As many will know, regular Sunday Formal Dinners are a unique feature of St Margaret's College. This year has been no exception.
The Norris Dining Hall is set elegantly with table cloths and adorned with flowers. It is a beautiful occasion.
Members are required to dress formally and enjoy a wonderful meal (often a "Sunday roast") and a marvellous musical interlude by a few fellow Members. The Dinner ends with a full cheeseboard, and post-dinner gathering with the guests.
The Master invites a number of special guests to each Formal Dinner. These may include academic and professional staff from the University, the Mayor of Dunedin, the Chief Executive of the Dunedin City Council, visiting academics, College Fellows, business people and community members.
A group of Members meet the guests at a pre-dinner gathering, and then a general invitation is extended to the post-dinner gathering where the guests are asked to talk briefly about “How did you get to where you are today?” This is followed by a question and answer session.
It is a fantastic opportunity for Members to meet interesting people in a more social environment, do some networking, gain some valuable insights and learn new things from guests with different backgrounds and careers.
The following have been our guests at Sunday Formal Dinners so far this year (end of August 2017):
- 5 March: Ginny Green (CEO, Otago Community Hospice); and Richard Whitney (CEO, Mercy Hospital)
- 12 March: Professor Craig Rodger (Physics) and Lynette Finnie (Public Health Manager, SDHB)
- 19 March: Professor Warwick Duncan (Dentistry); Dr Jennifer Gay (Dentist); and Dr Jeremy Burton (Microbiologist based in London, Ontario and a Fellow of the College)
- 26 March: Professor Lisa Smith (Dean, College of Education); Professor Jeff Smith (Associate Dean, College of Education); and Dr Andrew Clarkson (Research Fellow, Anatomy)
- 2 April: Vanda Symon (Crime writer and pharmacist); Associate Professor Jacques van der Meer (Education); and Sharon van Turnhout (University’s Chief Financial Officer)
- 30 April: Professor Nicola Peart (Law); Ian Telfer (Radio NZ reporter); Andrew Whiley (Dunedin City Councillor) and his wife Jackie Dunham
- 21 May: Dr Stephen Sowerby (Otago Innovation) and his wife Teresa; Professor Peter Dearden (Biochemistry); and Associate Professor Maree Thyne (Marketing, College Fellow and Council Member)
- 28 May: Dave Cull (Mayor of Dunedin) and his wife Joan Wilson; Dr Paul Thorsnes (Economics); and Dr Elizabeth Schaughency (Psychology)
- 16 July (Mid-winter Christmas Dinner): Sakhr Munassar (Master's student, Peace and Conflict Studies)
- 23 July: Professor Holger Regenbrecht (Information Science) and his wife Claudia; and Professor Paul Trebilco (Theology and Religion) and his wife Gill
- 6 August: Professor Tony Binns (Geography); Professor Leigh Hale (Physiotherapy) and her husband Alan; and Tofilau Nina Kirifi-Alai (Pacific Islands Centre)
- 20 August: Rev Greg Hughson (University and College Chaplain) and his wife Hilda; Paul and Rebecca Twemlow (founders of Firebrand); and Jenny Beck (Jenny Beck Law)
