It has been yet another exciting month for Bond with the most notable event being the successful launch of the Bond University Mirvac School of Sustainable Development.

Bond University together with leading Australian property group, Mirvac, have launched the ‘Bond University Mirvac School of Sustainable Development’, Australia’s first tertiary program formally recognising long-term sustainability as integral in urban planning, design, development and strategic asset management.

Bond University has responded to the call for enhanced leadership of our health systems by launching an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree in Health.

Saturday June 3 marked a momentous milestone for almost 200 undergraduate and postgraduate students who graduated in front of family and friends in a ceremony held at the Bond University Sports Hall.

The chance to enter university with a professional head-start and a helping hand with the cost of your degree is every student's dream but will become a reality for one aspiring Bond University student following the announcement of the inaugural Clayton Utz Scholarship.

Bond has achieved another major milestone in marketing positioning, with the launch of a new-look website.

To submit story ideas or feedback, please contact Kristie Robinson, Public Relations Manager at kristie_robinson@bond.edu.au or on (07) 5595 1116.

A SURFER GIRL IN STRASBOURG

“My whole family is into surfing,” she said. “We owned surf shops in Perth and I was really into the whole sporting thing – lifesaving, kitesurfing, wakeboarding, you name it.

“I came to the Gold Coast to compete in the Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships in 2000. That’s probably when I first started to think about going to university there. I heard that Ironwoman champion, Linda Halfweeg, was studying at Bond University so I went to the campus for a guided tour then later came across for the Vice-Chancellor’s Weekend where I found out more about all that Bond offered.”

Whilst Tory admits that study wasn’t her passion, she knuckled down in Year 12 to achieve straight As and a part scholarship to Bond.

“I opted for a double degree in Law and Commerce because I had my sights set on being the head of marketing for Billabong,” she said.

So how did this surfer girl end up embroiled in the world of politics?

“When I finished my Commerce degree, I decided to go to Europe and study, so Bond helped me line up an exchange to a university in Strasbourg. My goal was to learn French because France is one of Billabong’s major European markets.”

Based in the French city that serves as the home of the European Parliament, Tory’s experiences in Strasbourg set her life on a very different path, allowing her to discover a passion for politics.

“A friend of mine was doing an internship with a German member of the European Parliament. Looking for something similar, I applied for a position with British Conservative member, Roger Helmer, who represented education, employment and the environment,” said Tory.

“Initially, it was unpaid work where I’d put in one week a month at the member’s office in Strasbourg, but upon finishing my studies I secured a full-time position based in Brussels and travelling to Strasbourg each month for the Plenary Sessions when members vote.

“So there I was, attending meetings with high profile politicians and world leaders from 25 countries.

“There were some fairly major issues on the table at that time, such as the referendum on the European Constitution. We worked on the ‘vote no’ campaign, trying to get British voters to take a stand.

“Only 20% of people in the UK vote in the European Elections, so we conducted a major campaign to raise their awareness of the fact that the European Parliament was growing in power and that the UK was going to lose out if the British people didn’t start having their say.

“Another major highlight was representing my member in Cyprus, crossing the Green Line that divides the Greek and Turkish communities to talk to the leaders from these regions.

“Meeting people like this was an amazing experience and a real turning point in my life. I was working with some of the leading politicians in Europe and had the opportunity to pick up two ‘Euro’ languages - although most staff seemed to speak at least seven!

“It was also a time when the Parliament went through a huge period of growth. When I started, there were 15 countries and 11 languages represented and it increased to 25 countries and 20 languages.

“It really made me see how everything in life is part of the political process; it’s absolutely fundamental to the way the world works.”

Returning home to Australia after two years in this high-powered environment, Tory opted to pursue her new-found passion for politics by securing the position of Media Advisor to the Hon. Julie Bishop MP, Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, who also happens to be Tory’s local representative from WA’s Curtin electorate.

“My duties involve liaising with the media and acting as spokesperson for the Minister’s office. As part of the Minister’s team of advisors, I help with speech writing and briefings for Question Time; there is no such thing as a ‘typical day’ in our office.

“For me, it’s a dream job because it combines my passion for politics with my interest in education.

“I recently attended the International Education Forum in Brisbane which focussed on the future of higher education specifically in the Asia-Pacific Region.

“This is something that I feel very strongly about, having worked in this area with Roger Helmer in the European Parliament and now with the Minister in the Australian Government, but also particularly because of my own experience at university.

“I had such a fantastic time during my years at Bond – surfing with our Brazilian exchange students at the University Games, playing touch rugby in Townsville and, yes, the study side as well.

“If it were not for Bond, I may never have ended up in Strasbourg and discovered my passion for politics.”

BEN'S TWO BRILLIANT CAREERS

Star footballer, Ben Daley, is enjoying the best of both worlds by combining his law studies at Bond University with his stellar rugby career.

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