Working with the city
Living on a university campus, it is easy to take its rich cultural and intellectual life for granted. Taking that life out to the city at large is important. Earlier this month I introduced Professor Howard Morphy, who presented the inaugural Forge Lecture. The lecture brought many people from outside the University onto campus. It was hosted jointly by the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research and the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, the first in a series to assess and extend the research legacy of Anthony Forge, foundation Professor of Anthropology in the Faculty of Arts. It results from a donation by Dr Cecilia Ng Forge, who attended the lecture. Professor Morphy, one of Forge's students, is currently an Australian Research Council Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, on leave from the Chair of Social Anthropology at University College, London. His lecture compared Abelam art from the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea with that of the Yolgnu people of Arnhem Land and drew much of his own finest work together with Forge's. It was a lively encounter into which he brought the personalities not only of Forge but also of several of the artists. Many there came from within the University, attracted by the distinction both of the person being commemorated and of the lecturer. They were not disappointed. Many came from outside the University, brought by interest in the anthropology of art or simply interest in art. They were not disappointed either. Professor Morphy made the complex subject accessible to a non-expert audience as well as the expert. Here was the University reaching beyond the University community to make its expertise and insights available to the broader community. The broader community responded enthusiastically. Later that night, in an adjoining lecture theatre in the Manning Clark Centre, the finals of the 1998 Lions Oratory Contest took place. Eight young women and men gave orations on the lives of great women and men. Each speaker's mastery of subject, confidence and polish gave the audience insights into the life chosen. It was a pleasure to see these young women and men displaying so abundantly the ability that will be valued more as we enter the 21st century - the ability to communicate. The collaboration between the Lions Club of Canberra Woden and the University has them working together to enrich the abilities and opportunities of our scholars and leaders of the future. English Honours student Olivia Widjaya won the $500 Vice-Chancellor's Prize for the People's Choice (an innovation). She chose Leo Tolstoy and presented him in a whole new light for me. She also gained third prize from the judges. Lynn Kemmis spoke passionately on Roberta Sykes, winning the judges' second prize. First year Arts/Law student Mark Thompson's oration on the Nigerian poet Ken Saro-Wiwa was insightful, polished and witty and won first prize of $1,000. They added to our understanding of their subjects and have widened their own understanding in the process. The contest was an excellent example of the interaction of University and city. It was one night in many on which such things are happening. But it was good to see the city and the University working together and benefiting from getting their relationship right. Deane Terrell