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We wish you all a merry Christmas

December 21, 2004

Booloominbah in the snowTo all our readers, thanks for your support through 2004. We will be suspending our daily news service over the Christmas period, returning in the New Year on Tuesday, January 4.
Since introducing a daily news coverage of what’s happening at UNE – the only university in NSW to do so – we have become one of the University’s most popular websites, attracting more than 10,000 “visits” a week.
It’s been a golden year for UNE, which celebrated its 50th anniversary as an autonomous institution with a series of events, including the book launch of the History of UNE, A Spirit of True Learning, by Dr Matthew Jordan.
Other highlights from the year include Professor Mike Morwood’s discovery of a new human species, Homo Floresiensis (October 28), groundbreaking research into chemicals produced from cooking meat and fish that can cause cancer (February 13), an international symposium on roadside memorials (June 25), a new book on Australian magpies by Professor Gisela Kaplan (November 11) and a paper on the portrayal of witches in popular films such as Harry Potter (July 21).
The University has also seen the opening of its new access centres in regional towns, including Moree, Narrabri, Tenterfield, Gunnedah and Coonabarabran.
Students can now access lecturers and study online from these centres, all equipped with video-conferencing facilities and offering a quiet place to study.
If you have an emergency media query over the break, phone Lydia Roberts on (0438) 234 152.
We hope you have a very merry Christmas and look forward to an exciting 2005.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 11:54 AM

A family affair for Malaysian alumni

December 20, 2004

Malaysian group.jpg The University of New England could have no more enthusiastic advocate than Professor Dato’ Dr Kamarudin Kachar who returned to the campus last week with six of his grandchildren who he hopes will attend the University.
Professor Kachar and his family lived in Armidale between 1976-79 when he completed his PhD in Higher Education Management.
From that time he has maintained regular contact.
He has still owns the house he bought in the city so three of his four children could attend UNE, has received a Distinguished Alumni award from the University and is currently patron of the very active Malaysian UNE Alumni Association.

Professor Kachar attributes his not inconsiderable success and distinguished career to his UNE qualification which he says “led to very rapid promotion” in his home country.
On his return he became Dean of Education at the University of Putra, its Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice Chancellor before being appointed Director General of Biro Tata Negara National Civic Education Bureau.
Subsequently he served as Education Director of the Mara Education Foundation, Dean of Education at the University of Malaysia, Sabah, and foundation Vice-Chancellor of the University Industry Selangor.
In semi-retirement he still works as an education consultant and is keen to send as many of his 12 grand children as possible to UNE.
“Things have changed since I came to study in Armidale,” he said. “There were only five public universities in Malaysia and the government gave loans for students to study overseas to gain qualifications that were not available at home.
“Now there are 17 public and 13 private universities and university colleges and it is much more difficult for students to obtain loans to study overseas.”
He says, however, his family is determined to maintain the connection with Armidale, even if it means paying from their own pockets.
“UNE has a good reputation and is well known in Malaysia,” he said. “We still have many friends here and we want our grandchildren to have some international exposure as part of their education.”
The photo shows (back row) Tariq Aqil, Lidiya, Anuraniqan, Saddia and Harrith Kachar with (front) Professor Grant Harman, Professor Kachar, his wife Datin Che Tom Osman, daughter-in-law Mardian (holding Imran) and son Khairul Anuar at UNE last week.


Posted by Lydia Roberts at 12:05 PM

New focus for the future of rail

December 17, 2004

A movement is under way that could enhance the future of rail transport and regional development in Australia by fostering a deeper awareness of our railway heritage.

Organisers of next year’s National Railway Heritage Conference believe the event could stimulate a revival of rail transport in Australia comparable to that already happening in many countries around the world.

“At the moment, many people feel that there needs to be more planning for the future of rail in Australia,” said Dr Andrew Piper, from the University of New England’s Heritage Futures Research Centre (HFRC). Dr Piper, who is convening the conference for HFRC, said the current problems of CityRail in Sydney were symptomatic of a nation-wide decline in rail, particularly in the availability of skilled staff. “We have a rapidly ageing workforce in rail,” he said, “and because of the growth of rail overseas, it’s being poached.”

“We don’t have the skilled labour to take advantage of innovations,” he continued. “And it’s not only a lack of drivers; the average age of signallers in Australia is 55.”

Dr Piper believes that one of the lessons of the past should be the success of a staff training program that involved a mentoring system as well as a multitude of apprenticeships. “We need to be giving trainees today the benefits of the knowledge of people who’ve been working for 30 or more years,” he said.

More generally, he thinks that planning for transport systems of the future should take into account the “industrial memory” of systems that worked effectively in the past. For example, the “industrial memory” of economically successful railway routes should influence the planning of new routes.

This “industrial memory” is being kept alive by enthusiasts within more than 5,000 organisations throughout Australia with an interest in railway heritage. “I’m just amazed at where the interest is coming from,” said Dr Piper, talking about the already strong response to notification of next year’s conference. “People are really passionate about rail past, present and future. The conference will give them an opportunity to engage in a public debate about it.”

The conference, titled “Thinking Rail: Lessons from the Past, the Way of the Future”, in Tamworth next September, will be the first of its kind. Dr Piper said it would generate “a discussion that has contemporary meaning, not just an antiquarian look at the past”.

“In order to maintain current rail services, and increase and improve those services in a way that’s economically viable, “ he said, “government planners need to recognise the important role of industrial memory. I believe the conference will establish a network of researchers and interest groups that could fulfil that role.”

For more information on the conference, contact Dr Piper on (02) 6773 2764.


Media contact: Dr Andrew Piper, Heritage Futures Research Centre, UNE (02) 6773 2764 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:10 PM

New human species find may yield DNA

December 15, 2004

Mike Morwood thumb.jpgSamples of hair found during excavation of the remains of Homo floresiensis, the new human species just discovered on a remote Indonesian island, could contain DNA that would help to clarify the relationship between this species and our own.

The University of New England’s Professor Mike Morwood, who led the expedition that discovered Homo floresiensis, mentioned this possibility in talking about the excavation during an international archaeology conference this week.

The conference was the annual meeting of the Australian Archaeological Association, held this year at UNE. Professor Morwood said his team was now looking for traces of DNA in soil samples and on stone tools. "We are also looking at the shape of the brain [of Homo floresiensis] and comparing similarities and differences between it and other human species," he said.

More than 250 academics from around the world attended the conference at UNE on December 12-15, a main feature of which was Professor Morwood’s public lecture.

The discovery, by a team of Australian and Indonesian scientists led by Professor Morwood, was of a skeleton of a 1m tall woman, aged about 30, who died about 18,000 years ago in a large limestone cave at Liang Bua, on the tiny island of Flores, about 600km east of Bali. The discovery made international news in October and has been the subject of intense debate.

Professor Morwood told delegates that since the discovery there had been about 98,000 Web sites featuring stories about the so-called "hobbit".

He intends to continue his archaeological investigations in the region and told the conference he expects "more 'hobbit' finds," adding that the discovery changed the "simplistic paradigm of how humans evolved".

Ms Kira Westaway, from the University of Wollongong, helped date the new species' bones and talked at the conference about the type of environment in which Homo floresiensis existed. "The 'hobbit' lived at a time when there was an increased amount of vegetation, water and soil in the area," Ms Westaway said. "We also discovered there had been a significant amount of water in the cave, and the 'hobbit' may have fallen into a pool of water and died." Mark Moore, from UNE, talked about stone implements found near the skeleton of the hobbit and how they may have been used.


Media contact: Professor Mike Morwood, School of Human and Environmental Studies, UNE (02) 6773 2357 or Lydia Roberts, Public Relations Manager, UNE (02) 6773 2779.


Posted by Lydia Roberts at 05:43 PM

Book launch turns page in history

December 14, 2004

ARTS BOOK LAUNCHES 2.JPG
A Mediaeval score, a treatise on Western sexuality and a novel about writing a thesis were just some of the books launched by the University of New England’s Faculty of Arts on Monday, December 13.
A total of 15 books from the faculty have been published in the past year and more than 400 books written by Arts academics have been printed across the world in the past 50 years.
Professor Michael Macklin, Dean of the Faculty, said this year, in which the University has celebrated its 50th Anniversary, had been the most prolific since 1997, when a total of 25 books were published.
This year’s range of tomes written by academics from the Arts, however, is among the broadest.
Polity Press, publishers of Drs Gail Hawkes and John Scott’s anthology, Sex and Pleasure in Western Culture, predict the tome to be an academic bestseller for next year.
The work is the first from the Australasian region concentrating on sexuality topics from pornography and risky sex through to sex education and prostitution.

Publishing was not only confined to the written word, with Senior Lecturer Ann Ghandar penning three scores, all with themes around the New England region and one for the cello. Her colleague, Dr Rex Eakins, had organised the recording of the Baroque work, Capella Sistina 51: Liber Missarum into a synthetic work which can be played through a computer.
Said Professor Macklin: “This has been a prodigious year for the faculty. All schools have published a book or manuscript, from Classics, History and Religion through to Music, Social Science and Languages, Cultures and Linguistics.”
The publication of texts remains a powerful tool for universities to judge their academic efficacy and in terms of size, UNE is among the most prolific.
Its Arts Faculty has produced some leading academics in their field who have produced over the years an array of important tomes, including Professor Alan Atkinson’s work, The Europeans in Australia (published this year by Oxford University Press) and from previous years, Professor Mike Morwood (who recently came to international attention with his discovery of a new human species) who published Rock Art and Ethnography, in 1992.
The first work that was published from the Faculty was by F J H Letters, from the then-School of Classics, The Life and Work of Sophocles.
Perhaps the most controversial work to be published from the Faculty was last year, with J Pender’s work Lethal Humour: Nick Garland, Barry Humphries and the Adventures of Barry McKenzie.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779 or
Professor Macklin on 6773 2223.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 05:28 PM

Human origins: ‘storylines’ can obscure the view

December 13, 2004

Dennell.thumb.jpg“Grand narratives” about human evolution, such as the widely-accepted account of humanity’s unique origin in Africa and subsequent world-wide dispersal, can stifle inquiry and distort the interpretation of data, a British archaeologist has told a conference in Armidale, NSW.

“A narrative that began as a tentative explanation can turn into a set of blinkers,” said Professor Robin Dennell from the University of Sheffield. Professor Dennell (pictured here) was presenting the first keynote address at this year’s annual conference of the Australian Archaeological Association, being held (December 12-15) at the University of New England. The conference is titled “Networks and Narratives”.

Professor Dennell pointed out that such narratives usually “have a social and political significance not always clear at the time”. (In earlier times, these undertones in evolutionary narratives actually included forms of racial prejudice, he explained.)

He compared the “storyline” of such narratives with that of fairytales, involving a hero (early humans), a magically-bestowed gift (e.g. language, or a large brain), a trial (e.g. surviving the last Ice Age) and even an evil competitor (the Neandertals).

He quoted from a recent letter to The Times, London, that attributed the widespread belief in the existence of Iraqi “weapons of mass destruction” to “the failure initially to explore enough alternatives, but to settle down to a tunnel vision of possibilities, selecting data on the basis of fitting in with the prevailing view, and omitting any serious reassessment”.

“We need to ensure we do not make the same mistake in writing our own narratives about the past,” he concluded.

Referring particularly to published maps of human dispersal according to the “out of Africa” scenario, he said: “Narrative is a magic carpet that transports us across vast distances and great chasms of ignorance.”

He welcomed the recent discovery of remains of Homo floresiensis (known as “the hobbit”) by a team of scientists led by UNE’s Professor Mike Morwood because it did not fit into any such narrative. “It was absolutely unexpected,” he said.

In presenting a range of evidence contrary to the “out of Africa” narrative, he mentioned his own discovery in Pakistan of stone tools more than 2 million years old (and thus considerably pre-dating the narrative’s “dispersal”). As part of a distinguished career, Professor Dennell has served as Director of the British Archaeological Mission to Pakistan.

About 250 delegates from all over Australia, as well as from the UK, France, Indonesia and Canada, are attending the conference.


Media contact: Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049. For a photograph of Professor Dennell, contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:24 PM

Academic tome on sex predicted to be “bestseller”

December 10, 2004

scott.JPGhawkes.jpgHomophobic slurs and jibes at sexually-active teenage girls are common in playgrounds, according to revelations in a ground-breaking book on sexuality, collated by a group of academics from the University of New England.
About one if five gay men and women reported homophobic harassment during their school years, while teenage girls have told how playground slurs such as “slut” have sullied their reputations.
The book, Perspectives in Human Sexuality, is edited by UNE academics Drs Gail Hawkes and John Scott and will be launched on Monday, December 13 at UNE.
Dr Scott said it was the first Australasian book to study sexuality from a socio-cultural, rather than a biological, perspective.
“It took us 18 months to compile and edit and the 12 contributors write from an Australasian perspective, which is quite distinct from Europe, or the US,” said Dr Scott, who added publishers Oxford University Press were predicting the book to be an academic best-seller.

Dr Hawkes, who writes extensively on unauthorised sex and “sinful” sex, said the past 30 years had seen Australian authorities exercise greater restrictions on the population’s sexuality and expressed concern the nation was becoming “nannified”.
“Few people realise there are now restrictions on advertisers and publishers when it comes to public nudity,” Dr Hawkes said.
“There are limits on how much breast can be displayed on a poster, on the size of the breast and there is far less topless bathing these days.”
Of greatest concern, however, were the sexual awakenings of the younger generation, especially when it comes to gay people and heterosexual, teenage girls.
In his chapter, Crimes Against Manhood, UNE Associate Professor David Plummer argues boys who fail to live up to what their friends perceive as “masculine” are disgraced and intimidated with labels such as “poofter” and “faggot”. This inverse fear of being labeled gay often drives boys to extreme masculinity and prejudice.
“Some areas of the school are particularly prone to homophobic dynamics and boys who have been targeted quickly learn to divide the school precinct into safety and danger zones,” Associate Professor Plummer said.
In her chapter, Monash University academic Jo Lindsay looks at young people’s sexual practices and touches on the problem of “reputations”.
“Girls must not appear as though they are too eager, too prepared, or too knowledgeable about sex,” Ms Lindsay said.
“Acquiring a reputation as ‘slut’ can happen easily, from having a certain ‘look’ …or through misplaced trust with a boyfriend.”
On the whole, however, the book places sexuality in a positive light and addresses a wide range of sexual mores, from the sexual lives of older people, to “risky” sex and homosexuality.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779 or Dr Gail Hawkes on 6773 2277 or Dr John Scott on 6773 2116.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 01:41 PM

Forum identifies regional resource planning priorities

December 09, 2004

Prior.Norma[1].JPGA forum at the University of New England has identified the engagement of Aboriginal communities as one of the priorities for regional resource planning in NSW.

Representatives of Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) in northern NSW, and of equivalent authorities in Queensland and Victoria, attended the two-day forum. The forum also identified consensus-building within rural communities as a whole, and defining relationships with existing Landcare structures, as priority issues for regional resource planning.

The Regional Resource Planning Forum, titled “Lessons Learnt, Future Challenges, and the Way Forward” and held at the end of November, was the first meeting of its kind. It enabled the representatives of CMAs in northern NSW, established within the past year as part of a State-wide initiative, to learn from the experiences of their longer-established counterparts in Queensland and Victoria. “The inter-State perspective was particularly helpful,” said UNE’s Julian Prior, one of the organisers. “There are important lessons that one State can learn from another.”

Mr Prior, the Director of UNE’s Centre for Environmental Dispute Resolution, said the forum’s recommendations to the CMAs on Aboriginal engagement would recognise the need to protect Aboriginal intellectual property rights, to promote Aboriginal commercial development opportunities, and to support employment and training opportunities in natural resource management for Aboriginal people.

The four northern NSW CMAs represented at the forum were Northern Rivers, Gwydir Border Rivers, Namoi, and Central Western. Delegates to the forum also included managers and representatives of Federal and State Departments involved in supporting regional bodies. “This provided a unique opportunity for Federal managers to talk to the grass-roots people,” Mr Prior said. One of the presenters was Mr Les Russell, Acting Manager of the Natural Resource Management Team for NSW within the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests. Others included Dr Paul Lawrence and Dr Michelle Walker from the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines. Altogether, about 40 people attended the forum.

Mr Prior said the policy recommendations that emerged from the forum at UNE would go to the next meeting of the Chairs of the 13 CMAs in NSW. These recommendations also included processes for the monitoring and evaluation of plans and projects, he said.

The co-organisers of the forum with Mr Prior (at left in the photograph presented here) were Mr Phillip Norman (at right in the photograph) from the NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (who is based at UNE as the Department’s Manager of Ecosystem Process and Biodiversity), and Dr Paul Lawrence (Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines). Funding for the event was provided by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and UNE. The forum “highlighted the increasingly important role of regional universities as independent providers of scientific expertise for CMAs and other regional bodies”, Mr Prior said.

Media contact: Julian Prior, School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, UNE (02) 6773 3610 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.
For a photograph, please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:14 PM

Share the joy of celebrating UNE’s fund-raising efforts

December 08, 2004

Staff at the University of New England have raised more than $6000 towards the annual Celebration of Sharing appeal for local charities.
It is the greatest amount of money raised by the university for the appeal – nearly treble last year’s effort – and will be shared between the Salvation Army and the Armidale Youth Refuge.
A “slave auction”, photographic exhibition and Christmas raffle were just some of the events organised to help raise the money throughout the year. A cheque for the amount raised will be handed over to the charities at the annual Turning-Of-the-Lights in Armidale Mall on Saturday, December 11.
Captain Adam Couchman, from the Armidale chapter of the Salvation Army, said the money donated to his organisation would be used to support 150-odd families from the Armidale, Guyra, Uralla and Walcha areas.

“This is a great effort from UNE and we will use the money to buy Christmas hampers for families in need, also to buy food and to help these families pay essential bills over a busy period,” Captain Couchman said.
Begun four years ago, Celebration of Sharing has become an annual event, pulling together town and gown in a bid to raise money for local families in need. Charities to have benefited in the past include St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army. Patron of the charitable event is Professor Ingrid Moses, Vice-Chancellor of UNE.
This year, members of the Marketing and Public Affairs team raised more than $2,500 by organising a photographic exhibition of works by resident photographer David Elkins, selling a number of limited-edition prints.
Staff in the university Faculty of Economics, Business and Law (EBL) raised a similar amount by “auctioning” academics and clerical staff to the highest bidder.
Elsewhere on campus, workers in the Faculty of Sciences raised a raffle while others held a Melbourne Cup lunch, breakfast barbecue and various morning teas.
Professor Roley Piggott, Dean of the Faculty of EBL, will officially hand-over the proceeds on Saturday to the charities in front of the Mayor of Armidale, Brian Chetwynd. A total of $6010 was raised.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 03:41 PM

UNE history launch concludes Golden Jubilee year

December 07, 2004

Sir Earle Page copy.jpgA comprehensive history of the University of New England will be launched on Friday, December 10, at Booloominbah.
More than 100 people are expected to attend the event, which will complete a year’s celebrations marking the university’s 50th anniversary as an autonomous institution.
Author Dr Matthew Jordan was appointed in October, 2001, to research and write the book, A Spirit of True Learning, the Jubilee History of the University of New England. It took three years of full-time research and writing to produce the tome.

"The university has seen some controversial episodes in its existence which I write about in the book,” Dr Matthew Jordan said. “For instance, hardly had the college opened than it nearly closed when, during World War II, the Army wanted to turn Booloominbah into a convalescent home for wounded soldiers.” Even by the late 1940s, the then-college was “going nowhere”, Dr Jordan said.
“But what saved UNE was the commitment to offer external studies, indeed, this was a condition of UNE gaining autonomy from the University of Sydney and this turned out to be a great strength at UNE.”
The 307-page book also covers the difficult period of UNE’s amalgamation with other regional institutions following the Dawkins Report and its disamalgamation.
Dr Jordan, a specialist in 20th Century Australian history and especially the nation’s immigration and foreign policies, said he hoped to take up a position as a teacher at the university and also to continue his research.
“Writing this book was a full-time job so I am looking forward to meeting new challenges,” Dr Jordan said.
Mr Don Page, grandson of UNE’s first Chancellor, Sir Earle Page and MP for Ballina, will be guest of honour at the book launch and will give a short speech. Current Chancellor, Mr John Cassidy, will open the event and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ingrid Moses will give a short speech.
There will also be an opportunity to view memorabilia from UNE’s history and watch rare footage taken at the installation of its first Chancellor, Sir Earle Page, (pictured) 50 years ago. The MovieTone newsreel was discovered earlier this year and screened at the launch of UNE’s Golden Jubilee in March. Also on display will be a series of archival photographs, showing the development of the university over the years.
For more information phone Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Lydia Roberts at 03:09 PM

European adventure for UNE exchange students

December 06, 2004

Thumbs LEAFSE.jpgSix Master’s students from the University of New England are preparing to spend the first six months of next year getting a European perspective on agriculture and environmental issues at universities in The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Wales.

They are the winners of the 2005 LEAFSE (“Learning through Exchange: Agriculture, Food Systems and Environment”) exchange scholarships.

Peta Blake, Renae Moss and Klara Schulze will go to the University of Kassel in Germany, Rebecca Bruce will go to the University of Wales (in Aberystwyth), Maria Butler will go to the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark, and Kimberly Tink will go to the University of Wageningen in The Netherlands. (Pictured here, from left: Rebecca Bruce, Kimberly Tink, Professor Acram Taji, Maria Butler and Peta Blake.)

Four Australian universities (the Universities of Western Sydney, New England, Queensland and Western Australia) are involved with the four in Europe in the LEAFSE program, funded by the Australian Government and the European Union. 2004, the program’s first year, saw the first five UNE scholarship-holders travel to Europe.

While the study programs of the students will differ according to their aims and interests, they will all investigate European approaches to organic agriculture.

Renae Moss said she was “looking forward to learning about sustainable food production methods in Europe”. “I am also very excited about experiencing life in Germany,” she added.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to expand our knowledge and experience of agriculture in different countries,” said Rebecca Bruce. “There’s a lot we could all gain from other countries’ experiences.”

Professor Acram Taji, the LEAFSE coordinator for UNE, pointed out that the exchange program benefited not only the students undertaking the exchange but also the host institutions. “The horizons of the staff and students who come in contact with our exchange students broaden as a result of the formal and informal interactions,” she said. “In 2005 we are looking forward to five young students from Europe participating in a number of units in the Faculty of The Sciences.”


Media contact: Professor Acram Taji, School of Rural Science and Agriculture, UNE (02) 6773 2869 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:09 PM

Archaeology meeting to discuss the 'construction' of history

December 03, 2004

Australians may have been duped into believing their colonial history was
written by convicts, an international conference on archaeology at the
University of New England will be told later this month.

Dr Hamish Maxwell-Stewart, from the University of Tasmania, will talk about
how writings on convict chain-gang life in 19th century Australia may really
have been written by editors who "inserted moral messages which reflected
their own, middle-class values".

More than 100 archaeologists from around the world are expected to attend
the three-day annual conference of the Australian Archaeological
Association, to be held at UNE from Monday, December 13. The theme of the
conference is "Networks and Narratives", and Dr Maxwell-Stewart's
presentation will show how the need to tell a good story affects the history
that gets written.

A main attraction of the conference will be the group of papers open to the
public, led by Professor Mike Morwood from UNE and Dr Thomas Sutkina from
the Indonesian Centre for Archaeology, Jakarta, on the recent discovery of a
new human species, "Homo floresiensis" (so named because the tiny human
remains were found on the Indonesian island of Flores). This session will be
at UNE's Arts Theatre on Wednesday, December 15 beginning at 11am. Professor
Morwood will be joined by UNE colleague and postgraduate Mark Moore, who
will talk about the use of stone implements discovered alongside the
skeletal remains of the "Homo floresiensis".

Professor Robin Dennell, from Sheffield University in the UK, will open the
conference with his keynote address on how the way the narrative story gets
written dominates our understanding of such famous events as the extinction
of Neandertals, or how human ancestors made their way out of Africa.

Professor Iain Davidson, Director of UNE's Heritage Futures Research Centre,
will review his research from 1992 in which he argued that the initial
colonisation of Australia at some time between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago was
the key event in the human past which shows that language had already
emerged by then. The session in which he is speaking will review more
recent evidence from Africa and Europe to see how far back seafaring can be
demonstrated.

The conference will also look at rock art, museum collecting, Australian
Aboriginal archaeology, and the teaching of archaeology, through 60
presentations and 30 posters by people from eight different countries. UNE
alumni will celebrate 30 years of the Archaeology Department and 50 years of
the University at a function on the Tuesday night.

For more information phone Professor Iain Davidson on 6773 2441 or Lydia
Roberts on 6773 2779.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 11:23 AM

UNE students win study trip to Germany

December 02, 2004

ebrazier thumb.jpgTwo students of German at the University of New England have won scholarships to study in Germany early next year.

UNE’s Elizabeth Brazier (pictured) and Chris O’Neill are among students from Australian, New Zealand and Brazilian universities who will travel to Germany for the six-week intensive language and culture course beginning on the 3rd of January.

Chris, from Winmalee in NSW, who is studying (on campus) for a Bachelor of Languages degree, will do the course at the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, in the south of Germany. Elizabeth, from Faulconbridge in NSW, is studying by distance education for a Bachelor of Arts degree, and will travel to the University of Leipzig in Germany’s east. Dr Linda Hess-Liechti, a Senior Lecturer in German at UNE, said: “Both universities have excellent reputations and have a special relationship with UNE, as quite a few of our recent prac teachers have come from Freiburg and Leipzig.”

The scholarships, awarded each year by the German Academic Exchange Service, are worth more than $3,000 each. Several UNE students have received them over the past decade.

Chris said he was hoping to improve his reading, writing and speaking skills as much as possible, and was looking forward to learning more about German culture, visiting historic cities and monuments, and experiencing the German winter. His dream was to live and work in Germany at some time in the future.

“Experiencing the art and music of famous cities such as Leipzig, Potsdam and Dresden will definitely be a high point,” Elizabeth said. “I hope to improve my German skills significantly, while increasing my awareness of German culture. Although I am majoring in Classical Languages, I have continued with German throughout my degree because I found it so challenging and so much fun. I have also discovered how important a knowledge of German is in the field of Classics because there is an abundance of scholarly material in that language.”


Media contact: Dr Linda Hess-Liechti, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 3068 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 3049.

Photographs of Chris O’Neill and Elizabeth Brazier are available. Please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 02:58 PM

Rural medical school plan receives boost from Thai visit

December 01, 2004

victor_minicielo_thumb.jpgPlans by the University of New England to build a rural medical school will receive a boost with a visit by a senior delegation of Thai health officials later this week.
While here, the 14-strong delegation will discuss how a rural medical program in Thailand has successfully staved the haemorrhage of doctors and health workers from the country to the city, a major challenge also facing rural Australia.
The delegation will also forge a working relationship in which UNE will help train health professionals from Thailand.
The visit has been organised by Professor Victor Minichiello, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Professional Studies (pictured) and his colleague, David Briggs, who co-ordinates the health service management program at UNE.

Said Professor Minichiello: “One of the major challenges facing rural Australia and widely recognised and spoken about by governments, the medical profession and consumers is the lack of general practitioners and specialists found in rural communities.
“We have been holding formal discussions with the Federal Government and two other regional universities in country New South Wales with the aim of developing a rural medical school that will solve the medical labour force shortage in rural Australia.”
Professor Minichiello said he remained convinced the way to keep doctors and health practitioners in the country was to train them at a rural institution and so set about finding whether this had indeed been done.
“We have just visited Thailand’s Naresuan University, a rural university not unlike UNE,“ Professor Minichiello said.
“With the assistance of the Prime Minister of Thailand, Naresuan University
has developed a successful rural medical program that is responsible for training and recruiting doctors in rural Thailand communities.
“This inspiring program has gained the widespread support of the medical community, the government and, more importantly, the public who now have access to doctors in their communities.”
Professor Mundhon Sanguasermsri, the President of Naresuan University, said: “The success of this program is the result of the Ministry of Public Health and the University working hand in hand in helping our country to produce the much needed fine doctors for rural areas. “
This Friday, December 3, the Thais’ hospitality will be reciprocated when the delegation, consisting of academics from Naresuan University, senior officials from Thailand’s
Health Ministry and its Government will visit Tamworth and Armidale to discuss and share experiences about rural health. Discussions will also be held to develop a number of short courses available at UNE for Thai public health professionals, Professor Minichiello said.
Senator Sandy MacDonald will represent Mr John Anderson, Federal Minister of Transport and Regional Services and Deputy Prime Minister and a civic reception will be held in Tamworth.
MEDIA ALERT! A media conference will be held at UNE Access Centre, Tamworth, on Friday December 3 with Professor Minichiello, Senator Sandy MacDonald and the Thai delegation.For more information phone Professor Minichiello on 6773 3862 or 0409 981288 or Lydia Roberts on 6773 2779.


Posted by Lydia Roberts at 05:07 PM