Theatre/media students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and members of the public will be able to attend a Shakespeare masterclass by one of the great British actors, Mr Barrie Ingham, who was given his Broadway debut opportunity by Sir John Gielgud. Mr Ingham will perform his one-man show The Actor at CSU’s Ponton Theatre on the Bathurst Campus on Tuesday 26 August, and will present the Shakespeare masterclass on Wednesday 27 August. Mr Karl Shead, Theatre Technical Officer at the CSU School of Communication, explained that The Actor was devised by Barrie Ingham and Terry Hands during their time together at the Royal Shakespeare Company. “The play asks ‘who and what is an actor?’, and reveals how all of us are actors. It has been performed in New York and London, and toured to South Africa, Australia and throughout USA,” The performance and masterclass arise from the partnership between the Local Stages/Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre program in Bathurst, which provides performing arts development opportunities for artists in the region, and the theatre/media department at CSU’s School of Communication.

The heads of intelligence agencies gathered in the New Zealand (NZ) capital of Wellington in August to hear from guest speaker and Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Mr Patrick Walsh. Over 150 intelligence officers attended the inaugural conference of the New Zealand Institute of Intelligence Professionals. Mr Walsh, who addressed the intelligence officers after the conference was opened by NZ Prime Minister The Hon. Helen Clark, is a senior lecturer in criminal intelligence at CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing (AGSP) based in Manly, Sydney. He is also the course co-ordinator for the University’s intelligence program and  a vice-president of the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO). “It was an honour to address this inaugural event,” Mr Walsh said on his return to Australia. “I talked about the history of AIPIO as a professional body for the Australian intelligence community and the role tertiary education can play in collaboration with intelligence agencies in delivering industry-relevant intelligence education programs”

Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Dubbo Campus will mark the National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration (NAIDOC) for the first time on Wednesday 27 August. Head of the CSU Dubbo Campus and Director of the University’s Centre for Indigenous Studies, Mr Gary Shipp, said NAIDOC is a very significant part of the Australian Aboriginal calendar of events which began in the 1930s when William Ferguson commenced his fight for the rights of Aboriginal people, giving impetus to the May 1967 Referendum. “This year is important for CSU Dubbo Campus to celebrate this occasion and have special guests to share with us their stories and art,” Mr Shipp said. “It will be our first NAIDOC, and I am proud to have Roy and June Barker, elders from Lightning Ridge, and Lewis Burns, a renowned local Aboriginal artist. The activities on Dubbo campus will provide an insight into Aboriginal culture, music and art. It is a time for reflection and sharing stories with visiting and local elders and school students from senior schools in Dubbo.”

The Beijing Olympics represents the biggest ‘catwalk’ on the Earth for sport shoemakers who are ardently promoting their wears, according to podiatrist and Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Mr Cameron Kippen. “The real glittering prize is market dominance, with China the ultimate goal,” said Mr Kippen, who in investigating the latest releases from major shoe manufacturers such as the Lone Star Spike and Zoom Victory Spike. “In preparation for the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, technicians in the multinational companies have prepared hi-tech footwear, but they have refused to promote new products which claim records will fall because of their products.” The ‘academic footman’ has researched the latest sport shoe designs and believes, however, athletic records will fall with the help of this equipment. Mr Kippen provides up-to-date commentary on sport shoes at the Olympics though his online blog, feetandtheolympics.

With the Australian Dental Association focusing on fluoride during Dental Health Week, Dubbo-based dental therapist MsLynne Turner is encouraging local families to ensure their children’s teeth are getting the attention they need. "Fluoridated water supplies are critical to helping fight tooth decay, so we encourage local residents, especially children, to drink the town water. It's important to speak to your dentist or oral health therapist about how a good diet, good oral hygiene and drinking fluoridated water all contribute to sound oral health." Lynne is the only full-time dental therapist working in the Dubbo area but more are expected in years to come with the opening of Charles Sturt University's oral health therapy course in Wagga Wagga. "CSU students will be involved with many aspects of preventative dentistry, including an understanding of the positive impacts of fluoridation within our populations,” says senior lecturer Dr Sabrina Manickam. "Unfortunately tooth decay in young children is still evident, particularly in lower socio-economic groups, so our students will be encouraged to continue the education of parents, ensuring good oral health practices for families."  

A team of seven Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are looking to go ‘one better’ after completing the 2008 City-to-Surf Fun Run last month in Sydney. The team – including Brad White, Andrew Burns and Dominique Ferguson who were the fastest runners in the Brooks Podiatry Team – came second by 35 seconds to the eventual winners. “I am sure we can make that up next year and go one better,” said Mr White, the team leader. “Not a bad showing for a group of ‘no name’ university students!” The students, who are all enrolled in CSU’s podiatry course, based on its Albury-Wodonga Campus, are already talking about improving their performances in next year’s event.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has called on the mediation community to consider that it now deserves the title of ‘a profession’. Associate Professor Anne Ardagh addressed the question ‘Is Mediation now a Profession?’ during her recent address to a dinner in Canberra to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Conflict Resolution Service (CRS) in the ACT. “Even though there is no one recognised path to becoming a mediator, mediators are becoming more educated through university and TAFE qualifications, and perhaps on quality assurance grounds the mediation community should embrace the idea that it now deserves the status of a profession,” said Professor Ardagh. The CSU academic believes mediation is at a stage that perhaps psychology or social work or counselling was at not so long ago.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are making the battle against obesity and eating disorders personal with a cooking competition to show healthy eating can be cheap as well as nutritious, quick, tasty and good looking. Three student groups – the Nutrition and Dietetics (or Nut) Club, the Social Workers Club and the Health Action Team – are gathering favourite student recipes for a recipe book, with the top 12 recipes entered into a cook-off competition to be held in October on the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus. A panel of local judges will name the winner of a $150 voucher for groceries. President of the Nut Club, Mr Kingsley Vance, hopes that initiatives like this will help the communities within CSU campuses – Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga – to improve their food choices. “University students are often at risk of not eating a nutritious diet, so our competition is all about raising awareness of good nutrition in all our communities,” he said.

A call has gone out for the donation of books to establish a social work and social development library in Nepal ahead of an international conference there later this year. The International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) will hold its Asia-Pacific branch conference in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, in November. “We would like practitioners, academics and students to donate one recent and relevant social work, social development or related text,” said ICSD Asia-Pacific president and Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Associate Professor Manohar Pawar.“As part of the Consortium’s commitment to development, education, research and practice in the region, the book project aims to improve access to books for those studying or working in social work and social development. Nepal is one of the least developed land-locked countries in the world. It has three schools of social work and their students would appreciate some concrete assistance.” For further information about the book project contact CSU lecturer Dr Lynelle Osburn losburn@csu.edu.au or Professor Pawar. mpawar@csu.edu.au