Westpac Banking Corporation chair John Uhrig AO will speak to University of Queensland graduates at a ceremony on Wednesday, December 10.
Graduates from the School of Pharmacy and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences will receive their degrees at the ceremony in Mayne Hall at 4pm.
School of Engineering and School of Architecture and Planning graduates will receive their degrees at a 6.15pm ceremony.
University Deputy Chancellor Dr Mary Mahoney will welcome graduands at 4pm while University Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Ted Brown will welcome graduates at 6.15pm.
- Dr Karin Walduck will address graduates at the 4pm ceremony. A member of the University's Senate since 1996, Dr Walduck is the manager of the Information Services Department at the Herston Hospital Complex. She was University of Queensland Sports and Physical Recreation Association (now UQ Sport) president from 1984 until 1993.
- Pharmacy graduate Nathan Dobbie will deliver the valedictory address at the 4pm ceremony. Current president of the Queensland Pharmacy Students' Association, Mr Dobbie is also student representative on the School of Pharmacy Board of Studies and on the Faculty of Health Sciences Board. He can be contacted on telephone 07 3376 4078.
- John Uhrig AO, Westpac Banking Corporation chair since October 1992, will receive an honorary Doctor of Economics at the 6.15pm ceremony for his contribution to Australian business. He will also deliver the address to graduates. Mr Uhrig has been chair of Rio Tinto Limited from 1987 and deputy chair of Rio Tinto PLC from January 1996. He also chairs Santos Limited and the Australian Minerals and Energy Environment Foundation. He is a foundation member of the National Companies and Securities Commission and chaired the recent Inquiry into the Industries Assistance Commission. Mr Uhrig began his career as a trainee metallurgist with BHP Co Ltd in 1945 then worked for a number of other firms before joining Simpson Holdings in 1974. He retired from the company as managing director in 1985. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 1980 for services to industry.
- Bachelor of architecture graduate Dougal Sheridan will deliver the valedictory address at the 6.15pm ceremony. During his studies, Mr Sheridan completed a year studying at Technical University in Berlin. He said he hoped to return to the city to work in 1998. Organised through the RMIT, he said the exchange gave him the opportunity to study at another institution in a foreign city. He said Berlin was a fascinating city from an architectural perspective. 'It is undergoing a massive transformation with construction on an unprecedented scale. The whole city is virtually one big building site as it prepares to become Germany's new capital city. But unfortunately the process is more interesting than the end result and much of the new architecture is being lamented by local architects because of its conservative nature,' Mr Sheridan said. For more information, contact Mr Sheridan (telephone 07 3844 2509).
For more information, contact Protocol Officer Karen Welsh (telephone 07 3365 2737).
