It was great to see so many of our staff and students in
the new TRF, mingling with colleagues and enjoying some coffee and
breakfast as we celebrated our opening.
Our launch for donors Wednesday night was also very
successful, with around 100 supporters, friends of the Institute, and Hudson, Monash
University and Monash Health staff in attendance.
I explained to our guests about the opportunities that
await the Hudson within the TRF, including the potential for the translation of
our research into clinical trials. I also spoke of the need to diversify our
funding sources, with philanthropy an important part of this.
Two of our researchers, Dr Rebecca Lim (funded by the
Fielding Foundation) and Dr Simon Chu (funded by OCRF), relayed to the guests how
philanthropic funding has shaped their careers.
Our PHI and MIMR founders, Professor Henry Burger and
Professor David de Kretser, cut the ribbon to officially declare the Hudson
open.
Family members of the late Bryan Hudson attended the
launch and said how pleased they were to see many historical photos of
Professor Hudson in a looping slide show on the night.
We received great feedback, and in particular I would
like to share with you this very kind email I received from our close friend,
Mr Peter Fielding from the Fielding Foundation, who supports our work with a $1
million donation. You can read the full email here.
“I
am sure (the Hudson Institute) will be a great centre of medical research and
will very quickly become one of the World’s leading Medical Research
Institutes.
Thank
you for letting the Fielding Foundation be part of it.”
It was also a tremendous privilege at this launch to
present an award to Mr Andrew MacCallum, who has made valuable contributions
over many years in support of our research. Andrew is also the prime mover in
our Ride for Research annual fundraiser.
Andrew was awarded with the title of inaugural Hudson
Fellow, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting recipient for this title.
Congratulations to Andrew on this honour.
Many of you will have already moved into the new TRF
building, and I appreciate your co-operation with our staff, including Steve
Bouralexis and team, in making sure the move is as smooth as can be expected.
Thank you for your patience during this time.
I look forward to spending as much time as I can in the
TRF, and seeing and hearing about your research there.
I also look forward to hosting many more events and
functions in the bright new spaces within the TRF.
Best wishes,
Professor Bryan Williams
Hudson Institute Director
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