On Tuesday 23 August, we celebrated students’ academic achievements from Semester One at our second Academic Dinner for the year.
Our guest speaker was Mr Rupert McCall (OAM), an Australian poet of international renown.
He is the author of six anthologies of verse that have collectively sold over 120,000 copies. Equally at home on radio or on TV, his resume features hosting roles for CH7’s The Great South East, 4BC’s Sports Today program, and CH9’s Weekend Extra. Rupert’s great passion for sport was displayed when he was appointed commentator for CH10 at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.
In 2005, he was awarded the honour of opening the Prelude to the Dawn Service in Gallipoli with his acclaimed and moving tribute NINETY YEARS AGO and, in 2011, he recited his poem A FIREFIGHTER’S DREAM at Ground Zero for the New York Fire Department on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.
Rupert used his own personal experiences to challenge students to find what they are passionate about in life, even if it means traveling a road that is less travelled. He also recited two of his poems during his address, one of which was a tribute to Queensland’s 150th birthday and included a reference to 150 Queensland icons!
Cromwell students performed solidly once again with the College Grade Point Average being 5.08. There were eleven students who achieved a perfect GPA of 7, for all four courses they studied. Of particular note was that eight of the eleven students were first years. Congratulations go to the following:
Maxine Allwood (B Science)
Claire Buchanan (B Pharmacy (Hons))
Laura Cross (B Psychological Science (Hons))
Maarten Dekeyser (B Engineering (Hons)/B Mathematics)
Ariana Fellingham (B Biomedical Science)
Andrew Gregg (B Engineering (Hons)/B Economics)
Nicola Grobler (B Communication/B Science)
Mitchell Holt (B Nursing)
Stuart Lake (B Engineering (Hons)/M Engineering)
Brynn Mackie (B Science /B Mathematics)
Hamish McDougall (B Engineering (Hons)/M Engineering)
In total, there were 68 students who received a GPA of 6.00 or better and 140 students who received a GPA of 5.00 or better in semester one of 2022.
Back Row L to R: Stuart Lake, Andrew Gregg, Hamish McDougall, Maarten Dekeyser, Mitchell Holt, and Nicola Grobler
Front Row L to R: Laura Cross, Brynn Mackie, Maxine Allwood, Ariana Fellingham Beconcini, Claire Buchanan, and Principal Simon Armstrong.
Special Awards
The Gunson First Year Highest GPA Award: awarded to First Year Student/s with the Highest GPA in Semester One. Shared by Claire Buchanan, Laura Cross, Maarten Dekeyser, Ariana Fellingham Beconcini, Andrew Gregg, Stuart Lake, Brynn Mackie, and Hamish McDougall.
The Rod McElhinney Prize: awarded to the student in the Faculty of Science who attains the highest GPA over three semesters. Emma Prewett
The Governor’s Prize: awarded to the student who achieves the highest GPA over three consecutive semesters in the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences. Cecilia Ryan
The Old Collegian’s Prize: awarded to a student who gains academic distinction in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture, and Information Technology over three semesters. Liam Newlands
The VE Hancock Memorial Prize: awarded to the student in the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law who achieves the highest GPA over three consecutive semesters. Naomi Gray
Edwin Hobart Lockley Prize: awarded to a student who has consistently achieved distinguished results in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science. Nicola Grobler
The Yvonne Rogers Memorial Prize: awarded to a second-year student who achieves the greatest improvement on the basis of their results in their first year of studies, across a full load of courses. Nicole Moore
Cromwell College Foundation Scholarship: awarded for “exceptional performance in any field” over 5 consecutive semesters of study. There were two recipients: Maxine Allwood, Nicola Grobler
Senior Tutor Award: awarded to Emily Price
DC Gale Shield: awarded to the corridor with the highest average GPA from Semester One. Awarded to Mid Han
Sincere thanks to the Board members who gave their time to attend the Academic Dinner in support of the students, staff, and the college. Cromwell College also remains indebted to the many generous benefactors who donate awards and prizes to the students.
