The Promise gives thanks

May 29, 2013 by Brenton Stacey

Launch appeals to fans and friends

Alto Emily Thomas (fourth from right) leads members of Avondale College of Higher Education vocal ensemble The Promise—all 14 of them—in a soulful rendition of Andraé Crouch’s gospel song “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power” at the launch of Give Thanks on Saturday (May 25). The concert featured performances from this year’s members and, fittingly, from last year’s members, whose voices appear on the album. Give Thanks, with The Promise’s other two albums, Faithful (2011) and The Promise (2006), is available on the Avondale Online Store for $20. It is also available on the iTunes Store.
Credit: Lagani Gairo.

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Kranz’s watercolours

May 29, 2013 by Brenton Stacey

Exhibition a snapshot of Bible lands study tour

An exhibition of watercolour paintings by a retired Seventh-day Adventist minister provides a snapshot of the Bible lands Avondale students will tour this year.

Pr Russell Kranz’s tools are also on display.
Credit: Ashlee King.

Russell Kranz: Watercolourist opened yesterday in Avondale Libraries (Lake Macquarie campus). It features 21 paintings hung in a similar order as the itinerary of the Bible Lands Study Tour (June 13-July 19). The 46 students enrolled in the unit will follow the footsteps of Paul and of Christ and the wanderings of the children of Israel.

Landmarks in the exhibition include Patmos Harbour in Greece, Bethlehem in Israel and the road to Sinai in Egypt. “This is an amazing collection of watercolour paintings by a real artist,” says Rose-lee Power, curator of the Adventist Heritage Centre, the permanent holder of Russell’s work. “We are privileged to receive a sample of his work.”

Russell has painted since childhood, receiving his formal training from Archibald Webb, one of Australia’s traditional watercolourists.

Chaplain Dr Wayne French, who is leading the Bible lands tour, describes Russell as “incredibly creative,” and not just as an artist but as an evangelist and as a minister—Russell spent nine years in London as director of the New Gallery, a church-owned cultural and religious centre in the West End.

Russell travelled extensively throughout the Middle East. “I never cease to marvel at the beauty of God’s creation,” he says.

Russell Kranz: Watercolourist, Avondale Libraries (Lake Macquarie campus), May 28-August 25, 2013

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Wearable, shareable support

May 29, 2013 by Brenton Stacey

Alumni join fashionable social enterprise

Brenton Stacey/Sara Thompson
Public relations officer/Public relations assistant
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

Two Avondale alumni have joined a new social enterprise that designs T-shirts to raise awareness of and money for not-for-profit organisations.

Arts and teaching student Brooke Tually designed O’Shirt’s first T-shirt.
Credit: Ashlee King.

Co-founder Ryan Williams describes 2010 graduates Kirsten Barton and Brittany Kent as key to the success of O’Shirt. Kirsten coordinates communication and Brittany design in her role as general manager. “Delivering the message is the most important thing,” says Ryan. “If we don’t deliver, we’re just a T-shirt manufacturer.”

O’Shirt supports a new not-for-profit organisation each fortnight. It coordinates the design of a T-shirt that communicates the organisation’s mission or vision and then sells a limited number of the shirts for $27 as part of a social media campaign. O’Shirt donates $7 from each sale to the organisation—and gives customers the opportunity to donate more on checkout.

“O’Shirt is like a bridge,” says Ryan’s friend and colleague Martin Van Rensburg, connecting those who want to make a difference with organisations that do. “It fills a void,” says Kirsten, who adds that she “struggles with not being able to just take off overseas to help others.”

O’Shirt’s first T-shirt supported Justice.Empowerment.Mission, Sonshine Sanctuary and Southlakes Women’s Refuge, all of which provide short-term accommodation for women and children. The designer: Avondale arts and teaching student Brooke Tually. “When we support projects, in a small way, we connect,” says Brooke. “So, I developed the idea of No Longer Strangers. I wanted the design to be subtle but still cause people to ask, ‘What’s your shirt about?’.”

Since supporting the women’s refuges in a campaign that began on April 15, O’Shirt has designed T-shirts for the Hope Foundation, the National Breast Cancer Foundation and School for Life.

Ryan, a Botswanan who received a scholarship from the government to study in Australia, would like O’Shirt to become self-sustaining. He is the founding director of the Botswana Orphan Project, which has built six orphanages—the first with Avondale student club One Mission—in the country. He describes helping the socially disadvantaged as providing “great satisfaction.” Of greater satisfaction: encouraging the rest of us to “care enough about our world issues to make a difference.”

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New Promise on show

May 22, 2013 by Brenton Stacey

Launch to unite current and former members of vocal ensemble

The launch of the third album from an Avondale vocal ensemble will unite current and former members in a free concert this Saturday (May 25).

The recording of The Promise’s Give Thanks late last year served as an acclaimed swan song for five members—Clansi Rogers, who has reviewed the previous two albums, describes Gives Thanks as a “noticeable step up” and proof of “an evolving and maturing musical ensemble.” However, it is the five’s replacements, plus two alumna and a new member, who are now performing the album’s repertoire.

New Promise members Joshua Page and Dat Nguyen rehearse for the album launch.
Credit: Ashlee King.

The new Promise—Jordan Cassie, Luke Fotheringham, Kimberley Jones, Dat Nguyen, Joshua Page and Dayna Petrie join alto Emily Thomas and soprano Laura Hill in continuing the tradition of musical excellence—has already performed at Australia’s largest Christian music festival, Easterfest, and at the annual camp meeting of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Greater Sydney.

The Promise, founded in 2005, produced its self-titled debut album in 2006. The ensemble signed with Psalter Music in 2010, the partnership producing the albums Faithful in 2011 and Give Thanks this year, the latter under the directorship of Avondale’s new music strand coordinator Aleta King. Her decision to record Give Thanks in the acoustically friendly chapel at Morisset Hospital gives a fuller sound to the vocals. Producer and engineer Dale Willis minimised any editing of the album’s 13 tracks to preserve its musical integrity.

Two of the tracks are originals—“O Give Thanks,” written by Aleta, and “My Yes,” written by Emily and former soprano Jana Aveling with friend Kate Hollingsworth. Former tenor Benjamin Milis and former bass Ezekiel Kingston arranged another, “Day by Day,” with Aleta. A fourth, “For the Beauty of the Earth/This is my Father’s World,” is an arrangement of Avondale Jazz Ensemble director David Pudney.

The launch of Give Thanks, in Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church from 6.00 PM, will feature performances by all members of the 2012 and 2013 ensembles and collaborations between the two. Entry is free. Drinks will be available in the foyer from 5.30 PM. Albums will be available at a launch-only price of $15 ($10 for Avondale students).

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Kaleidoscopes, conversation and hot cuppas

May 22, 2013 by Brenton Stacey

Exhibition illustrates practical nature of communication projects

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

It is a Sunday evening and all retailers bar the supermarkets and restaurants at Charlestown Square shopping centre are closed. Except for one shop on level two. Coffee Culture is hosting an exhibition of work by eight young artists. Organiser Sabrina Cruz, a final-year Bachelor of Arts student at Avondale College of Higher Education, is a regular and knows the manager—he has given the space for free.

Even the programs had an artistic bent at Sabrina Cruz’s Kaleidoscopes exhibition, held at Coffee Culture in Charlestown.
Credit: Luke Bacon.

Kaleidoscopes reflects Sabrina’s interest in event management and in visual arts. It not only serves as her communication project—the “capstone” unit “enables students to apply their knowledge of communication in real life,” says senior lecturer in communication and English Dr Carolyn Rickett—but also as an act of altruism. “As an artist myself, I know how intimating it feels to go into galleries,” says Sabrina.

The exhibition gives clothing company Sämo, illustrators Jimmy Carson, Marc Cruz, Sabrina and Emma Fagan and photographers Adam Crainean, Joshua Moses and Ashleigh Wrankmore a space to show their work in public. The quality of the work, the relaxed atmosphere in which it appeared and the number of people viewing it surprised supervisor Bruna Tawake. “The event exceeded my expectations.”

The lecturer in communication says the unit teaches students about the importance of understanding audiences, drafting clear objectives, consistency, creativity, organisation and self-discipline. “The multi-faceted projects become self-esteem boosters. The students learn they have the skills to ‘do this.’”

Sabrina agrees. She describes the experience as “invaluable” and, it seems, enjoyable. “You get to work on something you’re passionate about rather than on something you’re assigned.”

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