Alumni, students, staff and friends of La Trobe University gathered at the grand RACV Club in Melbourne's CBD for the annual Alumni Lecture on October 20.
Talking on the topic 'Building a National Competition - the AFL in the 21st Century', special guest speaker AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou, took the opportunity to flag for the first time the AFL's intention to expand the competition to 20 teams, with Tasmania firmly on the radar.
'I don't think you can ever say never in this world, but if we were to have another team down the track you would have to say that Tasmania is the logical place for that team to be - and we have expressed that view to the Tasmanian Government,' Demetriou said.
Around 300 guests turned out for the event following the success of last year's inaugural Alumni Lecture which saw Australia's Ambassador to China Dr Geoff Raby deliver a fascinating speech on the state of China's economy.
A Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education graduate from La Trobe University, Demetriou spoke fondly of his time spent at the University, where he met his first wife Jan Bassett - a University lecturer who passed away in 1999, and where he juggled full time studies while playing AFL.
A father of three girls and with a fourth on the way, he jested of another round of sleepless nights and another child who wouldn't believe that their father actually once played the game he now runs.
In thanking Demetriou for speaking at the lecture, Vice-Chancellor Paul Johnson commented on the strength of the University's alumni program, encouraging past students connect with the University's global alumni network of over 135,000. He highlighted the popular career mentoring program as a great way for alumni to support the current student base.
'We are very pleased with how the night went,' remarked Alumni Relations Manager, Chintan Bharwada after the event.
'We are finding now more increasingly that our graduates are looking to re-engage with the University, and we are happy to say that through the alumni program we can offer such a variety of avenues for them to reconnect in a meaningful and productive way,' he said.
By Matthew Gardner
