The stories of two Labor icons are currently playing on Sydney stages: Keating! The Musical at Belvior Street, and A Local Man, the Ben Chifley one-man show at the Ensemble in Kirribilli. Co-written by historian and CSU adjunct senior lecturer Dr Rob McLachlan with Bob Ellis, A Local Man is described by the Ensemble as “a poignant portrayal of a flawed hero”. Tony Barry is reprising the role he played in the original Bathurst CSU production in 2004, which was directed by Bill Blaikie. Dr McLachlan says this new production is a “bonus all around. The Ensemble is one of the hallmark theatres in Sydney for Australian drama. It has a very sympathetic artistic director, Sandra Bates, and there is an impressive CSU ex-theatre media presence there”. A 2007 tour of Canberra and regional NSW and Victoria will be produced by Jennifer Barry, a CSU theatre media graduate.

Vice-Chancellor Ian Goulter last week announced the academic promotions round for 2006. Professor Goulter singled out Associate Professor Geoffrey Gurr from the School of Rural Management and Dr Lexin Wang from the School of Biomedical Sciences who have both been promoted to Professor Level E. “I congratulate these academic staff members on their achievements and contribution to the success of Charles Sturt University,” he said. CSU researcher and academic cardiologist Dr Wang is also an Honorary Professor of Cardiology at Taishan Medical College in China. “I’m really pleased, but there are more challenges ahead. We are still conducting a number of very high-profile studies on heart disease and my research group has had some major impact in the field of cardiovascular medicine. At CSU we are running a very strong pharmacology discipline which has been expanded quite substantially in the last eight years or so, and I think that is another major achievement.”

Albury based commercial builder Zauner Construction has won the tender to build new academic offices on Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Albury-Wodonga Campus. The $3 million two-storey office building will feature insulation on the outside of the building, similar to the iconic Australian “esky”, which will reduce energy costs. Research by CSU staff has revealed a desire for living and learning in a clean, comfortable environment, said Head of the Albury-Wodonga Campus, Professor Gail Whiteford. "The University’s Thurgoona site is looking to reduce the cost of energy used in large public buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production." Construction on the Thurgoona site will officially commence in December.

The first sod will be turned for construction of the next academic building on the Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Thurgoona site by Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter on Tuesday 12 December. He will be joined by representatives from international chemical company BASF and regional energy provider Country Energy, whose products and services will be incorporated into the building’s construction and management. Worth $3 million, the two storey office block will use innovative materials developed by BASF for building insulation, the first time these materials have been used in Australia. Country Energy will provide expertise in monitoring and managing energy use in the building. “We are aiming to build a public building that minimises air conditioning and energy use by improving building insulation,” says Professor Goulter. “It demonstrates the University’s commitment to sustainability and will be a showcase for all Australia.”

One of Australia’s largest banks Westpac will announce an agreement with Charles Sturt University (CSU) to produce regular agribusinesses reports for all Australia’s regions. CSU’s Western Research Institute will produce quarterly reports for Westpac on the health of farming and related businesses in all Australia’s States and territories, starting in 2007. This will be the first such report on each and all regions of the nation.The official announcement will be made during a Business and Community Reception to be hosted by CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter. The reception will start at 5pm on Thursday 7 December on the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus at Thurgoona.

As the nation celebrates the centenary of local government in Australia, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has published a history of three councils – Culcairn, Holbrook and Hume – in a twentieth century account of rural NSW. Historian Professor Bruce Pennay has told the story of how rural people shared good times and tough, through depression, drought, fire, flood, war and changing markets. “The book explains how local government responsibilities changed and how they struggled for improvements to help them win or retain populations,” Professor Pennay said. He also examined the impact and subsequent unravelling of the Albury Wodonga Growth centre in the 1970s and 80s and finally their recent amalgamation into a single council. “This work shows communities are shaped by their memories and histories, as well as their geography and economic development,” he said.

“I’m delighted by this award because, in a sense, it brings to prominence something which I truly believe,” said Paul Worsfold, senior career development officer in Charles Sturt University’s Division of Student Services and recipient of the Vice-Chancellor's 2006 Individual Award For Performance Excellence (General Staff). Mr Worsfold was nominated for innovations on the Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga Campuses such as establishing a graduate careers and employment research prize, online careers workshops, and an intern program. “My nomination recognises the necessary collaboration between a university’s careers service and the academic staff who strive for their students’ best possible futures,” he said. “The careers service plays an important part in helping the University achieve one of its key objectives – providing distinctive educational programs for the professions that prepare students for work and citizenship.”

Like a lot of Australia’s fauna, the Squirrel Glider’s habitat is being eroded by human population pressures. Now the small tree-loving marsupials are being offered new homes in a collaborative project between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Riverina TAFE. A "work-for-the-dole" team, using the TAFE workshops at Thurgoona, is currently constructing over 200 nest boxes for Squirrel Gliders, which will soon be placed in the conservation area between CSU and TAFE and other areas at Thurgoona. Three kilometres of barb wire fencing which can be hazardous to the gliders has been replaced, and five hectares of cleared land adjoining the area will be revegetated during 2007 to provide valuable food. The project will provide an important opportunity to study the habits of the sugar glider and it is also intended that local school students and Landcare groups will monitor the site.

Three Charles Sturt University (CSU) students have topped the University’s sparkling wine production course in 2006. The wine science students - Sophie Houghton, Graeme Scott and Steve Balog - each received 12 bottles of wine from Domaine Chandon, Australia’s leading producer of sparkling wine. Subject Coordinator, Professor Geoff Scollary, said that the contribution of Domaine Chandon to the teaching program was a major factor in the success of the final year Sparkling Wine Production subject. “Students get the opportunity to taste wines, to blend wines ready for commercial release, and to hear from leading sparkling wine makers,” he said. The School of Wine and Food Sciences has a long history of collaboration with Domaine Chandon, with the company’s CEO, Dr Tony Jordan as the first wine science lecturer at CSU in the late 1970s.