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2009Granny Smith Festival 2009 | Once again, Macquarie Community College was a Bronze Sponsor of the Granny Smith Festival, which was held on Saturday 17 October, and our stall was conveniently located near the stage. Displaying posters on our English classes, with Korean and Chinese translations, the stall attracted the attention of potential students keen to improve their English language skills. Our new catalogue and bright and eye-catching flyers on a number of the College’s recreational and business courses, along with our showbags, also proved drawcards. |
Willoughby Street Fair | Saturday 12 September 2009 The annual Street Fair, organized by Willoughby City Council, was held in Chatswood. Unlike last year’s event which was cancelled on account of a fierce storm, the Street Fair was favoured with beautiful sunny weather. Macquarie Community College/Macquarie Business Training Centre had a stall which attracted a lot of passersby. The College held a free Lucky Dip which attracted a lot of entries; three prizes of $50 gift certificates were offered and the winning entries were drawn on the following Thursday by CEO Rob Parsons. |
Epping Street Fair | Sunday 30 August 2009 The annual Street Fair, hosted by The Epping Club in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Epping, was held in Rawson Street Epping on Sunday 30 August. As always, it was a great success and the glorious weather was undoubtedly a contributing factor. Macquarie Community College had a stall which was very well patronised. The College was also a Showbag Sponsor, which ensured that everybody who took home a Street Fair showbag received our catalogue. The College held a free Lucky Dip which attracted a lot of entries; three prizes of $50 gift certificates were offered and the winning entries were drawn on the following Monday by CEO Rob Parsons. |
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea | 27 May On Wednesday 27th May, Macquarie Community College held a fabulous morning tea to raise money for the Cancer Council. The students from the beginners’ ESL class catered the most wonderful selection of goodies ever seen and the students from the intermediate class gave a brilliant presentation. The students and staff raised a total of $447.65. A great day and a great fundraising effort! |
Ryde Eisteddfod | July 2009
Macquarie Community College was once again a proud sponsor of the 2009 Ryde Eisteddfod, held on Saturday 11 July. The high standard of previous years was maintained with very worthy finalists.
Pictured on the left with Macquarie Community College CEO, George Papallo, are Eisteddfod Chairperson Edna Wilde OAM, Adjudicator Adele Robertson, and this year’s winning vocalists: Lauren Fagan, 1st place – Lieder; Sophie Goldrick, 2nd place – Lieder; Grace Ciano, 1st place – Aria and 3rd place – Lieder; Elizabeth Hylton, 3rd place – Aria; and Lisa Marie Harris, 2nd place - Aria. Also pictured to the right are six of the finalists including Anna Dowsey and Georgia Kokkoris. Congratulations to all who participated in this wonderful event. |
Model United Nations Assembly | May 30 and 31 Rotary Club of Ryde, District 9680, held its Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) at St Pius X College, Chatswood, over the weekend of May 30 and 31. Once again, this year's event was sponsored by Macquarie Community College and, as in previous years, the College donated 150 leather-look compendiums to participants in the Assembly. College CEO and prominent Rotarian, George Papallo OAM, attended the event to meet the delegates, who are shown here wearing outfits to identify the countries they represented and holding the compendiums, which were very warmly received.
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MBTC Business of the Month | 8 May 2009 Macquarie Business Training Centre (MBTC) was awarded Business of the Month at the Ryde Business Forum in May. Suzanne Dwyer was recently appointed as the Business Development Manager for MBTC, a division of Macquarie Community College. Suzanne is pictured with Macquarie Community College CEO George Papallo. MBTC works with organisations to improve and sustain their competitive edge. Their customised corporate training programs are responsive to the specific needs and challenges of your organisation and its people. "Organisational performance depends on both the professional skills and the personal attitude of your staff. Training is an influential tool in both these areas," Suzanne said. "Your staff need to know they are valued; that their personal and professional development is a key concern of the organisation for which they work. If you want to attract and retain top performers, opportunities for growing their talents and enhancing their skills must be part of your offer." What’s more, enhancing the capabilities of your people is a retention strategy that promises:
• More stability and sustainable high performance, as good people have more reasons to stay.
• Improved reputation, both in the employment marketplace and with your customers.
• A skilled, business-savvy workforce, which impacts favourably on your bottom line. MBTC offers competency-based, customised training programs to meet the specific learning requirements of individuals and teams at various stages of their careers. Training can be conducted at your premises, or at MBTC's Carlingford, Chatswood or Ryde venues. They can also deliver some programs as self-paced online modules |
Digital Photography Seminar6 May 2009
In partnership with Macquarie Community College, The Epping Club hosted a Digital Photography Seminar on the evening of Wednesday 6 May. The two-hour long seminar, conducted by Dr Zen Loy, provided professional advice on how to take better pictures with a digital camera and was enthusiastically received by the audience of more than 70. |  |
Laughs and love on the dance floor | 9 April 2009 Ron Widman’s job sees him travelling all over the state, but on Monday nights you can guarantee he’ll be in Beecroft, tapping his toes. Ron has run Ballroom Dancing at Beecroft for 19 years and in all that time has never missed a class. That’s more than 680 classes! And in all of those classes Ron hasn’t “passed” any students. "I tell them I need the money and if they don’t pass, they have to come back next term," Ron joked. Ron’s lighthearted approach to teaching encourages his students back year after year.
"I’ve had students coming on and off for 10 years. They’ve watched me lose my hair, I’ve watched them go grey. I’m not sure if they keep on coming for the dancing or my jokes,’ he laughed. During his 19 years teaching Ballroom Dancing at Beecroft, Ron has seen numerous relationships and marriages develop between students – including his own son Greg, who married classmate Katherine in November last year. Ron’s students are aged from 18 to 80, from complete beginners to experienced dancers, with a mix of couples and singles. Ron started dancing as a very shy 16 year old. "I was so shy I thought the only way I could get a girlfriend would be to learn to dance. By the time I was 21 I had a gold medal for dancing and plenty of girlfriends," he said. Ron says it’s surprising how often you get to dance. Birthdays, weddings, work socials, community presentations and nightclubs all provide opportunities to show off your skills. And dancing isn’t just great for your love life – it’s also good for your health as it gets you moving your whole body. Ballroom Dancing at Beecroft is held on Monday evenings at Beecroft Public School.
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Life Story Writing Workshop for Seniors19 March 2009
To celebrate NSW Seniors Week 2009, Macquarie Community College held a free Life Story Writing for Seniors Workshop at The Parsonage, 12 Turner Street, Ryde, on Thursday 19 March.
It was so successful that the College plans to run another class later in the year.
In the workshop, called Memories, Creative Writing teacher Allison Greenland led the group with ideas and tips on how to write create a compelling story with ease. The students enjoyed discovering how to write about major events or turning points, and learning techniques such as developing a character, creating a setting and theme, and determining a point of view.
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Enrolment Day at Borders Macquarie Centre17 January 2009 Lucille Hartshorne’s free tarot card readings proved a popular drawcard at Macquarie Community College’s enrolment day at Borders Bookstore Macquarie Centre North Ryde on Saturday 17January. Whilst the readings gave only a brief taste of what can be expected at a regular reading, they whetted the appetite of people who took the opportunity to enrol on the spot in Lucille’s Tarot Cards workshop (Saturday February 21 at Eastwood Public School).
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Open Day 200931 January 2009 Macquarie Business Training Centre drew a large crowd at the Term 1 Open Day on Saturday 31 January. People came from near and far to find out more about the new courses starting this term. Vijay Kosher demonstrated the exciting new program of Computer Graphics, 3D Animation and Web Design courses, while Jannelle Drake and Jim Robinson discussed the various study options of the VETAB accredited program. The event was well attended, all participants leaving with free showbags in hand and a clearer idea of their personal study needs. Watch this space for dates of our Term 2 Open Day! |  |
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