• Charles Sturt student creates animation video to education First Nations people
• The video provides valuable information about the deadly risks of Hendra virus
• Hendra virus can be transmitted to horses, and from horses to humans

An animation developed by a Charles Sturt University student will help the people who live in a remote First Nations community in Far North Queensland better understand the risks of the deadly Hendra virus.

Hendra is an infectious disease that can be transmitted by flying foxes to horses, and from horses to people.

Charles Sturt Bachelor of Science (Honours) student Mr Bernard Higgins has incorporated his background into the animation and uses special effects to make an educational video.

“As a Wiradjuri man, I wanted to explore how to use my skills and knowledge to help First Nations communities and designing animal health communication is one area where there’s a gap in our knowledge,” Mr Higgins said.

Mr Higgins said the project involved designing the 3D animation with members of the First Nations community, veterinarians and communication experts.

“Yarrabah, traditionally owned by the Gunggandji people, is located north of Cairns and the area has a large flying fox population,” Mr Higgins said.

“Environmental health workers were looking for educational material about Hendra, as pet horses roam around the community.

“We co-designed a 3D animation based around Yarrabah to communicate information in a visually engaging way in both Gunggandji and in English.

“The aim is to raise awareness within the community about Hendra virus, to ensure the community know what to look for, what to do if a horse in the community is unwell, and who to contact.”

As part of his research, Mr Higgins travelled to the remote community four times and credits the involvement of the local people, especially the rangers and environmental health workers, with its success.

“In this project, the end users were included from the beginning, and helped define the problem that the project aimed to solve,” Mr Higgins said.

“Being able to travel to the community and get feedback was also crucial in creating a resource that will be used by the community.”

Research supervisor Dr Victoria Brookes said the project brought together academics from science and art disciplines.

“This project demonstrated how co-design can successfully be used in remote communities to support animal and public health,” Dr Brookes said.

The Honours research project was supported through funding from the Charles Sturt University Foundation.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Charles Sturt University Foundation Trust Ms Carly Evans said that Mr Higgins received the support of individual donations through the Charles Sturt Foundation Trust to complete his studies and deliver this unique project.

“We are proud to have played a supporting role in enabling Bernard to pursue his academic ambitions, and to see Bernard’s skills and knowledge applied to real-world problems,” Ms Evans said.

The project involved Dr Brookes (University of Sydney), Associate Professor Jane Quinn and Dr Eleanor Gates-Stuart from Charles Sturt University, Dr Chris Degeling from the University of Wollongong, with guidance from Queensland Health.