Class Note 1995

As promised in the last issue, here’s more from some of our international classmates. Rob Milbourne writes from Brisbane, Australia, “where I’ve lived with my family for the last 11 years (I was in Brazil for three years before). I have three boys, one at Brown University and another preparing to go this year (fingers crossed for green). I am a lawyer and practiced in Washington, D.C., then Brazil, and then was sent as a ‘Brazilian’ expatriate to Australia! I work in international law and the mining and natural resources sector, and was a partner of two international law firms before starting my own global mining consultancy two years ago. Mining is one of the largest global industries, cutting across critical issues in business, politics, finance, and human rights. I’ve had the joy of working on projects in more than 30 countries and now deep sea mining through the UN and developing countries in the international seas. I’m passionate that if we use minerals and metals, then we must know where they come from and how they are produced, take responsibility for our consumption, and understand the ethical, social, and environmental consequences from their production. Much of current mining is unacceptable. The United States has 500,000 abandoned mines, and that legacy is spreading to other parts of the world. Mining can and should be a force for good. We all like our phones and cars and the metal needed for them. Australia is a major global mining country with expertise and innovations that have made it a good home base. I learned a lot about ethics and sustainability from Dana Meadows at Dartmouth, which has carried through my career. I was back at Dartmouth last year to take my son. We had five blissful days on campus and I was thrilled so many of my mentors were still there and happy to meet for lunch or coffee! I’d love to connect with any other Dartmouth alumni in Australasia!”

Deborah (Smith) Children moved to London in 2000 after law school with a plan to work there for about three years and then go home. Eighteen years later…“I’ve worked in London, Paris, Singapore, Dubai, and now have moved back to the United Kingdom. I live in Kent with my British husband, our 3-year-old son, Alexander, and our 1-year-old twins, Theodore and Penelope. I live in the gorgeous British countryside, but commute into London for work, so get a bit of city and country life. One thing I think people would find interesting is the whole Brexit fiasco we are currently going through. The government has yet to agree on an approach to exiting the European Union with a fast-approaching March deadline. This is especially acute for our family, as both my husband and I work for investment banks that are currently scrambling to put in place contingency plans for all possible scenarios. Nobody knows exactly what the future will hold and, unfortunately, the future is just around the corner. We visit the United States a couple times a year (which has become more challenging with three small children!) but my whole family is there so we wouldn’t have it any other way. We were last in Hanover two years ago, when we put my son in a hiking backpack and hit some sections of the Appalachian Trail. I got to introduce my husband to EBAs before it shut and had a lovely stay at the Hanover Inn. We hope to make it in 2020 to reconnect with people at our reunion!”

Next issue: Asia! Whether near or far, keep your news coming!

—Kaja (Schuppert) Fickes, 2 Bishops Lane, Hingham, MA 02043; kaja.k.fickes.95@dartmouth.edu