The special screening in Bathurst on Wednesday 2 September of the acclaimed documentary, The Burning Season could be the start of a new series of film screenings for local audiences. Associate Professor Jane Mills at the School of Communication at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst, says this one-off screening is the initiative of former co-director of the Sydney Asia-Pacific Film Festival and new Bathurst resident Ms Juanita Kwok, supported by the School of Communication. “We’re hoping this screening will bring Bathurst’s screen buffs out and that this could be the start of a series of screenings if there is audience support,” Professor Mill said. “Juanita took the decision to hire the cinema and rent The Burning Season, and we’re personally splitting the costs and hope people will come along. We’re both committed to screen culture and like to see all that cinemas around the world have to offer beyond the mainstream. I’m teaching two film subjects at CSU this semester and it’s a constant frustration that my students can’t see the films that are available to those living in the capital cities. Ms Kwok chose The Burning Season because it’s had a fantastic reaction among audiences at film festivals around the world.”

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Associate Professor Jane Mills from School of Communication at CSU at Bathurst. The Burning Season screens at 7pm Wednesday 2 September at Metro Cinemas, 144 Piper St, Bathurst. For more information about the screening contact Ms Juanita Kwok on 6331 3158 or send an email.   

 

Dr Jane Mills is Associate Professor in Communications (Research and Teaching) in the School of Communication. She is the author of Loving and Hating Hollywood: Reframing Global and Local Cinemas and The Money Shot: Cinema, Sin and Censorship. Ms Juanita Kwok is the former co-director of the Sydney Asia-Pacific Film Festival and co-author of Film Asia: new perspectives on film (Curriculum Press).

 

The Burning Season follows the journey of young Australian carbon trading entrepreneur Dorjee Sun as he goes in search of a solution to the deliberately-lit fires that rage across Indonesia every year destroying rainforests, endangering orangutans and contributing to climate change. Directed by Cathy Henkel and narrated by Hugh Jackman, The Burning Season is an eco-thriller about a young man not afraid to confront the biggest challenge of our time.

 

To request an interview with director of The Burning Season, Ms Cathy Henkel, please contact Ms Tara Wardrop by email.  Further information about the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Sanctuary is available here.  

Forty-two TAFE NSW students from Bathurst, Lithgow and Orange who are currently completing the Tertiary Preparation Course (TPC) and eight students completing the Diploma of Communication and Media toured Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst on Tuesday 18 August. The TAFE students met staff and current students and inspected the University’s many facilities. Ms Fran Dwyer, Prospective Student Adviser at CSU at Bathurst said the day provided insight and motivation for students who are interested in furthering their education. “We know that TPC students who enrol at university generally do very well, so it is important that prospective students understand the excellent range of facilities and support services that Charles Sturt University offers,” said Ms Dwyer. Anyone interested in further information about studying at CSU should phone the CSU Contact Centre on 1800 334 733, send an email or log on to the CSU website here.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews.

To help fund their final-year end of semester productions known as the Sprung Festival, third-year theatre/media students from the School of Communication at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst held a fundraising event on Tuesday 18 August. “We decided to raise extra funds because theatre productions aren’t cheap and we have big visions to realise and we want to present the best quality productions we can,” said event organisers, Ms Erica Heller-Wagner and Ms Amy Morcom. Fundraising activities on the Bathurst Campus library lawn included food stalls, second-hand clothes stalls, and busking performances. This year’s Sprung Festival in October features 12 productions that range from more conventional dramatic plays, to short films and a ‘physical theatre’ production.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. The Sprung Festival season will be launched at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre on Tuesday 6 October. The festival will run from Wednesday 14 October to Saturday 7 November.

To arrange an interview with CSU veterinary science Ms Emma Packer, contact CSU Media. As one of  the inaugural students to study veterinary science at CSU at Wagga Wagga, Ms Packer is about to start an intense 30-week schedule of work placements which will shore up her veterinary science studies prior to graduation in 2010. A rotation of three-week placements at 10 veterinary practices, commencing at Warrnambool, Victoria and Coonamble, NSW will see Ms Packer putting into practice the skills and knowledge gained after four-and-a-half years of study.

An orphaned foal born prematurely at the Veterinary Clinical Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga is receiving round-the-clock care from dedicated veterinary, equine and animal science students. Affectionately named Tim Tam, the foal was born by caesarean section in early August when it was clear his mother would not survive irreparable bowel damage. Since his birth he has received 24-hour attention from a team of veterinary and nursing staff at CSU, ably assisted by over 30 students rostered on six to 12 hour shifts. Students were only too happy to be involved in his care, which has included respiratory support, intravenous feeding, medication and two hourly turning. Senior Lecturer in Equine Medicine at CSU, Dr Sharanne Raidal says the mare in foal was brought to the Veterinary Clinical Centre with severe colic, as it was one of the only facilities in the region that could provide the immediate care needed. “Not only does the foal receive excellent care at the centre, it provides our veterinary science students with hands on experience that is invaluable in their training to become rural vets. We are very proud of the enthusiasm and dedicated care demonstrated by staff and students,” said Dr Raidal.

Dr Sharanne Raidal is a Senior Lecturer in Equine Medicine in the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU at Wagga Wagga. The Veterinary Clinical Centre opened in April 2008 and is located on Agriculture Avenue adjacent to the Equine Centre at CSU. It includes a modern large animal hospital with operating theatres, sophisticated diagnostic imaging facilities, a reproduction unit and small animal teaching laboratories.

A tutor and a student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst have been nominated for awards at the annual 2009 Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRA). Ms Janeen Hosemans, a tutor in commercial radio and advertising in the School of Communication at CSU has been nominated in two categories; Best Talk Presenter and Best On-air Team. Ms Hosemans hosted the popular Morning Wireless Program on local Bathurst radio station 2BS. She co-hosted the weekly ‘Fishy Friday’ segment with Mr Peter Harrison. “This is the toughest category of the awards and the other nominees are all men in state capitals,” said Ms Hosemans. Mr Charles Croucher, a student in his final semester of the four-year Bachelor of Sports Studies/Bachelor of Communications (Journalism), offered through the Schools of Human Movement Studies and Communication, also works at 2BS and B Rock FM at Bathurst. He has been nominated for Best News Presenter.

The annual Australian Commercial Radio Awards night will be held on Saturday 10 October at the Bayside Grand Hall at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour in Sydney.

The popular image of the soldiers of the first Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) during World War I is of high-spirited larrikins. This will be challenged by historian Dr Peter Stanley when he delivers the third Theo Barker Memorial Lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst on Friday 14 August. Dr Stanley, who is Director of the Centre for Historical Research at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, says memoirs, battalion histories and biographies are full of stories that reinforce the idea that Australian citizen soldiers in World War I behaved like naughty boys, and that their antics were harmless or benign. “But there was a dark side to the AIF's wrong-doers,” he says. “Though little acknowledged, the AIF included many men who contravened military law. They stole, answered back, refused to obey orders, got drunk, wounded themselves to get out of the war, and went absent or deserted, and in huge numbers,” said Dr Stanley.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Dr Peter Stanley from the National Museum of Australia. Dr Stanley is the author of over 20 books, mainly on Australian and British military social history. The third Theo Barker Memorial Lecture is free and is jointly presented by CSU and the Bathurst District Historical Society. It will be held from 6pm on Friday 14 August in the main Lecture Theatre, building S15 at CSU at Bathurst. The lecture is held in honour of Mr Barker, a history lecturer at one of CSU’s predecessor institutions, the Mitchell College of Advanced Education. He wrote a history of the Bathurst campus and a two volume history of Bathurst.

Does cramming really help students prepare for the HSC? With many starting their HSC trial exams today, students are discovering what study methods work best for them. Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer Dr Deb Clarke believes a well prepared study plan is a great start to study and suggests a visit to NSW HSC online for inspiration. “NSW HSC online explicitly follows the syllabus content and has a range of activities for students to complete that can be used to refine and rehearse their knowledge of HSC content,” said Dr Clarke. With so many resources now available online, Dr Clarke advises students to find government-supported sites that provide accurate material. For more information on NSW HSC online visit here.

 

Dr Deb Clarke is a senior lecturer with the School of Human Movement Studies at CSU at Bathurst. For interviews contact CSU Media. NSW HSC online was hosted by CSU in 2007 in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training.

 

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is giving young people the opportunity to have an input into the challenging issues such as homelessness, teen suicide, drugs, poverty and crime. The Making a Difference (MaD) competition is now open and submissions close on Monday 5 October. “By writing a story, poem or script that addresses any issue of social justice, entrants are in the running to receive one of four $250 cash prizes,” explains CSU coordinator Mr Bill Anscombe. “In addition, Charles Sturt University will donate $250 to the charity of the winners’ choice.”  The School of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Social Justice Innovation Award is eligible to anyone aged between 15 and 21 and are in Years 10, 11 and 12 at high school or studying at TAFE. Judging will take place in October, with the winners announced early November.

Mr Bill Anscombe is a senior lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU at Wagga Wagga. More information, including a full list of competition conditions, is available here. For interviews contact CSU Media

 

The forum is free and will be held from 9am to 4pm on Thursday 13 August in the Parkes Services Club, Parkes in NSW. Read more about Asia Today Forum 2009 here. The forum is jointly organised by the Asian Agribusiness Research Centre at CSU and Regional Development Australia Central West. The event is supported by NSW Farmers Association, Central West Farming Systems and Conservation Agriculture and No-Till Farmers Association Australia. The Asian Agribusiness Research Centre at CSU provides research and consultancy services related to trends and developments in the Asian agribusiness sector.