More than 500 mourners have attended a memorial service at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus on Monday 4 February to honour former Chancellor, Dr David Asimus, AO, who died on Australia Day 2008. Moving tributes to Dr Asimus were delivered in eulogies from Ian Macintosh, Ian Sully and son-in-law James Sutherland. The congregation included the Hon. Kay Hull, federal Member for Riverina; The Hon. Daryl McGuire, NSW Member for Wagga; John Fairfax, Chairman, Fairfax Media, the Hon. Tim Fischer, Former Deputy Prime Minister; The Rev. Archbishop Francis Carroll, Catholic Bishop of Canberra; Mr Lawrie Willet AO, Chancellor CSU and Mr James Sutherland, CEO Cricket Australia. Dr Asimus was elected the foundation Chancellor of CSU in 1989 and served in this post until 2002. As Chancellor, he oversaw the integration of the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education and Mitchell College of Advanced Education to form the new Charles Sturt University.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is mourning the death of one of its founding fathers, Mr Peter Hastie, who passed away on Tuesday 29 January at Eltham Lodge in Victoria at the age of 79. Mr Hastie was appointed on 16 October 1969 as Chairman of the Interim Council of the Riverina College of Advanced Education (RCAE), and then as Chairman of the Council until 30 June 1982. At the time, he was the longest serving Chairman of the governing body of an institute of higher education in New South Wales. Under his Chairmanship, RCAE grew from a small single-purpose institution, with fewer than 450 students, to the ninth largest College of Advanced Education in Australia. Mr Hastie was also a driving force behind the relocation of the former Wagga Teachers’ College to land adjoining the Wagga Agricultural College. The CSU Boorooma site stands as direct evidence of Mr Hastie’s vision, energy and insight. The Peter Hastie Ovals, located at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus, were named in his honour on 21 October 1992. A funeral service for Mr Peter Hastie will be held at the Le Pine Chapel at Eltham, Victoria, on Monday 4 February commencing at 12 noon. Mr Hastie is survived by daughters Janet Twigden, Fiona Cropley and son Warwick Hastie.

A funeral service for Mr Peter Hastie will be held at the Le Pine Chapel at Eltham, Victoria, on Monday 4 February commencing at 12 noon. Mr Hastie is survived by daughters Janet Twigden, Fiona Cropley and son Warwick Hastie. For interviews contact CSU Media.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is continuing its commitment to Indigenous employment through an initiative designed to encourage the recruitment of Indigenous people into all areas of CSU management. The University of inland Australia will provide $200 000 through its Indigenous Employment Incentive Scheme (IEIS) for Indigenous recruitment during 2008. The objectives of the scheme are to increase the percentage of Indigenous staff in middle management and provide enhanced career paths for Indigenous staff on traineeships to move into higher management levels. Karen Kime, CSU Indigenous Employment Coordinator, says the initiative will also build confidence among supervisors in selecting and retaining Indigenous staff, encourage the appointment of Indigenous staff to permanent positions, as opposed to fixed term, and foster a work culture that enables Indigenous staff to succeed. Indigenous Employment at CSU increased steadily during 2007 with the appointment of 10 trainees under the Structured Training and Employment Program (STEP), supported by the federal Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations. 

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with CSU honours psychology student Ms Nicole Brown.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers and staff will consider the latest results of a program that aims to strengthen the cultural knowledge and educational achievements of Indigenous youth in inland NSW. Tirkandi Inaburra is an Aboriginal community-controlled initiative that looks to reduce the risk of 12 to 15 year old Aboriginal boys, from south western NSW, which includes the Riverina, becoming involved in the criminal justice system. The program, which commenced in 2005, is being evaluated by a team that includes Ms Elizabeth Moore from CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society and is led by Dr Catherine Spooner from the University of NSW. Dr Spooner will outline the research project and the challenges in evaluating it at a meeting to be held on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus on Wednesday 23 January.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) sensory scientist Anthony Saliba will present his latest research on consumer wine preferences when he attends the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research and Tamar Ridge Estates Vineyard Field Day. The field day, to be held on Wednesday 23 January, will highlight recent research in the viticulture industry, with a number of Tasmanian researchers also speaking to wine makers and industry representatives. Professor Saliba, who is based at the NWGIC on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, will talk about his research into consumer preferences for wine flavours, which will influence future trends and innovations in Australian wine production.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) have extended condolences to the Drayton family over the tragic death of Mr Trevor Drayton who was killed in an explosion at the Drayton Family Winery at Pokolbin in the NSW Hunter Valley on Thursday 17 January 2008. Professor Thomas Henick-Kling, Director, National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, says Mr Drayton was a highly respected leader of the Australian wine industry who will be sadly missed by all who knew and worked with him. His knowledge and experience was a wonderful resource for the national wine industry. Mr Drayton contributed to the research activities of the NWGIC and his input will be missed but not forgotten. CSU and the NWGIC also expresses condolences to the family of a second man, Mr Edgar Orgo, also killed in the tragic incident, and hopes for a full and speedy recovery of Mr William Rikard-Bell, a graduate of CSU in 2006 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine Science), who was injured in the conflagration.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is igniting the interest of keen young minds about an exciting career in science and technology. The Siemens Science Experience will be held over three days at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus from Wednesday 16 January to Friday 18 January 2008. Twenty-two Year 10 students from across inland NSW will attend workshops designed to show them about the possibilities of science and technology as a career. The event will also demonstrate, through a range of interesting activities, that a career in science and technology can be rewarding and that people working in these fields enjoy it. The Siemens Science Experience is a national event run at 32 universities across Australia.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is providing excellence in education for Riverina business managers through a series of workshops to develop and improve their businesses. A recent two-day workshop, run by the University’s Professional Development Unit in partnership with accounting firm Paisley Robertson and the ANZ Bank, covered such topics as how to attract more customers, how to increase sales and improve cash-flow, developing a compelling vision, planning for business success, how to differentiate your business in the market and how to find more time for the things you love to do, including how to create greater harmony and balance in your life. Comments from those who attended ranged from”brilliant” to ”a dynamic workshop that is a must-attend for everyone who owns a small business”. As a result CSU plans to run more workshops in 2008.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design graduate Emily Harris has won a national competition to create a new design for National Youth Week (NYW) 2008. Emily’s design features the slogan Shout, Share, Live, Unite. The pink, blue, white and black creation will be used on NYW 2008 promotional material, including websites and posters. Ms Harris, from the NSW inland city of Wagga Wagga, says she was "so happy, it was awesome". Ms Harris studied a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at CSU Wagga Wagga Campus then began working for Melbourne design firm House Mouse in mid-2007. “It’s an industry that is tough to break into because it is so competitive”, she says, and her advice to prospective graphic designers is to "stick with it if it is your dream”. Emily relished the opportunity for creativity that the National Youth Week Design Competition offered, saying that it was an exciting "opportunity to express your own form of design".

Stunning images of the plants and animals of Central America, selected from the extensive collection of a Charles Sturt University academic, are now on show in Albury until February. Associate Professor David Watson is an ecologist with a passion for the world’s forests who has travelled extensively through Central America to study the plants and animals of tropical rainforests. Hosted by the University’s Institute of Land, Water and Society and Albury City, the exhibition features 20 pictures from David's collection, as well as limited release prints of these images, with proceeds used to fund further environmental research. The Studies of the Forest exhibition is being held in the Albury Library Museum, Kiewa St, Albury until Sunday 24 February. Professor Watson is currently working on the importance of mistletoe as an indicator of the health of Australian native forests.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is ensuring communities of inland Australia have continued access to quality higher education by granting approval for the Sydney-based art-supply company The Art Scene to continue to deliver the Mitchell School of Arts (MSA) programs. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Lyn Gorman, says the driving force behind this decision is to continue a long standing program that provides artistic, social and economic stimulus to the arts community, and to allow CSU to maintain focus on its core business of providing higher education programs. The Art Scene has been involved with the MSA program for many years and has the expertise to continue the program, according to its manager Mr Paul Malouf. “We are committed to continuing and further developing the excellent art programs that have been offered in the past by the University and retaining a reputation as the leading arts program of its kind in Australia,” he said. The Art Scene plans to offer the Henry Malouf Mitchell School of Art Scholarship and will continue to use facilities on CSU’s Bathurst Campus. Funds held in trust by CSU from the Friends of the MSA will be transferred to The Art Scene, enabling it to continue to offer scholarships to eligible participants in the program.

Mr Paul Malouf and his team are available for any further enquiries on 02 9807 6900

The final program to be offered by CSU will commence from Saturday 12 January 2008. For interviews contact CSU Media.

Starting on Monday 11 February, Orientation Week at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will welcome over 1100 new students to the Bathurst Campus as well as introduce them to the social attractions and businesses in Bathurst. Ms Pamela Rudge, a CSU student who is also Orientation Week Sponsorship Coordinator, says “This is a time that students remember fondly for the rest of their lives. The experiences new students have and the associations they form during Orientation Week will influence their spending behaviour and preferences for the rest of their time at CSU. That’s why this is the perfect opportunity for businesses to introduce and promote their services and products to new students whose combined long-term spending contributes millions of dollars to the Bathurst economy.* I encourage all Bathurst business people to contact me to arrange to promote their businesses to the new CSU students during Orientation Week,” Ms Rudge said. Orientation Week activities run from Monday 11 to Friday 15 February, and will centre on the theme for 2008, ‘Orientation Games - Achieving Your Goals’. Highlights of the week will include; an information market day for local community organisations to promote their services to new university students; a market day for commercial businesses to promote their products and services to students from stalls on the CSU library lawn; mystery bus tours which familiarises students with landmarks, essential services and participating business houses; and day and night entertainment. Bathurst businesses interested in becoming involved with Orientation Week can contact Ms Rudge at the CSU Orientation office on 6338 4799.

* Reference: The Economic Impact of Charles Sturt University, Western Research Institute report 2005. Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Ms Rudge.

The NSW Government has been successful in encouraging one of the world’s ‘best and brightest’ minds to relocate to inland NSW to carry out innovative research into the development of natural herbicides. Professor Leslie Weston, from Cornell University, one of the United State’s premier research universities, will relocate to the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus under the government’s Life Science Research Awards. The NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Ms Verity Firth said, “Professor Weston is a recognised leader in her field of research and her relocation to the state is a major scientific coup and will cement NSW at the leading edge of scientific research into natural herbicides.” CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research), Professor Paul Burnett has welcomed Professor Weston’s move, stating it is a fantastic outcome for the University. The EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation is a collaborative alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor of Hydrology, Shahbaz Khan has been presented the highly prestigious Biennial Medal from the Modelling and Simulation Society for Australia and New Zealand (MSSANZ) at a gala dinner in Christchurch New Zealand. The Biennial Medal for Natural Systems goes go to outstanding contributors to modelling and simulation over a sustained period and who have a record of service to the Society. Medallists automatically become Fellows of the MSSANZ. They are recognised for their unselfish dedication to the aims of the Society as well as for their contributions to modelling and simulation. Professor Khan, who’s also with CSIRO Land and Water, leads the Rural Water Use research stream for Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, is Director of the International Centre of WATER for Food Security at CSU and Regional Coordinator UNESCO IHP-HELP. Professor Khan says "the award is a great recognition of the end user driven development and application of innovative systems linking viable production, sustainable environment and real people to help solve real problems in real catchments."

For interviews contact CSU Media.

A breeding, teaching and research program involving the Connemara Pony has been given a healthy start thanks to the generous donation to Charles Sturt University (CSU) by Brisbane businessman, Bill Concannon. His three year old mare, Siobhan, has been delivered to the CSU Equine Centre on the Wagga Wagga Campus. A member of the Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society of Australia, Mr Concannon recently visited CSU to inspect Siobhan who will be joined with a Connemara stallion in 2008. The compact size, good temperament and marketability of the Connemara Pony make the breed ideal for the needs of CSU’s equine science and veterinary science students. In welcoming the new links between the University and the Society, equine science course coordinator, Mr Hunter Doughty, has praised the generosity of Mr Concannon and his support for the University. The Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society is establishing a fund to support research and education through the Charles Sturt Foundation to aid in education of their members and to support equine student scholarships.

CSU lecturer, Mr Hunter Doughty is available for comment. Contact CSU Media for interviews or photos.