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Clare Morgan
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Social researcher and author Dr Hugh Mackay AO will deliver the 2017 Gandhi Oration at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) on Monday 30 January.

Dr Mackay will speak on the topic The state of the nation starts in your street”, discussing why our neighbourhoods matter and how good neighbours build strong communities.

The annual oration commemorates India’s Martyrs’ Day, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on 30 January 1948, and is delivered by a person whose life work exemplifies Gandhian ideals.  

Dr Hugh Mackay AO has had a 60-year career in social research. For 25 years he produced a social research quarterly called “The Mackay Report” that told us who we are, what we think and why we behave the way we do. He was also a weekly newspaper columnist for over 25 years.

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The UNSW Gandhi bust. Photo: UNSW

He was one of the founders of The St James Ethics Centre and is currently a patron of the Asylum Seekers Centre and an honorary professor at Charles Sturt and Wollongong universities. Among other honorary appointments, he has been deputy chairman of the Australia Council, chairman of trustees of Sydney Grammar School, and the inaugural chairman of the ACT government’s Community Inclusion Board.

Dr Mackay is the author of 17 books, including the 2013 bestseller The Good Life and six novels. His latest book, Beyond Belief, explores the changing role of religion in Australia and how we find our sense of meaning and purpose when religious faith and practice are in such sharp decline.

In recognition of his pioneering work in social research, Dr Mackay has been elected a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and awarded honorary doctorates by UNSW as well as Charles Sturt, Macquarie, Western Sydney and Wollongong universities. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2015.

The Gandhi Oration, which is sponsored by Tata Consultancy Services, is preceded by a Remembrance Ceremony on the University’s Library Lawn. Guests are encouraged to attend both the Ceremony and the Oration.

Remembrance CeremonyTime: Arrive 5pm for 5.30pm startVenue: Library Lawn, UNSW Kensington Campus

Annual Gandhi OrationTime: 6pm for 6.15pm startVenue: The Sir John Clancy Auditorium, UNSW Kensington Campus (near Gate 9 on High St)

Registrations are essential for attendance at both events, unsw.edu.au/2017GandhiEvents