The next Charles Sturt University (CSU) Exploration Series free public lecture will examine the true nature of the Australian landscape in 1788.The lecture by  Emeritus Professor Bill Gammage, AM, from the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra will discuss the subject of his book, The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines made Australia (2011), at CSU in Bathurst on Monday 1 August and at CSU in Dubbo on Tuesday 2 August."Much of the landscape of Australia at the time of British colonisation in 1788 was not natural but made," Professor Gammage (pictured) said."Using illustrations, this public lecture will sketch how Aboriginal people, including Wiradjuri, managed land at the time Europeans arrived. People allied with fire and no fire to distribute plants, and used plant distribution to locate animals, birds, reptiles and insects. Country was carefully arranged to give every species a preferred habitat according to Law, while resources were made abundant, convenient and predictable," he said.Light refreshments and book sales/signings (book cost $35, cash only) will follow both public lectures.Bathurst:The Biggest Estate on Earth public lecture will start at 6pm Monday 1 August in room 223, building 1292, Panorama Avenue, Charles Sturt University; follow the event parking signs to car park P7.For more information contact Ms Tarah Syphers, Regional Relations Assistant on (02) 6338 4645 or tsyphers@csu.edu.auDubbo:The Biggest Estate on Earth public lecture will start at 6pm Tuesday 2 August in lecture theatre 422, building 902, Tony McGrane Place, Charles Sturt University in Dubbo.For more information contact Ms Melissa Britnell, Regional Relations Assistant on (02) 6885 7370 or hocdubbo@csu.edu.au.

Three Bathurst justice experts have laid their experiences before at least 200 law students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) to help them learn about punishment and the state in the Australian legal system.On Wednesday 20 July, Bathurst magistrate Michael Allen (left), Bathurst defence lawyer Shane Cunningham (right) and the police crime commander for Chifley region Acting Sergeant Colin Crome (centre) faced probing questions as part of an interactive panel for CSU students who are aiming to become police officers, social workers, psychologists and lawyers.Over two hours, the panellists addressed the questions of 80 students in Bathurst on the goals and strategies of punishment, particularly from the viewpoint of regional Australia.Panel coordinator Dr Kath McFarlane, who is a senior lecturer with the newly established Centre for Law and Justice at CSU, said the students in this subject were investigating, "How we punish, why we punish and the consequences for society if we get it wrong."The panellists provided unique perspectives on the practice and administration of various aspects of the criminal justice system, and exposed students to practical views and experiences they would not otherwise encounter," Dr McFarlane said.In recognition of the 150 students enrolled in the subject across Australia via distance education, Dr McFarlane has also made the forum available as an audio file to students who were unable to attend in person.

The Bathurst Arts and Theatrical Society (BATS) will present a winter season of performances at the Ponton Theatre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in mid July.BATS consists of 41 mostly second- and third-year CSU students studying the Bachelor of Communication (Theatre Media) at the School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst.Marketing and publicity coordinator for BATS Ms Jana Vass said, "The ten dollar a ticket three-in-one BATS Winter 2016 program consists of two short plays (Love and Information, and Mr Melancholy), and a short film (Filioque). This is value for money."BATS is open to students from various degrees and we encourage everyone from different disciplines to be creatively involved with positions in the individual production companies."Love and Information is written by famous playwright Ms Caryl Churchill and is directed by Ms Sacha Slip. It is about finding love and connection in the age of information, and the influence these two things have on modern life. This is an 'open text', free of specific characters and stage directions, told in a series of vignettes that allow insight into the lives of strangers.Mr Melancholy is directed by Mr Hudson Emery and explores solitude and sorrow through innocence and silliness. It is written by Mr Matt Cameron and is set at a broken lighthouse on a beach where three hermits, Enzo, Margot and Ollie, have their lives changed when Dolores, a run-away clown who desires to be taken seriously, washes up on shore. The production design and performances present a surreal parable of solitude and sorrow that explores the human condition through laughter, disputes and tears.Filioque is a short film written by Mr Jack Bowden and directed by Mr Jordan Russell, both second-year theatre media students, which presents a humorous examination of religion. It is a black comedy about a priest and the devil arguing about religion and life after death.The three-in-one program starts at 7pm on Thursday 14 July and runs for three nights finishing on Saturday 16 July at the Ponton Theatre (building 1434) at CSU in Bathurst.Tickets are $10 each for all three productions, and can be pre-purchased through TryBooking, or can be purchased at the door.

Art by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff member developed during her participation in a Hill End artist-in-residence program will be exhibited in Bathurst during the coming six weeks.The work of Ms Ruth Stone, a School Outreach Officer in the Office for Students based at CSU in Orange, will feature in The Space Between exhibition at the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) during July and August.Ms Stone said, "The BRAG Hill End Artist-in-Residence program is a testament to the vibrancy of regional Australia which Charles Sturt University champions so steadfastly."During my Hill End residency in 2014, I investigated the layers of history and the marks of time in this ghostly village in an effort to understand the myth and phenomenology of the history of its settlement."This collection of artwork represents a shift in my practice from abstract landscape painting to figurative works where spectral apparitions float in a space between night and day, sound and silence, earth and sky."The Space Between exhibition runs from Friday 1 July to Sunday 14 August at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Keppel Street, Bathurst. The official exhibition opening is at 6pm Friday 8 July.

Advancing child safety and child-friendly initiatives is the focus of a conference being held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 28 June.The Bathurst Child and Family Network (BCFN) is hosting the 'Working to build child-safe, child-friendly communities' one-day conference to promote child protection initiatives within the Bathurst region thanks to local network development funding from the Department of Family and Community Services.Nationally recognised speakers Mr Brian Babbington, the CEO of Families Australia, and Mr Andrew MacCallum, CEO of the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies, will address the conference.The BCFN has been awarded a CSU Community-University Partnership (CUP) grant under the Rural and Regional Community Initiated Research Program, to evaluate the initiative.Dr Sandie Wong (pictured), senior lecturer in CSU's School of Teacher Education and researcher at the Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE), said, "We're very pleased to be able to be part of such an important local initiative that puts children's rights first. Charles Sturt University academics will attend the conference, and Dr Tamara Cumming and I will undertake the project evaluation titled, 'Impact measurement: evaluation of the impact of Building a child-safe, child-friendly community initiative in Bathurst'."Ms Annette Meyers, facilitator of the Bathurst Early Learning Support (BELS) and chairperson of BCFN, said, "We believe that 'it takes a village to raise a child' and our vision is for all children and families to be happy, healthy, safe and thrive in Bathurst. We have a genuine desire to provide opportunities for children, young people and families to be heard and taken seriously."Conference participants will include senior managers, principals, directors and board members of relevant organisations.

Renowned author and social commentator Mr Hugh Mackay, AO, returns to Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst to deliver a CSU Explorations Series public lecture on Thursday 16 June.Mr Mackay (pictured) will discuss his new book, Beyond Belief: How we find meaning, with or without religion, which explores the ways we try to find a sense of meaning and purpose, and even a 'spiritual direction', in a society where traditional religious faith and practice are in sharp decline.Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Associate Professor Chika Anyanwu, said, "Charles Sturt University's Explorations Series is part of our Community-University Partnership (CUP) program to engage our communities in discussions and debate on major issues. The Exploration Series resonates with our role and mission as a regional University to explore and take education to rural and regional Australia as part of our community social responsibility, and to share and stimulate intellectual discussions in our communities."In Beyond Belief: How we find meaning and purpose without religion, Mr Mackay argues that while our attachment to a traditional idea of God may be waning, our desire for a sense of meaning remains as strong as ever. He looks at the various ways we try to find transcendence in our often stridently materialistic lives, and considers what may be lost with the wholesale casting out of organised religion. He strongly endorses the Christian ideal of the good life - a life lived for others - but acknowledges there are many pathways to that same goal, not all of them religious."It will be a great pleasure to welcome Mr Mackay to campus on Thursday 16 June to discuss some of these issues with our Bathurst and regional communities," Professor Anyanwu said. "As one of Australia's most widely respected authors, his book and lecture will stimulate passionate debate about one of the most important but least examined ways we negotiate our world and manage our lives."

The engineering course at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a feast of all things engineering over three days next week on the Bathurst campus.Engineering firms, local high schools and the wider Central West community will see and hear how the engineering profession assists national and local economic development and learn about opportunities to study engineering at CSU.All visitors can view the first projects completed by the inaugural student group enrolled in engineering at CSU in Bathurst, which are part of the annual Engineers Without Borders challenge for university students. These projects aim to produce solutions that address engineering problems in developing countries. [See details here]Day one (Tuesday 7 June 2016) will provide an opportunity for local engineers and their employers to address issues affecting them, including water quality, regional development, and the impact of local government restructure on the provision of engineering services to the community.On day two, high school students will have their own work on show while teachers receive the latest information on engineering and technology for schools.In the afternoon, visitors can also enjoy a comic debate on whether engineers would survive a 'zombie apocalypse'. The debate will take place in the environmentally sustainable CSU Engineering building, which will also be open for inspection throughout the three-day event.During the debate, younger budding engineers will be entertained at the nearby 'creation station', with spaghetti bridges, gallery wall paintings, a magician and the magic of science.Day three is the final demonstration of the student projects before they formally 'pitch' and exhibit their ideas in the gallery of the Engineering building.EngFest 2016 runs from 10am on Tuesday 7 June to 2pm on Thursday 9 June.See the event program for details of activities.

A radical adaptation of the ancient Greek tragedy The Trojan Women will see the play transposed to the modern age at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst next week.Final-year theatre/media students in the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries are staging Euripides' The Trojan Women in Bathurst from Monday 23 to Saturday 28 May.Director Mr Adam Deusien and final-year theatre/media student Ms Nina Oyama adapted this version of The Trojan Women from Euripides' original text."The Trojan Women is an exciting collaboration between the School of Communication and Creative Industries and CSU Engineering as one way to reveal the newly-opened building to the wider Bathurst public," Mr Deusien said."This site-specific and immersive theatre experience takes a harrowing look at bureaucracy, loss, and femininity across both the modern and ancient worlds, and will be performed using multiple spaces in the new state-of-the-art facility."While tickets are available at the door, the performances on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 are sold-out, and tickets for other performances are selling fast, so online booking at www.sprungfestival.com is recommended.

The relationship of Charles Sturt University (CSU) history students with cultural sites in Bathurst grew when they recently visited a National Trust of Australia (NSW) home to experience Australian colonial life.The second-year history students, many of whom are studying teacher education degrees, visited the historic Miss Traill's House in Bathurst as part of their exploration of the subject 'Colonial Australia'.History tutor in the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Bathurst Mr Sam Malloy (pictured with students, at right) said, "This subject explores how class mobility in 19th century colonial Australia included free convicts (emancipists) who rose to become middle-class. Students' insights into and empathy with bygone eras grows when they can step in an historic space and see tangible artefacts used in previous centuries."The collection at Miss Traill's House is one of the rarest examples in Australia. It shows in one place how two Bathurst pioneering families, the Lee and Kite families, prospered from convict and settler beginnings to become two of the most prosperous families in the Bathurst district."Mr Malloy said Miss Traill's House is an excellent example how its collection of original furniture, porcelain, paintings, and family memorabilia shows these dramatic changes in colonial fortunes."The house and its possessions derive from William Lee and Thomas Kite, Miss Ida Traill's maternal great-grandfathers, who were among the first ten men granted land in the Bathurst district in 1818 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie," Mr Malloy said."Miss Traill died in 1976 and bequeathed her house, family collection, and garden to the National Trust of Australia (NSW). The students' tour of the house included the formal rooms as well as the bedrooms, kitchen, and Miss Traill's personal office."