Philanthropist awarded honorary doctorate
Deputy Chancellor Christine Nixon with Dr Pauline Gandel
Dr Pauline Gandel's graduation address to staff and students
Deputy Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Deans, Academic Staff, families and friends and, most importantly, Graduates who have received awards this evening – this event is a special life milestone for you, as it is for me.
I thank Monash University for the great honour you have bestowed upon me today, and for the very generous comments made about my achievements.
I would like also to acknowledge John, my husband for 58 years, my children and grandchildren who are here tonight. As you will hear I regard family as one of the most important components of our lives so it is a special joy to have them here.
We have a strong family connection to this fine university. My 4 children, and most of their partners have studied at Monash. 11 of our 12 grandchildren have studied, or are studying, at Monash.
As a family we greatly value education – hence our pleasure and pride with the Monash connection. Monash helps create ‘opportunities’, and opportunity is one of the themes I would like to discuss today.
I speak today from the perspective of a wife, a mother and a grandmother.
John and I were married when we were 21 and inherited the solid family values of our parents, which we have observed in both business and community and have tried to pass to our family.
You may like to reflect on what values you have inherited from your family, and what your mother or grandmother would be saying if she was delivering this talk today.
The university experience:
- Assists you to grow into young adults
- Assists you prepare to do something worthwhile in life
- Assists you to help others less fortunate
The rest of your life lies ahead – it is full of opportunities and choices. You may be guided by your parent’s values – you may be guided by their aspirations for you – but, in the end it is your life – you need to follow your passions and aspirations and make your own choices.
Already you are off to a fantastic start. You are bright enough - worked hard enough - or been lucky enough to have studied at Monash – obtaining a qualification from one of the world’s top universities. So your choice to come here, will help shape the rest of your life and create opportunities.
What are some of these coming key choices? (not necessarily in this order)
- Choosing a life partner
- Choosing a career – choosing a job from the range within the profession, for which you have prepared or from outside that profession
- Choosing an employer, beyond career opportunities - does that organisation match your values? Will you be proud to tell people for whom you work?
- Choosing to work for someone, or, to set up your own enterprise?
- Choosing your community involvements – your way of giving back to society – of helping others - through which you will grow into a better and wiser person.
- Choosing, in a global village, the country you in which you want to live and work.
So many choices – so many opportunities!
Whilst you now have left the structured learning of the university you will continue to learn throughout life.
However, there is no core curriculum any more – life is made up of a bewildering array of electives!
One vital choice is to protect your integrity. It takes a long time to build a reputation - which can be lost in seconds. Never do, or agree to, anything about which you would be embarrassed if it appeared on the front page of the newspapers, or, which you wouldn’t want to explain to your mother!
Life is about choice and taking action – one of the choices we face is to either be passive, and accept what life deals out to us, or we can be active – and think /plan /prepare - so we can influence our outcomes and to move towards what we want to achieve.
Most of us have heard expressions such as “opportunity knocks” or “when you are given an opportunity”. These are not true in real life – we are not given opportunities – we need to seek them out ourselves, by thinking about our desired future and preparing ourselves to be ready to recognise, or create opportunities.
Let me illustrate from our life experiences.
As life partners John and I discuss everything – our family – our businesses – our philanthropy.
Having a partner who supports, challenges, cautions, questions, shares the highs and the lows, and who helps each other grow – is vital for well-being.
Early on, we took our small family business to a national retail chain of over 200 stores. By thinking ahead we recognised an opportunity and took the risk, to buy Chadstone Shopping Centre in 1983, and since have evolved it into the 7th most successful shopping centre in the world!
Through that period we have embraced change – some anticipated, some not – extended shopping hours – ‘retail therapy’ shopping as a form of recreation – the digital world and on-line shopping.
We still are actively thinking about ‘what next’ – future possibilities - so as to continue to evolve and, where possible, to be proactive to shape outcomes rather than just react to them.
In our philanthropy – both public and private –we also have developed fresh policies, procedures and priorities over the decades.
But, running through all our philanthropy, is the theme of ‘making a difference by creating opportunities’ for both individuals and organisations, to help them grow and set off further positive impacts, rippling through our society.
Philanthropy is more than making grants of money.
You can engage in philanthropy now – even at this early stage of your careers, by giving your time and talents to make a difference and create opportunities for others.
You will gain as much (if not more) than you give.
For some 10 years I worked as a ‘hands on’ volunteer in an opportunity shop, and learnt much about myself, people and fundraising.
Life is made up of improvisations – whilst we can think and plan ahead - most of us do not always know what is going to happen next – we mostly improvise, adapt and ’bounce back’ as we go.
Don’t expect perfection – from yourself or others. Whilst we pursue excellence and ’doing the very best we can’ – perfection is rare and pursuing it can stifle and frustrate.
Don’t expect life to be a simple straight line of success – there are likely to be roadblocks, diversions, potholes and changes of destinations – these are normal for most of us.
Similarly, all of us make mistakes, unless we live so carefully we do nothing! We learn from mistakes and these learnings will assist subsequent successes.
We know that leadership is not passive – leadership is about doing things! Life also should not be passive – life is about doing things.
As I’ve mentioned you have many choices ahead and, having studied at Monash, you are well prepared to tackle these choices, about which things you are going to do:
- For yourself
- For family
- For career
- For community
I wish you all the best for your futures.
Go forward! Work hard – make a difference!
Be bold!
Be successful!
Be kind!