Originally Posted by
deefer dog
The thread was recently reinvigorated following Megan's "dream" but I fear that we are now jumping into the realms of fanciful speculation. Let's not get too distracted.
Back on track Deefer...(I'll send you a PM shortly
)
I have had a reply from Portsmouth University. Basically a simple covering e-mail and 3 attachments.
Attachment 1
Mr Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
By email only to:
[email protected]
Date: 11 January 2017
Dear Mr Xxxxx
I refer to, and thank you for, both of your emails dated 23 December 2016 and 4 January 2017.
The University has decided, after further consideration, that it is possible to disclose one of the outstanding emails, which was sent from Mr Adrian Parry, the Director of Corporate Governance, to Ms Curtis-Taylor on 29 October 2016, and I have attached a copy of that email to the email that sends this letter.
However, there are two other emails which the University has decided not to disclose and believe that it is appropriate to withhold, relying on the following exemptions – section 40(2) and 40(3)(a)(ii) specifically of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to personal data the disclosure of which could contravene section 10 of the Data Protection Act 1998, and section 41, information provided in confidence.
Honorary awards are made on the basis of nominations from members of the University community, members of the public and other stakeholders. Recipients do not apply for such awards. As I mentioned in my letter of 22 December 2016, a member of staff nominated Ms Curtis-Taylor for the award and I have now also attached to the email that sends this letter, a copy of the oration that was given at Ms Taylor-Curtis’s graduation ceremony, as I believe this explains the reasons for which the University decided to make the award of an Honorary Doctorate to Ms Curtis-Taylor.
I appreciate that this will not be the answer for which you had hoped. If you do not agree with my decision to withhold some information, you have the right to request a review of my decision which you can do by contacting the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Galbraith, by email -
[email protected].
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you also have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted at:
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely
Sxxxxxxx Hxxx
Information Disclosure and Complaints Manager
Attachment 2 is the Oration read out at her ceremony:
ORATION – TRACY CURTIS-TAYLOR
Chancellor, it gives me great pleasure to present our Honorary Graduand, Tracey Curtis-Taylor, aviator, adventurer and inspirational speaker.
Tracey Curtis-Taylor was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire. She then moved to Canada at an early age where she was raised surrounded by magnificent scenery. Tracey naturally took to adventure, so it was no surprise to her parents when she developed a passion for flight, having her first flying lesson aged 16. She returned to England with her family in the 70’s and her early working career in London includes training with de Beers and the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign Office in Whitehall.
But the ‘call of the wild’ and an ongoing fascination with Africa made Tracey cut the rope on her conventional life in England. She went to South Africa in 1982 where she worked for several months before returning to the UK overland in a Bedford truck - a journey that took five months camping through savannah, jungle and desert.
Shortly after her return Tracey migrated to New Zealand and began flying in earnest. She gained her private pilot’s license, commercial license and an instructor rating, and unusual for a woman, was trained by military pilots to fly World War II airplanes with the New Zealand Warbird Association.
In tandem with her love of flying, an interest in geology, landscape and imagery led to Tracey pursuing another career in aerial photography and mapping, which was to hold her in good stead for her future flying pursuits.
Always adventurous, she is also passionate about other forms of early pioneering transport and in particular, old cars. As a result, she took part in the 2007 centenary Peking to Paris classic car rally that re-traced the route first driven by Prince Borghese in 1907. This involved driving for six weeks through northern China, the Gobi Desert, across Russia to the Baltic and on to Paris – an epic experience that combined great adventure with rugged endurance.
She then decided to pay homage the life of Amy Johnson by retracing her 1930 flight from Great Britain to Australia. Tracey departed Farnborough in October 2015 and arrived in Sydney three months later after flying 14,600 miles through 23 countries.
2016 saw Tracey begin to fly the historic airmail routes across the USA from Seattle to Boston to celebrate the Centenary of Boeing. This was sadly cut short following a crash in the Arizona desert in May 2016. Tracey is determined to finish this astounding feat in 2017 flying the restored Spirit of Artemis. To quote Tracey herself, “The journey continues….”
Alongside pursuing her interests in flying and adventures, Tracey and Bird in a Biplane Ltd are committed as part of their work to support a structured outreach programme to support related causes and organisations such as Services charities, education and young people, and women in aviation to name just a few. This support ranges from raising awareness through flying and speaking engagements, through personal appearances and advocacy, and using flying and all its related activities including engineering to educate and inspire young people of today.
What is most pertinent is that Tracey hopes her flights encourage young women around the world to make brave choices and to follow their dreams, never give up and break boundaries, and ultimately enhance the role of women in aviation and engineering.
When not flying, her other interests include gemology and geography (she is a Fellow of the British Gemological Association and the Royal Geographical Society). She is also a keen oil painter.
Chancellor, I present Tracey Curtis-Taylor for the Degree of Doctor of the University honoris causa.
and attachment 3 is a pdf of an e-mail sent from the University to TCT 29 Oct 2016. This latter on eis important as it is obvious that TCT has made contact after the event to try and put them straight. I bet she never mentioned the Herne Bay vid.
I have written back to the university, in particular the Vice Chancellor asking for a review of the decision to withhold information. If and when I get a reply I shall let you all know.
SWB