Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Dubbo will host a public lecture examining the difficult questions surrounding the provision of health care services in rural and remote . ‘What Health Services Should Rural Australia Have?’ will be presented by the University’s Professor of Rural and Remote Pharmacy Patrick Ball at 6pm on Wednesday 12 August at CSU at Dubbo. Professor Ball will present his findings from a study of health care services in two similar rural communities in NSW. “Our research provides evidence that what is required is more flexibility in allowing communities to develop approaches that meet their individual needs, based more upon access to services, rather than necessarily their physical presence,” said Professor Ball. The lecture will be held in room 422, lecture theatre, CSU at Dubbo. CSU wines and cheeses will be served after the lecture.

Ties between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Connemara Pony’s homeland are set to strengthen when the Ambassador of Ireland, His Excellency Máirtín O'Fainín, visits Wagga Wagga on Friday 7 August to tour the University’s horse breeding and teaching facilities. Also attending is Mr John Dawkins, former federal Treasurer and President of The Connemara Breeder’s Society of Australia, which is collaborating with CSU in a program to improve the breed. CSU is the only university undertaking a program involving the Irish native Connemara Pony. Veterinary science, animal science and equine students learn to handle, train and manage horses as part of their courses, and the Connemara Pony, which is smaller and not as intimidating as larger horses, has proven ideal. “The visit by the Ambassador is a wonderful opportunity to explain our program and to forge a closer relationship with the government of Ireland,” said Head of the School of Veterinary Science at CSU, Professor Kym Abbott. CSU’s Equine Centre is currently leasing four mares and one stallion and the School plans to continue working with The Connemara Breeder’s Society for the benefit of both the students and the breed.

The National Roads and Motorists Association (NRMA) has awarded Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) community radio station 2MCE a $5 000 grant to produce an innovative road safety radio campaign. The campaign will target young drivers about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving, particularly during the hazardous winter months on roads between Bathurst and Orange. Coordinator of 2MCE’s Studio 4, Bronwen Matherson, said that CSU students will be involved in the production of the NRMA radio campaign. “This campaign will give local youth the chance to share their driving stories and experiences while raising road safety awareness at the same time,” Ms Matherson said. The campaign will include the production of four “driver safety” radio announcements to be broadcast 200 times each, and the exploration of road safety issues on 2MCE’s youth issues program That’ll Learn Ya. 2MCE operates from CSU’s Bathurst Campus.

The emerging market of conservation real estate will be in focus at a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Orange next week. Local residents are encouraged to attend the lecture where Nature Conservation Trust of NSW chief executive officer Mr Rob Dunn will explain the work of the Trust, outline how it is helping to protect private properties with high conservation values, and examine the emerging market of conservation real estate. The Nature Conservation Trust is a non-profit organisation that aims to protect rare plants and animals on private land. Many of the state’s unique plant and animal species survive outside National Parks on unprotected private land. However, many of these sites are under increasing threat from factors such as climate change, drought and general neglect. The properties protected by the Trust include small lifestyle blocks, major wilderness properties and large agricultural properties in the Riverina and Central West.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Dubbo is hosting the twenty-second annual Western Districts National Exhibition of Photography during the month of August. Coordinator of the competition and exhibition, Ms Lorna White from Dubbo said, “This event grows in quantity and quality of entries every year, with entries from most states in Australia. We’re delighted it is again displayed at Charles Sturt University, and visitors to the exhibition will be impressed by the range of subjects and approaches taken by individual photographers.” The exhibition received 292 film print entries from which 100 prints from 33 entrants were selected for display in five sections - Open Colour, Open Monochrome, People, Nature and Photo Journalism. There is also a digital images category which received 964 submissions from which 293 images were selected from 96 entrants in the sections Open, Nature, People, Photo Journalism and Photo Travel. The exhibition opened at the Interactive Learning Centre at CSU on Monday 3 August and ends on 28 August.

The 'Write Around the Murray' Writers Festival that begins in Albury this week will include a large presence from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in one of the Festival’s most popular community events. Ms Jenni Munday from the University’s Murray School of Education based in Albury is coordinating two Literary Pub Crawls through Albury, while several colleagues will present local and Australian writing to an audience moving between indoor and outdoor locations around central Albury.  Mr John Rafferty, a lecturer in science education, will present some wry and witty poetry to perform at the ‘pub location’ in this year’s event. Finalists in the Rotary Poetry competition will also present their works. "It's wonderful to have young poets reading their own work - it gives their work more of an airing", says local writer, Dotty Simmons, whose writing is also featured in two stages of the walk. The first of the two 'pub crawls' will start at 6pm on Thursday 6 August, leaving from the Albury Library Museum in Kiewa St. The second ‘crawl’ will leave from the Zed Bar in Dean Street at 6pm on Sunday 9 August. Prospective audience members are asked to arrive early.

Researchers at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are seeking participants aged 50 years or more for a study of the long-term side-effects of hormonal therapy on musculoskeletal structure and function in prostate cancer patients. Dr Jack Cannon, lecturer and researcher at the CSU School of Human Movement Studies at Bathurst, says, “Men who have received hormonal therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer are at significant long-term risk of osteoporosis, frailty, falling, and reduced functional ability. The results of this study of muscle strength, body composition, and bone mineral density will help to determine the long-term side-effects of hormonal therapy on musculoskeletal structure and function in such patients. This will assist in the development of interventions aimed to minimise long-term musculoskeletal risks and reduce secondary health conditions in these individuals. Testing will require only a single visit to our laboratory for about an hour, and anyone from the wider Central West region who has been treated for prostate cancer is invited to participate,” Dr Cannon said.

Kindergarten students and teachers in Albury are hoping to revitalise the old saying  ‘a picture can lead to a thousand words’ as part of a literacy research project being run by Charles Sturt University (CSU). Literacy researcher Dr Noella Mackenzie is working with ten teachers and 60 students to explore how children’s love of drawing can be used to support them as they learn to write. “Starting school provides many challenges for children, including learning to write. Writing is the most artificial and difficult of all language activities, because it demands skills from children which differ markedly from talking, reading and listening,” says Dr Mackenzie. “Teachers can make this process easier for children if they use a child’s existing strengths. Children’s drawings allow them to explore their ideas in drawing and talking before moving into the abstract process of writing.” Dr Mackenzie will explore these ideas with local teachers on Thursday 6 August, from 1.30 to 3pm at the Murray School of Education, CSU Thurgoona site. She recently presented early results of her research at a national literacy conference in Hobart, Tasmania.

The Dean of the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Nick Klomp, a notable science media personality, will present entertaining public talks about science at the University’s various campuses during August. Members of the community, government and industry representatives, and future students are invited to attend to learn about initiatives currently planned or being implemented in various science disciplines at CSU, such as: the opening of dental clinics on five CSU campuses; a recently completed, environmentally sustainable building that has already won building awards and been awarded six green stars as a world class example of building sustainability; new courses and international opportunities for CSU students; the new $44 million state-of-the-art ‘science precinct’; and current science research at CSU that will ultimately contribute to results which significantly improve industries, communities and the environment. Presentations, which will be open to the public, will be held between 4pm and 5pm, followed by refreshments.