The generosity of an Australian non-profit organisation has guaranteed four Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dentistry students receive more than $50,000 each towards their studies. At a recent scholarship and award function at CSU in Orange, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) awarded four first-year students annual scholarships of $10,000 during their five years of study. Since 1962 the VFFF has distributed in excess of $70 million to non-profit organisations in Australia. The future of young people is of particular interest to the VFFF, as are the special needs of Australians living beyond the major metropolitan centres, particularly in rural and outback Australia. “With graduates from the School Dentistry and Health Sciences encouraged to practice in regional Australia, these scholarships are not only helping four students each year, they stand to benefit regional Australia as a whole,” said Head of School, Professor David Wilson.

It’s not hard to see why Mr Lachlan Harris was recently appointed student president of the Student Representative Council at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo. He may only be 19 and in his first year of study, but this local Dubbo resident is passionate about his work, his study and his home town. While studying a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) degree, Mr Harris manages to hold two jobs and attend meetings in his role as student president. “The Student Representative Council at Charles Sturt University is keen to increase students’ interaction with the Dubbo community and we’re looking at how we can get more involved,” Mr Harris said. Having moved to Dubbo in primary school, Mr Harris is now a piano teacher at Macquarie Conservatorium, and through his teaching discovered his interest in educating young people. “I find it more enjoyable to teach children who haven’t learnt piano before and I’d like to pursue teaching as a career. I’m fortunate that Dubbo has a Charles Sturt University campus where I can study and still keep my friends and family close. I have a great job and a future here, so I’m stoked.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo will host a screening of the Freedom Ride 2011 documentary as part of a meeting of the Wiradjuri Elders Group and visitors from Orange this week. The documentary tells the story of last year’s Freedom Ride re-enactment which visited the University’s Dubbo Campus and Orange on the way from Sydney to Moree. The re-enactment traced the path of Charlie Perkins’ famous Freedom Ride bus trip in 1965, which helped break down segregation laws in Australia. Participants camped at the Dubbo Campus on their 2 300km, two-week trek through 21 regional communities. Community relations officer for CSU’s Centre for Indigenous Studies, Mr John Nolan, said Youth Connections staff from the NSW Central Coast, who organised the re-enactment, would address the meeting and distribute copies of the documentary. “The re-enactment participants met local elders and community members on their way through Dubbo last year and were given a warm welcome by the University, and the event organisers can now tell the local elders and community about their achievements,” Mr Nolan said. “Charles Sturt University’s regular Wiradjuri Elders Group meetings have helped forge a great connection between the University and the local community.”

The environment at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo has been assessed as healthy and improving, with details to be made public at an event at the University on Monday 23 September. Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo, Dr Bev Moriarty, said she is pleased with the outcome of the assessment, which was conducted at all CSU campuses as part of the strategy to reduce energy consumption and waste, and enhance the University’s sustainability. “Despite the continuing growth of the campus in Dubbo, we have reduced water, electricity and gas consumption relative to 2006 when the first data was recorded,” Dr Moriarty said. “A separate consultant’s assessment by FloraSearch undertaken earlier this year details flora and fauna species present on the campus. It includes recommendations to control foxes and feral cats in the wider neighbourhood, which might be targeted by relevant authorities in the future.” The CSU Environmental Scorecard will be launched at 12.45pm on Monday 16 September and will be followed by a barbeque at 1 pm.

Three Charles Sturt University (CSU) students with the School of Animal Science and Veterinary Science are making last minute preparations as they head off to the United States for international meat judging competitions and a meat industry study tour. In 2012, Mr Isaac Allen from Forbes, Ms Vanessa Campbell from Rutherglen, who is currently living and working in Wagga Wagga, and Ms Jordon Hoban from near Macksville in Northern NSW were named in the five-member Australian team to compete in two meat judging competitions in the USA. It follows their success last July at the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) and at a subsequent intensive Meat & Livestock Australia training program in Brisbane. The team is due to leave Australia for a three-week industry tour of the USA on Friday 11 January and return on Thursday 7 February. Ms Campbell said the trio is all very excited about the trip. “This is a really great opportunity because, as a fourth year vet science student, it gives me a chance to make international meat industry contacts and to see the industry differences between America and the way we do things back home,” she said.

If you think the leader of the Labor party is working tirelessly prior to the election this Saturday, try being her comic double, Julia Spillard. Having perfected Prime Minister Gillard’s voice, facial expressions and hand gestures, the character actor, comic and Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduate, Ms Gabby Millgate, is winning votes throughout the country as she visits various locations on her busy schedule. Ms Millgate, a graduate of CSU’s Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media), has been seen in movies such as Muriel’s Wedding and thriller Feed, on television, radio, theatre and has also worked as a script writer. She is thought of as one of Australia’s most versatile and resourceful actors. “Charles Sturt University’s Theatre/Media degree gives students the tools they need to succeed in any medium of the arts,” says senior lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Industries, Dr Gerard Boland. “Gabby is a perfect example of how our graduates use their skills to construct meaningful careers in the media, events and live entertainment industries.” Ms Millgate’s character, Julia Spillard, could be seeing a lot more work, if the election is won by the Labor party this weekend, which makes you wonder how Ms Millgate will vote.

A Wiradjuri Elder who was born and raised on the Talbragar Reserve near Dubbo, NSW, has been recognised at the recent annual Women Out West (WOW) awards on Saturday 31 July for her contribution to education and to Charles Sturt University (CSU). Aunty Pat Doolan, PSM,* was nominated by CSU education lecturer Ms Maria Bennet for her key role in supporting University staff and students with educational and cultural knowledge, and was awarded in the category ‘Dubbo Local Aboriginal Land Council Award for Outstanding Aboriginal Leadership inspiring generosity of spirit’. “The award is long overdue acknowledgement of Aunty Pat’s contribution and commitment to Indigenous education both within the region and more broadly, and she has had significant involvement with Charles Sturt University in Dubbo and the Centre for Indigenous Studies,” Ms Bennet said. “She has worked extensively across western NSW in community development, education, child protection, Aboriginal employment and community development to improve social outcomes for women and Aboriginal people in the Bourke and Dubbo communities.”

Students on the NSW North Coast can look forward to increased options and opportunities in higher education when TAFE NSW North Coast Institute and Charles Sturt University (CSU) sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding in Port Macquarie on Friday 23 July. CSU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers said the arrangement focuses on academic collaboration, including integrated programs that combine TAFE and university qualifications. “The agreement will increase the number and range of formal study pathways and articulation arrangements between the two institutions, which will allow students to complete a university degree without moving away from home,” he said. Institute Director for TAFE NSW North Coast Institute, Ms Elizabeth McGregor said that the MOU would support Commonwealth Government initiatives aimed at developing a more highly qualified population in regional Australia. “The local Education and Skills Forum is developing a collaborative approach to expand tertiary education on the North Coast, and TAFE NSW North Coast Institute and other forum members welcome Charles Sturt University’s decision to join us in these efforts,” she said.

Participants from Charles Sturt University (CSU) recently returned from a three-day OzGreen YouthLead workshop in Sydney. Thanks to sponsorship from CSU Green, one student and one trainee attended the conference “to gain leadership training and learn more about eco-social projects that forge pathways to sustainable futures,” said CSU Green manager Mr William Adlong. Ms Lucy Denniss-Arnold, a trainee at CSU, attended the workshop and was impressed with the calibre of young people who also took part. “Never have I been in the presence of a more compassionate, kind, welcoming group of people. They made the workshop a joy.” Ms Denniss-Arnold found the course inspiring and moving. Mr Adlong said that CSU Green may look to continue offering the sponsorship in future years. “It engages participants deeply with sustainability issues and builds commitment to take actions that make a difference.”