Preview: Celebrating our 150th

Kaurna Day

Tuesday 27 February 2024

Tirkanthi (Learning) – Ngutu (Knowledge) – Taikurrinthi (Be United Together)

Marni naa pudni.We welcome you to Kaurna Country!

An invitation from WirltuYarlu

The University of Adelaide is turning 150 and Kaurna Day will be the first event on the calendar.

We will come together as a University community and recognise the impact and ongoing relationship that the Kaurna culture and people have had in the development of our institution.

Kaurna Day will welcome the whole community to Kaurna Country, acknowledging and paying respects to the Kaurna people, the traditional custodians of this ancestral land where the University campuses are located, and recognising the fundamental role of Indigenous leaders and alumni in the making of the University of Adelaide.

The University of Adelaide continues to build upon Kaurna history, expanding the cultural knowledge of all students and staff across the University.

Kaurna Day will provide an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the past, present, and future efforts of Kaurna people and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, academics, researchers and leaders, building the connections and learning of Kaurna culture, language, community and all First Nations people.

While there is still a long way to go, Professor Steve Larkin, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement), recognises that the University is on the right path.

“The strong Indigenous leadership at the University in the past decades has been fundamental in recognising and embracing Kaurna culture and people,” he says.

“There is a sense of pride within the University community to teach, learn and research about Kaurna language, culture and history in Kaurna Country.”

Kaurna Day will include a program of music, dance and storytelling with forums and talks relating to First Nations topics.

With the Kaurna Learning Circle at the heart of the day’s activities, and curated by Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education, the full-day event will provide opportunities to engage and participate with the University community to learn about Kaurna and First Nation’s culture.

We look forward to seeing you there. Ngaityalya!

Alumni Event: Save the date Sydney and Melbourne!

March 2024

Alumni in Melbourne and Sydney are invited to join senior leaders from the University for a cocktail receptions in 2024.

Please save the date for your chance to join the celebrations for the University’s 150th anniversary, share a drink and reconnect with your fellow alumni and University community.

Sydney - Tuesday 19 March 2024

Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Sydney

Melbourne - Wednesday 20 March 2024

Jardin Tan, Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria, Melbourne

To be the first to hear when registration opens for these and other events, be sure to update your details.

Waite 100

Saturday 4 May 2024

There’s a lot to celebrate next year.

Not only is the University of Adelaide celebrating its 150th anniversary – our magnificent Waite campus will also be celebrating a huge milestone, the 100th anniversary of the Waite Gift.

In 1923, after the death of Peter and Matilda Waite, Urrbrae house and 300 acres of accompanying land was gifted to the University of Adelaide by their daughters, Lily and Eva Waite.

The purpose was “to advance the cause of education and more especially to promote the teaching and study of agriculture and forestry and allied subjects”.

In the time since the Waite Gift, those wishes have been fulfilled and the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus has become home to one of the largest concentrations of agricultural and wine research and teaching expertise in the southern hemisphere.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Waite Gift, the University of Adelaide will be inviting guests to a once-in-a-lifetime black- tie cocktail event.

Waite 100 will feature an elegantly curated menu which celebrates the work of alumni in the world of food and wine, and includes the outstanding contributions to agriculture, food and wine made by the Waite campus.

Speaking from the South

An inspirational collection of writers and thinkers focused on the Global South

Friday 31 May - Tuesday 4 June 2024

What does it mean to speak from the south? What unique perspectives does this vantage point offer on the pressing issues currently facing the world?

These are questions which have driven a recent interest in ‘Southern Theory’ – an approach which critiques the dominance of western models that centre on European and North American experiences and perspectives.

It shows how northern-produced theories, concepts and models are often unable to describe and respond appropriately to the southern situations into which they have been introduced.

Southern Theory seeks to empower thinkers beyond the traditional centres and focus on issues which affect them.

In recent years, Adelaide’s own Nobel Laureate J. M. Coetzee has affected a radical realignment, shifting the centre of world literature, political philosophy, and the creative arts toward the south.

Featured as part of the University of Adelaide’s 150th year celebrations in 2024, the University will bring Professor Coetzee together with some of the most profound and exciting thinkers.

Speaking from the South is a first of its kind, multi-day public event which will both celebrate and build upon Professor Coetzee’s legacy as it generates conversations grounded in the unique environments of the south that have global importance and impact.

Speaking from the South will host writers and thinkers from across the global south and the southern hemisphere to reflect on, and propose pathways out of, the difficult problems that confront the world today, such as inequality, the growing use of technology in everyday life, climate change, and the mass displacement of people.

While grappling with the ongoing impact of colonialism in shaping our current world, the speakers will draw on local knowledge and experiences to inform future visions and practices for sustaining life on earth.

Joining Professor Coetzee for public readings will be Abdulrazak Gurnah – both of whom are part of the select group of only 15 writers from the south to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in its 120-year history.

Speaking from the South will also feature an impressive roll call of international and Australian writers, thinkers, and poets participating in a series of high-profile public panel discussions, readings, talks, masterclasses, and an exhibition, with a strong focus on featuring Indigenous voices from the south.

Return to campus

Friday 25 - Sunday 27 October 2024

As part of the 150th Anniversary celebrations, the University will welcome alumni back to campus for a series of reunions and events over three massive days.

Return to Campus will encourage connections and conversations between friends old and new, and a great chance to catch up on the successes of fellow alumni.

Among the events, the Golden Jubilee will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the graduating years of 1973 and 1974, continuing the tradition of acknowledging this significant milestone and the outstanding contributions to communities and wider society made by these cohorts.

The Adelaide Alumni Cocktail Reception will be open to all alumni and will be a fantastic opportunity to catch up on our beautiful North Terrace campus.

There will be faculty tours running throughout the Return to Campus weekend, providing an opportunity for our alumni community to reminisce about their time at the University of Adelaide, and explore new campus spaces.

And the Return to Campus Gala Ball is the night-of-nights – not to be missed. This glamorous, black-tie, gala dinner will be held at Adelaide Oval.You will hear from notable alumni and have the opportunity to bid on money-can’t-buy experiences at the silent and live auctions.

Plus, the Hughes Society Luncheon will be held on the Sunday. This annual event recognises and celebrates the generous contributions of all alumni and friends who have chosen to leave a bequest to the University.