Deputy Vice Chancellor - UniSA · 2018. 11. 8. · Deputy Vice Chancellor External Relations and...

Deputy Vice Chancellor External Relations and Strategic Projects’ welcome to Christophe Lecourtier

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• His Excellency Mr Christophe Lecourtier (CHRIS-TOFF LE

COURT-I-YAY), Ambassador of the Republic of France to

Australia;

• The Honourable Ian Hunter, Member of the Legislative

Council and Minister for Sustainability, Environment

and Conservation; Water and the River Murray; and

Climate Change;

• The Honourable Zoe Bettison MP, among many other

titles, the Minister for Multicultural Affairs;

• The Honourable Kelly Vincent, Member of the

Legislative Council;

• Ms Katrine Hildyard MP, Parliamentary Secretary to

the Premier and Member for Reynell; and

• Mr Bryan Fahy, President, Alliance Française

d'Adelaïde (ALLY-ONS FRON-SAY D’ADELAIDE).


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• Ladies and gentlemen.

• Good evening.

• At the outset, I acknowledge that this event is taking

place on Kaurna land.

• The Kaurna people have performed ceremonies on this

land for many centuries, and we pay respect to their

living culture and the unique role they continue to play

in the life of the Adelaide region.

PAUSE

• Were it not for two ships that almost passed in the

night

• - the night of April 8 1802 in fact –

• It might have been that the French among us were

hosting tonight’s event.


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• On that fateful night two ships, the Investigator

captained by Matthew Flinders, and the Gographe (GO

GRAFF) captained by Nicolas Baudin (BOW DAN) met

at Encounter Bay near Victor Harbor,

• both while mapping this continent and collecting

animals and plants for transport back to France and

England.

• Both captains appeared more interested in collecting

animals, seeds and plants than in planting flags

• -although researchers from another South Australian

university maintain that Baudin (BOW DAN) had

prepared a report for Napoleon on ways to invade the

British colony at Sydney Cove.

• Nothing happened, but a raft of French place names

dotted around the coast of South and Western

Ausralia, Kangaroo Island and down the east coast of

Tasmania testify to what might have been.


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• Tonight I am delighted to launch our recently signed

Memorandum of Understanding between the

University of South Australia and Alliance Française

d'Adelaïde (ALLY-ONS FRON-SAY D’ADELAIDE).

• This is a partnership which will promote French

society, language and culture and the relationship

between France and Australia,

• And tonight's lecture is the first of an ongoing series

that will be brought to you by our Hawke EU Centre as

part of their new Ambassadorial Lecture Series.

• We also plan other cultural events such as exhibitions

and, we hope, an artist in residence scheme which will

bring a leading French artist to UniSA, to work with

students in our School of Art Architecture and Design

and in conjunction with the Samstag Museum.

• Our relationship with France is an old one as I said

earlier.


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• Next week we will be commemorating Anzac Day, and

among the fallen remembered are the many young

Australians buried across the fields of Northern France.

• Our shared values of democracy, human rights and

freedom of speech are founded on this deep bond of

shared sacrifice.

• Today, our relations continue to be shaped by

collaborations in defence, particularly with the

awarding of the multi billion dollar submarine contract

to DCNS,

• especially here in South Australia where much of the

work will be carried out.

• UniSA is working with our counterparts in France to

strengthen the supply of appropriately skilled and

qualified staff for the defence sector industries, and to

ensure we have a pipeline of future engineers.


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• We are also working to explore new research

collaborations that will lead to innovation and the

development of new technologies.

• It includes working directly with DCNS in Adelaide and

integrating UniSA into the DCNS ecosystem of

universities and research institutes in France.

• Recently we sent a delegation of senior researchers to

France to develop partnerships with French

institutions involved in the defence sector as well as

with DCNS Research itself.

• Out of that visit came three distinct agreements with

groups of French universities and Grandes Ecoles,

(GROND AY COLS) which will encourage the exchange

of staff and students and joint research in defence-

related fields.


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• These agreements are in addition to our existing long-

standing research and student exchange collaborations

In France.

• Defence is only one component of what is a fruitful

and multi-dimensional relationship with the French

language, culture and society in Australia.

• Over the years, many UniSA students have spent time

at French universities further developing their French

language skills and participating in a range of academic

and cultural activities.

• In other areas, UniSA researchers from the Ehrenberg-

Bass Institute for Marketing Science collaborate with

French partners in wine marketing.

• UniSA also hosts an annual intensive five-week space

education program in collaboration with the

International Space University, which is based in

Strasbourg, Alsace, (STRASS BORG, AL SASSE) in North

East France.


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• It focuses on areas of knowledge required by today's

space professions such as space science and

exploration, and space systems engineering and

technologies.

• And at the end of May we will be working with the

Department of the Premier and Cabinet's French

Engagement Office and the French Embassy in

Australia, on a joint Higher Education Workshop

involving our French counterparts.

• This will be closely followed by the co-hosting of the

24-hour Australian-French Entrepreneurship

Challenge, which will see PhD students working with

Australian and French business leaders to pitch

innovative and profitable start-up concepts.

• The winning team will get to travel to France to gain

firsthand experience of the country's innovation

system.


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• UniSA, through this invaluable partnership with the

Alliance Française d'Adelaïde, (ALLY-ONS FRON-SAY

D’ADELAIDE) is pleased to be at the helm of this

cultural, economic and educational resurgence.

• So now let me officially launch the partnership and

introduce to you the Alliance Francaise Executive

Committee’s President, Bryan Fahy,

• who is an experienced board member with many

years’ distinguished service as the President of the

Board of Diabetes SA,

• and is also Assistant Commissioner of South Australia

Police.

• Please welcome Bryan Fahy.

Deputy Vice Chancellor - UniSA · 2018. 11. 8. · Deputy Vice Chancellor External Relations and...

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