Former politician, actress and grazier, the Hon. Ms Elisabeth Kirkby will soon be able to add Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduate to her long list of achievements.
Ms Kirkby will be among almost 2 000 graduates eligible to receive their awards from the CSU Faculties of Arts, Business, Education and Science during six ceremonies, on Wednesday 1 April, Thursday 2 April and Friday 3 April at Wagga Wagga, Ms Kirkby, who spent 16 years leading the Australian Democrats in the NSW Parliament until 1998, will receive her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from CSU from 10.30am on Thursday 2 April.
The retired politician lives on her farm near Temora in southern NSW. Currently undertaking further study at the University of Sydney, Ms Kirkby is researching the impact of the Great Depression in Australia.
Since leaving parliament, Ms Kirkby served on Temora Shire Council from 1999 to 2004 and was a Member of the NSW Judicial Commission and a Member of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal (Legal Services Division).
The Charles Sturt University Medal will be presented to two graduates whose academic performances are recognised as ‘superlative’. Mr Aidan Luke, who works for the organisation Defence Materiel in Canberra, will receive the medal when he graduates with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with Honours Class 1 on Thursday 2 April. Mr Benjamin Lloyd will also receive the medal when he graduates with a Bachelor of Information Technology with Distinction on Thursday 2 April.
Didgeridoo player Mr Dane Simpson will be a new musical feature for the CSU graduation at Wagga Wagga. Mr Simpson is a Kamilaroi man who will play the didgeridoo during the academic processions at each of the six ceremonies.
A total of 1 973 graduates are eligible to receive their postgraduate and undergraduate awards at CSU at Wagga Wagga with 1 118 graduates expected to attend the six ceremonies in Joyes Hall, Pine Gully Road, Wagga Wagga.
Graduation highlights include:
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Graduates from the School of Education within the Faculty of Education.
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Guest speaker is Professor Wilfred Carr, Emeritus Professor, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. Click here to read the speech.
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Graduates include early childhood, primary and high school teachers with specialisations such as maths and science. Also includes graduates with Vocation and Education and Training qualifications.
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Mr Jamie Gawne from Narrandera will receive his Bachelor of Education (Primary). He worked as a teacher’s aide and juggled family commitments during his study to be a teacher. He now works at Narrandera Public School.
Wednesday 1 April 2.30pm:
- Graduates from the School of Information Studies with the Faculty of Education and the School of Visual and Performing Arts within the Faculty of Arts
- Guest speaker is Head of the CSU School of Visual and Performing Arts, Associate Professor Margaret Woodward. Click here to read the speech.
Thursday 2 April 10.30am:
- Graduates from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences within the Faculty of Arts and undergraduates from the Schools of Commerce, International Business and Computing and Mathematics within the Faculty of Business.
- CSU Medal awarded to Bachelor of Arts (Honours) graduate Mr Aidan Luke from Canberra.
- CSU Medal awarded to Bachelor of Information Technology Mr Benjamin Lloyd from Wagga Wagga.
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Ms Elisabeth Kirkby, who spent 16 years leading the Australian Democrats in the NSW Parliament until 1998, will receive her Bachelor of Arts (Honours).
Six Doctors of Philosophy will be awarded including: 70 year old Dr Helen Byles-Drage for her thesis, Urban migration to inland rural areas: Issues in rural wellbeing and social cohesion. Ms Byles-Drage relocated from Western Australia to live in a caravan while studying at CSU; Wagga Wagga general practitioner Dr Catherine Harding for her thesis, Media discourses of female medical practitioners. Dr Harding is a third generation GP; Dr Patty Please for her thesis, Aspects of Self in Dryland Salinity Science. Funded by the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre, Dr Please examined the subjective and emotional world of those who are working to rectify the environmental scourge of dryland salinity.
- CSU will also award its first Doctor of Social Work to Dr Michael Teo, from Sydney, who completed his thesis, Creating communities: Tackling social exclusion in public housing.
- 2008 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence will be presented to Dr Graeme McLean from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Read more here.
- The annual Lila Kirilik Social Action Prize will be awarded to Bachelor of Social Work graduate Ms Lee-Anne Drewery, Community Projects Officer, Central Darling Shire, Wilcannia. Read more here.
Thursday 2 April 2.30pm:
- Postgraduates from the Schools of Commerce, International Business and Computing and Mathematics within the Faculty of Business.
- Guest speaker is Dr Melinda Muth, Director, Streamwise Learning. Click here to read the speech.
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Five Doctors of Business Administration will be awarded and two Doctors of Philosophy including CSU Senior Lecturer Dr Jenny Kent for her thesis, Differential reporting for the not for profit sector: A study of accounting theory and practice.
- Three graduates from Cambodia will be among those to receive the Master of Business Administration. Mr Hem Hour Naryth, Mr Lim Sothy and Mr Dieb Leng completed their CSU studies through the Economic and Finance Institute in Phnom Penh.
- Ms Jennifer Richardson, from Perth, will graduate with distinction with a Master of Database Design and Management. She travelled from Western Australia to Wagga Wagga for the annual CSU-hosted Code Camp for database and computer professionals in Australia.
Friday 3 April 10.30am:
- Graduates from the Schools of Biomedical Science, Dentistry and Health Sciences and Environmental Sciences within the Faculty of Science.
- Guest speaker is Professor Sandra Capra, AM, University of Queensland and President of International Confederation of Dietetics Associations. Click here to read the speech.
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Currently a molecular biologist in The Netherlands, Dr Lily Hoa Truong will be awarded a Doctor of Philosophy for her thesis, Investigating the cellular and functional role of the retinoic acid induced-1 gene in Smith-Magenis Syndrome. The project has led to a better understanding of the genetic syndrome. Dr Truong will be joined at the graduation by her parents from Canada.
- Graduates will be honoured for their qualifications in GIS and remote sensing, medical imaging, medical radiation, applied science, pathology, pharmacy, biotechnology and nutrition and dietetics.
Friday 3 April 2.30pm:
- Graduates from the Schools of Nursing and Midwifery, Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Agriculture and Wine Sciences within the Faculty of Science.
- Guest speaker is Mr Norman McAllister, Director, Ricegrowers Ltd and Director, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
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Six Doctors of Philosophy will be awarded including; CSU lecturer Dr Alison Southwell for her thesis, Density and composition effects within native perennial pastures and their influence of deep soil water use; Dr Jacqueline Watt, from CSU’s International Centre of WATER for Food security, for her thesis, The effect of irrigation on surface and ground-water interactions: Quantifying time dependent spatial dynamics in irrigation systems; and Research Fellow Dr Ella Whitelaw, from Brisbane, for her project in genetically engineering rice with a higher level of the mono-saturated fatty acids, which are beneficial for the heart. -
Nurse Ms Carlie Davis, from Narrandera, is one of 49 graduates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma of Midwifery. Ms Davis was the first midwifery student at Narrandera District Hospital. She met her fiancée during her study at CSU for her Bachelor of Nursing which she received in 2004. The couple now work at the hospital.
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