Sydney University International House Alumni Association

📸 2025 Rosemary Berrick Photography Competition — Runners-up

We are pleased to share runners-up from the 2025 competition. As always, we are grateful for the additional submissions that continue to showcase the creativity of our IH alumni community, and we look forward to featuring more in upcoming newsletters.

🌊 Moonlift (11 July 2025), Sydney, Australia
Photographer: Davy Cheung (IH ’87–89)
Captured along the Sydney coastline, this striking moment shows a cargo ship crossing the rising full moon, creating the illusion of the moon being lifted from the ocean. What began as a planned sunset shot turned into a rare, fleeting alignment that lasted only seconds — a reminder of how unexpected moments often create the most lasting images.

Davy studied Computer Science while living at IH and now resides in Sydney. He works part-time as a school crossing supervisor and enjoys marathon running, cycling, and bushwalking, with photography remaining a meaningful creative outlet.

🖼️ Frames (23 December 2024), Stanley Market, Hong Kong
Photographer: Alvina Yu (IH ’20)
This image explores layered storytelling — a model portrayed by an artist, and the artist in turn captured by the photographer. Within a single frame, multiple perspectives come together, inviting reflection on how stories are constructed and seen.

Alvina lived at IH while studying Veterinary Biology and is now in her final year of her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in Sydney, balancing study and clinical placements.

SUIHAA is excited to present the 2026 Walter Westman Lecture on Science, Humanity and the Environment.

Join Diego Gloria to explore how AI and Automation are transforming marine science and environmental conservation.

🗓 Saturday, 14 March 2026
⏰ 2:00pm–3:30pm (AEDT)
🔗 Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87389759681

While the value of conservation and marine research has been emphasised in recent years, innovations in machine learning and artificial intelligence have further supercharged our capabilities in this field. This allows us to observe wetland fauna and their health in novel ways while still being able to analyse ecological data quicker than ever before. Furthermore, the use of automation means that ecosystem monitoring and assessment is more accessible, allowing easier collaboration with government and industry partners to achieve sustainable outcomes and shared conservation goals.

SAVE THE DATE

What can AI and automation reveal about our oceans and wetlands?

Join us for the 2026 Walter Westman Lecture on Science, Humanity and the Environment.

Our speaker is Diego Gloria, a brilliant young marine scientist from Griffith University's Global Wetlands Project, who will be speaking about the application of AI and automation in marine science and environmental conservation.

From automated biodiversity monitoring to new ways of understanding ecosystem health, discover how technology is transforming marine conservation.

🗓 Saturday, 14 March 2026
⏰ 2:00pm–3:30pm (AEDT)
🔗 Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87389759681

📸 Announcing the Top Awardees of the 2025 Rosemary Berrick Photography Competition

It is that time of year again, when we celebrate the creativity and global perspectives of our IH community. This year’s winning photographs highlight powerful moments from around the world.

🥇 Winner: Migration (7 August 2025), Tanzania, Africa
Photographer: Piyush Shah (IH ’03)

Piyush captures the intense drama of a wildebeest crossing in Tanzania. After several false starts, the herd finally entered the river, only to find their usual path blocked by fear after a recent lion kill. Trapped in the fast-moving current, many struggled, swam in circles, and fought to climb the opposite bank. Then one wildebeest turned back. Suddenly, there was dust, horns, and pounding hooves all around, creating a raw and almost primordial moment of instinct and survival.

Piyush lived at IH while completing his Master of Commerce in Accounting and now lives in Balmain NSW, where he is a sole practitioner Chartered Accountant in public practice, specialising in tax.

🥇 Winner: Gentleman in Jaipur (2017), Jaipur, India
Photographer: Lalit Bhadresha (IH ’99 to 02)

While wandering Jaipur in search of a cup of chai, Lalit encountered a quiet tea vendor. With a simple nod, the man agreed to be photographed. The result is a striking portrait that reflects the warmth and character of daily life in Rajasthan.

Lalit lived at IH while he studied veterinary science. He currently lives in South London, where he works part-time as a primary care vet surgeon.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our pilot second SUIH Alumni Reunion in Sydney! Inspired by a suggestion from Beth Rohrlach and shaped through the feedback many of you shared in our post-reunion survey, we hosted this gathering at Sounds Café in the Chau Chak Wing Museum during Sydney Uni’s Community Festival.

It was a beautiful day reconnecting with familiar faces, meeting new alumni across IH generations, and celebrating our shared IH spirit on campus. We are excited to keep this momentum going and explore hosting a second annual reunion again next year.

If you have ideas or feedback for future events, we would love to hear from you. Please email [email protected]. 💙

Don’t miss out on our second reunion of the year, held during the University of Sydney’s Community Festival. Let’s reconnect with the IH community and celebrate 175 years of USYD history together.

📅 When: Saturday, 8 November 2025 | 12:30pm – 2:30pm
📍 Where: Sounds Café, Chau Chak Wing Museum (Lower Ground)

After the reunion, keep the celebration going! 🎶
Saturday Night Kirtan & Dinner from 7pm at
📍 146 Abercrombie Street, Levels 1 & 2, Redfern (near the University and Duck Inn)

🍽️ Dinner is included with the ticket price (tickets can be purchased on the day).
🎟️ Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/saturday-night-kirtan-dinner-in-redfern-tickets-1123313423689

We can’t wait to see you and relive those unforgettable IH memories!

🎉 SAVE THE DATE🎉

Join International House alumni for our second reunion of the year, taking place during the University of Sydney's Community Festival.

When: Saturday, 8 November 2025 | 12:30pm – 2:30pm
Where: Sounds Café, Chau Chak Wing Museum (Lower Ground)

Reconnect with the IH community and celebrate 175 years of USYD history. After 2:30pm, continue the fun with music and dinner kick-on. More details coming soon!

Don't forget to register for the community festival by 6 October for a chance to win a prize: https://community-festival.sydney.edu.au/2025/freebiesandgiveaways

Don’t miss next month's 2025 Graeme DeGraaff-Lauris Elms Roundtable! This hybrid event brings together expert panelists, alumni, students, and the University community to discuss student accommodation and the role of universities.

🗓 Date: Thursday, 21 August 2025
Refreshments at 5pm for 5.30pm start
💻 Online Zoom Link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/82279400237
📍 In person Venue: Auditorium 1, F23 Michael Spence Building, University of Sydney

🎤 Speakers include:
• Professor Alan Morris, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, UTS
• Dr Deborah Seifert AM, Head, International House, University of Melbourne
• Weihong Liang, PhD student and International Student Officer, CAPA
• Nicole Gower Vice-President (Operations), University of Sydney

👉 Register here: https://tinyurl.com/roundtablesuihaa

We’d love to see you there in person or virtually for an evening of thought-provoking discussion and community connection.

📣 We are pleased to announce that SUIHAA is now on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suihaa.official

Follow us at .official to stay up to date with alumni news, upcoming events, and highlights from the International House community at the University of Sydney.

You’ll also find details about the upcoming 2025 Graeme DeGraaff / Lauris Elms Roundtable.

We look forward to connecting with you.