The review of Aboriginal education across NSW three years ago will be scrutinised in a public lecture at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dubbo Campus on Wednesday 9 April. Adjunct Professor in the CSU Faculty of Education, Alan Laughlin, will speak about the NSW Aboriginal Education Review of 2004, which was one of the widest assessments of the opinions of Aboriginal people carried out in NSW. “Three years on, many of the recommendations have been implemented. Clearly, generational change is needed, but what has been the impact to date?” Professor Laughlin asks. “The review involved over 400 meetings and more than 4 000 interviews with parents, teachers and students, and 200 oral and written submissions were received. A comprehensive set of recommendations was presented to the NSW government to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children.” Alan Laughlin was the Deputy Director General (DDG) of Education in the NSW Department of Education and Training. He has held every position from teacher through to the level of DDG in his 40 year career.

Staff at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Orange Campus rolled up their sleeves last week and planted over 200 trees as part of a biodiversity project coordinated by the Summer Hill Creekcare group near Orange, which received a grant from the Central West Catchment Management Authority. CSU land management lecturer and group coordinator, Ms Cilla Kinross, said the tree planters used a mixture of native species including Eucalypts, Wattles, Casuarina and nectar-producing shrubs grown from seed by University staff volunteers in the Orange Campus nursery facilities. “This second tree planting day was a great success,” said Ms Kinross. “Thanks to the local assistance, the site is now ‘complete’ – it is fenced and we planted 500 trees and shrubs. In fact, closer to 600 plants were put in over the two days and with some help from TAFE students as well.”

For an interview with CSU lecturer Ms Cilla Kinross, contact CSU Media

With the NSW equine industry given the all-clear following the outbreak of equine flu that threatened the national horse industry, Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Equine Centre is back in business. Centre manager Ms Cheryl Gander is excited to have the Centre up and running again. “The Orange Campus Equine Centre provides the perfect location for students to be involved in all aspects of horse enterprise management, including breeding, training for different disciplines, show and sale preparation, different handling techniques and research,” Ms Gander said. The Centre, which is part of the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, has an indoor and outdoor arena, exercise track, cross country course, treadmill, horse walker, stables, veterinary laboratory and 80 hectares of horse pastures. For enquiries regarding agistment, breeding and facility hire, contact Ms Gander on 02 6365 7850.

Students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have raised almost $7 000 for charity during Orientation 2008. Students, representing CSU’s student body, recently presented a cheque for over $6 800 to NRMA CareFlight, a rapid response critical care service. CareFlight duty doctor, Dr Andrew Dubky, received the cheque on behalf of the organisation. “Last year students across five CSU campuses raised more than $1 200 for the Salvation Army Drought Appeal," CSU Student Services representative, Ms Jean Ryan said. "Raising such a large sum of money this year was a testament to how hard our continuing students worked during Orientation 2008 while making the first year students feel welcome.”

 

Funds were raised during Orientation 2008 through the sales of CSU merchandise such as wrist bands and drink holders. Local businesses donated goods for raffles and donation tins were placed in local retail outlets and hotels. Orientation 2008 coordinators are available for interview. Contact CSU Media.  

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor David Kemp has taken another step to ensure agriculturalists and the Orange community are better informed about coping with climate change, especially climate variability and its effects on food security, in a public seminar to be held in Orange on Monday 31 March. “The consequences of variable and changing climates are rising energy and food costs, so much so that in the last nine months another 800 million people couldn’t afford the food they need,” said Professor Kemp. “The recent drought also highlighted the social problems of dealing with variable climates – what are the effects and what needs to be done to better help people?” CSU’s Professor Margaret Alston will be one speaker at the public seminar, entitled ‘Managing Beyond the Panic of Climate Change’. The seminar aims to discuss these interrelated trends – to inform people about likely regional, Australian and international trends, what can be done to adjust to these major trends and what people in central NSW can do to ensure their livelihoods under these changing circumstances. The seminar will be held from 10am on 31 March at the Orange Ex-Services Club, Anson Street, Orange.

The seminar is supported by the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science & Technology and the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, a CSU and NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) research alliance.  Speakers will include rural affairs commentator, Mr Julian Cribb, the Head of the Climate Change group with the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics, Dr Don Gunasekera, the Head of Climate Change in the NSW Bureau of Meteorology, Dr Perry Wile, the Manager of Climate Change, NSW DPI, Mr Gary Allan, CSU sociologist, Professor Margaret Alston and Spring Ridge farmer, Mr Cam Mackellar.

CSU’s Professor Chenoweth established the CSU course in Animal Behaviour and Welfare. He is currently Acting Presiding Officer of the University’s Animal Care and Ethics Committee. Professor Chenoweth has published widely in areas of livestock reproduction and behaviour.

Escalating oil prices and climate change are factors forcing rural Australia to contemplate the implications of diminishing petroleum supplies and a local biofuel industry. The Institute for Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a public forum in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 12 March to address issues such as the implications of rising fuel costs and a biofuel industry on rural communities. Speakers include Professor Peter Sinclair, an environmental sociologist and oil industry analyst from Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland, and CSIRO biofuel researcher, Dr Barrie May. The forum, entitled Rural Australia without petroleum?, will be held from 6pm to 7.30pm in the Council meeting room, Civic Centre, Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga.

Australians may consume more native foods in the future as a result of new research to be discussed at the Functional Foods and Biotechnology Forum at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Orange Campus on Thursday 6 March. The research reveals that native plant foods have strong antimicrobial, antioxidant and emulsifying properties with potential applications in many mainstream food products. Addressing the forum about the functional properties of native foods will be Dr Jian Zhao from the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences. “Our research outcomes can potentially help the native food industry to add value to and better market their products and ultimately achieve growth beyond being a cottage industry,” said Dr Zhao. Researchers  from the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries,  have studied the functional or health-promoting properties of Australian native foods for several years, supported by the national Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. Speakers from government and private sector functional food research and marketing organisations will address the forum which is hosted by CSU and the NSW Department of State and Regional Development.

 

To arrange interviews with Dr Zhao contact CSU Media. The Functional Foods and Biotechnology Forum will be held at the CSU Orange Campus conference room on Thursday 6 March.  Forum programs are available from Mr Jack Gordon at the NSW Department of State and Regional Development on 02 6360 8417.

 

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Mr Gary Shipp. The National Indigenous Higher Education Network Committee will meet in Dubbo from 10am on Thursday 6 March and 9.30am on Friday 7 March. The NIHEN was recently granted Indigenous People’s Organisational status for the upcoming meeting of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York, USA, from 21 April to 2 May.