136 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA DECEMBER 2017
PHILANTHROPIC POWERHOUSE
CHEESE CHAMPION
HUMAN RIGHTS SCHOLAR
The founder of Bruny Island
Cheese took his wares to
the world in 2017, releasing
fromage making bible,Milk.
Made, which won a prestigious
James Beard award in the
US, oten called ‘The Oscars
of Food.’ Haddow has been
a pioneer of the Tasmanian
cheese scene, promoting
it through the popular SBS
television seriesGourmet
Farmer, and through his position
as a member of the Brand
Tasmania Council.What motivated you to write
your book?Most Australians
are now eating a variety of
cheeses, but our knowledge is
lacking. We have been drinking
pretty good wine for the past 15
to 20 years, which has given us
a solid foundation of knowledge
around wine, whereas with
cheese a lot of people don’t
even understand the basics
how it’s made, the relationship
between cheese and
agriculture, and what exactly
makes a good cheese.America is not particularly
well known for cheese. Were
you surprised the US judging
panel was so receptive?Well,
America does produce some
really great cheese. There’s
a strong and potent artisanNick Haddow
The nation stood up and took notice in May, when mining magnate and high-profile philanthropist
Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest announced he and his wife Nicola were giving away $400 million to
various causes — the largest ever single donation by living Australians.
Forrest said $75 million of the donation would go to the University of Western Australia, plus
large chunks would be set aside for cancer research and the pair’s Walk Free Foundation, which
proposes to end slavery globally. Following that, Twiggy was never far from the headlines: in
January he was made an Oficer of the Order of Australia, and last month firmed up plans for a
new rugby union tournament, the Indo Pacific Rugby Championship, which will begin in 2019.Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest
After penning influential studies for the United Nations
High Commission for Refugees in 2011 and 2016, legal
academic Jane McAdam this year became the first
Australian to be awarded the prestigious global Calouste
Gulbenkian Prize. Her work at the University of New
South Wales focuses on creating safe, lasting and legal
solutions to the challenges of forced migration.Briefly summarise the global refugee situation for us.
There are now more than 65 million people displaced
from their homes as a result of persecution, conflict and
human rights abuses. On top of this, around another 25
million are displaced by the adverse efects of disasters
and climate change. This is 90 million ordinary people,
like you and me, caught in extraordinary circumstances.What role can legal academics play in improving refugee
outcomes? Legal academics bring long-term, evidence-
based, strategic thinking to the picture. They can explain
why certain government actions do not comply with
international law and situate the analysis in a global,
comparative and historical context. Rigorous research
can help promote lasting solutions to global displacement,
to ensure people can live in safety and with dignity.PROF JANE
MCADAM
movement there. You just have
to wade through an enormous
amount of rubbish to get to it.I’m hosting a cocktail party.
What cheese should I serve?
A goat’s cheese from the Loire
Valley, something like Pouligny
Saint Pierre. It’s great looking
and there’s something about
goat’s cheese that is both
sensual and sophisticated.Let’s say you can only put one
cheese in your sandwiches
for the rest of your life.
Which do you pick? There’s a
cheese made in the north-east
of Tasmania called Pyengana
cloth-matured cheddar. It’s just
an absolutely delightful cheese.