Alastair Metcalf

Deputy Chancellor, Mr Glen Sanford, Professor Kerri-Lee Krause, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor Clive Smallman, Dean School of Business,  academic staff, families, friends and most importantly, graduates.

This is a truly fantastic day.  You have worked long and hard for this day. Not just the last few years, but also the years before that have all led to this point.  You have committed your energy and your intellect.  And you have succeeded.

You have always been young, energetic and gifted.  Now you are also highly educated with a Business degree from the University of Western Sydney.

On behalf of the business community, I congratulate you on your graduation and welcome you into the business community. Your knowledge and skills will be highly sought after by employers in Australia and globally.

You are also extremely fortunate to be entering the business world at an exciting time.  International trade is strong, the world is relatively peaceful and growth and confidence are increasing.  Technology is bringing extraordinary change, and you are best placed to determine how we use it.

Knowing that you have the advantages of a highly regarded business degree from UWS and will have many opportunities in your career, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on how you came to be in this fortunate position.  I’d like you to think about your families, your friends, your lecturers, your classmates and others who have helped you on your journey.

We too often forget to say thank you.   So, whether they are in the room or not, let’s acknowledge and thank all those who have helped you become a graduate of the School of Business of UWS.

This address made me reflect on my first few years.  There were many positive experiences, some challenges and surprises.

Within 2 years of graduating, I’d moved from Price Waterhouse to join an Investment Bank.  Life was pretty good. I had a new job, I was being well paid, I’d just bought a new suit. The list goes on.

One morning, I was walking past a building site in Pitt Street when I caught a tiny fragment of metal in one eye After an hour at work, I went to the eye clinic and was promptly sent home with an eye patch and told to keep my eyes closed until the following morning.

When my boss was told, his response was…”well, he’s got 2 eyes, what’s wrong with the other one”.

I was stunned.  I was learning that expectations are very high and there was little interest in personal excuses. Hard work, persistence and resilience would be required.

I was soon back at my desk and started investing in speculative shares.  Everyone was doing it, and it seemed so easy to make money. Again, life seemed very good.

Then, in October 1987, the stock market crashed 45% overnight.  The same boss said,…”Alastair, you’re lucky to have experienced a stock market crash so early in your career”.

I didn’t feel very lucky, having seen my speculative shares fall by 80%.

The immediate lessons where about risk, not having all your eggs in one basket, and researching properly before investing.

The more important lesson was the humbling realisation that I still had a lot more to learn.  I was fortunate.  My boss took the time to help me on my way.  He didn’t have to do it.  He made a conscious choice to help others.

You too will have many choices to make.  And one of those is the philosophy you adopt towards others.

I’d like to draw your attention to a philosophy that may be useful to you.  It comes from a 2010 Young Australian of the Year by the name of Jack Manning Bancroft.  Jack is the founder and CEO of an organisation called AIME -Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience.

Their primary objective is to improve the chances of Indigenous students finishing school.  They run programs where over 1,000 students from 14 universities mentor 2,000 school students.  The program has been very successful, with mentored Indigenous students progressing through school at similar rates to their peers.

But my point is not so much about the program as to tell you the philosophy they adopt.

They say ……… “With every step you take forward in life, you throw your hand back and bring someone with you”.

So, as you step forward in the world, you may wish to consider how to throw your hand back and bring someone with you.

Congratulations on your well deserved graduation.