From the Vice Chancellor: The collective power of individuals

Professor David Lloyd, Vice Chancellor and President

INSIDE UNISA

Here we are. Another year. And, unsurprisingly, it’s already flying by! The older we get, the faster time seems to pass, though I suspect this is because as we age we become acutely aware of how much we want to achieve and just how finite the time is in which have to get it all done – not to mention the life admin tasks which seem to grow each year!

This feeling of a ticking clock, coupled with our society’s growing ‘cult of self’ that’s driven by the dominance of social media, makes it all too easy to insulate ourselves. By focusing only on our own pursuits and interests, we often forget to look up to see the bigger sociocultural picture.

At first glance, award systems such as Australian of the Year and the Australia Day honours can seem like old-fashioned, outdated traditions. But they’re actually more relevant than ever. Such occasions offer us the opportunity for big picture reflection, providing reason to look up from our individualised, day-to-day focus and deepen our understanding of the diversity of extraordinary work that is occurring across the nation.

Like any awards ceremony, there are of course the ‘big names’ in the mix, that as a collective culture we are familiar with, but there are also many more ‘everyday’ people. While we may not instantly know their names, these everyday people are doing amazing things to benefit communities across Australia, and their causes are given greater visibility thanks to these award systems.

Much of the work done by these individuals is often tireless, thankless and far from glamorous, yet it is what moves us forward as a society and contributes to building a better future, both nationally and globally.

There is remarkable work happening every day in all kinds of settings. You only need to look at those recently acknowledged through the Australia Day honours from within our UniSA community to see the breadth of what’s being done. From the arts to the sciences, and everything in between, as Vice Chancellor I was proud to see 12 UniSA staff, students and alumni recognised for their outstanding contributions across such varied fields.

While these individuals undoubtedly deserve to be elevated and celebrated, these honours are a gift to us all, as they are a reminder of the power of individual action for the collective good.

As UniSA’s own 2025 Australian of the Year for South Australia, Professor Leah Bromfield says of her research and advocacy as the Director and Chair of the Australian Centre for Child Protection: “Academics and government can’t do this work alone. We need public support. There is so much appetite to do things differently, but to achieve that, our community needs to come on board.”

While Prof Bromfield is speaking to the context of her work within child protection, the principle of community involvement is applicable more broadly and demonstrates that even the best of us can’t do it alone! Progress, change and betterment of society is something that can only be achieved when we use our individual power collectively.

I certainly think that this is something we’re particularly good at as individuals within the UniSA community, and it’s definitely no mistake that our overarching purpose as a university is to enable individuals, and society, to become the best they can be with the view to a better Australia.

As The Doctor (the thirteenth doctor, to be specific) said in a Christmas-special episode of Doctor Who: “You know that in 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important.”

So, while you may not be the individual up there receiving an award, you’re still important and what you do counts.

Professor David Lloyd
Vice Chancellor and President

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