Posts Tagged ‘Avondale Library’

Sweet poison

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The popularity of a display by two Avondale Library staff members may encourage others to remove sugar from their diet. Lynette Frazer and Sharon Kenealy’s Sweet Poison uses sugar cubes to illustrate the sugar content of processed foods. The sweetest poison, at 12 cubes: a 650-millilitre Dare iced coffee. Lynette has lost 13 kilograms since November last year and Sharon, a former “sugarholic,” is now free of headaches. Inspiration came from David Gillespie’s book of the same name.—Brenton Stacey, public relations officer, Avondale College of Higher Education Credit: Lagani Gairo.

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Pharaohs on display at Avondale

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Exhibition features hundreds of Egyptian artefacts

Centrepiece: This urn found at the world’s oldest pyramid, the “step pyramid” at Sakkhara, is one of the highlights of Land of the Pharaohs. King Zoser built the pyramid almost 4000 years ago. The urn contained oil or wine for the dead king. Credit: Ann Stafford.

Hundreds of Egyptian artefacts will feature in the library on Avondale College of Higher Education’s Lake Macquarie campus next month as part of an exhibition called Land of the Pharaohs.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a large urn found at the world’s oldest pyramid, the “step pyramid” at Sakkhara. King Zoser built the pyramid almost 4000 years ago. The urn contained oil or wine for the dead king. The exhibition also contains rare glassware—bangles, bottles and vases dating back as far as 800 BC, including tear bottles used by professional mourners. Replicas of artefacts from boy-king Tutankhamen’s tomb, including the famous golden death mask, feature, too.

The artefacts are from the collection of chaplain Dr Wayne French, who is currently touring countries such as Egypt, Greece and Israel. “I love the stories from history, and I love to illustrate them,” says Wayne.

He uses an oil container—it fits in the palm of your hand—bought in Petra, Jordan, as an example. It is similar to the ones used in the biblical story of the 10 virgins, who took their lamps and went to meet a bridegroom. The five wise virgins took oil with their lamps and, when the bridegroom arrived late, went in with him to the wedding banquet rather than out to buy oil.

“The moral of the story is about the readiness of the heart to accept the grace of God,” says Wayne. “It’s not about working for grace because the container’s so light and small. I get so much meaning about my God from archaeology.”

Wayne will also show how the Egyptians made papyrus and explain the historical significance of the Rosetta Stone, which led to the unlocking of Egyptian hieroglyphs. A replica of the stone is on display with replicas of the Cylinder of Cyrus, which details the capture of Babylon, the ancient world’s largest city.

Land of the Pharaohs launches in Avondale Library on Thursday, August 11, at 12.00 PM. The exhibition then runs from Friday, August 12, to Friday, September 2. Opening hours are 8.00 AM-9.45 PM Monday to Thursday, 8.00 AM-3.30 PM Friday and 1.00-9.00 PM Sunday. Tours are available by appointment only 9.00 AM-4.00 PM Monday-Thursday.

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Stress: have it your way

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Study help for students

Julian Bremner
Public relations editorial intern
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

It’s that time of the year, classes are closing, assignments are (over)due and examinations are beginning. Your stress levels are up. It feels like you’re drowning. Wait! There are beacons of hope.

Avondale Library, it’s the one constant, so it makes sense this should be your first port of call. The atmosphere is essential to successful study. It’s quiet, but it can also be productive, particularly seeing your classmates with their heads in their books. Choose to study by yourself in a cubicle or with others in a room.

Other library facilities or improvements to service include the addition of new computers and the extension of hours in the computer lab. A printer has also been added, so getting up the minute the library opens is no longer necessary. With EndNote and database searching classes on request, past examination papers and tutoring services, Avondale Library should be your next step in reclaiming sanity.

This is also Kim Pow’s domain. She’s the student counsellor on the Lake Macquarie campus. “This is the most stressful time of year and I see an increase in the number of students who visit for the first time,” she says. Kim sees this generation as the “better offer” generation—we tend to procrastinate. This often results in lack of sleep, which is a factor in the poor handling of stress. “All nighters can comprise your coping mechanism,” says Kim.

Bachelor of Arts student Joshua Zyderveld knows what it’s like to be stressed—he’s overloading units for his final two semesters. His advice: “Students who start early [on assignments or study] get the best marks and still manage to have a good time.”

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Concise

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Book donation wins friends in Africa

An Internet search by the Kampala, Ugandan-based Rubaga Youth Development Association (RYDA) found Avondale College held a book the non-government organisation needed for its automotive mechanics class. RYDA’s mission is to help the disadvantaged by equipping them with skills and providing opportunities to increase their socio-economic independence. Head librarian Marilyn Gane responded to the request, removing Motor Vehicle Technology and Practical Work by J A Dolan from the collection and posting it with another, Basic Auto Mechanics by Peter Lynch, also from the collection. The gesture impressed RYDA, which included this in its August newsletter: “Avondale College has been offering excellence in Christian tertiary education since 1897. Clearly, the strength of its founding principles has not diminished in over a century.”

Book giveaway may save students’ lives

Brad Watson and Siggy and Flori. Credit: Ann Stafford.

Morisset Public and St John Vianney Primary School students have received a gift from an Avondale College lecturer that may eventually save their lives. About 40 kindergarten students from Morisset and about half that many Year 2 and 3 students from St John Vianney listened to Brad Watson read Siggy and Flori during an author visit at Morisset Public Library. Brad, a lecturer in the Faculty of Arts, feels so strongly about the illustrated storybook’s antismoking message, he gave each student a copy, funding the giveaway himself.

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