Media releases

Award-winning writer and journalist, Grantlee Kieza OAM will be giving the keynote address at this year’s Sir Albert Coates Oration at Federation University Australia’s SMB Campus in Ballarat.

The oration, which is delivered in association with the Albert Coates Memorial Trust, is an annual event which commemorates the life and achievements of one of Ballarat’s most revered public figures, Sir Albert Ernest Coates, who was born in 1895 at Mt Pleasant and went on to become one of Australia's top surgeons and a pioneer in the field of neurosurgery.

The topic for the 2024 Sir Albert Coates Oration is ‘Sister Vivian Bullwinkel - The story of the sole surviving Australian Army nurse of the Bangka Island Massacre in February 1942’.

Ballarat-born Kieza is also a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing, and the author of more than 20 critically acclaimed best-selling books, including the biography of Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, ‘Sister Viv’.

Grantlee has been an award-winning journalist for major Australian newspapers in Brisbane and Sydney for four decades. He held senior editorial positions at The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and The Courier-Mail, as well as three Queensland Media Awards and two Australian Sports Commission Awards.

The Sir Albert Coates Oration is free to the public and will take place on Wednesday 20 November 2023 from 6:00pm at the IBM Emerging Technologies Hub, Building T at Federation’s SMB Campus, 107 Lydiard Street South. Tickets can be reserved via the online registration form.

Quotes attributable to keynote speaker at the 2024 Sir Albert Coates Oration, Grantlee Kieza OAM

“This keynote address will explore the courage and humanity of Vivian Bullwinkel and Sir Albert Coates, kindred spirits who worked together and who did so much to save lives during their own ordeals in World War II.”

“Almost eighty years after the end of that war, they still shine as examples of humanity, kindness and strength. Events such as the Coates Oration are crucial for treasuring their memory and promoting their example of self-sacrifice to a new generation.”

Quote attributable to Federation University Australia Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Duncan Bentley

“It is our pleasure to welcome Grantlee Kieza OAM to Federation’s SMB campus in the heart of Ballarat for this year’s Sir Albert Coates Oration. We are privileged to have someone with Grantlee’s extensive knowledge to share the Sister Vivian Bullwinkel story. I warmly invite the Ballarat community to attend this event and hear from one of Australia’s most celebrated writers.”