4 August 2006

Warren Osmond Scholar officially welcomed to UC

The University of Canberra community will be officially welcoming the Warren Osmond Scholarship recipient Mr Hitu Carvalho de Jesus, from Timor-Leste (East Timor) on Wednesday 9 August at 4.00 pm.   Special guests at the welcome will be Dr Osmond's widow, Ms Juliet Richter and Mr Lisualdo Gaspar, Second Secretary of the East Timor Embassy.

University of Canberra, together with AusAID and the Friends of the Warren Osmond Scholarship made available a scholarship for a meritorious East Timorese with an interest in studying journalism.   Mr Hitu Carvalho de Jesus was chosen to be the recipient of this scholarship.

The late Dr Warren Osmond was a respected Australian academic and journalist.   Dr Osmond took his doctorate from the University of Sydney and Allen and Unwin subsequently publishing his thesis.   He then took up a Fullbright Scholarship in the USA.   On returning to Australia he had a number of high profile journalistic appointments, sharing a Walkley award with his colleagues at the Sydney Morning Herald for their coverage of the turbulent end of the Gorbachev era in the former Soviet Union.   In 1996 Dr Osmond was appointed editor of Campus Review.   Not long before his death in 2000, he highlighted issues relating to East Timorese students in Australia and the involvement of Australian universities in re-establishing the University at Dili.

The scholarship incorporates English language training plus a three year undergraduate degree course in journalism at the University of Canberra.   AusAID is supporting Mr de Jesus during his study. Mentoring in journalism will be arranged through the Friends of the Warren Osmond Scholarship.

Hitu Carvalho de Jesus is 28 years of age and married with 2 children. His family is planning to join him during his stay in Australia.   Hitu trained and worked as an English teacher before taking a position with the United Nations Serious Crime Unit in 2005, established to investigate and prosecute serious crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Timor-Leste during 1999. Hitu was employed as a Tetun translator to translate prepared documents for handover to the RDTL government.

Hitu has been an active volunteer in the area of advocacy and capacity building. This includes work with community radio Tokodede as a journalist, editor and programmer. He has worked as a researcher for organisations involved in rural development and capacity building and as a facilitator for the Liquica District Gariana Study Club.

Hitu hopes that through this scholarship he will be able to use his knowledge and skills to work with national and local media to provide greater independent access to information, particularly for the Timor-Leste rural communities. This, he believes, will in turn assist in the progression of development within these communities.

What:    Official Welcome to the Warren Osmond Scholarship Scholar

When:   4.00 pm Wednesday 9 August 2006

Where: Council Room, University of Canberra.   Building 1 Level D

UC Communications

Gaye Morrison
T: 02 6201 5855
M: 0409 470 755

Kaddie Pass
T: 02 6201 2681

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Last Updated on August 1, 2005