A Charles Sturt University (CSU) student is bringing the sound of the Scottish highlands to inland Australia. Studying at the CSU Wagga Wagga campus, James Martel is an international-level bagpipe player who has led the Sydney Anzac Day March on several occasions and was a finalist at the NSW solos competition. In 2003, James was appointed the Piping Cadet Under-Officer of Scot’s College band and performed solo at the State Theatre in Sydney for the Rugby World Cup Festival. In 2005 he was appointed as a bagpiping tutor at the Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, Scotland and piped at all Scottish rugby internationals. The highlight was his performance for Queen Elizabeth II during the official opening of the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh. James hopes to graduate with a CSU degree in Medical Imaging.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Bathurst Regional Council (BRC) hope to join forces on a grey water project which “will put Bathurst on the map as a leading water conservation city,” according to CSU research fellow Mr Daryl McGregor. The project will see 200 Bathurst homes fitted with a variety of grey water reuse treatment systems. “In partnership with BRC, CSU will take samples of what goes in the treatment plants and what comes out,” Mr McGregor explained. “We will measure power usage for pumps and how much cleaning and maintenance are required, while the treatment efficiency will be measured by laboratory analysis.” The subsequent recommendations could benefit people around Australia, says BRC’s manager of waste and water authority, Mr David Swan. “In the first instance, we are doing it in Bathurst but there is a wider application as well.”

The significant and historic role that the Wagga Wagga Teachers’ College played in the development of Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be honoured with a special naming ceremony in the city on Wednesday 22 September. A new student residential block at CSU will be named in honour of the College and the ongoing role played by the Wagga Wagga Teachers’ Alumni Association through the Charles Sturt Foundation. The student residence will be named ‘The WATAL’,  an acronym for Wagga Alumni Teachers’ Association Lodge, by the University’s Chancellor, Mr Lawrie Willett, AO, at a ceremony from 2.30pm at building 381, near car park 19,  CSU in Wagga Wagga. Ten representatives of the Wagga Wagga Teachers’ Alumni Association will be joined by members of the University’s governing body, the CSU Council. The Wagga Wagga Teachers’ College educated men and women from 1947 to 1972 when it was replaced by the Riverina College of Advanced Education.

Twenty theatre/media students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will stage A Night In The Never Never, an outdoor flea market with music and performers, on the William Street side of Machattie Park in Bathurst on Friday evening 15 October. Event coordinator, Mr Tom Griffiths, said, “A Night In The Never Never is part of the SPRUNG Festival collection of final year theatre/media students’ major projects, and will bring together the cultures of the University and the local community in a unique atmosphere that combines elements of carnival and vaudeville in an elemental array of light and shadow, sound and silence, fire, circus and a little bit of magic. The stalls are a combination of local businesses, artists and community groups. There are some community art projects that the public can add to and these are facilitated by the students. The event aims to take the audience on a visual and auditory journey stimulated by a transformed local landmark with roving characters and performance, culminating in a loud and comedic show at the end of the night.”

Having recently returned from a tour of the United Kingdom (UK) through the myOE Travel Scholarship program, Charles Sturt University (CSU) communication student Mr Angus Rutherford has begun his first job even before finishing his studies. “I think the trip to the UK was a great addition to my overall university experience,” Mr Rutherford said. “As part of the scholarship I made a video which showcases my skills in that area. I showed it to [employer] Coxinall Communications and now they have me doing some visual media work as part of my role.” Scholarships like myOE are giving CSU students the ability to discover the possibilities of working professionally overseas after graduating from university. “It was good to see how easily you could get set up in the UK if you wanted to work there,” Mr Rutherford said. For now, Mr Rutherford, from Wellington, NSW, is completing his studies and enjoying his second week of full-time employment in Australia.

Proving age is no barrier when it comes to further education, Ian Findlay’s thirst for knowledge has seen him earn his fourth university degree at the age of 81. Mr Findlay graduated from Charles Sturt University (CSU) with a Master of Systems Development from the Faculty of Science and Agriculture on Friday 20 April. Seventy years after starting school, Mr Findlay decided to further his studies through the CSU distance education program after being impressed by CSU’s “fabulous reputation and wonderful library”. He already had a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Engineering and a post graduate diploma in Computing Science. Mr Findlay says, “university studies keep my head together; I like to know things”. At this stage he doesn’t intend beginning a fifth university degree, but says his research will continue. CSU’s oldest graduand is Elizabeth Brown who was 82 when she graduated in June 2003 with a Graduate Diploma in Ageing and Pastoral Studies.

A two week visit to Timor Leste has brought together practice and theory in a unique cultural experience for eight students in the final year of their ecotourism degree at Charles Sturt University (CSU). The students, led by Dr Rik Thwaites from the School of Environmental Sciences at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, investigated the daily challenges faced by tourism planners, managers, operators and small Timorese communities in tourism enterprises. “Visiting a developing country and seeing the everyday activities undertaken by local people and how they lived their lives was an indescribable experience. The land, sea and local people are beautiful - so friendly, polite and welcoming,” said CSU ecotourism student, Mr Martin Hill. Fellow student, Ms Kimberley Kliska, said,  “I connected with local people and learned about their culture while participating in fun and educative experiences such as traditional cooking classes and home-stays, as well as trekking and snorkelling in places of astounding beauty. We studied ecotourism through direct experience and learned how it’s applied to a developing country while having an unforgettable experience with beautiful people in an amazing place.”

A team of seven physiotherapy, nursing and paramedic students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) repeated last year’s medical assistance to mountain bike riders in the Tour de Timor race around Timor Leste. CSU physiotherapy lecturer Mr Tim Retchford led the students in their provision of medical support for the mountainous race. “Last year we treated up to 60 patients a day for everything from knee and back strains to dislocations, abrasions and fractures,” Mr Retchford said. “We dine with the competitors each morning, travel ahead of them to the finish to set up our mobile clinic, and help ‘patch them up’ at the end of the day so the riders can get back into the race the next day. Our students gain invaluable professional experience treating injured athletes as well as witnessing this amazing country and bicycle race. It is a fantastic experience.” The 410 kilometre Tour de Timor started in the capital Dili on Monday 13 September and finished back in Dili on Friday 17 September.

The Macquarie Matrons have joined with Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dubbo Campus to offer an annual prize through the Charles Sturt Foundation for a female student from the local area to study at CSU in Dubbo. The $1 500 prize will be open to new and continuing female students from the Macquarie Valley, who can use the money for textbooks, travel and living expenses while studying. The Macquarie Matrons hope that their commitment will help make the dream of attending university more of a reality for one local student each year. “The Charles Sturt Foundation is always grateful to organisations willing to provide support to our students,” said Dr Beverley Moriarty, the Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo. “I applaud the Macquarie Matrons for their generosity and eagerness to give back to the towns they live in by creating this prize for a local student.”