Southern Cross Matters

So too is the excitement that is gathering around the launch in 2026 of our new Bachelor of Business program that will be a national exemplar of outstanding practice both as regards the content and structure of the curriculum and its exceptional foundation of industry engagement and work based learning.

Community response to our announcement of a world standard athletics track at the Lismore campus has been extraordinary, with this initiative representing yet one more translation of the Lismore Masterplan vision into reality. To a greater and greater degree, we are creating a campus environment at Lismore that welcomes and draws our community in, and allows more and more people around us to experience some of what we have to offer and to come to understand the deeply positive impact we are driving through our teaching and research. This same spirit and intent informs the fantastic work we do at our open days each year, and seeing the success of the events at Coffs Harbour, Lismore and the Gold Coast this year has been truly energising and motivating. Sincere thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make these highly important events such a success. The excitement that we saw across our campuses really portends well for what we can aim to accomplish in 2026.

As always, I hope you enjoy this month’s edition of Southern Cross Matters and I hope that you will continue to share your ideas for stories and topics you’d like to see covered in future.

Behind the scenes of the announcement were several staff members who contributed to the funding submission as community sports coordinators and supporters. 

Manager, Counselling and Safety Briony Leonard, who is also Northern Rivers Zone Coordinator under the partnership between Little Athletics NSW and Athletics NSW, said she was beyond thrilled.

“For anyone who has children participating in athletics in this area, this is wonderful. This new facility fills an important gap in local infrastructure and means kids don’t have to travel so far to compete.

“It’s also great for Lismore and is bound to attract high profile events and athletes.”

Southern Cross Reporting Coordinator Zenon Kowalczyk is also President of Ballina Allstars Athletics and head coach of Northern Rivers Athletics Coaching and said he was delighted at the news.

“We’ve been lobbying for a while to have this facility and to see it finally become reality (or at least the funding!) is fantastic,” he said. 

Senior Manager, Strategy and Implementation Aveley McCann praised the efforts of several staff members who had helped get the submission over the line.

“This has been a massive team effort. It’s great for the campus, great for Lismore, great for our students and for the community,” she said.

“With record attendance this year, our Open Day events have shown just how strongly students and their families are connecting with Southern Cross. It’s a testament to the incredible work of our staff, both academic and professional,” said Evan Crandon, Director, Future Students and Outreach.

Over three Sundays, our three main campuses buzzed with interactive experiences, panel sessions, campus tours, and a great vibe.

Attendees had the opportunity to chat with staff and students from each Faculty about courses, careers, and university life. Prospective students also explored our main campuses, visited some of the University’s state-of-the-art facilities, and participated in interactive experiences to help them envision what their degree might entail.

Some highlights this year included the panel and interactive experience on our new veterinary degrees, the Business Lounge at the Innovation Hub, physiotherapy panel sessions, and the tour of the National Marine Science Centre, where prospective students learned about real-world opportunities offered through a degree in marine science.

Kudos to everyone who worked so hard to make the 2025 Open Day such a success!

Later in the day, Dr James Sippo took part in Water: Our Life, a powerful session alongside leading climate scientists, writers and journalists. The panel explored the urgent impacts of climate change on water security and the critical work being done to safeguard this most precious resource. Dr Sippo highlighted the University’s research into the health of local river catchments and the collaborative environmental stewardship forged with communities, stakeholders and citizen scientists.

Adding to the festival’s vibrant atmosphere, the University’s iconic Kombi van was parked proudly outside the main marquees, a colourful emblem of Southern Cross’s enduring partnership with the Byron Writers Festival. Sadly, wild weather forced the cancellation of the remaining two days, meaning the rest of the Southern Cross speaker line-up was unable to take the stage.

Sediments in the river act as historical records of land and water health. By analysing samples for more than 50 chemical elements, including heavy metals, the project will create a ‘baseline’ that can help support decision-making about how to manage the river. This baseline (data from a point in time) allows us to also monitor changes in the future.

The project is driven by the community in collaboration with Southern Cross University and First Nations Custodians, ensuring cultural protocols are respected throughout the process.

Participation is open to all in the catchment areas, from the upper tributaries to the lower Clarence. Grafton and Tabulam will be the central hubs for the survey. Teams of at least two adults (25+) will be trained via short online videos and provided with sampling kits, maps, and instructions, and will be covered by insurance. 

Volunteers will collect sediment samples from designated sites and return them to the hubs for analysis. You’ll need to be physically mobile and able to reach sampling sites unassisted.

A closing ceremony in Grafton will honour First Nations Custodians and mark the handover of samples to researchers.

To register your interest or learn more, visit clarenceriverguardians.net/project-1 and help give the Clarence River a health check.

· Established a shopfront exhibit and workshop space in the Lismore CBD to support community-centred recovery;

· Hosted 7 public exhibitions on topics including climate change adaptation, regional flood mitigation, the local housing crisis and material recovery and reuse to ensure local people are supported to understand what is possible and necessary as we look to the future;

· Piloted a new approach to post disaster planning - Look Ahead: Community Design for Lismore - that is the first plan for the future of Lismore’s flood impacted areas;

· Hosted 41 community talks and eight co-design workshops;

· Delivered two extensive reports on disaster-impacted housing and future resilient housing strategies for the region; and

· Built and maintained an extensive network of partners across academic, government, business, service organisation and community sectors to ensure our work is informed by diverse perspectives and can deliver impact.

The AFR Higher Education Awards celebrate the contributions of Higher Education institutions to Australian society. The award was accepted by Professor Mary Spongberg, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Ben Roche, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Education Impact) and Director of Living Lab Northern Rivers, Dan Etheridge at a gala event held in Sydney on 19 August.

“The 2022 flood events had a catastrophic impact on our students, staff and broader community. While the University played an instrumental role in the immediate emergency response, it was imperative that we considered how best to apply our education and research strengths to better equip decision-makers to navigate the complex path to recovery and greater preparedness,” said Mr Roche.

“At the core of the Living Lab’s work is the importance of community-centred recovery. This approach positions community lived experience and multiple forms of knowledge as legitimate inputs to decision making, and in doing so, better equipping community and government to make more effective evidence-based decisions.”

Director of Living Lab Northern Rivers, Dan Etheridge, expressed gratitude for the national award.

“This recognition gives us a boost of energy that all of us in the region need. Disaster reconstruction at this scale is a long and complex process. Add to that the NSW Government has launched a completely new agency, new programs and new planning frameworks and the magnitude of the work ahead becomes clear,” Mr Etheridge said.

“I am excited when I think about how our higher education institutions can play increasingly central roles as we grapple with the myriad complex challenges that climate change is bringing to our doorsteps.”

“Having Minami involved brought such a wonderful sense of continuity and support. It was really special to have her alongside me, learning through this experience.”

Jaci understands how vital these hands-on opportunities are for students, especially in a field as personal and transformative as midwifery.

“If my experience can help Minami grow and build confidence for her future career, then I feel truly lucky to have played a part in that.”

Jaci is now enjoying her maternity leave with her newborn. We wish her all the very best during this special time!

David Heilpern offered his insights as a former magistrate dealing with sovereign citizens before the courts in an ABC Four Corners investigation called ‘Lawfare’ that looked at the rise of the anti-government movement in Australia. 

Can a non-chemical treatment kill fire ants? Nigel Andrew’s small pilot to test the effectiveness of injecting hot water into the nest, known as FASO (fire ant soup operation), has generated a range of opinions. Highlights include: ABC News Online; ABC Qld Country Hour; ABC North Coast; Ipswich Times; Lockyer & Somerset Independent; and Yahoo Australia.

If you’ve ever wondered, Can I eat instant noodles every day? What does it do to my health?, you’re not alone. Emily Burch’s co-authored Conversation article has received more than 69,266 reads and been republished 25 times.

Renaud Joannes-Boyau’s latest dating discovery published in Nature, was accompanied by an article in The Conversation, This stone tool is over 1 million years old. How did its maker get to Sulawesi without a boat? which has been read more than 32,994 times. More than 21,136 of those readers are in the USA.

Keep up to date at scu.edu.au/news where you’ll find the University’s media releases, feature articles, podcasts, videos and more.