School feedback offers some great ideas
07 February 2008
ASOPA PEOPLE scored a record 307 page views yesterday and among the readers were some prepared to add value to the proposal I’ve made to Duncan Kerr, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, for the Federal Government to consider revivifying ASOPA as The School of the Pacific.
For example, Bill Wilson of Canberra says the School should also be established as a “practical memorial commemorating the work of all field officers who gave up their youth, health and career opportunities to serve and assist the people of TPNG”. Bill as one of those people, although he continued on with a wonderful career in Australia as a health educator.
And Henry Bodman of Brisbane proposes that the Hallstrom Pacific Library should be regrouped and relocated to its original site on the Middle Head campus. While I think there may be some difficulties in extracting acquisitions from those universities and other institutions that now house them, it’s certainly an idea worth pursuing.
There were also many other proposals about making sure the heritage and story of ASOPA (and ITI) are appropriately commemorated. In all, a wonderful response.
If you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to read the proposal and communicate your thoughts to Duncan Kerr at this address.
You can read the full three-page proposal here
The Hon Duncan Kerr SC, MP
Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Love your idea of a new role for ASOPA, Keith. Will write to the Minister accordingly to back your plan.
Posted by: Assoc Prof Martin Hadlow | 17 February 2008 at 02:54 PM
Good idea. There is a good sized reserve, in Australia, of well qualified social scientists who would jump at the idea and provide the necessary lateral thinking needed for some solutions to the dramas of the Pacific. There are many very good academics who would probably be happy to moonlight at such a place just for the sake of being part of a solution factory. What chance at doing benign social engineering!
The short term of the fellowships would leave the institution relatively idle for too long if there were only two intakes per year. But it all sounds like a good idea. I will pen a note to Duncan forthwith.
Posted by: Norm Richardson | 07 February 2008 at 07:57 PM