Graduation address: Ed McAlister
Monday, 4 August 2003
Firstly, allow me to thank the Vice-Chancellor, Professor McWha, for his invitation to address you at this Graduation Ceremony. I am very pleased and honoured to have been approached and was delighted to accept.
I am particularly pleased that I have been asked to address the students graduating from these particular faculties. This is because my own background is in science and I have two daughters, one who has graduated in the health science area and another who has obtained a PhD in science.
Secondly, and more importantly, allow me to congratulate you on your success, today is the culmination of years of hard work. However, the credit is not yours alone. Credit must go to your support network. I refer not only to the members of the teaching staff of the University, who have guided your footsteps and your thought processes. I refer to your support outside the campus, to your parents, to your wives, husbands, partners, children and all the rest of your extended family. You could not have done it without this support. In many cases this support may have come at a cost, both financial and personal. This day is not just yours to enjoy, it is a day for family pride and you will enjoy it all the more for that reason.
I well remember my own graduation day, when I graduated as a mature student. I remember feeling that, now I had my degree I had some knowledge, but there was still so much that I didn't know; hopefully I would learn the rest as I advanced my career. I also remember the pride and joy on the faces of my wife and daughters and the many friends who came to help me celebrate, what for me, as a part-time student, was the culmination of years of effort. I still thank them today.
Whether your degr