AUTUMN GRADUATION CEREMONY
It was a cold, wet wintry day but spirits were high for the Blue Mountains Hotel School mid-year graduation ceremony on 14 June. Following an excellent buffet lunch in the formal dining room and the café, parents and graduands, staff, students and other guests assembled at the Grand Ballroom, Peppers Fairmont Resort for the formal ceremony at 2.30pm.
The normal Blue Mountains Hotel School ceremony was preceded this year by the inaugural ORION awards ceremony. Chairman of the ORION Board, Mr Fritz Gubler, gave an introductory address about the ORION Hotel Schools Alliance and the Chair of the ORION Academic Council, Professor Peter Jones then formally opened the ORION ceremony.
Two leading industry figures, Mr Severin Shulte, Director of Severin Touristick, and Mr Stephen Lewis, General Manager, Four Seasons Sydney (and a long-serving Chair of the BMHS Industry Advisory Board), received citations for the title of Honorary Professor to recognise their “distinguished national and international professional standing.” Dr Simon Macarthur, Senior Lecturer, BMHS and Dr Michael Coles, Senior Lecturer, Australian International Hotel School (AIHS) were presented for the title of Associate Professor.
BMHS Director Mr Gavin Faull’s address welcomed graduands to the worldwide alumni family and described the breadth of those graduate achievements; as President of Swiss-Belhotel International, he also praised those BMHS graduates he has employed.
Principal Mr Guy Bentley described 2007 as “a year of consolidation” mentioning the new partnership with The University of Queensland (UQ), the nomination to join THE-ICE (International Centre for Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education) and the admission of three new members to the Advisory Board: Ms Rachel Argaman, COO Toga Hospitality Group, Mr Philip Hammond, CEO, Scenic World and Professor Chris Cooper, UQ.
Guest speaker and BMHS graduate Ms Bernadette Templeman (nee Samardzija), owner-manager of the one-hat Restaurant Atelier in Glebe, Sydney, spoke about her career in restaurants in Europe and London and the decision to open her own business “which is not for everyone.” She encouraged graduates to “stick with a job for at least three months before you decide to move on; sometimes the problems that need to be solved are in you.”
Over one hundred graduands were presented by the Dean Ms Helen Batey for their Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas. The Special ORION Awards for individual achievement were awarded as follows: (BMHS) Mr Chistivent Tjong, (AIHS) Mr Kapil Dholepatil, (PIHMS) Ms Natalie Belbin, (AEB) Ms Jerlinda Truscott, (CTMI) Mr Logan Miller, (STS) Ms Mandy Posetti, and Dux of the School, Ms Vivian Nguyen. The SRC Award was presented by Presidents Ms Sissel Jorgensen and Mr Logan Miller to Ms Tara Flegg.
The official party on stage included VIP guests, Mr Qui Shaofang, Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Juerg Casserini, Consul-General of Switzerland, Mr Gordon McDonald, Principal (AIHS), Professor Larry Smith, Director of Graduate School, University of New England, and Dr Paul Barron, University of Queensland. Other industry guests included Ms Cara George, Training and Development Manager for Toga Hospitality and Ms Ariane Lellman, consultant for Lycette & Associates.
It was a cold, wet wintry day but spirits were high for the Blue Mountains Hotel School mid-year graduation ceremony on 14 June. Following an excellent buffet lunch in the formal dining room and the café, parents and graduands, staff, students and other guests assembled at the Grand Ballroom, Peppers Fairmont Resort for the formal ceremony at 2.30pm.
The normal Blue Mountains Hotel School ceremony was preceded this year by the inaugural ORION awards ceremony. Chairman of the ORION Board, Mr Fritz Gubler, gave an introductory address about the ORION Hotel Schools Alliance and the Chair of the ORION Academic Council, Professor Peter Jones then formally opened the ORION ceremony.
Two leading industry figures, Mr Severin Shulte, Director of Severin Touristick, and Mr Stephen Lewis, General Manager, Four Seasons Sydney (and a long-serving Chair of the BMHS Industry Advisory Board), received citations for the title of Honorary Professor to recognise their “distinguished national and international professional standing.” Dr Simon Macarthur, Senior Lecturer, BMHS and Dr Michael Coles, Senior Lecturer, Australian International Hotel School (AIHS) were presented for the title of Associate Professor.
BMHS Director Mr Gavin Faull’s address welcomed graduands to the worldwide alumni family and described the breadth of those graduate achievements; as President of Swiss-Belhotel International, he also praised those BMHS graduates he has employed.
Principal Mr Guy Bentley described 2007 as “a year of consolidation” mentioning the new partnership with The University of Queensland (UQ), the nomination to join THE-ICE (International Centre for Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education) and the admission of three new members to the Advisory Board: Ms Rachel Argaman, COO Toga Hospitality Group, Mr Philip Hammond, CEO, Scenic World and Professor Chris Cooper, UQ.
Guest speaker and BMHS graduate Ms Bernadette Templeman (nee Samardzija), owner-manager of the one-hat Restaurant Atelier in Glebe, Sydney, spoke about her career in restaurants in Europe and London and the decision to open her own business “which is not for everyone.” She encouraged graduates to “stick with a job for at least three months before you decide to move on; sometimes the problems that need to be solved are in you.”
Over one hundred graduands were presented by the Dean Ms Helen Batey for their Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas. The Special ORION Awards for individual achievement were awarded as follows: (BMHS) Mr Chistivent Tjong, (AIHS) Mr Kapil Dholepatil, (PIHMS) Ms Natalie Belbin, (AEB) Ms Jerlinda Truscott, (CTMI) Mr Logan Miller, (STS) Ms Mandy Posetti, and Dux of the School, Ms Vivian Nguyen. The SRC Award was presented by Presidents Ms Sissel Jorgensen and Mr Logan Miller to Ms Tara Flegg.
The official party on stage included VIP guests, Mr Qui Shaofang, Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Juerg Casserini, Consul-General of Switzerland, Mr Gordon McDonald, Principal (AIHS), Professor Larry Smith, Director of Graduate School, University of New England, and Dr Paul Barron, University of Queensland. Other industry guests included Ms Cara George, Training and Development Manager for Toga Hospitality and Ms Ariane Lellman, consultant for Lycette & Associates.
WELCOME-TO-ALUMNI LUNCH IN “COOKIE’S CAFÉ”
A light lunch of stand-up finger food and champagne was attended by staff and the departing 3.2 students as they were welcomed into the alumni on Wednesday 13 June.
As the result of a student competition this semester to come up with a name for the café, Mr Val Cook was asked to unveil a plaque on the external wall of the cafe which, to his pleasant surprise, bore the logo: “Cookie’s Café” and a glazed orange cookie motif. The student winner of the competition was Ms Natalie Belbin.
The crowd including special guests, the BMHS Directors, Mr Fritz Gubler and Mr Max Player, Principal Mr Guy Bentley, Career Development Manager Ms Janette Illingsworth, and Vice Principal, Hotel Services, Mr Steven Tucker, toasted Mr Cook and the newly named café. Mr Cook has been asked to invent a recipe for a cookie that will be served in the café.
Students also had the opportunity to register for the alumni website on laptops. From next semester all 3.1 students will be registered for the website to give them time to familiarise themselves with its features while still on campus. Mr Cook then made three special encouragement presentations, the Three Pillar awards, to Ms Roxine Chiao (Level 1), Ms Jessica Wheatley (Level 2) and Mr Michael Rose (Level 3.1) in recognition of individual achievement and contribution to campus life this semester.
A light lunch of stand-up finger food and champagne was attended by staff and the departing 3.2 students as they were welcomed into the alumni on Wednesday 13 June.
As the result of a student competition this semester to come up with a name for the café, Mr Val Cook was asked to unveil a plaque on the external wall of the cafe which, to his pleasant surprise, bore the logo: “Cookie’s Café” and a glazed orange cookie motif. The student winner of the competition was Ms Natalie Belbin.
The crowd including special guests, the BMHS Directors, Mr Fritz Gubler and Mr Max Player, Principal Mr Guy Bentley, Career Development Manager Ms Janette Illingsworth, and Vice Principal, Hotel Services, Mr Steven Tucker, toasted Mr Cook and the newly named café. Mr Cook has been asked to invent a recipe for a cookie that will be served in the café.
Students also had the opportunity to register for the alumni website on laptops. From next semester all 3.1 students will be registered for the website to give them time to familiarise themselves with its features while still on campus. Mr Cook then made three special encouragement presentations, the Three Pillar awards, to Ms Roxine Chiao (Level 1), Ms Jessica Wheatley (Level 2) and Mr Michael Rose (Level 3.1) in recognition of individual achievement and contribution to campus life this semester.
ALUMNI REUNION SYDNEY
The Alumni Association has decided to hold an alumni function following both graduations each year as an opportunity to introduce new alumni to their fellow graduates. With thanks to graduate Mr Tish Nyar, the newly appointed General Manager of Rydges World Square in Sydney, a function was held at the Avery Bar in his property at 5.30pm on Monday 18 June.
The event was well attended by graduates from a good spread of years from 1993 to 2006.The reunion proved an excellent networking opportunity and a chance to catch up on new developments. Mr Neils Pantenberg, currently Assistant F&B Operations Manager, Hilton Sydney, is heading off to China shortly to become Director of F&B for Sheraton in Beijing. Mr Greg Seipolt was back in Sydney to prepare for his new role with Toga as General Manager of a Medina property in Berlin. Ms Carla Salvatori has just accepted a new role as Boardroom Coordinator with Merrill Lynch.
Guests included Ms Archana Acherekar, Mr Steven Bar, Mr Linton Borthwick, Mr Christopher Bryan, Ms Yvonne Cheung, Ms Sophie Cottom, Mr Todd Creighton, Mr Simon Gillies, Ms Rosanna Gordeeva, Ms Janelle Harvey, Mr Conor Healey, Mr Davin Hung, Mr David Hutcheon, Ms Kimberley Hunt, Ms Boram Kim, Mr Parveen Kumar, Mr Tish Nyar, Ms Malin Olsson, Mr Neils Pantenburg, Ms Marnee Pirri, Ms Raina Raniga, Ms Artista Romanika, Mr Greg Seipolt, Ms Carla Salvatori, Ms Erika Sandblom, Mr George Sclavos, Ms Kate Sims, Mr Justin Steele, Mr Tobias Susanto, Mr Andrew Wise, Ms Jon-Ann Yong Ching and Mr Simon Zaris.
Other guests included HR Manager, Shangri-La, Sydney, Mr Justin Barnes, Career Development Manager Ms Janette Illingsworth, Career Development Coordinator, Ms Candy Cole, ex-BMHS staff Ms Helen Thompson and Mr Tim Millet, PR Manager, Mr Julian Leatherdale, alumni bursary student Ms Mandy Posetti and, of course, Vice Principal Alumni, Mr Val Cook.
The Alumni Association has decided to hold an alumni function following both graduations each year as an opportunity to introduce new alumni to their fellow graduates. With thanks to graduate Mr Tish Nyar, the newly appointed General Manager of Rydges World Square in Sydney, a function was held at the Avery Bar in his property at 5.30pm on Monday 18 June.
The event was well attended by graduates from a good spread of years from 1993 to 2006.The reunion proved an excellent networking opportunity and a chance to catch up on new developments. Mr Neils Pantenberg, currently Assistant F&B Operations Manager, Hilton Sydney, is heading off to China shortly to become Director of F&B for Sheraton in Beijing. Mr Greg Seipolt was back in Sydney to prepare for his new role with Toga as General Manager of a Medina property in Berlin. Ms Carla Salvatori has just accepted a new role as Boardroom Coordinator with Merrill Lynch.
Guests included Ms Archana Acherekar, Mr Steven Bar, Mr Linton Borthwick, Mr Christopher Bryan, Ms Yvonne Cheung, Ms Sophie Cottom, Mr Todd Creighton, Mr Simon Gillies, Ms Rosanna Gordeeva, Ms Janelle Harvey, Mr Conor Healey, Mr Davin Hung, Mr David Hutcheon, Ms Kimberley Hunt, Ms Boram Kim, Mr Parveen Kumar, Mr Tish Nyar, Ms Malin Olsson, Mr Neils Pantenburg, Ms Marnee Pirri, Ms Raina Raniga, Ms Artista Romanika, Mr Greg Seipolt, Ms Carla Salvatori, Ms Erika Sandblom, Mr George Sclavos, Ms Kate Sims, Mr Justin Steele, Mr Tobias Susanto, Mr Andrew Wise, Ms Jon-Ann Yong Ching and Mr Simon Zaris.
Other guests included HR Manager, Shangri-La, Sydney, Mr Justin Barnes, Career Development Manager Ms Janette Illingsworth, Career Development Coordinator, Ms Candy Cole, ex-BMHS staff Ms Helen Thompson and Mr Tim Millet, PR Manager, Mr Julian Leatherdale, alumni bursary student Ms Mandy Posetti and, of course, Vice Principal Alumni, Mr Val Cook.
Mr David Hutcheon, Rydges Management Traineeship graduate, about to be sent to the brand new Rydges Sabaya Resort Port Douglas.
Ms Boram Kim, Reservations Manager, Rydges World Square and Ms Candy Cole, BMHS Career Development Coordinator.
Guest speaker, BMHS graduate Ms Bernadette Templeman (nee Samardzija), owner-manager of Restaurant Atelier, Sydney, addresses her fellow Blue Mountains Hotel School graduates.
(L-R) Honorary Professor Severin Shulte, Director of Severin Touristick, Dux of the School, Ms Vivian Nguyen, and Mr Guy Bentley, Principal, Blue Mountains Hotel School.
BMHS Director Mr Gavin Faull gives the Director's opening address.
ORION Professors and Associate Professors (L-R) Hon. Professor Stephen Lewis, General Manager, Four Seasons Sydney, Hon. Professor Severin Shulte, Director of Severin Touristick, Associate Professor Simon Macarthur, Senior Lecturer, BMHS and Associate Professor Michael Coles, Senior Lecturer, Australian International Hotel School (AIHS), Professor Larry Smith, University of New England and Professor Peter Jones, Chair ORION Academic Council.
Mr Stephen Lewis, General Manager, Four Seasons Sydney, thanks ORION and the Blue Mountains Hotel School for his Honorary Professorship.
SRC Presidents Mr Logan Miller and Ms Sissel Jorgensen present the SRC Award to Ms Tara Flegg.
Mr Val Cook, Vice Principal (Alumni) and student Ms Natalie Belbin toast the new name for the Blue Mountains Hotel School café.
(R-L) Directors Mr Fritz Gubler and Mr Max Player, Principal Mr Guy Bentley and staff and students watch the unveiling of the new café sign.
Mr Val Cook and Mr Greg Seipolt, GM, Medina, Berlin.
Mr Andrew Palmquist, Financial Controller, Rydges World Square and Mr Neils Pantenberg, Assistant F&B Operations Manager, Hilton Sydney.
Ms Kimberley Hunt, Project Management, APP and Ms Carla Salvatore, F&B Coordinator, Four Points by Sheraton.
Ex-BMHS staff members Ms Helen Thompson and Mr Tim Millett.
Mr Cook presents a Three Pillar award to second year student Ms Jessica Wheatley.
Mr Cook congratulates third year student Mr Michael Rose on his Three Pillar award.
MS JESSICA WHEATLEY: WINNER OF NSW TOURISM MINISTER’S STUDENT ACHIEVER AWARD
Since 1990, the NSW Minister for Tourism has been rewarding high achieving tourism students at an annual Minister’s Student Achiever Award in Tourism.
The Student Achiever is one who has a record of sustained academic achievement and demonstrated the capabilities and personal qualities required to make a significant contribution to the tourism industry in New South Wales. The Awards are open to all NSW public and private institutions offering degrees, diplomas and certificate courses in tourism studies, and are available to Australian citizens who reside in New South Wales.
Blue Mountains Hotel School nominated second year student Ms Jessica Wheatley for the Student Achiever Award for studies in Tourism and Hospitality for the 2006 academic year.
Since 1990, the NSW Minister for Tourism has been rewarding high achieving tourism students at an annual Minister’s Student Achiever Award in Tourism.
The Student Achiever is one who has a record of sustained academic achievement and demonstrated the capabilities and personal qualities required to make a significant contribution to the tourism industry in New South Wales. The Awards are open to all NSW public and private institutions offering degrees, diplomas and certificate courses in tourism studies, and are available to Australian citizens who reside in New South Wales.
Blue Mountains Hotel School nominated second year student Ms Jessica Wheatley for the Student Achiever Award for studies in Tourism and Hospitality for the 2006 academic year.
On Thursday 28th June, 2007, Jessica and her mother attended an awards ceremony at NSW Parliament House where Jessica was one of only 12 students awarded a NSW Tourism Minister’s Students Achievers Award by the Hon. Mr Matt Brown, MP, Minister for Housing and Minister for Tourism.
While on her current Career Development placement at Four Seasons Sydney, Jessica let us know that “I was successful in being presented one of the twelve tourism awards. I received a beautiful trophy/plaque, $500 and a certificate.
” “I congratulate Jessica on behalf of the staff and students for her success at these awards which she thoroughly deserves,” says Mr Guy Bentley, CEO/Principal, BMHS, “This award demonstrates the continuing high calibre of Blue Mountains Hotel School students and it is very gratifying to have that publicly and independently acknowledged by NSW Tourism and by the Minister.”
While on her current Career Development placement at Four Seasons Sydney, Jessica let us know that “I was successful in being presented one of the twelve tourism awards. I received a beautiful trophy/plaque, $500 and a certificate.
” “I congratulate Jessica on behalf of the staff and students for her success at these awards which she thoroughly deserves,” says Mr Guy Bentley, CEO/Principal, BMHS, “This award demonstrates the continuing high calibre of Blue Mountains Hotel School students and it is very gratifying to have that publicly and independently acknowledged by NSW Tourism and by the Minister.”