Dear Company Members,

A warm welcome is extended to members of the Company, UNSW International House Limited, and their guests to this forty-second annual general meeting.
It is my pleasure to present the report of the Board of Directors, with their approval, which summarises another successful year in the operations of the Company and the House.

There is still a strong demand for student accommodation in and around the University. The House has had no difficulty in maintaining a full complement of residents, now numbering 166.

The Master, Dr Robert Lundy, in sections of this report has written enthusiastically of the activities of the residents in several new ventures that have enhanced their experience of the collegiate aspect of life in a residential college. At the same time the undergraduates and graduates have progressed satisfactorily in their studies while enjoying the lowest fees for a residential college. The Board has been keen to limit increases to match the upward trend of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which has remained under 3%. Unfortunately, the trend for student fees has been considerably greater.

Before turning to the detail of the Financial Report you will be pleased to know that the Company has traded at a modest profit (5.4%) based on the accommodation fees with a lower surplus than in 2004 but augmented considerably by investment income. By accumulating dividend distributions rather than reinvestment the cash reserves are increased for later investment depending on economist predictions and market performance.

Sincerely,

Demand for Accommodation

Demand for accommodation at International House remains extremely high. There are over three applicants for every vacancy. The figures below are not totally reflective of the demand because they only include those who actually lodge an application. The College receives a large number of email and telephone enquiries that are not included in the figures. Listed below is a break down of our residents by geographical regions and a list of the number of applications.

Number of Applications Received as of 31 December

Room & Board Fees

International House maintains its philosophy of providing the highest quality at the most affordable price possible. As the financial statements will attest we have been extremely successful in achieving our goals: Wonderful Community Spirit, Fantastic Facilities & Services, And Great Price!

Listed below are the fees for International House for the past 10 years. Attached is a schedule of fees for most of the other residential colleges in Australia.

RESOC & Residents’ Participation

2005 was an outstanding year at International House. The community spirit of friendship and respect for others was extremely high. Without a doubt we can truly say that we achieved the Vision of the House of “International Understanding, Friendship and Tolerance”. One of the major factors for our success is the contribution of the Residents’ Society (RESOC). RESOC, under the leadership of the President, Ian Tan worked very hard this past year and most importantly they work together as a team. Much credit should also go to Social Director, Firman Siaham for all of the wonderful events that he and the Social Committee organized during the year

Approximately one third of the residents of the House are involved in the various committees of RESOC (refer to attachment) and when you include the residents who participate in other activities such as StudyBreaks, I-Nite, iVision, Sports, Foundation Day and Opening & End of Session Dinners it is truly a high level of participation. In fact, it may be hard to live at International House and not be involved in some activity.

iVision
In 2000 a group of residents organized the International House Charity Club. The purpose of the club was to engage in community service activities and promote greater awareness among residents. The club sponsored a WorldVision child and visited nursing homes. In 2005 the group re-launched their new image: “iVision” with a video presentation at the Foundation Day Dinner. During session 2 2005 they conducted a workshop titled: “’Signin’ In The Rain”. The workshop attended by approx 30 residents consisted of 5 evening sessions conducted by Dr Meg Rohan to learn sign language thus preparing them to be of service to the hearing impaired. They also engaged in fundraising activities for the Australian Deaf Association.

Foundation Day Dinner
Those of you who attended the Foundation Day Dinner will I am sure agree with me that this was probably the best Foundation Day program we have had. The time and effort from the residents was just fantastic. What is truly great is not only that they are so talented but willing to share their talent with others and by doing so make a huge contribution to the House and its’ vision of “International Understanding”.

We thank Professor Veena Sahajwalla for her wonderful talk and we congratulate her on her achievements of winning the Eureka Award.

Study Breaks
StudyBreaks not only continue to be extremely popular events but they have risen to new heights. In addition to wonderful food most of the StudyBreaks last year included a variety of entertainment. The first StudyBreak for the session was by the International House Charity Club (IHCC) as they re-launched the new “iVision” and outlined the main activity for the session, “Signin’ In The Rain”. Those of you who attended the Foundation Day dinner saw the video they prepared. The Indian StudyBreak was a festive affair with Rani Khuman, one of the first IH residents attending the event. Rani brought some delightful food for all to sample. The Singaporean’s entertained the crowd with national songs as it was their National Day. Week four saw the events reach new heights as we were all entertained with a delightful puppet show by our Indonesian residents. Not to be outdone the Taiwanese entertained the crowd with the rendition of Taiwanese Idol, “Sleepless in International House”. Time will tell if our hero wins the heart of the lovely IH maiden. The Malaysian StudyBreak introduced a new creative approach of shadow show depicting the multi-culture society of Malaysia. After the shallow show there was a video presentation of the beautiful country side of Malaysia. RESOC organized the Moon Cake Festival StudyBreak including videos. Breaking from tradition the medical students of which there are 22 in the House provided a StudyBreak with a free check-up and no bulk-billing. During the mid-session recess the Hong Kong contingent organized a StudyBreak followed by many others:

Session 2

Real-World Capabilities

Managing a residential college could be viewed like any other type of management that provides accommodation and food services. While colleges do provide housing and food services they are distinctively different from hotels or hostels. What makes International House unique is the educational value that is provided.

An article last year in the Australian Financial Review (Perspective February 5-6 2005) titled; “The Graduate Skills That Count”, highlights the point.

“Universities are under increasing pressure, from employers and students, to equip their graduates with real-world capabilities… When it comes to securing a white-collar job, academic achievement is important – in fact, these days it is practically a prerequisite. But it is not everything. Employers are looking for skills which are not measured on an academic transcript… As any boss will tell you, it’s hardly rocket science. They want employees who are good communicators, capable of teamwork and ongoing learning.”

At International House we not only perform the traditional management functions we try to involve the residents and use every opportunity as a learning experience. The goal is to empower staff and residents to assume responsibility and “learn by doing”. Structure and guidelines are important but not too much as it may inhibit learning. One must also be prepared for the fact that things may not workout as expected but quite often our best learning occurs through failure. Communication, teamwork, leadership, decision-making, conflict resolution and many other skills can be developed at a residential College provided you ‘frame’ the organization accordingly. So besides providing accommodation and food service our goal is to transform the College into a learning laboratory where students can practice what they have learnt in their academic studies such as computing, architecture, business and develop additional skills that will give them ‘real-world capabilities’. In this endeavor we also want to include International House Alumni and friends.

Alumni Activities

Alumni Connect and Mentoring Program
The Alumni Connect and Mentoring Program was a great success! Last year we conducted a pilot study of two group sessions of Medical students and two sessions of Engineering & Design students. Based on the feedback from residents and mentors the Alumni Connect & Mentoring Committee will revise the program. The plan is to launch the program at the beginning of the 2006 academic year.

The Mentoring Program will consist of 2 or 3 meetings per session lasting about 1 to 2 hours each, held in the House, usually in the evenings or weekends. Group size will vary and tutors can meet with their group individually or as a team of mentors of different experience. The group may focus on specific areas such as ‘Transition to the Real World’ or ‘Challenges in my Career’ or other topics requested by the residents.

Prospective mentors need to apply in writing with a resume of qualifications and 100 word brief of current and previous work experience, to Dr Robert Lundy, UNSW International House. For 2006 there has been a strong response from alumni to serve as mentors. A special note of thanks to the Alumni Connect & Mentoring Committee for all of the time and effort they have given to the project:

International House Scholarships
Two scholarships are available to International House undergraduate and postgraduate residents for the 2006 academic year. Applicants must be UNSW students, a current IH resident and be residing in the House for the 2006 academic year. The purpose of the scholarships is to provide financial assistance and recognition to IH residents who exemplify the values of International House:

“International Understanding, Friendship and Tolerance”

The selection criteria for both scholarships include community and House involvement, academic merit and financial need. The scholarships of $1,000 each towards room/board fees for the 2006 academic year were awarded at the annual Alumni/Friends Reception on the 5th November 2005.

The Hugh and Valerie Muir Scholarship, available to IH residents in the Faculty of Science or Engineering, was established in 2005 by the generous gift from Valerie Muir. The recipient of the inaugural award, Danyal Butt is completing a Bachelor of Biotechnology. Danyal is from Pakistan where he completed his A-Level in Biology, Physics & Chemistry at Lahore College of Arts and Sciences. Both of Danyal’s parents work as educational professions. At an early age Danyal was conscious about the less fortunate and became involved in volunteer organizations. He worked as a volunteer with Dar-ul-Sakoon a Dutch NGO and the Pakistan School for Rehabilitation and Development. Both of these institutions are involved in supporting the cause for special children. He also served as a volunteer with the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre and during the summer break he worked for victims of the recent earthquake. While at International House Danyal has been involved in many activities and is a real asset to the House.

The Minoru Hokari Memorial Scholarship was established in 2004 by the generous contribution of Yuki Hokari, the Hokari family and International House Alumni and Company members. The Minoru Hokari Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of Minoru, a past resident of International House who passed away at the age of 33. Minoru lived at International House while completing his PhD in History on the Gurindji peoples at the remote community of Daguragu in Gurindji country, Northern Territory. At the Alumni & Friends Reception on the 4th November last year’s recipient of the Minoru Hokari Memorial Scholarship, Thomas Randall delivered the following speech. Tom is an Arts/Law student, Vice-President of RESOC and a member of the International House Board of Directors:

“It is a great pleasure to be here today and to bear witness to the continuing support for this scholarship and the ideals it invokes. They are ideals that are in need of defense and advocacy. This scholarship is a key part of the armory that International House sports in its self-professed goal to act as something of a beacon for these values.

Tolerance is a word often bandied about as the answer to tensions arising from normative differences between people, but the values that I speak of go beyond mere tolerance. From what I can gather about Dr Hokari’s work from the slivers of insight provided by the large placards that have been on display in this courtyard since last year, it sought to legitimize the historical traditions of indigenous Australians, which typically do not conform to orthodox Western standards of reliability, veracity, and general structure. I consider it appropriate to thank Dr Hokari, as not only does his work have a direct relevance to a specific issue facing contemporary Australian politics [the truth about the frontier of the settlement of Australia, and relations between European and Indigenous peoples since then], but at a more general level, the principles on which his work operates, that of inquiry into the workings of something ostensibly foreign, and exchange and interchange, as a path to understanding, is the most valuable lesson to learn for so many of the challenges we face as a human civilization. ‘Tolerance’ as a concept is empty, and is impossible to sustain without understanding, like a feeble edifice threatening to succumb in the absence of substance supporting it or any strong foundation. Without an effort made to engage with, and to inquire about, differing beliefs and norms, the adoption of bare ‘tolerance’ will quickly falter as the frailties in our reasoning processes quickly lead us to become skeptical and revert to our standby of prejudice. Exchange and inquiry is the project to which International House is directed, and is what, I would submit, the continuance in perpetuity of the Minoru Hokari Memorial Scholarship will teach us to value. Thank you. “

This year’s recipient of the Scholarship, Natasha Hamed a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting also comes to us from Pakistan. Natasha became involved in community service through the Rotary Club serving as secretary for the Rotarct Club of Karachi.

Two committees were established to review the applications, conduct interviews and submit a recommendation to the Board for final approval. We thank the alumni & friends below for their assistance:

In conclusion we wish to thank all of the individuals who have supported the International House Scholarship Fund. At present the Minour Hokari Memorial Scholarship contains $43,786 and the Hugh & Valerie Muir Scholarship $20,200:

Platinum ($10,000) Gold ($5,000) Silver ($2,000) Bronze ($1,000) Friends ($10)

Rotary Club Excursions

The International House Excursion to Orange that begin over 10 years ago through the efforts of Geoffrey Cowan continues to be a great success. Laurie Chapman, a recently appointed Company member has been organizing the excursion with a wide array of activities. The highlight of the excursion as in previous years is apple picking and afternoon tea at Peter Darley’s orchard. The group of 20 residents will travel to Orange by train on Friday morning 10th March and return Sunday afternoon. As in previous years they will be accompanied by Bob & Susan Lundy. During the past 10 years many of the Rotary Club members have opened their homes to International House residents. This year’s hosts include: Peter Byrne, Tony Reppen, Michael Tindale, Jim Wilkinson, Paul Derrig, John Fraser, Laurie Chapman and Michael Horth. I am certain to can assume that the respective partners will also be heavily involved in hosting the students.

An excursion to Port Macquarie Rotary Club is being organized for session 2.

Services & Facilities

Food Service
International House is renowned for its excellent food service. In an effort to maintain our high standard last year we employed a new cook, David Tuch, to prepare western meals. David previously worked at the Bondi Iceburgs. I think everyone has been very pleased with his performance particularly the vegetarian meals which is often a difficult task. With few exceptions the food service staffs have remained constant over the year’s thus increasing efficiency and reducing cost. We strive not only to provide excellent meals but also a healthy and supportive work environment.

Housekeeping
We have three full time cleaners who do an excellent job keeping the building clean. With assistance from RESOC House Committee we recently instituted a new program for regular cleaning of the refrigerators and freezers and that seems to be working well. RESOC has been very supportive and helpful to the cleaning staff overseeing the recycling program and encouraging residents to take care of the kitchens and bathrooms. Working in cooperation with RESOC and the residents is the most effective approach.

Weight Room
The laundry room on the 1st floor new wing has been converted to a small weight room. There is a bench press and weights and as well as a chin up bar. We do not intend to duplicate the equipment in UniGym but provide for a light workout. Laundry facilities have been relocated to the new and larger room on the ground floor.

Recreation Room
The Recreation Room has been used more extensively this past year with the addition of the new table soccer table (foosball) and table tennis. The room is rather cold and dark and the drapes and general décor are old. During the summer new windows and curtains were installed greatly improving the ambience of the room.

Projector and Sound Equipment
Due to the interest of the residents we recently purchased video and sound equipment. A new projector and DVD player will enable the weekend movies to be shown in the games room on a larger screen. The projector can also be used for other events such as Foundation Day Dinner, StudyBreaks and I-Nite. We also purchased sound equipment that the residents can use for a wide variety of activities such as dance parties and karaoke.

Internet
Last session several of our residents launched a pilot test of a new internet service. The service proved to be fast, stable and cost effective so at the beginning of session 2 we switched all of the residents to the new service. The old system was a declining-balance in which residents were charged $.20mb. The system was rather expensive and it discouraged rather than encouraged residents from using the internet. It also involved a lot of office time as residents would frequently need to come to the office to put more money on their account. Under the new system residents paid a flat $100 per session fee for unlimited usage.

Unfortunately, not all has been smooth sailing as we encountered several days of interrupted and slow internet service. The problem was complex as it involved malfunction of equipment and a faulty telephone line. But as I have stressed before, it is often through crisis and failure that we learn the most. That has currently been the situation with this project. The learning that occurred was not only problem solving the technical issues but dealing with the human factor of unhappy residents. The residents overseeing the project on behalf of the office staff soon realized that effective communication is as important a skill as technical ability. As one of the residents will soon be entering the work force I am confident it is a lesson worth learning.

Seniors
Each year a new team of eight Seniors are selected. One of the final duties of the outgoing group of Seniors is to serve as the selection committee for next year’s Seniors. Serving as a Senior at International House provides another learning opportunity for the residents. When possible we want to use the opportunities at International House as learning experiences for the residents.

Board Matters

The Board receives a detailed report from the Master, Dr Bob Lundy, at each meeting, which stimulates questions and discussion of any issues raised. The progress of the investments is followed and reports given of any Fund management meetings attended by the Chairman and Dr Lundy. The Board is functioning well; the number of meetings each year is limited but adequate in number for approval in March of the audited finance statement and annual report to members. Any matters arising from the Annual General Meeting of the Company are on the August agenda, where the Chairman and Deputy Chairman are elected for the next year. The setting of rates for the following year is finalised at the October meeting.

The table showing the attendance at Board meetings also gives the current membership of the Board apart from the resident-elected Director whose term expires at the end of the year. The three year terms of the Company-elected Directors Professor Ted Thompson and Dr Taufique Ahmed terminate at the AGM 2006. They are eligible for re-election Professor Thompson has informed the Master that after 15 years as a Director he will not stand for re-election.

It is appropriate here to thank the Finance Officer Ms Margaret Kwan for the care and competence shown in keeping track of the accounts. Also, for the efficient manner in which the Master and Margaret follow the changes during the year in the expenditures and their relation to the predicted budget. This usually results in a smooth checking of the financial position during the annual audit of the Company account. However, due to a change in accounting standards, detailed fully in the section on Finance, Margaret and the auditors had much more demand placed on them in 2005 and their concentrated efforts are appreciated.

Concluding Remarks

After 15 years as a Director and 11 years as Chairman of the Board it is a pleasure to acknowledge the cooperation of all those people involved in the running of International House. This includes the staff at all levels as well as the Seniors, members of RESOC and other residents as outlined in the reports of the Master, Dr Robert Lundy. The health and happiness of the residents is very dependent on the efforts of the kitchen staff, the housekeeping and maintenance staff.

The happy atmosphere in the House has been generated and maintained by the strong leadership of Bob and Susan Lundy. They have drawn on their training and experience over a long period of time. With the assistance of the Finance Officer, Margaret Kwan, and Winsome Jackson, a limited office staff, Bob Lundy manages to get through the large amount of work involved for a Master and Executive Officer as well as Secretary to the Company. The main problem they have is that they do not take enough leave. How could they manage without them?

The Board of Directors comprises eleven individuals with extensive training and experience in a wide variety of fields. Most are still employed, with heavy responsibilities to provide guidance and leadership in their fields of endeavour. Their commitment to the Board in an honorary capacity is much appreciated and I thank my fellow Directors for their interest and input to the affairs of the House and the Company.

It is apparent to Members of the Company, after they have read of the activities outlined in this report, that several new programs have been initiated in the past year or two. Many of these have been led and sustained by the efforts of Alumni of the House and the University. It is very gratifying to see the commitment of past residents of the House to these activities. It is a sign of their own happy memories of life in International House and their willingness to work towards the continued success and contributions that residents and former residents make to their educational experience.

Finally, thanks also to the Members of the Company, the Alumni and the Friends of International House for their continued support.

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