This year marks La Trobe University’s 50th anniversary, which will be celebrated with a range of events throughout the year.
The first major event, the Lawn Lunch, will kick off on Sunday 5 March at the La Trobe Bundoora campus, with an exciting program lined up championing the institution’s history through music, film, food and drinks, and is a chance for former students, staff and friends of the university to return and relive their glory days.
“For me personally, it’s a tremendous privilege to be vice chancellor of the university when it’s going through a celebration of this sort of milestone, and there’s a huge amount to celebrate from the last 50 years,” Professor John Dewar told Neos Kosmos.
Having played a significant role in maintaining Greek language education and research into the Greek Australian community, Professor Dewar also stressed the event would be an opportunity to showcase La Trobe’s cultural awareness and inclusiveness.
“Cultural inclusiveness is one of the university’s greatest strengths. We have one of the most diverse student populations in the country, where new and older migrant groups are also represented very strongly among the student community. So I think to be able to symbolise all of that in the 50th anniversary celebration is a really wonderful thing,” he said.
In the spirit of this ethos, the Lawn Lunch is open to everyone, with tickets including food from one of the nine social enterprise catering partners and a drink upon entry, a La Trobe memorabilia bag, as well as access to an outstanding line-up of film, music and talks from some of the people who have made La Trobe a success.
The music stage has a stunning line-up of some of Australia’s finest talent, including the captivating duo Xylouris White, The Harpoons, a reunion of This is Your Captain Speaking, and comedy folk duo The Astruds.
There’ll also be screenings of historical shorts from the La Trobe archives and films connected to the university’s pioneering cinema studies department and filmmakers.
A Speaker’s Corner will be set up, where conversations with esteemed academic thinkers will be taking place along with the launch of the university’s new book From the paddock to the Agora – Fifty years of La Trobe University, which will be available for purchase on the day at cost price.
The event couldn’t have come at a better time, given the current political climate in the United States, and the travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump last month. But the Professor says La Trobe is committed to welcoming scholars from around the world.
“This is actually part of a 1,000-year-old university tradition, it’s just that LaTrobe has taken that ancient tradition and applied it to the northern suburbs and the regional communities we serve around Victoria.
“The travel ban was such a profound attack on that sort of internationalism that universities have represented for so long. So it’s a really important tradition to maintain and to foster,” Professor Dewar said.
So far the university has had a positive response to the event, with all funds going towards covering costs and supporting the work of the social enterprises involved.
“La Trobe also has a well-deserved reputation for being at the epicentre of Melbourne’s vibrant social, cultural and political life. The Lawn Lunch will demonstrate why,” said Professor Dewar.
The La Trobe Lawn Lunch will take place on Sunday 5 March, 2017 from 12 noon–5.00 pm at the Academic Lawn, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC. Entry is $20 general admission and $10 concession. For tickets, visit 50years.latrobe/lawn-lunch/