An historic documentary exploring Muslim people through Australian history is the subject of a free screening in Dubbo on Wednesday 21 September. Highlighting Australia’s first interaction with Muslims, the Macassans, who travelled and traded well before European settlement, the documentary chronologically navigates the milestones for the Muslim community post-European settlement. The film captures the ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of Muslims Down Under, and tells the stories of Muslim pioneers and their descendants, beginning with the pivotal role the Afghan camel herders played in the development of outback Australia, to the successful integration Muslims have made into modern Australian society. In the Footsteps of the Ancestors: Muslims Down Under by Ms Nada Roude can be seen from 6pm at the Western Plains Cultural Centre in Wingewarra Street in Dubbo. The event is hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in association with the Islamic Council of NSW.

Regional engagement will be the topic for discussion when Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Mr John Nolan addresses the 2011 Australian Local Government Aboriginal Network Conference in Dubbo on Thursday 15 September. As community relations officer for CSU’s Centre for Indigenous Studies, Mr Nolan is passionate about regional engagement. “My lineage is part Wangkumarra northwest of Bourke, and Wiradjuri on my father’s side,” Mr Nolan explains. “After spending the first nine years of my life living in railway tents, I moved into one of the first homes built in Dubbo by the Aborigines Welfare Board in 1955.” After finishing his schooling in Dubbo, Mr Nolan worked in positions with the NSW Aboriginal Lands Trust and Aboriginal Development Commission and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission before following his other passion, teaching, which saw him working at primary and secondary schools in Dubbo, Alice Springs and Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. “I’ve certainly seen how beneficial regional engagement is in large communities. I hope to pass my knowledge on at the Conference.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo will play host to a special NAIDOC Day celebration on Wednesday 21 September. The NAIDOC Day event hosted by the Barraamielinga Indigenous Student Services Unit will see invited community groups and community members such as the Dubbo Senior College ‘Indigenous Youth Leadership’ Scholars attend a BBQ lunch with the day themed Change: The next step is ours. Entertainment will feature award winning blues artist and 2011 Deadly Award nominee Buddy Knox and the Buddy Knox Blues Band, as well as local talent and 2011 Nanga Mai award winner Mr Kodi Lane. “It’s events like these that remind us of our heritage and celebrate our achievements as a community and as a nation,” said CSU Student Services Office team leader Mr Laurie Crawford. “We invite anyone to come along and enjoy the day.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo is only weeks away from having new sports and recreational facilities. The $ 2.5 million project will boast a 400 square metre indoor area plus sports courts. “Charles Sturt University in Dubbo continues to expand with this construction,” says Head of Campus, Dr Beverley Moriarty. “The facility will not only contribute to the student experience Dubbo but will also enable us to hold larger functions and community events on campus.” CSU already boasts a networked library, clinical and nursing laboratories and an interactive learning centre which is an award-winning architectural achievement. Rawson Constructions began building the new facilities in March. The project is funded by CSU and the Australian Government's Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations' Voluntary Student Unionism Transition Fund for Sporting and Recreation Facilities.  

The largest-ever group of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students and staff will provide physiotherapy and first aid services during the 2011 Tour de Timor, which commences from the capital of Timor-Leste, Dili, on Sunday 11 September. Six CSU physiotherapy and three nursing students and three staff will follow the Tour ‘peloton’ for six days around the mountainous, 600 kilometre course, providing medical services for tired, sore or injured riders. The CSU coordinator, Mr Tim Retchford, said the CSU students will gain valuable professional experience “while working in challenging conditions in a beautiful, though undeveloped, country”. This is the third time CSU students have provided these services during the Tour de Timor. The students and staff leave for Dili on Sunday 4 September to prepare themselves and riders for the event, as well as visiting local medical facilities. Meanwhile, PhD student at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Ms Nicola Wunderlich will take leave during her research in East Timor to cycle in the 2011 Tour De Timor. Read more on CSU News here.

In recognition of the 2011 'International Year of Chemistry', a public lecture hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Wagga Wagga City Council will explore how a series of seemingly unrelated chemical discoveries changed the course of history. Professor of Chemistry at Macquarie University in Sydney, Peter Karuso, will trace chemical connections from the humble shipworm to the discovery of antibiotics. "I'm hoping to show people how important chemistry is to their lives by showing how chemical discoveries have changed the course of history over and over again," he said. "Chemistry is so interesting and so powerful that it deserves the best and brightest minds. I hope in some small way to inspire young people and their parents to take an interest in things chemical as I am sure that chemistry will be at the heart of solutions to many of our current and future problems."

The annual Charles Sturt University (CSU) Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence will be presented at a ceremony at the University in Bathurst on Monday 5 September. The Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Ian Goulter, said, “The 2011 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence acknowledge the commitment, dedication and ongoing excellence demonstrated by both academic and professional staff across Charles Sturt University. I thank the award recipients for their efforts which collectively contribute to the continued success of the University.” The ceremony will start at 1pm at the James Hardie Room, Centre for Professional Development (S17) atCSU, Panorama Ave, Bathurst. A ceremony for the presentation of awards to CSU staff at its southern campuses was held on Monday 29 August.

Students from high schools across western NSW will be at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Tuesday 16 August as they consider studying education, nursing, social work and business at CSU. The Years 10 and 11 students will take part in the University’s MyDay, an initiative where high school students can experience a day in the life of a university student. Focusing on the courses offered at the Dubbo campus, high school students will participate in a hands-on business simulation, teaching and learning ability assessments and those interested in a career in nursing will get a head start with some skills and techniques. The University will also host general information sessions on accommodation and financial support, and staff from CSU Global will discuss overseas study opportunities.

A free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Wednesday 10 August will explore the growing awareness that many of the procedures routinely used to manage water resources can be inappropriate for Australian landscapes. Head of Campus, Dr Bev Moriarty, said the public lecture, titled Water, Drought and Climate Change, will be presented by renowned wetland scientist Professor David Mitchell from the CSU School of Environmental Sciences in Albury-Wodonga. “It’s a privilege to have Professor Mitchell address environmental topics of such importance to people in this region,” Dr Moriarty said. “Professor Mitchell will examine the growing concern that profound climatic changes can potentially undermine many of the strategies used to sustain agricultural output for domestic consumption and for export. Australia, he says, has the benefit of a relatively low population density, which will assist us to make the necessary adjustments for changes in a climate that is already characterised by significant variability.” The public lecture starts at 6pm Wednesday 10 August at the Lecture Theatre (Room 422) at CSU in Dubbo.