Grand traditions
Celebrating Nan and Pop for Grandparent's Day 2023
To celebrate Grandparent's Day (29 October 2023), we asked you – our alumni and community audience – to share your thoughts on the importance of the grandchild-grandparent relationship in your own lives. And boy, did you deliver!
As a member of the global Age Friendly University network – the first in the Southern Hemisphere – UQ recognises the importance of celebrating these connections and of drawing on the extraordinary resilience, adaptability and heritage of our older community members. So, sit back and relax as Contact delves into the profound significance of these special intergenerational relationships, and celebrates the stories and sentiments shared by those who hold them dear.
Millie (Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Journalism '20, Graduate Certificate in Communication '22) and her grandad, George
Told by Millie
My grandpa has always remained supportive of everything I do, whether it be sport, university or travel. To put it into perspective, there are so many framed sports team photos of my brothers and I from over the years that there's actually no room for anymore at their house, or our parent's house.
When I got my first job as a journalist, he called up the regional newspaper and asked whether it was possible to be sent a newspaper each week to the Gold Coast (apparently it was not). So, of course, I gave him a few and he saved them. When I started my second job after university – at UQ – he printed out my full job title and stuck it on the fridge so that he could remember it. It's this type of unconditional love and support that has helped me to become the person I am today.
It's probably also quite nostalgic for him to see me working at the St Lucia campus, as he used to coach the rugby team at St Leo's. When he came back to campus for my graduation ceremony, I felt like he was more sure of where he was going than I was after 4 years studying here!
Lindy (Bachelor of Arts '87) and her grandmother, Bertha
Told by Lindy
My grandma was sent out to work at 11. She didn't have much of an education, and life during and after the wars left her little time to pursue it.
She gave me my first book when I was five – a copy of Black Beauty. Grandma had gone into a bookshop, with some trepidation, wanting to buy me the book she remembered from her brief childhood. But all she really could recall was that it was about a horse. The shop assistant worked out which book she meant. It was the book I learnt to read from, and I still have that copy.
Many years later, and a change of jobs in my 30s, I now am a career bookseller. I've judged on a number of awards, including the Miles Franklin for six years. But my biggest thrill? Matching a young reader to a book. And Black Beauty is always on my shelves! Thanks to my grandma for being brave enough to walk into a bookshop.
Lawrence (Bachelor of Criminology/Criminal Justice (First Class Honours) '22) and his grandmother, Nora
Told by Lawrence
My grandmother was a very intelligent and accomplished woman, and did so much for refugee children – and for children learning English as a second language – as a teacher in the 1990s.
She inspired and nurtured my love of learning, and encouraged her grandchildren to educate ourselves and make a difference in the world. I grew up listening to her stories. They shaped the person I am today and instilled me with a sense of determination and justice.
My grandmother passed away in 2021, but her memory is alive and she remains an important part of my life. I am particularly reminded of her every spring, when UQ's jacarandas blossom – she loved them, and would tell us each year that they bloomed when students had to prepare for their exams.
Deborah (Bachelor of Arts '79) and her grandparents, Lily and Robert
Told by Deborah
I grew up next door to my grandparents (my father's parents) and fished in billabongs, rambled in their Eucalypt-dominated landscape, milked a cow or 2 and collected eggs from the hen house.
Grandma always had scones and milk ready when any of us kids visited. It was the start of my environmental education, which was the major focus of my Bachelor of Arts and my 40-year teaching career in Queensland.
Deborah (Bachelor of Arts '79) and her grandparents, Lily and Robert
Told by Deborah
I grew up next door to my grandparents (my father's parents) and fished in billabongs, rambled in their Eucalypt-dominated landscape, milked a cow or 2 and collected eggs from the hen house.
Grandma always had scones and milk ready when any of us kids visited. It was the start of my environmental education, which was the major focus of my Bachelor of Arts and my 40-year teaching career in Queensland.
Cathy (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ’78) and her grandson, Xavier
Told by Cathy
My oldest grandson is only 2-and-a-half years old, but I absolutely love being the third-most important person in his life (I am the only grandparent).
I do not have a regular babysitting day, but am available for the many days when he's not in daycare and, more importantly, for random fun days and sleepovers. Whenever I turn up, he greets me with such excitement and delight, and I feel very special. I have the time to expose him to experiences that he might not otherwise have.
I am delighted that Xavier now has a baby brother, Oliver, only 6 weeks old – more fun for me, and I am thoroughly enjoying watching Xavier be a big brother!
Helen (Bachelor of Science ’86) and her granddaughter, Charlotte
Told by Helen
Being a grandparent is truly a privilege. It means being able to spend time with a little person, with the only real objective being to make joyful memories.
I think grandparents witness the development of the grandchild’s personality and unique sense of wonder and curiosity. Building a bond and special relationship is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had.
Rialet (UQ School of Mechanical & Mining Engineering Staff) and her grandchildren, Ruth, Miriam, Peter, Esther and Hannah
Told by Rialet
I am a proud grandmother of 5 beautiful grandchildren. I have always heard from my own parents, and others, that you can never understand and appreciate what it is like to be a grandparent until you are one. This is so true.
It has been one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences so far. All our grandchildren are in Brisbane, and we see them every week. We are a very tight-knit family and make time to catch up every Sunday for dinner. It's awesome to see so much of yourself and your own children in the personalities of your grandchildren and have an input in their upbringing. As the saying goes, 'it takes a community to raise a child', and I think our little family community is a testimony to that.
One thing I am so immensely thankful for is that I can appreciate and enjoy every grandchild's milestones as they grow up. As a parent, you tend to be so busy (and sometimes are so exhausted) that you miss out on a lot, but what a wonderful blessing to get that opportunity again and then celebrate each milestone! I have also loved being able to support our own children to take some much-needed quality time with their spouses. My husband and I relish any opportunity we get to look after our grandchildren. We are blessed to still be relatively young and do some fun stuff with them to building lasting memories that they can one day share with their grandchildren.
Win a UQ alumni onesie and t-shirt
To celebrate the little ones if your life, we have a number 'Class of' onesies and junior t-shirts to giveaway to our UQ community. Enter to draw to win one of 5 'Class of 2043' infant onesies or a 'Class of 2032' junior t-shirt. Terms and conditions apply.
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