Ms Rebecca Moore has seen her share of mental illness.She will share her personal journey of hope, recovery and resilience in the face of depression and anxiety as part of the Explorations Series public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Tuesday 22 August.Ms Moore spent most of her career in the airline industry as a flight attendant and is a volunteer speaker for beyondblue, a national organisation that works to raise awareness about anxiety and depression, reduce the associated stigma, and encourage people to seek help.She became a speaker because she wanted to 'pay it forward' by encouraging others to talk to their friends or doctor if they feel they may have symptoms of depression and anxiety.In addition to speaking about her own experiences, she will also outline how the audience can seek help, or support a friend or family member who may find themselves in a difficult position.Ms Moore's interests include running, yoga, reading, going to concerts and music festivals - she is a big fan of Kylie Minogue - and is currently completing study in nutritional medicine. Ms Moore is also a proud mother of two boys, aged three and five.Ms Moore's free public lecture, titled 'Hope, recovery and resilience', will run from 7pm to 8pm on Tuesday 22 August in the CD Blake Auditorium (room 104), building 751 (car park 2), off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.To attend this free public lecture, and for catering purposes as the lecture is followed by light refreshments, please register for this event.

A marketing consultant to the agribusiness sectors in North-East Victoria aims to increase her skills to help expand opportunities in these industries through a leadership program starting this month at Charles Sturt University (CSU).Ms Alison Lloyd aims to learn the leadership skills she needs to help the local food and wine industries take advantage of the growing opportunities offered through tourism in the region."I believe there is great potential offered by the emerging agri-tourism sector. Visitors from major Australian cities and overseas are enthralled by the environment and quality produce of our region, and they want more," Ms Lloyd said."I want to help local businesses create attractive experiences for these visitors, and tell their stories far and wide."To obtain these advanced leadership skills, Ms Lloyd is taking part in the 12-month Regional Leadership Program Course being offered by CSU at the Wangaratta Regional Study Centre."I will need to draw on highly developed skills in communication, project management and stakeholder engagement," she said."It's not an easy thing to do, to bring together the interests and concerns of a wide group of people into a single vision - so I need every skill I can get, which I aim to get through this program."The CSU Regional Leadership Program builds on the personal and skills development in the Alpine Valleys Community Leadership Program which Ms Lloyd recently completed.Ms Lloyd currently works extensively with the regional 'Wines of the King Valley' marketing board and is a board member with the Beechworth Food Co-op.Coordinator of the CSU Regional Leadership Program, Ms Ilena Young, noted that the program can also lead to the Master of Business Leadership, also offered through CSU."I am delighted to get this inaugural program off the ground in the region.  We have had interest from people in such varied sectors as health, environmental management, education and planning, all of them located in North-East Victoria," Ms Young said. The first two-day module of the Regional Leadership Program commences at the Wangaratta Regional Study Centre, 218 Tone Road, Wangaratta, on Thursday 27 July.

A project to provide equipment to teach robotics in a Corowa school has been awarded $1 000 through the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Community-University Partnerships (CUP) program.Principal at St Mary's Primary School in Corowa, Mr Glenn McMahon, said the grant will be used to purchase robots to enhance the coding education already practiced at the school."This is part of our push to encourage education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in our schools," Mr McMahon said."For example, in our school we want to develop a rural hub for digital technology and STEM education accessible to 40 schools within one hour drive of Corowa."We are so excited to have been the recipients of this grant. We can't wait to put it into action," Mr McMahon said.In the latest round of grants, the University provided around $25,000 for community projects across all its campuses, from Albury-Wodonga to Port Macquarie.Head of Campus at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Dr Jenni Munday, said "the CUP program supports the development of our regions through contributions to cultural, economic, sporting and related activities."It also builds aspirations and awareness of higher education particularly among young people living in rural and regional communities."This year saw a number of CUP grants awarded to projects involving STEM education in regional schools.