Brendon Murphy (F/02) returned home to Newry after a 12-week Fellowship to the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to meet researchers and fellow sufferers of his rare, inherited neurological illness, Friedreich's Ataxia (FA). Brendon travelled alone throughout his Fellowship with tremendous fortitude and determination and, following a highly successful tour, has been invited to speak at a number of conferences. He now has plans for a clinic exclusive to FA sufferers.
Stephen Williams (F/02) is a well-known musician and conductor who, amongst other activities, sings with the BBC Daily Service singers in Manchester and conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus in Glasgow. A ten-week Fellowship took Stephen to Russia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden to listen to choirs performing music written by their indigenous composers. Stephen reports that he found the Fellowship highly successful and inspirational. He heard a grand total of 48 choirs and met several of the world's leading composers. As a direct result of his Fellowship the world famous Estonian composer, Veljo Tormis, came to Manchester and York in June 2003 to hear English choirs perform his music.
In Helsinki, Stephen was invited by the Finnish Radio Choir to help the singers with their English pronunciation in some pieces by Elgar and on one short trip to St Petersburg he heard two wonderful Russian Orthodox choirs singing at Sunday service at the Alexander Nevsky monastery.
As a maker of hand-crafted cabinets, Bruce Burman (F/03) knows how challenging it can be to make a worthwhile living! His Fellowship took him to Denmark, Sweden and the USA to see what he could learn from the experience of others and pass on the lessons. Bruce reports: "In all I interviewed some 40 makers and took hundreds of photographs of furniture and workshops. Scandinavian travel was done entirely by rail and ferry. The entire itinerary, down to the local bus journeys, was organised at home via the Internet, a feat impossible anywhere else I suspect. Not one appointment was missed during the entire Fellowship. I had the good fortune to meet a number of extra people, stay in some beautiful homes and see some stunning furniture, amongst which was that of Sam Maloof, perhaps the most famous of all makers. Overall, it was the chance of a lifetime, which has taught me a great deal."
Trevor Graham (F/02) was awarded a Fellowship to study mobile dog washes, self-service dog launderettes and the general American pet care industry. Trevor, who comes from Randalstown in Northern Ireland where he runs his mobile dog wash business, was amused to find an American mobile dog wash by the name of US K-9-H20! He found that the USA is truly dog crazy, with dog bakeries, dog aftershave and even dog coffee. Being a dog lover and owner, Trevor found it was a 'chance of a lifetime' as it is widely acknowledged that we are ten years behind the Americans, so when it comes to dog washing the days of cold hoses and scratched bathtubs are well and truly numbered! More seriously, Trevor discovered a number of initiatives to make 'man's best friend' hearty, healthy and happy.
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David Parker (F/02) A Deputy Head Teacher from Cwmbran in Wales, went to Australia to compare the induction and development programmes for School Governors with those in the UK. David reports, "My seven-week odyssey was a tremendous experience as it enabled me to visit a variety of schools and other organisations in different parts of Australia. Except for slight variations, most schools use the same model of School Governance. School Councils in Australia are usually chaired by a parent representative and include the Principal as well as elected parents, staff and student representatives. Additional representation is achieved through co-opting other people from the community. Just as in the UK, some School Councils find difficulty in filling all the available places. Rather than holding elections, they are faced with canvassing for support, due to many different factors, including the time commitment, poor induction and little training. However, it was clear from talking to Principals, teachers, parents and others that, where they are effective, School Councils fulfil a ery important role for their schools by providing positive input to the school management processes." Courtesy of The Century Newspapers Ltd Courtesy of NewsQuest Wales & Western
Paul Rosher (F/02) During his seven-week Fellowship to the Yosemite Valley, worked with the Yosemite Search and Rescue Team with the aim of developing a safer casualty bag for mountain rescue and other extreme sports. An active member of the Skye Mountain Rescue Team for 18 years, Paul reports: "During my Fellowship I was placed as a full team member and became involved in training sessions with Park Rangers and Search and Rescue Teams. This included pushing my climbing abilities to new levels. As an active participant for call-outs and searches, there were ideal opportunities to test my own Secure Thermal Recovery System on snow and steep rock. These tests have led to further design modifications and further funding from Sky and Lochalsh Enterprise to develop the third prototype."
Edwina Casebow (F/03), from St Peter Port, Guernsey, has recently returned from a six-week Fellowship to Europe and North America where she researched different cultural approaches to the perceived causes and treatments relating to infertility. Edwina reports: "Infertility is a far more common problem than society generally recognises. According to one of the leading infertility experts in Britain, there are currently some 600,000 couples in the UK currently suffering from infertility. With people wanting to have children later in life than ever before, it seems likely that tomorrow's doctors will be increasingly consulted regarding problems of sub-fertility. My Fellowship covered a diverse range of activities, from observing surgery in the largest infertility centre in the USA, to considering the ethical ramifications of treatment with a Professor in Rome, visiting the Vatican Museum to gain a perspective on the Roman Catholic objections to invitro fertilisation, and considering alternative treatments, such as acupuncture. As a result, I have produced a patient information leaflet - Overcoming Infertility - which encapsulates this wide perspective and deals with Western medical techniques of treating infertility as well as alternative approaches to improving chances of pregnancy. Through this method I hope I can go a small way to helping those couples who are undergoing the immense emotional trauma relating to sub-fertility."
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