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.

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.

The Border region’s beef industry is on show to international visitors in April as Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Institute for Land, Water and Society hosts five livestock scientists from the South East Asian nation of Laos. The group are studying beef and goat production across the region, visiting local properties, meatworks and the Wodonga saleyards and talking with livestock extension officers. The program, led by CSU’s Dr Joanne Millar, is funded by the Crawford Fund, which supports agricultural training for developing country scientists. Dr Millar, who has worked in livestock development in Laos for the last six years, said the program aims to “increase the knowledge and skills of Laotian extension officers’ in advanced cattle production and marketing, while they also learn how to run beef production courses for farmers. This is the first time that provincial and district livestock officers from Laos have been to Australia. The scientists work closely with farmers who are struggling to improve their livelihoods from their own beef herds.”

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.”  

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.

Celebrating local harmony is the aim of Harmony Day at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Albury-Wodonga Campus on Wednesday 19 March. Albury-Wodonga’s cultural diversity will be on show with food, music, dance and other activities from around the world. “Harmony Day began in 1999 as a celebration of Australia's success as a diverse society united by a common set of values,” said event and CSU Student Community coordinator, Mr Geoff Simmons. “Australia is built on immigration and we have a proud history of welcoming people from around the world. Since 1945, more than six and a half million migrants have come to Australia. Australians speak over 300 languages, including Indigenous languages, and practise a range of religions.” The event will run from 10.30am to 1.30pm on 19 March, next to The Shed on the University’s Albury City site, off Olive St, Albury.

Improved understanding of livestock reproductive behaviour is important for optimal animal management, economics and welfare. The theory is that livestock behavioural traits have evolved similarly to physical traits, in response to evolutionary pressures. A public lecture by Professor Peter Chenoweth, from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, will look at whether Darwin’s Theory of Evolution can be applied to the modern management of livestock. Only about 6 percent of hoofed animals have ever been domesticated. This figure raises questions as to why are there so relatively few species domesticated, and are certain evolutionary behavioural traits more conducive to domestication than others? The public lecture will also pose the questions as to whether humans chose to domesticate certain species, or vice versa, and can evolution provide guidelines for good livestock management? The lecture will be held from 6.30pm Tuesday 11 March at the Tumbarumba Shire Council Chambers, Bridge Street, Tumbarumba.

Chinese water experts will visit Albury on Friday 14 March to inspect outstanding examples of water conservation. Hosted by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS) and the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre, the four officials will inspect the Wonga Wetlands and the University’s Thurgoona site as examples of successful wetland management and using wetlands to treat waste water in the region. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for Australian scientists to interact, discuss and exchange ideas with Chinese scientists,” said Professor Max Finlayson, ILWS director and internationally renowned wetland ecologist. The wetland project is part of a five year, $25 million Australian government initiative to support and improve policy development in China in environmental protection and natural resource management.  

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.