Macquarie community reunites at all-staff breakfast

Annual Staff Breakfast 2021 photos

After a year of remote working and learning, staff from across Macquarie came together to bid farewell to 2021 at the University’s annual all-staff breakfast on 2 December.

Members of the Executive team donned their aprons and brushed off their BBQ tongs to serve up a delicious breakfast at the 2021 end-of-year All-Staff Breakfast. After the second challenging year in a row, the team took the opportunity to show their appreciation to staff across the University and look towards a brighter 2022.

With more than 800 staff members registering to attend, the event signified the beginning of reconnecting with the Macquarie community on campus.

“We have such a special campus for many reasons, and one of those is it brings us together as a community. Returning to campus after so many months away has been joyous, seeing all the students and staff connecting and catching up,” said Nicole Gower, Vice President, People and Services.

Reflecting on the unprecedented nature of the past two years, Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton expressed his gratitude to the hard-working and dedicated staff members across the University. He also reflected on what it means to be a part of the Macquarie community and how we can work together in 2022 to solidify our vision and values as an institution.

“It is the coming together of the community that I think really signifies what Macquarie means to us all. Our community is about shared purpose and joint aspiration; and it is fundamentally about caring for each other and the wellbeing and sustainability of the University going forward.

“Universities are amongst the world’s most enduring and long-standing institutions. If you look back 500 years, the majority of agencies that existed then that still exist today are universities. We are not only durable and sustainable as an organisation but add so much value to our communities and societies more widely through our commitment to service and engagement.”

The Vice-Chancellor wished everyone a safe and restful holiday break.

“All staff should take this time to rest and reconnect with family and friends, and I hope you are all able to come back recharged for the new year.”


We asked Macquarie staff at the breakfast to share what coming back to campus and reconnecting means to them.

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Sean Foley – Associate Professor, Department of Applied Finance
Gaurav Patil – Research Fellow, Department of Psychology

“I am excited to get back into teaching and seeing students face-to-face. Zoom has been great but it’s not quite the same. Also being with colleagues and doing simple things like having lunch and bouncing ideas off one another in the offices.” – Sean

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Daniel Archer – Customer Service and Administration Officer, Children’s Services
Moe Shakourof – UBar Manager
Keryn Boland – Project Officer, Operations

“For me, I never left campus during the lockdowns, so it is really great to see everyone back together. Today is the most people I have seen in this space since we opened back up. In the UBar, we are looking forward to hosting events again in 2022 for all the students, staff and the wider Macquarie community.” – Moe

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Kay Bowes-Tseng – Faculty Ethics Officer, FMHHS
Yordanka Krastev – Clinical Research Manager, FMHHS
Sarah Furlong – Neurodegenerative Diseases Biobank Manager, FMHHS
Kyle Ratinac – Faculty Research Manager, FMHHS

“The benefit of those conversations you have in the kitchen and in the corridors are so valuable. You don’t realise how much you miss those little moments of connection.” – Sarah

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Maria Souris – Executive Director, Future Students (Acting), Future Students
Tim Whealing – Recruitment Consultant, Undergraduate, Future Students
Elora Sattar – Future Students Program Coordinator, Future Students
Rhiannan Villano – Recruitment Consultant, Undergraduate, Future Students
Shanti Kakolyris – Recruitment Support Officer, Undergraduate, Future Students
Luisana Valderrama – Recruitment Support Officer, Undergraduate, Future Students

Our Campus is one of the true highlights of Macquarie and to finish the year with on-campus experiences for prospective students is great. Campus tours are back on and we’re gearing up for Explore Your Options later in December.” – Maria

“I’m new to Macquarie and I have fallen in love with the campus, so it will be great to showcase it in-person to our prospective students over the next two months as it’s definitely one of our best-selling points. I’m also looking forward to the campus vibe when our students return next session, and we welcome our new students.” – Elora

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Andrew Graves – Development Manager, Major Gifts, Advancement
Stephen Gallagher – Development Officer, Major Gifts, Advancement
Candice Man Yan – Campaign Project Officer, Advancement
Samantha Rosenfels – Development Manager, Major Gifts, Advancement
Lesley Malarkey – Senior Development Manager, Major Gifts, Advancement
Jackie Gent – Development Officer, Community and Individual Giving, Advancement

“We have a new team so it’s lovely just to see people’s faces. We’ll be working on more fundraising appeals in 2022, so it’s great to be back and collaborating in person within our new space on campus.” – Jackie

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Shikara Keshiya, HREC and Regulatory Administrator, Clinical Trials Unit
Matthew Carroll, Clinical Trials Assistant, Clinical Trials Unit
Emilia Armstrong, Clinical Trials Assistant, Clinical Trials Unit
Dearbhla Mulcahy, Clinical Trials Assistant, Clinical Trials Unit
Gina Taidi, Clinical Trial Start Up & Regulatory Associate, Clinical Trials Unit
Emma Morrisroe, HREC and Regulatory Administrator, Clinical Trials Unit

“We feel like we have a very good social group in the Clinical Trials Unit, so it’s been really nice to be back and actually see people face to face. It’s the simple things like having lunch with each other we missed. We had a retreat booked for our unit, but it got cancelled because of Covid, so we’re really looking forward to that in 2022.” – The group

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Emma Sutherland – Education Studies Associate Lecturer, Faculty of Arts
Signe Duff – Educations Studies Teaching Academic, Faculty of Arts
Kate Eastman – Educations Studies Teaching Academic, Faculty of Arts
Carola Ruiz – Educations Studies Teaching Academic, Faculty of Arts

I understand that we had to do things online, and it is what it is, but I’m a people person – it’s a different dynamic in person and it’s just really nice to come in to work and feel like you have a purpose.” – Signe

“Just simple things like the chance to go for coffee, or the opportunity to debrief informally with a colleague, or even just to check in on each other’s wellbeing.” – Kate

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Benoit Liquet, Professor of Mathematical and Computational Statistics, FSE
Isabel Li – Mathematics and Statistics Teaching Academic, FSE
Jesse Zhao – Mathematics and Statistics Teaching Academic, FSE

Our department is merging with the Department of Physics so it was lovely to be able to have a meet and greet with our new team in person and come together and connect as a group.” – Benoit

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The next generation: Lindsay Parker from Molecular Sciences introduces baby Arthur to the Vice-Chancellor.

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