Congratulations to our Secretary, Prof David Runia who was appointed Member of the Order of Australia in 2025 Australia Day honours!
This is a proud moment for Friends of Vellore in Australia, as David’s work with FOV (current national secretary, President of the Victorian branch and past president of Australian Friends of Vellore) was also recoginzed as part of his significant service to tertiary education, and as an academic in the fields of humanities and social sciences. David also noted that (his work with FOV, Australia) in his reflections on receiving the award.
Prof David Runia retired as the Master of Queen’s College at the University of Melbourne at the end of 2016. While he was the Master, he learnt about the work of the CMC, with which his College has had a long-standing relationship since the days of Dr Edward Gault. He visited Vellore in 2014 and again in 2020 when he attended the Council meeting. He is also President of the Victorian FOV. David is an academic and remains active in research on ancient philosophy, with a particular interesting the Jewish philosopher who lived at the same time as Jesus, Philo of Alexandria. He is married to Gonni, and they have a daughter living in Amsterdam and two sons living in Melbourne.
