Nora and Jon spent a holiday in Bermuda to celebrate Nora’s 50th birthday, and both continue to enjoy their work.
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Ben FONG (1978-1980) On December 1st 2005 Ben was formally appointed Director of the University Health Service of the Chinese University of Hong Kong at Shatin. He says: ‘our service is essentially that of primary care provider to all our staff and their dependents and to all full time students. There are nearly 30,000 eligible persons whose health needs taking care of and these include GP consultations, minor procedures, referral to specialists, preventive care etc. The University has set a policy of becoming a Healthy University and our Unit is responsible for the promulgation of the programmes...’
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Ted CHAN (1980) In early December 2005, Ted, with his wife Sylvina and son Yan Yin (born when his parents were at IH in 1980 and who holds the proud title of First International House Baby!) returned to stay in IH. The family had lunch with Graeme de Graaff & Lauris Elms at their home in Newington, where they also met up again with Joan Rowlands for a very interesting reunion for all. Yan Yin, who was only seven when he last met Joan, in Hong Kong, has now graduated in music at Cardiff University in Wales.
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Termidzi JUNAIDI (1980) wrote to us at the end of March to announce an important sea change in his life: ‘Hi there! Greetings from Malaysia. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. It’s not at all sunny here and there has been a lot of rain lately. Thought I’d just share the news that my resignation from military life has been approved and that I will be a civilian by July 9th. I have been offered the position of Dean to set up a new Dental School from Ground Zero for the International Islamic University. It will see me moving to Kuantan, a town on the east coast and not far from the South China Sea. My wife, Hali, and the kids will remain in Kuala Lumpur, but it is only three hours by road and thirty minutes by air, so that is not so bad. I never imagined that I would be a Professor at this late phase of my life but I can’t resist the challenge. To all in Australia, congratulations on the Commonwealth Games. The Opening saw me glued to the TV. All the Best and GOD Bless. Termidzi, Hali & family.’
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McKey MPHEPO (1983) recently wrote in to update his address details and give the following news: I retired from civil service in 1995 and joined the University of Malawi from November 1995 to June 2002 when my contract came to an end. I then worked for World Vision International as Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in Malawi and Mozambique from November 2002 to October 2003. My brief was to build staff capacity in M+E processes. I am now working as an Independent Consultant in the evaluation of rural development projects, capacity building, writing proposals, etc. Our Australian son is in Melbourne at Dookie College pursuing Agricultural Studies.
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Roger JONES (1981-1985) sent a Christmas card to International House from Canada: “Dear Friends at International House: It’s hard to realise that it is now twenty years since I left International House, and Australia. I still have fond memories of my time as a resident and have enduring friendships around the world as a tangible reminder of the fellowship we all shared. All best wishes for Christmas and the coming year!”
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Amy HERRING (WEINPER) (1991) wrote recently to update her contact details and to announce that she and her husband Bryan welcomed their son, Stephen, to the world, on 12 January 2005.
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Heather SPRATT (1995) recently got in touch to update her address details; she is now living in New York City. Heather commented “Thank you for keeping me in the loop with all the International House news. I can’t believe it’s been almost ten years since I left! Keep up the great work!”
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Shaupaun KOUMAR (1999) recently wrote as follows: " Each time I receive the alumni Newsletter of International House of Sydney University, each time I recall a new the dining room of IH, where I used to go three times a day sitting together with some particular groups of students-professors from all over the world. The kind of people they were, the ideologies they had and the discussions I had with them, all these made me hungrier for the dinning room rather than food.
I’ve stayed in many parts of the world in many different situations but the IH of Sydney had been such a wonderful experience for me. I’ve stayed only a semester (1999) in IH, but I can’t forget those days there. I’ve forgotten many names of those nice and interesting people though, but they all are still intact in my memories!
The lovely affection and feelings they had shown during my departure day were unbelievable to me. Only at that moment I really realised what they had felt about me during my stay at IH! I’ll be very grateful if anybody could send me some of the photographs (or negatives) taken on that occasion if there’re still any.
After working as a Business Economist for sometime, now I run a small consulting firm specialized in Corporate Tax and Public Accounting. If anybody happens to come Brussels, don’t hesitate to call or contact me."
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Shafeenez ABDUL-SATTAR (1999-2000) recently wrote to say: “I’m ok in general....finally up and quit my old job and now work for a local NGO working mainly on a tsunami reconstruction project in 16 islands of Maldives. So I get a bit of local travel from time to time which is good. It’s definitely been a good change I think. I have now started French lessons......so, bonjour!!! Tetsu and Bo and I were talking....anyone interested in a reunion in Bangkok in late July?” (You can contact Shafeenez via the SUIHAA website: www.suihaa.org.au).
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Wai Ying HUI (Debbie) (2000) recently wrote in to update her address. Wai Ying is still based in the Sydney area, now living in Mascot.
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Jill GAMBILL (2002-2003) recently wrote to share the happy news “that Roberto and I welcomed an 8 pound, 4 ounce (3.72 kilos) baby boy into the world yesterday (Feb. 2) at 9:19am. The labour was 26 hours long but I managed to survive it without drugs and was able to deliver him in water, like I’d planned! It was an amazing experience!! For the females out there giving birth naturally is really hard (it was definitely the most intense and difficult thing I’ve ever experienced), but it was also so fulfilling!! I know that millions of women give birth every day, but I have never been so proud of myself. It is so strange to see this little guy who for over 9 months has shared my body! He has a really good temperament and hardly cries at all. He also has a BIG appetite!! In his one day of life, he has managed to pee on both Roberto and I, and he has dirtied an amazing amount of clothing with spit-up and poop! My parents and sister are here in Miami for another week, which is so nice because in 3 days I’ve slept about 3 hours! When they come over later, I am taking a nap!! Roberto is working 16 hour days this week, filming a Spanish TV pilot.
Sending you lots of love, Jill.
P.S. We STILL don’t have a name for the baby!! Hopefully now that we can see his face, one will jump out at us!”
Congratulations Jill and Roberto!
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Haley DOTY (2003) recently wrote to update her details: “After graduating with an MA in Museum Studies in 2003, I returned to the U.S. and took a job as a curator in an art gallery. I was able to work closely with artwork by Picasso, Miro, and Chagall, just to name a few. Currently, I am the Collections Cataloguer at the Long Beach Museum of Art in sunny Southern California with an ocean view from my office window! I will be visiting Paris, London, and Toronto in May and will see a few IH Alumni along the way. I miss Sydney and hope to visit again some time in the near future.”
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Idit REGEV (2003) was recently married to Itai. Congratulations Idit, we wish you both a long and happy life together!
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Rachel WALLACH (2005) Rachel wrote in February from her parents’ home in Israel:‘I have come back home to Israel for a summer vacation and decided to stay here rather than return to Sydney for another semester. It has been an extremely exciting year and it’s time for me to take a deep rest. God knows I miss IH profoundly...’ Referring to the 2005 Christmas party, she went on to say: ‘Thank you for the British-Chinese-Australian experience you granted me and my friends. Hospitality means a tremendous deal for people away from home – at a time like Christmas it was not only enjoyable and memorable but also crucial for our well being, even for Jews and for non-Christians...
There is a chance that I’ll be going to England for a short while soon. There I shall practise switching from an accent reminiscent of Australia, with a tinge of Israeli coarse R’s, to a perfect posh pronunciation...’
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Of the IH Office
Faith Sevilla, IH’s receptionist, gave birth to Emmanuel Jose (EJ) Sevilla on 4 March 2006 (Saturday). Congratulations!
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Claudia Morales, PA to the Director of IH and honorary SUIHAA member, recently returned from a “fantastic” trip with her family to Mexico
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