Page 18 - Luce 2016

S enior C o mmon Ro om

A Chinese Odyssey

Flying over unseen borders through
remembered routes, well-worn passport
stamped with a new date, I arrived in
Nanjing in late-November 2016.

I was to begin an old journey anew,
being assigned for the third time the
position of Academic Teaching Assistant
by the University of Melbourne for
its overseas summer intensive, ‘Town
and Country in China and the West’.
Developed and coordinated by Antonia
Finnane, Professor of Chinese history,
and co-taught by Professor David
Goodman, a specialist in American
history, the three-week intensive
teaches comparative urban histories
of China and the USA based at the
old, prestigious Nanjing University,
Jiangsu Province. Classes were held in
the morning, followed by afternoon
fieldtrips to historic sites such as the
Ming Dynasty city wall, the Confucian
temple and various museums old and
new. Short trips to Yangzhou, Beijing,
and Shanghai (our final stop) were also
part of the course itinerary, adding to an
already exciting and intense program.
Twenty-nine students came on board
this year, amongst whom two were from
Janet Clarke Hall. Conna Speelman and
Hamish Clark, both conscientious and
hard-working, had had an outstanding Hamish Clark, Shan Windscript and Conna Speelman on the Great Wall of China
year of achievements at university and
College. In Nanjing, they continued to
excel by making diligent contributions Volunteer Award
to course activities and by engaging
in extracurricular social and cultural for CHASE
adventures, winning appreciation from
both their teachers and peers with their The Community Health Advancement and Student
insightful, warm-hearted nature. Their Engagement (CHASE) program, founded by former JCH
presence among the journeying crew resident tutors, Dr Richard Liu and Dr Jenny Tran, was
delighted me with a pleasing sense of recognised for outstanding achievement in innovation in
familiarity – a constant reminder of volunteering at the 2016 Minister for Health Volunteer
another home on the other side of the Awards.
equator.
CHASE is a mentorship program aimed at improving CHASE CEO Lachlan Evans
Together, our 2016 cohort travelled health through education. Over the course of the school (left) and Co-founder
relentlessly across times and places, year, university student CHASE mentors deliver health- Dr Richard Liu
reliving the past through present related workshops to secondary school students focusing
moments; immersing ourselves in history on six major health topics: social determinants of health, nutrition, physical activity,
but also manufacturing new memories sexual health, drugs and alcohol and mental health. Mentors work with students on
day in and day out. related projects aimed at creating social change within their local community.

Shan Windscript The Hon. Jill Hennessy, Victorian Minister for Health, presented the Award to
CHASE CEO Lachlan Evans and Co-founder Richard Liu. A total of 16 individuals
and teams were acknowledged at the Awards for their devotion of time and talents
in hospitals, ambulance services, community health, mental health and aged care.

‘I want to acknowledge Tutorial Room 1 at JCH as the place where it all began!’
Richard Liu told Dr Powell.

18 LUCE Number 15 2016