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Occasional Address

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March 2023

An occasional address is delivered by a guest speaker at each graduation ceremony, to provide perspective and insights particularly relevant to our graduating cohort.

Below is a list of occasional speakers in previous years.


Dr Justin Garrick – Faculty of Education

Head of School, Canberra Grammar School

Download speech (PDF, 118.6KB)

Noor Blumer – Faculty of Business, Government & Law

Director, Blumers Personal Injury Lawyers

Download speech (PDF, 50.6KB)

Darlene Cox – Faculty of Health

Executive Director of Health Care Consumers Association

Download speech (PDF, 107.6KB)

Tara Searle – Faculty of Science & Technology

Branch Manager Technical Services, Australian Digital Health Agency

Download speech (PDF, 107.6KB)

Peter Strong - Faculty of Business, Government & Law

Principal, Community Economics

Dr Hayley Teasdale – Faculty of Health

Manager - Science Policy Projects at The Australian Academy of Science

Gaven Morris – Faculty of Arts & Design

CEO, Bastian Transform

Past addresses

Professor Richard (Dick)Telford AM PhD FACSM FSMA | Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health (Nursing & Midwifery) Ceremony

Professorial Fellow (UC Research Institute for Sport and Exercise), Senior Australia of the Year recipient 2017, Former Australian Rules footballer

Download speech (PDF, 310.6KB)

Associate Professor Annette Schmiede – Faculty of Health

Chair Research Australia and CEO Digital Health CRC

Kate Carnell AO – Faculty of Business, Government & Law

Deputy Chair BeyondBlue and Director Australian Made Campaign Ltd, Former ACT Chief Minister 

Hala Batainah – Faculty of Science & Technology, Faculty of Arts & Design

Chair of the CBRIN Board of Directors and Principle Coach at Humanosity

Adjunct Professor Trish Bergin | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Chair of the Women’s Legal Centre, ACT and Regions and Former Co-Director, Governance - 50/50 by 2030 Foundation

Download speech (PDF, 112.2KB)

Adjunct Professor Robin Eckermann AM | Faculty of Science and Technology Ceremony

Former Chief Architect of TransACT Communications

Download speech (PDF, 158.7KB)

Dr Paresh Dawda | Faculty of Health Ceremony

General Practitioner, Next Practice Health

Download speech (PDF, 151.2KB)

Betty Kitchener AM | Faculty of Health Ceremony

Australian Mental Health Educator and Founder of Mental Health First Aid

Download speech (PDF, 170.3KB)

Dr Caroline Hughes | Faculty of Education Ceremony

Ngunnawal Elder and Executive Director Collections Services Group, AIATSIS

Download speech (PDF, 113.4KB)

Rachael Clark | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Solicitor/Program Manager, Dhurrawang Aboriginal Human Rights Program, Canberra Community Law

Download speech (PDF, 146.6KB)

Dr Bobby Cerini | Faculty of Science and Technology Ceremony

Director of Science and Learning, Questacon

Download speech (PDF, 623.5KB)

Natalie Howson | Faculty of Education Ceremony

Chair - Board of Teacher Quality Institute, Former Director General, ACT Education Directorate

Download speech (PDF, 574.8KB)

Prof Nick Coatsworth | Faculty of Health Ceremony

Executive Director Medical Services, Canberra Health Services, ACT Government

Download speech (PDF, 59.5KB)

Dr David Hughes | Faculty of Health Ceremony

Chief Medical Officer, Australian Institute for Sport

Download speech (PDF, 550.1KB)

Shane Drumgold SC | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Director of Public Prosecutions, ACT Government

Download speech (PDF, 193.8KB)

Cath Ingram | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

ACT Chair and Lead Partner, Federal Government, KPMG Australia

Download speech (PDF, 640.1KB)

Danielle Harmer | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

General Manager – Allhomes

Download speech (PDF, 97.7KB)

Dr Maxine Cooper | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Adjunct Professor, Design and the Built Environment, Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra

Download speech (PDF, 517.2KB)

Katherine Murphy | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Political Editor and Canberra Bureau Chief of The Guardian Australia

Download speech (PDF, 75KB)

Barnie Van Wyk | Faculty of Education Ceremony

Chief Executive Officer St Vincent de Paul Society – Canberra/Goulburn

Download speech (PDF, 96KB)

Cindy Mitchell | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Chief Executive Officer, The Mill House Social Enterprise Accelerator

Download speech (PDF, 115KB)

Pierre Johannessen | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Partner, Johannessen Legal

Download speech (PDF, 124.8KB)

Professor Vicki Flood | Faculty of Health Ceremony

BAppSc, GradDipNutr&Diet, MPH, PhD, APD

Download speech (PDF, 125.7KB)

Matthew Brown | Faculty of Education Ceremony

R/Executive Director, School Performance

Download speech (PDF, 168.6KB)

Michael Socolow | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

2019 Fullbright Scholar, UMaine

Download speech (PDF, 120.3KB)

Meredith Edwards | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Download speech (PDF, 105.9KB)

Peter Alexander | Faculty of Business Government and Law, Faculty of Science and Technology Ceremony

Australian Government Chief Digital Officer, Digital Transformation Agency

Download speech (PDF, 120.8KB)

Betty Kitchener | CCAE 50 Years Celebration

Download speech (PDF, 82.9KB)

Bill Maiden | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony, Faculty of Education Ceremony

Download speech (PDF, 119.5KB)

Lt Col Jo-Anne Ikin | Faculty of Health Ceremony

Acting Director Defence Force Nursing (A/DDFN)

Download speech (PDF, 284.8KB)

Richard Potok | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony

Founder and CEO of the Aurora Project and the Aurora Education Foundation

Download speech (PDF, 367.9KB)

John Faulks | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Download speech (PDF, 342.5KB)

Dr Helen Watchirs OAM | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

ACT Human Rights Commissioner

Download speech (PDF, 207.5KB)

Heather Reid | Faculty of Health Ceremony

Download speech (PDF, 211.7KB)

Melanie Fisher | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Deputy CEO and GM, Food Standards Australian New Zealand

Download speech (PDF, 131.7KB)

Robin Eckerman | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony

Adjunct Professor, University of Canberra

Download speech (PDF, 178.5KB)

Lana Read | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony

Principal, UC High School Kaleen

Download speech (PDF, 186.6KB)

Dan Bourchier | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Journalist and host, ABC Canberra

Download speech (PDF, 41.9KB)

Shane Breynard | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Director, ACT Museums & Galleries

Download speech (PDF, 160.4KB)


Mark Duggan | Faculty of Health Ceremony

Manager Medical Imaging, Canberra Hospital and Health Services

Download speech (PDF, 77KB)

Mèdy Hassan | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Managing Director, Haus Holdings

Download speech (PDF, 111.2KB)

Renèe Leon PSM | Faculty of Business Government and Law and Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis Ceremony

Secretary, Department of Employment

Download speech (PDF, 212.5KB)

Glen Brennan | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Head of Indigenous Business Development, National Australia Bank

Download speech (PDF, 192.9KB)


Fiona Godfrey | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony

Principal, Radford College

Download speech (PDF, 136.1KB)

Samia Goudie | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics and Faculty of Health Ceremony

Senior Lecturer, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, ANU

Download speech (PDF, 137.2KB)


John Body | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Founding Partner, ThinkPlace

Download speech (PDF, 132.8KB)


Professor Stephen Parker AO | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Vice-Chancellor, University of Canberra

Download speech (PDF, 144.9KB)

Professor Stephen Parker AO | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Vice-Chancellor & President, University of Canberra

Download speech (PDF, 105.5KB)

Dr Dawn Casey | Faculty of Arts and Design and Faculty of Health Ceremony

Chairperson, Indigenous Land Corporation

Download speech (PDF, 80.8KB)

Craig Sloan | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

Partner, KPMG Canberra

Download speech (PDF, 252.8KB)

John Boersig | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony

CEO Legal Aid


Francis Sullivan | Faculty of Business Government and Law, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis and Faculty of Health Ceremony

CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council

Download speech (PDF, 204.8KB)


Katy Gallagher | Faculty of Health Ceremony

Former Chief Minister of the ACT

Download speech (PDF, 140.4KB)

Professor Will Steffen | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony

Executive Director, ANU Climate Change Institute

Download speech (PDF, 196.2KB)

Dr Justin Garrick | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony

Head of School, Canberra Grammar School

Download speech (PDF, 139.6KB)

Chris Latham | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Artistic Director, Illumina: Remembering the Lost Voices of World War 1, Gallipoli Symphony, Voices in the Forest

Download speech (PDF, 79.1KB)

Christopher Doyle | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony

Director, Christopher Doyle & Co

Download speech (PDF, 83.6KB)
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UC acknowledges the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the lands where Bruce campus is situated. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of Canberra and the region. We also acknowledge all other First Nations Peoples on whose lands we gather.