The Place To Be

Having invested four years of her life at Avondale College, student Melissa Minns says it was time well spent.

The insistent beep of my alarm jolts me awake. Reaching over to turn it off, all I need to accomplish during the day floods my mind: a Business Ethics class at nine; my work in the student office at 10; the assignment to pass in by noon; more classes; a student committee at five; dinner, then aerobics in the gym. Avondale is a full life, I’ve come to realise over the past three years.

I live and study at Avondale College. I’m completing my third year, and will be graduating in 2003. My time at Avondale has been a rewarding experience.

Avondale College is a tertiary- level institution* nestled into the base of the Watagan Mountains, in quaint Cooranbong, an hour’s drive north of Sydney. The location is perfect, with a major shopping centre 20 minutes south, beaches 30 minutes east, and is easily accessed by train and freeway.

While it’s smaller than most universities, I see this as an advantage. Avondale’s high teacher-to-student ratio guarantees personal attention from lecturers as well as peers.

Avondale was established in 1884 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was founded as a “missionary college” with the role of preparing workers for the fledgling denomination in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region.

At the end of the 19th century, life at Avondale was spartan and highly regimented: the rising bell rang at 5.45, with classes continuing until 1.30, followed by three hours of manual labour. (I’m glad times have changed!)
The first class contained only 10 students, but from such humble beginnings, it’s grown to a record 828 full-time students in 2002, enrolled in six mainstream degree courses.

Because the Seventh-day Adventist Church is international, Avondale has a very cosmopolitan student population, attracting students from Botswana, Canada, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Macedonia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Rarotonga, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, Tonga and the USA. It adds flavour to the “stir-fry” of college life. In 2002, 126 international students were enrolled.

The courses on offer in 2002 range from outdoor recreation to traditional career choices, such as undergraduate studies in business, education and nursing.

When I arrived in 1999, I intended to stay only a year. But three years on, I’m still here; I’ll be graduating with a Bachelor of Business degree.

Why did I stay? I just didn’t want to leave: Avondale is a place in which I feel welcome, in which I belong—it’s the place to be!

The college consists of three campuses, all in NSW. The main campus and School of Aviation are located at Cooranbong, while the Faculty of Nursing and Health is on the grounds of the Sydney Adventist Hospital (SAH) in Wahroonga, an outer suburb of Sydney.

Avondale nursing students are in high demand upon graduation. To a large extent it’s because of a student work scheme, in which students work on the wards and gain wide, practical experience throughout the three years of study. The Cooranbong campus also offers work placement for many of the students—it give experience and helps to offset the fees. I worked as a communication intern in the public relations office, learning valuable skills that will, I trust, make my transition to the workplace smoother and easier.

It will be hard to say goodbye to my dormitory home of four years. Students live on campus in one of three dormitories, with women outnumbering men three-to-one.

The Avondale campus has good facilities that include a gymnasium, heated swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, football oval, and an large auditorium, which was opened in October 2002. Sporting clubs include volleyball, touch football, squash, basketball, triathlon and water polo, among others. My choice of exercise is to ride my bike along local bush tracks, but I also enjoy jogging. The picturesque grounds and distant scenery make this more a pleasure than chore. Local beaches provide opportunities to relax with friends on a weekend. Avondale is especially well located for anyone with an adventure or outdoors interests.

For those wanting to stay inside, there’s also plenty to do. For example, the college has just established a media centre. Called 3t Media, it’s always active, with students producing radio-broadcast programs for the church’s international short-wave radio network and local FM stations. Video production—for class work and external projects—are also located in the centre.

Avondale College is possibly unique in Australia and New Zealand for the Christian-based lifestyle and study programs it offers. Students, although they come from a range of denominations, get involved in many forms of church life and church- and study-based community and volunteer forms of service. Avondale provides a positive environment for spiritual growth, with many opportunities to participate.

During my stay, I’ve learned to admire the students’ willingness to be involved in community activities. They have an “other” focus that takes them to isolated Aboriginal communities, as volunteers to Asia and the Pacific, in tin collection for the Salvation Army or at a drug-referral centre. Avondale students finish their courses of study with a vision that goes way beyond their career.

I’m happy that I was a part of it—that it’s now a part of me. Not only has it given me a great start in life, it’s given me memories that will last a lifetime.

* Avondale College currently has an application before the NSW Department of Education for the granting of university status.

Articles of interest: