Archive
Students reinvent ancient Greek play
Monday, 25 May 2015
A re-worked version of The Bacchae by ancient Greek playwright Euripides will open at the Ponton
Theatre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 26 May. The play has been developed
and is performed by third-year theatre/media
students in the CSU School
of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst, and is directed by
lecturer Mr Adam Deusien. "This
production of The Bacchae is a
reimagining of the ancient Greek tragedy that interrogates a contemporary world
obsessed with the 'self'," Mr Deusien said. "The original play deals with an
ancient Greek god who feels he isn't being worshipped properly, but this
relationship to the gods is a bit outdated in our increasingly secular world.
What we wanted to propose is that we have replaced any sense of spirituality
with a worship of self, and that we are more interested in self-promotion than
self-investigation. When we are stuck in a world of all heat, but no light,
what are the results?"
The 80-minute long CSU production has a vibrant and exciting
design that draws heavily from pop culture and fashion, and showcases many of
the physical and creative talents of the theatre/media students. The Bacchae plays at the Ponton Theatre
(building 1434), CSU
in Bathurst, from 7pm Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 May, with a 1pm matinee on
Saturday.
2015 Bathurst Winter Feast at CSU
Thursday, 21 May 2015
The annual Bathurst Winter
Feast at Charles Sturt University (CSU) is on Friday 19 June. Head of Campus
Professor Jo-Anne Reid said the Bathurst Winter Feast is an opportunity to celebrate
the food and wine of the region and highlight the skills of CSU staff. "The
whole idea of a Winter Feast is attractive, and we are excited that it has
grown so successfully over the past few years," Professor Reid said. "It's a
great way to brighten the winter, connect with old friends and contacts, and
make new ones. The food will be prepared from excellent regional and seasonal
produce, and the wines are outstanding." The CSU
catering team have designed a special degustation menu matched to a range of
new and old Charles Sturt wines. These
include the 2010 Reserve Sparkling (awarded Trophy for Best Sparkling at the
2015 Sydney Royal Wine Show), and a selection of Museum wines. The CSU Winery
team will be on-hand to host the evening and introduce the wines. Tickets are
$90 and can be purchased on (02) 6933 2435, or csuwinery@csu.edu.au, or online winery.csu.edu.au. Numbers are strictly limited.
The venue is Rafters, in building 1413, near car park 26, at CSU in Bathurst.
Wildlife corridor to help birds save energy
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Staff
and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will band together on
Friday 22 May to create a wildlife corridor to assist local birds. The
wildlife corridor at CSU in Orange will help birds to complete their foraging
circuit around the dam. The
tree planting event has been organised by lecturer at the University's School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences Dr Cilla Kinross,
with the support of CSU Green."I
noticed when I was doing my PhD in Orange that many of the birds would come to
the end of the small existing windbreak, then turn around and head back. Alternatively,
they had a long flight to the next windbreak. Neither of these options are
efficient and having a full circuit means less energy expended on 'travel' and
more on the good stuff like food," Dr Kinross said. CSU staff and students will gather from 9.45am to 12pm on Friday 22 May 2015 at CSU in Orange to help create the wildlife corridor.
Bathurst history tour for CSU students
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Students studying history
at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will be given an expert guided
tour of the historic 'first settlement' precinct of Bathurst on Thursday 21
May. PhD researcher and lecturer in the CSU School of Humanities and
Social Sciences, Mr Sam Malloy, said the
excursion ideally suits the subject's learning objectives which
concentrate on the social and political influences of Australian
history from 1788 to 1901. "With 2015 marking the 200th anniversary of Governor
Lachlan Macquarie proclaiming the site of Bathurst, this excursion will form a
valuable 'public history' aspect to the students' studies," Mr Malloy said. "I hope
other history classes, including primary to secondary schools, will take
advantage of this new opportunity to explore one of Australia's most historic
sites." The tour will be led by historian and adjunct senior lecturer in the
CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr Robin McLachlan, who has been
instrumental in highlighting the historical significance of Bathurst's 'settlement
site'. He has researched and written interpretative panels and an illustrated
guidebook, From
Flag Staff to Town Square, which focuses on the history of the
site during its period of colonial settlement. Dr
McLachlan, said, "Sam's class outing is demonstrating how the settlement
site, with its interpretation signage and other features, such as the exhibit
of maps and pictures in the Bathurst City Community Club, together with the
Flag Staff, is now akin to an open air museum, or perhaps an outdoor history
classroom."
CSU hosts Biggest Morning Tea in Port Macquarie
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Charles Sturt University
(CSU) and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will co-host a Biggest Morning Tea
fund-raiser for the Cancer Council on Thursday 28 May. Head of Campus of CSU in Port
Macquarie Professor Heather Cavanagh said CSU
staff and students are encouraged to participate in community and charity
events. "We see this as an important part of the university's commitment to the
health and welfare of our communities, and indeed all of Australia," Professor
Cavanagh said. "However, this year's Biggest
Morning Tea here has a twist. We will not only be joining with Port Macquarie-Hastings Council to
raise money for this great cause, but we will be competing with each other for
who can bake the best cake. The Council have a battle on their hands!" CSU and
Hastings Council will taste-test their cupcakes and submit their best for
judging. The Mayor, Councillor Peter Bessling, Pro Vice Chancellor Professor
Heather Cavanagh, and the president of the Country Women's Association branch
in Port Macquarie, Ms Alice Miller, have agreed to be the judges for the
competition's final tasting. As well as staff and students, elderly residents
from the local area will be invited to visit CSU to make a gold coin donation
for a 'cuppa and cake'.
Paramedic expertise in Port Macquarie
Tuesday, 19 May 2015After
14 years as a paramedic in NSW, Mr Phillip Ebbs has a wealth of experience that
he's keen to 
share in his new role with Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port
Macquarie. Before taking up the role of senior lecturer in paramedicine,
Mr Ebbs worked as a paramedic and manager across Sydney and regional NSW,
attaining the rank of Superintendent and recently spending 12 months as an
Acting Assistant Commissioner. He has been a member of NSW Ambulance Incident
Management Teams for a number of operations, including the Lindt Cafe siege and
the recent Hunter storms. Mr Ebbs said he's looking forward to the challenges
and opportunities of his new role on the Mid-North Coast. "As part of the School of Biomedical Sciences I'll be supporting
paramedics and managers in Australia and internationally as the profession
meets new challenges associated with a changing scope of paramedic practice,
new opportunities in health technology, national registration for paramedics,
and increased requirements to work seamlessly with health and emergency service
partners." Mr Ebbs assisted with the introduction of world leading stroke,
mental health, cardiac, trauma and sub-acute care programs across regional NSW,
particularly in the Hunter and Mid-North Coast. He has also volunteered in Papua New Guinea,
and has flown as a paramedic on helicopters in New Zealand during a paramedic
exchange program.
Primary school students check out CSU
Monday, 18 May 2015A mock graduation ceremony,
complete with mortar boards will cap off a visit to Charles Sturt 
University (CSU)
in Albury-Wodonga by 75 primary school students on Wednesday 20 May. The Year-6
students from Albury West, Hume and Glenroy Public Schools will
spend the day on campus participating in a selection of workshops to give them
first-hand experience of university life as part of Check It Out Day. Program coordinator Ms Ilena Young said, "The aim
is to encourage aspiration for higher education among students in rural and
remote NSW and Victoria. By introducing young people to the world of university
study, students are encouraged through a positive experience to become more
engaged in school studies and more confident in considering tertiary study as a
realistic option." Students will participate in hands-on activities, tour the
campus and eat lunch in the student canteen before donning ceremonial mortar
boards in a mock graduation. Check It Out Day is part of the Future Moves, program a
federally-funded initiative run through CSU and aligned
with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development.
Earl Bathurst visits CSU
Friday, 15 May 2015
The 9th Earl
Bathurst visited Charles Sturt University
(CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 8 May
while he was visiting the city for its bicentenary celebrations. CSU Vice-Chancellor
Professor Andrew Vann was pleased to receive the Right Honourable Earl
Bathurst who was a special guest of Bathurst Regional Council during the
Bathurst200 celebrations last week. The acting University Secretary, Ms
Linda Breen, and the Director Procurement and Risk Manager in the CSU Division
of Facilities Management, Mr Keith Hogan escorted Lord Bathurst and the General
Manager of Bathurst Regional Council, Mr David Sherley,
on a tour of the campus. "Lord Bathurst is a member of the Board of the
Royal Agricultural University in Circencester, in the United Kingdom," Ms Breen
said. "He has a particular interest in Charles Sturt University, its
agricultural courses and connections to regional communities, with a view to
establishing formal links between the two universities."
Community ideas sought for Riverina Playhouse
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Charles Sturt
University (CSU) is seeking ideas from the community of Wagga Wagga and
surrounding districts on how the Riverina Playhouse could be used to benefit
community groups and businesses. CSU invites members of the public to discuss their ideas or thoughts fon the
recently re-opened Playhouse at a drop-in session at the theatre in Wagga Wagga
on Thursday 21 May. Executive Director of the CSU Division of Facilities Management Mr Stephen Butt
said, "We're looking forward to talking with the public and hearing their suggestions. "It has great
practical advantages such as parking on the doorstep, ideally located in the
heart of the city," he said. "It is well maintained and recently underwent a
$200 000 cosmetic interior and exterior renovation. The space would no doubt
benefit a variety of local groups or businesses." The Playhouse re-opened at the end of
April after it was closed in 2012
to make way for Wagga Wagga City Council's remediation of the nearby old
gasworks site. The facility is home to the University
Theatre Ensemble in
the CSU School of Communication and Creative
Industries. If you have a
suggestion of how the Riverina Playhouse can be better used outside of
university and teaching commitments, drop in to the theatre at 8 Cross Street,
Wagga Wagga, on Thursday 21 May, between 2.30pm and 7.30pm to chat to one of
the CSU representatives.
International rural research at Orange
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Agricultural
research underway by international students at Charles Sturt University (CSU)
in Orange will be the focus of a seminar this week. Nine
Master of
Sustainable Agriculture students from countries including China,
Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Oman, Malawi and Nigeria will present their research
from 2pm on Thursday 14 May. The
postgraduate students are undertaking a range of studies in their home
countries. This includes research into cocoa, wheat, date palm cultivation and
aquaculture, rice and pest management. Senior
lecturer Dr Anantanarayanan Raman from the School of the Agricultural and Wine
Sciences
said, "Sustainable agricultural management is attempted in different nations
following different methods and for varying reasons. The
present opportunity afforded to our international students enables them to
share the best practices followed in their respective countries, and thus, us
to learn from their experiences," he said. "In
return, they get to know the sustainable agricultural management efforts made
in here, in Australia, which we offer them by visiting various farms in central
western NSW so that they can take some messages with them what they would
consider useful." The
students are being encouraged to wear traditional dress for their 20-minute presentations,
which will take place from 2pm to 5pm in the conference room, in building no
1001, CSU in Orange.