The kindness of a UNE lecturer and his wife towards an international student in the 1960s has prompted a $300,000 donation to the University of New England (UNE).

Mr Wai Kwun Lam, from Hong Kong, was a boarder at The Armidale School in the 1960s when he met Alfred McCready and his wife Irene, and they enjoyed a lifelong friendship.

Mr Lam and his wife Pansy have made the donation in memory of the McCreadys “to whom we owe so much as a family for their many kindnesses.”

The donation will establish the A.G. and I.C. McCready Honours Scholarship for Classical Languages, to be offered for the first time in 2019, and seed a new A.G. and I.C. McCready Lectureship in Ancient Greek.

The Lams said the gift, in memory of the McCreadys, both of whom were Greek and Latin scholars and teachers, aims to be the catalyst to provide for an ongoing lectureship post for classical Greek.

Director of Advancement, Communications and Events at UNE, Mr Robert Heather, said the donation has inspired a fundraising campaign to raise the remaining money required to create the new A.G. and I.C. McCready Lectureship in Ancient Greek as an endowed position so that the study of classical languages is firmly embedded in the University’s curriculum.

“Many universities have ongoing teaching or research roles that are supported by donations invested into an endowment fund, with the income generated supporting the salary and other costs of the position,” Mr Heather said.

“There has been a resurgence in interest by employers and businesses in recruit people who know how to think, rather then what to think. Humanities courses such as the Classics provide students with core values and abilities that can be incredibly valuable throughout their career, and graduates in this field are increasingly sought after.”

This is not the first time that Mr Lam and his wife Pansy have made donations to UNE. In the past they have supported the UNE’s Museum of Antiquities in honour of their friendship with Alfred McCready, who taught classical languages at UNE from 1958-76, with his wife Irene.

Alfred & Irene McCready

Both Alfred (1916-1996) and his wife Irene (1926-2003) shared a passion for ancient cultures and languages and were active in the Armidale community. Alfred taught classical languages (Greek and Latin) at UNE from 1958-1976. Irene taught Latin at the New England Girls’ School and organised classes in Modern Greek for students from Greek and Cypriot families.

After Alfred’s death in 1996, Irene was instrumental in establishing the AG & IC McCready Fund to support the work of UNE’s Museum of Antiquities and make this outstanding collection more accessible to visitors, students and researchers.

Together with the generous donation by the Lam family, the University has now raised $420,000 towards the goal of $1.5 million required to create an endowed lectureship position and has approached previous donors and alumni with an interest in the areas of Classical languages, Ancient History and the Humanities to support the McCready Lectureship Appeal.

The McReady Appeal

The Classics have always been amongst the subjects on offer at UNE since the first group of students started at the New England University College in Booloominbah during 1938, one of the few regional universities to offer these core subjects.

The Humanities have always been amongst the most popular courses offered by the University which thousands of students have studied and learned here on-campus and online. Around the world the importance of studying in this field has recently been reassessed and reaffirmed with many modern employers now seeking people who know how to creatively look at and solve problems or issues. Today Classics and Ancient History is offered by the UNE Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education (HASSE) and remains as relevant and important as ever to new generations of students.

The overall target for the McCready Appeal is $1,500,000. The funds donated will be invested by the UNE Foundation so that the income generated supports the ongoing costs of the lectureship including the lecturer’s salary. To date the Appeal has received a leadership donation of $300,000 from Mr Wai Kwum Lam and his wife Pansy Lam, this has been supported with other donations and by consolidating existing funds so that we now have almost $500,000 in the McCready account to commence the Appeal. With your support and assistance we will raise the remaining $1,000,000 to reach our target so that UNE can start recruiting for the role of A.G. and I.C. McCready Lecturer in Ancient Greek in 2020-2021.