A nationwide quest to locate relatives of Australian miners who travelled to the Klondike goldfields in remote north-west Canada at the end of the 1800s will see a Charles Sturt University (CSU) history researcher deliver a free public lecture in Bright, Victoria, on Saturday 26 November. Dr Rob McLachlan, an adjunct senior lecturer in history at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU in Bathurst, said “North-east Victoria provided a fascinating contingent of miners for the Klondike gold rush. Some were highly experienced miners, like Charlie Lloyd, while others, such as Alfred Abraham and his three mates, were young lads off on the great adventure of a lifetime. These are just a few of the men from this area who went to the Klondike.  My talk will tell the story of the Klondike through their experiences and, where I can, in their own words. It is a story of both great achievement and heart breaking tragedy. I am hoping the talk will reveal some relatives of Australian Klondikers, who may be able to assist my research. I have now identified several hundred Australians who made it to the Klondike, but I am sure there are more to be found.”

The Booranga Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will launch its annual anthology of poetry and short-stories, fourW in the city on Saturday 19 November.  This is the 22nd edition and makes the anthology one of the longest running journals of its kind. Editor Mr David Gilbey said fourW twenty-two links regional voices to more established and international writers. “New works by recent writers-in-residence at Booranga Writers’ Centre Ms Ali Cobby Eckermann and Mr Jim Haynes are included alongside regional-based writers Mr Derek Motion, Ms Jane Downing and Ms Louise D’Arcy.”  FourW twenty-two will be launched by local newspaper columnist Mr Graham Gorrell in the library, Civic Centre, Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga from 2.30pm  The winner of the annual $250 Booranga Prize for poetry and prose will be announced at the launch.

December hails the arrival of the graduation season at Charles Sturt University (CSU). In response to the needs of students, CSU is holding its graduations in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Canberra, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga from Saturday 10 December to Saturday 17 December. The change from a graduation season in the first half of the year will allow students at CSU to attend their ceremony and receive their awards much closer to the completion of their course. Graduations will be held at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Friday 16 December and Saturday 17 December; in Bathurst on Thursday 15, Friday 16 and Saturday 17 December; in Canberra on Saturday 10 December; in Dubbo on Monday 12 December; in Orange on Tuesday 13 December; and in Wagga Wagga on Monday 12, Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December. Read more here.

Local childcare providers and early childhood educators are invited to attend a free forum about infant and toddler education and care with Charles Sturt University (CSU) teaching staff and international researchers in Bathurst on Friday 25 November. Associate Professor Linda Harrison, lecturer and researcher at the School of Teacher Education  at CSU in Bathurst said, “This event concludes a five-day symposium at Charles Sturt University on infant and toddler education and care, and offers local practitioners a unique opportunity to meet and talk with international researchers and authors from the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Finland, and the United States. Each presenter will speak about current practices and policy challenges in early education and care in their own countries. The presentations by the international panel will be followed by a discussion with members of the audience to consider the current directions and challenges in Australian services for infants and toddlers.” The event is supported by the University’s Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE) and the Faculty of Education Professional Experience Office.

For the first time, Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will host a meeting of the peak body in Australasia for universities engaged in open, distance, flexible and e-learning education. The quarterly forum of the Australasian Council on Open, Distance and e-Learning (ACODE) will be held at CSU on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 November. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Ms Shirley Oakley, will welcome about 30 participants from Australia and New Zealand to the Sustaining e-Learning Innovations symposium. “We are delighted that Charles Sturt University is to host this event because e-learning is a central aspect of the delivery of our courses to students wherever they reside,” said Ms Oakley. “Charles Sturt University has one of the most balanced and extensive educational technology portfolios in the higher education sector.” The theme of the conference is ‘Sustaining eLearning Innovations: From conception to maturity’.

High school history teachers from across southern NSW will gather in Albury on Friday 11 November to discuss aspects of good history teaching, particularly in the early years of high school. Lecturer with the Murray School of Education at CSU in Albury-Wodonga Mr Paul Grover said events such as this one are vital for the professional development of teachers. “The history syllabus is changing with the introduction of the national Australian Curriculum, new history teaching technologies are being introduced and teachers change. In such a world, professional development days are vital to keep history teachers up to date with new resources and innovative teaching strategies,” he said. In the evening during a dinner for the Border History Teachers’ Network in Albury, historian and CSU Adjunct Associate Professor Bruce Pennay OAM will explore the role of the former Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre near the NSW-Victorian border in post-war immigration in Australia, and why these experiences might provide important lessons to modern immigration policies.  

Indigenous staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will meet in Orange this week to engage in professional development, encourage interaction and strengthen networks at the annual Indigenous Staff Conference. Held on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 November, the conference will be titled Nguluway, a Wiradjuri word meaning ‘meeting with each other’. “Charles Sturt University has increased its Indigenous staff numbers in recent years and we currently have 56 in total, equating to 2.7 per cent of the staff population,” CSU Indigenous Employment Coordinator, Ms Catherine Maxwell said. “We recruit Indigenous staff to cover a broader range of areas within the organisation. We now have Indigenous staff not only represented within the Centre for Indigenous Studies at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo and the Indigenous Student Services’ centres across our campuses but also within our divisions, faculties and service areas.”

Final preparations are underway for the annual Vintage Dinner at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Friday 11 November. Hosted by the Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga Mr Adrian Lindner, the evening will celebrate the CSU Winery’s 2011 vintage as well as the slow food movement and environmental sustainability. New initiatives introduced into the Vintage Dinner this year include sourcing the majority of the food from within a 100 mile radius; cooking the meal in the slow food tradition; the use of cutlery made from bamboo, a renewable resource, and serviettes made from a bamboo and cotton blend; and the use of oil lanterns to reduce electricity use. More than 270 guests are due to attend the dinner in the Convention Centre, with entertainment by singer Mr Darren Coggan.  Special guest at the 2011 Vintage Dinner is Dr Glenn Withers, Chief Executive Officer of Universities Australia. He will be accompanied by CSU Chancellor Mr Lawrie Willett AO and Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Ian Goulter, who departs CSU at the end of 2011.

A friend’s recovery from prostrate cancer has spurred one of the public faces of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga to focus on men’s health in November. The normally clean-shaven Head of Campus, Mr Adrian Lindner will grow a moustache as part of the national Movember campaign. “My moustache will spark conversations and no doubt generate some laughs; all in the name of raising vital awareness and funds for prostate cancer and male depression,” said Mr Lindner. “My best friend from high school had prostate cancer. He is not alone as official figures show one in nine Australian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. So I hope people will give what they can for prostate research to help us old blokes. People can support my participation in the Movember campaign by making a donation online.”