Education & training

Virginia Gale. On President Beth Gale’s patio we all gathered together for a quick meeting as there wasn’t a lot to report. We were then joined by Skye MacPherson, Project Coordinator for South Eastern Red Tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii) ... The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo are on the endangered list and there are about 1500 in the South East.

Greenmount State School is one of fifteen schools in Queensland that is taking part in Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) Zoomed-In-Science virtual outreach program ... “For rural communities this program provides access to fabulous lab facilities, and knowledgeable staff who are in tune with students and who demonstrate a real keenness to engage all students in all things science": Greenmount teacher, Kelly Stenzel.

Kirstin Nicholson. Leitchville’s Matthew Hawken is part of a new program designed to strengthen the future of regional communities through capacity building and collaboration. The Drought Resilience Leaders Development Program is an initiative of the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund offered in 12 regions around Australia. The Mallee region program includes 25 people working in agriculture, financial service providers, irrigators and self-employed business consultants.

Research led by a Charles Sturt University academic examined the innovative ‘SayBananas!’ app that may assist children with speech sound disorders (SSD) and their parents living in less populated areas ... the effectiveness study examined the usability and rating of ‘SayBananas!’, a Mario-style video-game providing high-dose individualised speech therapy with rural Australian children.

Grain growers across the wheatbelt have gathered to hear the latest advice for managing mouse damage to crops this growing season at a series of in-paddock workshops with Steve Henry, leading mouse expert and research officer from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO. The field walks visited 11 locations across four days, from Calingiri down to Beaumont, as part of a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investment addressing increased mouse activity in WA’s grainbelt.

Two hundred years ago, a university was judged on the quality of its teaching, today it is on its research output. While there are many dedicated academics who produce useful research, the “publish or perish" syndrome can also lead to undesirable outcomes. I heard recently that a retired scientist published 400 peer-reviewed papers, as well as two books in a 40 year career. I calculated that a paper was produced, on average, every five weeks.

Chris Oldfield. The community spirit of Tatiara District Council was on show last week when its monthly meeting was held in Padthaway’s sporting complex. Some of the many key issues raised included road safety, a lack of child care and wishes for a school hall and pool. The issues were raised by Padthaway Primary School’s Years 5 and 6 class.

Offshore wind turbines are getting bigger every year, a trend that already helps offshore wind reduce costs all over the world. Whilst recent research suggests that costs will continue to dip as wind turbines get bigger and are deployed further offshore, the challenges to the design of the floating platform that supports the wind turbine increase.

Nicole Funston. What a wonderful weekend of horses and ponies. We started on Saturday with a show jumping clinic with Allan Mitchell. A legend of his trade and finished off on Sunday with our August Rally.

Serena Kirby. The Denmark Art Club has breathed new life into the old Murphy’s workshop since it opened for classes earlier this year. Bought by art teacher Kendel Lynam, and her husband Nick in 2020, the once dilapidated shed has undergone a major transformation and created an artistic hub for young and old students.

Frank Batini’s article (The role of academics in influencing the perceived threat from climate change) highlights how data can be misused to achieve an end. The ‘peer review’ process is intended to ensure that scientific findings are credible and justifiable. But with the frenzy to publish for academic standing and the proliferation of journals wanting to accommodate them, the peer review process often fails under the pressure ...ARR.News asked a few questions of Jack.

The Aurora Foundation announced that Trinity College alum Ethan Taylor is one of two Charlie Perkins scholarship recipients for 2022 ... Ethan says that this opportunity is his first step towards injecting the lived experiences of Aboriginal people into professional political philosophy.

"Staffing rural and regional schools remains an intractable problem in Australia, and there are no one size fits all solutions,” write Professors John Buchanan and Paul Burke of the University of Technology Sydney. They are the authors of a new study in the  Australian Journal of Education  that evaluates incentives used to attract teachers out of Australia's cities.

Pam Dillon. Allana Bold from “All About Paddling” travelled from Queensland to conduct a three-day canoe and kayak course held out at Tingkkarli (Lake Mary Ann). Seven participants were taught the different strokes of canoeing, navigation, minimal environmental impact, knots, rescues, towing, communication, risk assessment, interpret weather, parts of both crafts, how to conduct a paddling brief and run a paddling activity.

Lockhart baker Steve Peters has awarded the first of his Blue Bird Cafe Restaurant scholarships to nursing student Holly Louise Fordham. Mr Peters is giving something back to the community by offering university students from Lockhart Shire the chance to receive some money from the scholarship incentive he is offering.

Have you ever reached for a bright yellow bunch of bananas over bruised ones? Or perhaps you’ve tossed a half-full packet of spinach into the trash to free up fridge space. Chances are at some point in your life, you’ve contributed to the global food wastage problem. And you’re not alone ... In his final year studying a Bachelor of Property at Bond University, Mr Creese launched Dehydrated Co, a business which transforms fruit bound for the bin into a dried garnish with a long shelf life.

Asparagopsis is a native Australian seaweed rich in bromoform. It’s the bromoform compound within the seaweed feed supplement that reduces livestock methane emissions by up to 98 per cent. So why isn’t Asparagopsis a commodity of large scale? One of the key issues is its availability; but one scientist is on the brink of a discovery which could drive a surge in demand for this seaweed biomass.

On the 15th November 1897, the first students rocked up to the new Nobby State School, signalling the start of one of the most successful small schools in the local area with students still achieving at the school in 2022. As well as having a good academic record, Nobby is a school that knows how to turn on a great event for its community so locals are looking forward to the celebration.

Catholic schools across Queensland celebrated their community spirit during Education Week - the theme being Communities of Faith, Hope and Love. The official launch was held at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Toowooomba ... Allora’s St Patrick’s School was represented by the Principal Keith Blaikie and students Douglas E., Mili W. and Maggie P.

National Indigenous Radio Service (NIRS). World Ranger Day was commemorated on Sunday the 31st of July – a day to acknowledge the work rangers do to protect our planet’s natural treasures and cultural heritage ... Meriam man and Senior Ranger Aaron Bon spoke to NIRS News, and said the training helped rangers identify, rescue, and treat wildlife impacted by oil spills.

In partnership with Varuna, The National Writers’ House, the New England Writers’ Centre is delighted to announce that entries are now open for the fourth year of the prestigious Varuna-New England Writers’ Centre Fellowship.

A small central Queensland state school now has a secure drinking water supply, after six years of dry taps and plastic bottles. Australia’s most trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, has facilitated the installation of a SOURCE Hydropanel array at Valkyrie State School and believes that this technology could help facilitate drinking water security for other struggling schools.