Society of University Neurosurgeons Annual Meeting 2024

Welcome to SUN 2024 in beautiful South Australia!

It’s a great honour and privilege to host you in our charming city of Adelaide, known as the City of Churches, famous for its cultural arts festivals, exceptional natural beauty, and as the home of one of the world’s great wine regions. In recent years, South Australia has also grown into a burgeoning centre of excellence in higher education, science, and innovation, so it is a perfect location for the Society of University Neurosurgeons Annual Meeting. The SUN meeting will take place in the heart of Adelaide at the biomedical city along the Torrens River precinct, featuring eclectic architecture, exceptional accommodation, many truly superb restaurants, surrounded by the lush parklands that border this fabulous city.

You will enjoy an excellent scientific program - a steadfast feature of SUN conferences since its inception in 1965. Outside of our engaging conference days, Adelaide also offers a unique, relaxing, and inspiring atmosphere, where daily adventures will include culinary escapes, taking in the natural beauty or getting to know Australia’s incredible native wildlife. It is worth noting that we meet in the middle of winter when Adelaide transforms from Australia’s leading cultural destination noted for the world-renowned Fringe Festival, Womad and Adelaide Festival, into a Mecca for Australia’s cold season obsession: Australian rules football. Adelaide has two teams in the national competition, and you will no doubt be whipped into the excitement in the city on game day! The climate in June will be cool and crisp. Average daytime temperatures range from 54°F to 63°F but despite the cooler temperatures, this is Australia, so sunshine is never far away.

While modern Adelaide is a relatively young city, it is the home to the First Nation peoples of Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri, Adnyamathanha and Barngarla, who have a deep spiritual connection to the land, having inhabited the region for thousands of years. European settlement only occurred in 1836, and in the Australian context, Adelaide is unique in this sense too, being the only major free settlement, founded not by convicts but by migrants, here to build an idealistic modern settlement. Over the years, South Australia has become a diverse and multicultural state with a blend of cultures and ethnicities contributing to its vibrant social fabric. In comparison with the chaos of other Australian cities, Adelaide’s unique design renders it idyllic for getting around easily and taking in the charm of the city.

Alma Mater of many famous distinguished medical graduates (including Howard Florey, Ray Last, Hugh Cairns and Donald Simpson, to name a few), The University of Adelaide was founded in 1874. The Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences building is part of the Biomedical city (The largest health and biomedical precinct in the southern hemisphere), alongside Adelaide’s Riverbank Precinct, which has emerged as the city’s leading cultural, sporting, educational, scientific, innovative, and medical hub. In addition to being a conference and entertainment zone, it has helped establish Adelaide as Australia’s Convention City.

Furthermore, to the great hotel and restaurant precinct at the west of the city (some of the best in the world), there will also be an opportunity to explore the world-famous Barossa and McLaren Vale wine regions to the north and the south of the city. The gala dinner will be held at the spectacular venue of Penfolds Magill Estate, the home of Grange: Australia’s most revered and iconic wine.

We invite you to make the journey to experience the spirit of our unique city and look forward to a most fruitful and memorable SUN meeting 2024.

Sincerely,

Amal Abou-Hamden,
A/Professor of Neurosurgery and Program Director: Cerebrovascular surgery
Fellowship and Neurosurgery Education and Training.
The Royal Adelaide Hospital, Women’s & Children’s Hospital, the University of
Adelaide and Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Chair, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, South Australia.