Page 27 - Luce 2016

A l umni News

Vicki Ponsford

Vicki was a From 2002 until her retirement from million prize, their project ‘Libromat’ has
student at the the Department of Immigration and received $200,000 from an investor to
University of Border Protection in December 2015, continue piloting and developing their
Melbourne from Vicki worked in the area of refugee innovative laundry and book sharing
1971 to 1975 status determination with on-shore program.
completing a BA arrivals and boat arrivals. She undertook
and Diploma of numerous deployments and was sent
Social Studies, to detention centres to interview and
qualifying as a assess applications for protection visas,
social worker. making trips to Christmas Island, Nauru
She embraced life at JCH to the full, and centres across Australia. In 2006,
making many lifelong friendships during she travelled to Jordan and Syria on a
her three years at College, her final short term mission to interview Iraqi
year being the first of co-education, a and Afghan applicants for the Offshore
significant period in the history of JCH Humanitarian Program. Direct contact
and a time of social ferment and change. with the victims of the Iraq war was Libromat
confronting and stories of persecution
After a year at the Royal Melbourne heartrending. At that time Syria was Her team was recently named in Forbes
Hospital in 1975, Vicki went to work peaceful, but now is devastated by civil ‘30 under 30 social entrepreneurs in
with a small agency serving the Italian war and a mass exodus of citizens. Europe’. Additionally, Jenny is enjoying
community, CO-AS-IT, where she her rowing and is currently on track
worked for four years. During this time Vicki dealt with many cases of Sri to represent Oxford University at
she learned Italian and undertook a Lankans, Iranians, Afghans, Pakistanis the Henley Boat Races as part of the
government funded study tour of Italy. and Iraqis in recent years reflecting University's light-weight women's crew.
In 1980 Vicki went to Italy to study the exodus from areas of conflict and
Italian in Florence. Captivated by the oppression and saw the stories behind Dublin Calling
country and the lifestyle she remained the headlines. Through several changes
there for several years. After working for of government she witnessed the Lucilla Ronnai (2013) is currently in
the Red Cross in Salerno in the south in changes in the policies impacting on Ireland, working as the Heritage Council
an earthquake relief project she worked asylum seekers. Conservation Intern in the Trinity College
as an English teacher in Milan. Library Conservation Department – home
After leaving the public sector, Vicki is to the world famous ‘Book of Kells’.
After returning to Australia, Vicki joined looking forward to taking new directions
the then Department of Immigration and and returning to the community sector Lucy writes that it is ‘incredible to
Ethnic Affairs as a social worker in 1987. to engage with asylum seekers in a be amongst so much valuable material
From social work with newly arrived different capacity and provide support and getting to touch it, let alone treat it!
migrants and refugees, she moved into to some of those who are impacted by One of my projects includes a large 17th
administrative roles managing funding current government policies. Century Dutch vellum bound atlas that
for ethnic community organisations and is filled with incredible hand coloured
later to a liaison role with community On the Rhodes (again) engravings. Over a hundred of them.
groups, preparing briefings and speech I am loving it in Dublin for obvious
notes for Ministers and reporting on 2015 has been an amazing year for JCH reasons.’
community activities and dynamics for alumna and past residential tutor
government. Dr Jenny Tran. Jenny completed her
MSc in Global Health Science at
During the 1990s in different roles, Oxford and is now reading a DPhil
Vicki worked on many projects at the Department of Obstetrics and
including the government’s social justice Gynaecology.
agenda, equal employment opportunity,
women’s issues, domestic violence and
sponsorship of women as brides. She
travelled to the Philippines to study
the Filipino bride phenomenon and
international sex tourism. Vicki also
worked on the co-ordination of the
Living in Harmony program which was
the government response to racism. She was part of a team of Oxford
This led to a secondment to the students who were finalists for the
Victorian state as a policy officer Hult Prize Challenge, the world’s
in 2000 where she worked on the largest student competition and start-
introduction of the Racial and Religious up platform for social good. While
Tolerance legislation. narrowly missing out on winning the $1 Lucilla Ronnai

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