Alumna Elizabeth Debicki will join an A-list cast in Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby'

Baz Luhrmann casts VCA graduate in 'The Great Gatsby'
DIRECTOR Baz Luhrmann has picked alumna Elizabeth Debicki (BDramArt 2010) to play a key role in his film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Read more about it in The Herald Sun (13 May 2011).

Olympic Games hopeful
ALUMNA Katja Weimann (BAnimScMgt 2005) is pursuing her dream of representing Australia at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Read more about it in The Weekly Review (26 May 2011).

Making a collection last
AS the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) celebrates its 150th milestone, NGV Director Gerard Vaughan (BA(Hons) 1976, MA 1984) talks about the importance of philanthropy. Read more about it in The Sydney Morning Herald (25 May 2011).

Alumni playwrights honoured
RAIMONDO Cortese (DipDramArt 1993) and Melissa Bubnic (BA 2004, DipML 2004, GDipFT 2005) were the recipients of The Patrick White Playwright's Fellowship and Award respectively. Read more about it in Australian Stage (21 May 2011).

Edited symphony dedicated to Bernstein
DR Sam Pisar (LLB(Hons) 1954, LLD 2008), the youngest survivor of Auschwitz, will narrate Bernstein's Kaddish Symphony. Read more about it in The Washington Examiner (31 May 2011).

Greens duo putting family first
NEW Greens Senator Penny Wright (BA LLB1983) and husband Mark Parnell (BCom LLB 1983) say it's not all about the trees. Read more about it in Adelaide Now (29 June).

John Schubert honoured for leadership role
EX-CBA Chair John Schubert (BEng 1964, PhD 1969) was honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Read more about it in The Australian (13 June 2011).

Shearing her way to the top
AGRICULTURAL Science graduate Chelsea Mason (BAgrSc 2008) took home the prize at this year's biennial Pooncarie Field Day, shearing a sheep in 1.19 minutes. Read more about it in the Mildura Weekly (7 June 2011).

Nossal turns 80
AT 80, Professor Emeritus Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE (PhD 1960, LLD 1997) shows no signs of slowing down. His days are spent advising on countless boards, reviewing grant requests and preparing scientific papers. Read more about it in The Melbourne Weekly (30 May 2011)

Golem story staged at Malthouse
THE Malthouse Theatre has commissioned playwright Lally Katz (BCA 1999) to write a play based on the legend of Golem - the Jewish medieval mystical figure. Read more about it in The Australian Jewish News (1 June 2011).

What John did next
FORMER president of the Carlton Football Club John Elliott (BCom(Hons) 1963, MBA 1969) talks about growing old, having grandchildren and his new website. Read more about it in The Weekly Review (19 May 2011).

New ACCC chief is a free market champion
ALUMNUS Rod Sims (BCom 1973) was appointed as the Chair of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission last month. Read more about it in The Australian (7 May 2011).

The power of two
ALUMNUS Daniel Burt (BA(Media&Comm) 2005) and Aleisha McCormack are an aspiring comedy duo hoping to make it big. Read more about it in The Age (19 May 2011).

Made-to-order apartments
ARCHITECT Nonda Katsalidis (BArch 1975) has invented a new way to build apartments in a factory – a fully patented system. Read more about it in The Age (20 April 2011).

Big TV break for alumna
ALUMNA Faustina Agolley (BA(Media&Comm) 2007) talks about her past; moving from East London to Melbourne and then winning a role on Channel Ten's Video Hits. Read more about it in The Herald Sun (4 June 2011).

Pair receive medals for selfless service
LEGAL practitioner Mark Brian (LLB 1966) and musician James Affleck have received Order of Australia medals for their outstanding contributions to society. Read more about it in The Standard (13 June 2011).

Ecologist finds rare frog species
SENIOR research fellow Dr Graeme Gillespie (PhD 2001) has discovered the bleating tree frog in far east Gippsland, one of the State's rarest and most endangered frogs. Read more about it in The Age (13 May 2011).

East Timor's first lady
KIRSTY Sword Gusmao (BA(Hons) 1987, GDipEd 1988), the wife of East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao talks about life after the 2008 assassination attempt on her husband. Read more about it in The Weekly Review (21 April 2011).

Architect's masterplan for Queensland resort
VETERAN architect Leigh Ratcliffe (BArch(Hons) 1980) talks about his plans for a $200 million mixed-use project known as 'The Village Palm Cove'. Read more about it in The Australian (28 April 2011).

When privacy walls fail
DOCTORAL student and alumna Jessica Lake (LLB(Hons) 2004, BA(Hons) 2008) talks about the privacy issues associated with social media. Read more about it in The Age (20 May 2011).

Gene ambition
PROFESSOR Richard Cotton (BAgrSc 1963, PhD 1967, DSc 1982) heads the international Human Variome Project which aims to collect all variations of genes, said to cause a disease, from every country. Read more about it in The Age (7 June 2011).

London calling for Melbourne composer
RAE Howell (BMus 2000), Melbourne composer, multi-instrumentalist and leader of chamber music group The Sunwrae Ensemble, will move to London to join the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Read more about it in The Age. (4 June 2011)

Alumni to judge timber design awards
TWO esteemed Australian architects, alumni Susie Leeton (BArch(Hons) 1989 and Nigel Bertram (BPD 1988, BArch 1991), have been tasked with selecting the winners of the Intergrain Timber Vision Awards. Read more about it in Architecture Lab (1 June 2011).

New National Bank deputy
ALUMNUS Mark Joiner (MBA 1987) replaces outgoing NAB Deputy Chief Executive Michael Ullmer, who is retiring. Read more about it in The Age (20 May 2011).