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DUBBO
Home > Regional News > Dubbo
Playing rugby for a worthy cause
26 May 2009
The Wagga Wagga Agricultural College Rugby Union Club at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will use the much anticipated clash with 2008 premiers, Wagga Wagga Waratahs, on Saturday 30 May to promote awareness of breast cancer and raise money for the McGrath Foundation. A ‘ladies day’ will be held to coincide with round seven of the Southern Inland Rugby Union competition when the 2007 premiers Wagga Wagga Agriculture College take on last year’s premiers the Wagga Wagga Waratahs in all three grades. “Against a backdrop of competitive rugby union, we hope to contribute to the vitally important ‘Breast Aware’ message of the McGrath Foundation,” said Wagga Wagga Agricultural College Rugby Union Club president Mr Shahid Khalfan. Money raised during the day, including at a special auction of the first grade players’ ‘Breast Aware’ football jerseys, will be donated to the McGrath Foundation. “I urge all members of the community to support the day and the valuable work of the McGrath Foundation,” said the third year CSU veterinary science student.
Media Note: The ‘ladies day’ will take place on Saturday 30 May at Beres Elwood Oval, CSU at Wagga Wagga. The first game kicks off at 12.30pm. First grade starts at 2.45pm. A barbecue will be available as well as drinks and finger food. The $20 entry fee will be waived for women. From 5.30pm at the William Farrer Hotel in Wagga Wagga, the 2008 National Young Auctioneer, Mr Jim Tierney will auction off first grade’s ‘Breast Aware’ jerseys. Wagga Wagga Agricultural College Rugby Union Club president and CSU student Mr Shahid Khalfan is available for interview on 0401 062 837.The McGrath Foundation was co-founded by the late Jane McGrath and her cricketing husband Glenn McGrath.
Print this story Careers advice day for HSC students
26 May 2009
More than 1 000 Year 12 students from across the central west will converge on Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst for the annual Central West Careers Advisers Association FACTS (Facts About Careers and Tertiary Study) Day on Thursday 28 May. Final year students from Bathurst, Lithgow, Kandos, Oberon, Blayney, Cowra, Orange and Molong will have the opportunity to meet and receive information from about 120 delegates representing more than 60 career and employer organisations, including universities, private providers, TAFE, Centrelink, police and other government agencies. Ms Katy O’Brien, a Prospective Student Adviser at CSU in Orange, said “events like this are the result of the University forging closer ties with careers advisors in all schools, including private, independent and state schools. This day offers our regional school students the opportunity to experience our University by visiting the Bathurst Campus.”
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Katy O’Brien. Parents are also invited to attend the annual FACTS Day from 10am to 2.30pm on Thursday 28 May at the CD Blake Auditorium at CSU at Bathurst. There is a morning and afternoon session. Students arriving for each session are split into two groups with the first going into the careers expo and the second to the motivational presentation by keynote speaker Mr Bruce Buchanan from the Orange Business Enterprise Centre, held in S15 main lecture theatre. The FACTS Day is organised by the Central West Careers Advisers Association in conjunction with the National Association of Prospective Student Association (NAPSA), a national university network that is responsible for arranging and coordinating careers events throughout Australia.
Print this story Protecting the kidney
26 May 2009
 The emerging serious health problem of chronic kidney disease will be examined during a public lecture in Griffith in May. The lecture on Wednesday 27 May coincides with national Kidney Health Week 2009 being held from Sunday 24 May to Saturday 30 May. Associate Professor Ann Bonner from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Nursing and Midwifery in Wagga Wagga will explain chronic kidney disease, its risk factors, optimal healthcare requirements and its impact on individuals, society and the Australian healthcare system. Associate Professor Bonner has practiced for more than 20 years as a renal nurse and has developed postgraduate renal nursing courses for universities in NSW and Queensland. Dr Bonner is also involved in collaborative research projects with renal health care clinicians in these states.
Media Note: The lecture, presented by CSU and the Griffith City Council, will be held from 6pm in the Burley Griffin Room, Griffith Regional Theatre, Neville Place, Griffith. CSU wine and cheese will be served after the lecture. RSVP: Ms Laura Tagliapietra on 02 6962 8123 or send an email. Print this story Books: an endangered species?
26 May 2009
 Are books becoming extinct? That is the question which will be posed by the School of Education at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga during a public forum on Wednesday 27 May. In the first Edversations Professional Forum for 2009, CSU academics will join representatives from schools, education support agencies and the wider community to discuss the topic. While the next generation of children has embraced new technologies such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and SMS, the expert panel will explore the significance of hard copy texts. “The issue is important for educators and parents alike as children are being immersed in a technological world and we need to ensure that they are equipped with the skills to navigate that world,” said one of the forum’s facilitators Ms Letitia Galloway from the School of Education. “We need to ask ourselves 'What place do books have today in the education and development of children?'” The forum is hosted by CSU and Wagga Wagga City Council.
Media Note: CSU wine and cheese will be served at the Edversations Professional Forum from 6pm Wednesday 27 May in the council meeting room, Civic Centre, Baylis St, Wagga Wagga.
Print this story 1945 Kapooka tragedy remembered
19 May 2009
An academic whose work has raised Australian consciousness of the largest accident in the Army’s history will this week address a memorial service for the tragic event. In May 1945 at the Royal Australian Engineers Training Camp Kapooka near Wagga Wagga, 24 young trainee engineers and two of their instructors were killed in an explosion in a bunker during a demolitions training exercise. In 2008, CSU senior lecturer Dr Peter Rushbrook detailed the event in the journal, History of Education Review. “Apart from a mass funeral, where the coffins lay on four semi-trailers, and the subsequent inquiry, the Kapooka tragedy has disappeared altogether from our national memory,” wrote Dr Rushbrook. On Thursday 21 May from 2.15pm near the Kapooka Military Area, Dr Rushbrook will be among the official guests at the second consecutive memorial service hosted by the Army Recruit Training Centre (ARTC) Commandant Colonel G W Finney.
Media Note: Dr Peter Rushbrook is a senior lecturer with the School of Education at CSU at Wagga Wagga. He is a member of CSU’s Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education or RIPPLE. Dr Rushbrook is available for interview about the 1945 tragedy on 02 69 332564. Read more here. For media queries about the memorial service, contact Warrant Officer Class One Beatty at the Army Recruit Training Centre on 02 6933 8212.
Print this story Praise for finalist in NSW Premier's Literary Awards
19 May 2009
.jpg) Actor and author Mr Brendan Cowell, who graduated in 1997 from the theatre/media course at the School of Communication at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst, narrowly missed out on the Play Award when the winners of the NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2009 were announced at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney last night, Monday 18 May. Mr Cowell’s play Ruben Guthrie was one of six plays short-listed for the prestigious award. Theatre/media lecturer, Mr Jerry Boland, said Brendan Cowell is an immense talent whose success is highlighted by the calibre of the other nominees and by the public acclaim for his work. “Brendan has enjoyed major success both within Australia and abroad, and I congratulate him for his nomination with such illustrious company.”
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Ruben Guthrie was produced in 2008 by B Sharp, Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney and will be published by Currency Press in May 2009. Mr Cowell’s first play, Men, was a sell-out hit at the Old Fitzroy Hotel in Sydney 2000. He has received a number of writing awards, including the Patrick White Playwright’s Award for Bed, the Phillip Parsons Playwright’s Award and the Griffin Award for Rabbit. He has also received an Australia Council grant. His most recent play, Ruben Guthrie, sold out the B Sharp season in 2008 and will transfer to the Company B mainstage in 2009. His plays have been produced in Berlin, London, Edinburgh and New York.
Print this story Learning the lessons of language and literacy
14 May 2009
Third year Early Childhood students enrolled in Child Language and Literacy 2 at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are providing one-on-one reading tuition to Stage One children at Buninyong Public School. Working with students at their identified level of development, this nine week individual literacy program targets learning in the areas of reading and writing. “This individual attention has resulted in individual improvement,” says CSU School of Teacher Education lecturer Maria Bennet. Ms Bennet explains the children have developed in confidence and are moving towards independence in strategy application. “Writing skills have improved and developed, with more elaborated thoughts, improved spelling and attention to the construction of ideas.” The program has benefited CSU students who have gained valuable hands-on experience and professional development. This program has provided students with an opportunity to work with literacy and develop their understanding of this area.
Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media
Print this story Exercise and the fitness of the brain
12 May 2009
 Is it possible to exercise to improve thinking skills? This is being investigated by researchers at Charles Sturt University (CSU). “The high school jock stereotype is not usually associated with great intelligence, but maybe they are smarter than if they didn’t exercise,” explained Dr Matthew Thomas from the School of Social Science and Liberal Studies at CSU at Bathurst. “We know there are benefits in aspects of mental processing from a short bout of exercise and also for people who exercise over several months. What we want to test in this study is whether there is an effect on the mental performance of healthy young and middle-age adults with just four weeks of exercise.” Residents of Coffs Harbour and Bellingen in northern NSW are being invited to participate in this new study. “We’re looking for people who don’t usually exercise. Couch potatoes if you like,” said Dr Thomas. Assessments of participants’ mental processing will be conducted by local resident, Ms Jenny Grant, as part of her Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology). “It’s like having your brain fitness tested,” said Ms Grant.
Media Note: CSU Honours student Ms Jenny Grant is available for interview on 0421 523 715. Information about participating in the research is also available from Ms Jenny Grant on 0421 523 715 or send an email. Participants who complete the three assessments will receive a report on their results and a free pedometer or handheld body-fat analyser.
Print this story Plant breeding holds key to better crops
12 May 2009
It’s hoped a trip to the Philippines will contribute knowledge towards research currently underway into plant breeding for disease resistance. E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation research student Mr Ray Cowley will travel to the major rice producing country this Saturday 16 May to participate in a three-week workshop into the practical aspects of plant breeding at the headquarters of the International Rice Research Institute. “The challenges faced by plant breeders are common across many agricultural crops and I’m hoping to learn the practical aspects of plant breeding and genetics and how they manage the breeding and plant selection process in rice,” Mr Cowley said. “Despite focusing on lupins, the research addresses universal problems relating to breeding crops which are disease resistant.” He said the outcome of this type of research can mean the development of better plant varieties which leads to improved crop yields, which in turn improves the livelihood of farmers, not only in Australia but overseas.
Media Note: Mr Ray Cowley is a PhD student with the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation in Wagga Wagga, a collaborative alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI). His PhD is entitled Genetic resistance to diseases of Lupinus albus caused by Diaporthe toxica. The trip to the Philippines is funded by a scholarship from the Crawford Fund. Mr Cowley is supervised by CSU researchers Associate Professor Gavin Ash and Dr John Harper and DPI’s Dr David Luckett. Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Print this story Special feet needed for Albury study
12 May 2009
 Residents around Albury-Wodonga with peripheral vascular disease – a common complication of diabetes - are sought to assess an early detection system being developed by Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers. With diabetes now the most likely chronic disease to affect people over 50 years old, for the past 10 years Dr Herbert Jelinek and his team have been studying new and more accessible methods for detecting diabetes in patients in regional Australia. “Peripheral vascular disease constricts blood flow in the extremities of our bodies, particularly feet,” said Dr Jelinek.”We are assessing the use of a simple, hand held instrument to measure blood flow into feet and so detect this condition before nasty complications, such as infections and gangrene, can develop.” The study is being conducted through the Diabetes Complications Research Initiative at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. People already affected by peripheral vascular disease and who would like to take part in the study should contact Ms Bev de Jong on 02 6051 6858.
Media Note: For interviews on the diabetes project, contact Dr Herbert Jelinek from the School of Community Health at CSU at Albury-Wodonga on mobile 0427 681 754. Print this story |
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