11 Sept: Vol 25, #13 - UWA News staff magazine - The University of ...

UWAnews 

The University of Western Australia 

11 SEPTEMBER 2006 

Volume 25 Number 13 

ESTABLISHED 1911UWA 

inventive 

researchers 

Photo by Rod Taylor 

Andrew Beveridge (OII) and Dr Lizhen Gao (right) are proud of the invention to convert methane into hydrogen 

using the equipment carried by Professor Hui Tong Chua 

by Lindy Brophy 

A clean energy production 

system, two non-invasive 

diagnostic tools and a device 

for filtering background noise 

are all finalists in the inaugural 

WA Inventor of the Year 

Award. 

And they were all developed 

through UWA. 

The University can claim four of 

the seven finalists in the $250,000 

competition, which has showcased 

outstanding innovation. 

UWA’s Office of Industry and 

Innovation (OII) has taken a major 

part in the development of all the 

projects, as intellectual property plays 

a signifi cant role in all the entries from 

the University. 

Hepascore, a new biochemical test 

that can accurately predict the different 

stages of liver fi brosis, is the only one 

of the four that has not previously been 

featured in UWANews. 

A collaboration between UWA 

medical researchers at QEII and 

pathologists at PathWest, Hepascore 

is designed to replace the sometimes 

painful and occasionally fatal liver 

biopsy for people with the Hepatitis C 

Virus (HCV). 

HCV is the most signifi cant cause 

of chronic liver disease and can lead 

to liver transplant and even result in 

death. It is estimated that 200 million 

people worldwide are infected with 

HCV including 210,000 in Australia. 

HCV patients must be monitored 

as the virus is a strong predictor of 

more and very serious liver problems. 

The best way, until now, was a biopsy. 

Expensive and invasive liver biopsies 

can return a sampling error of up to 33 

per cent. Hepascore, which is a blood 

test, costs less, is more accurate and 

carries far less risk. 

These advantages will make the 

test more accessible to the public and 

so will help to stem the development of 

signifi cant liver damage. It will translate 

to real cost benefi ts for the health 

industry. 

In November last year, during the 

AusBiotech conference in Perth, one 

of the biggest diagnostic companies 

in the US contacted the inventors 

of Hepascore at UWA. A licensing 

agreement was signed in December 

and in March this year a complete US 

patent was filed. Australian patents 

were also lodged earlier this year. 

Director of OII, Dr Andy 

Sierakowski, said the UWA group’s US 

continued on page 2

2 UWAnews 

continued from page 1 

Kids 

start 

research 

Professor Yogesan demonstrates his teleophthalmology kit, Eyescan, to NASA’s 

Dr Rafat Ansari at the Lions Eye Institute 

partner expected to commercialise and start marketing of the diagnostic tool in the 

US later this year. 

The other diagnostic tool which is a fi nalist in the Government-sponsored 

competition is Professor Kanagasingam Yogesan’s portable non-invasive easy-tooperate 

device for detecting eye disease. 

Eyescan was developed initially for use in rural and remote regions and can be 

operated by non-medical people with minimal training. Results are relayed through 

computers. Professor Yogesan and his research team at the Lions Eye Institute are 

trailblazers in telemedicine and teleophthalmology. 

Their technology is being considered by NASA for possible adaptation for the 

manned mission to Mars. 

Sensear, a system that blocks out background noise while making it possible to 

communicate with people close by, has been developed by the Western Australian 

Telecommunications Research Institute (WATRI), a collaboration between UWA 

and Curtin University of Technology, that is based at UWA. 

It could become invaluable for people working in dangerously noisy 

environments such as mines, factories and nightclubs with extremely loud music. 

OII helped WATRI to develop a prototype unit with funding from its Pathfi nder 

program. The spin-off company Sensear was then created and its CEO, Justin Miller, 

has been demonstrating it around the world. Dr Sierakowski said several licensing 

deals for Sensear were expected in 2007 and beyond. 

A process for converting methane into hydrogen and graphite has been 

developed by Associate Professor Hui Tong Chua and his team from the School of 

Mechanical Engineering. 

It is a clean way of providing energy for future generations, particularly for 

transport. 

“Our proposed technique avoids 

the production of greenhouses gases 

and, instead engenders high value-added 

graphitized carbon as a by-product,” A/ 

Professor Chua said. 

The graphite by-product is very 

valuable to industry, being used, for 

example, as a separator for mobile 

phone batteries. 

The project has two industry 

partners, Wesfarmers and US company 

xL Tech Group, and it is expected a 

licensing deal will result next year. 

The winners of the WA Inventor of 

the Year Award will be announced on 

September 15. 

Sensear CEO Justin Miller has 

demonstrated Sensear world-wide 

early 

on 

Saturday 

mornings 

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA • 11 SEPTEMBER 2006

UWAnews 3 

Saturday mornings in the School of Music prove 

that small people can make very big sounds. 

It is one of the noisiest times of the week, as up to 

180 children, aged between 18 months and 12 years, 

take part in the Junior Music School (JMS). 

The classes have been operating for about 10 

years but the JMS has been recently expanded, after 

a review last year found a huge demand for a music 

program where children can begin as toddlers and 

continue through the program until they reach tertiary level. 

Until this year, the youngest participants were three years 

A fresh wind recording 

Sometimes you do have to suffer for your 

art. 

Staff and graduates from the School of Music have 

recorded a CD, recently released by ABC Classics, and 

shivered their way through some of the pieces of music. 

The Australian Classical Wind Band was partly recorded 

in Winthrop Hall and partly in the big hall at the old 

Sunset property on the riverfront at Dalkeith. 

“The acoustics are brilliant there,” said Head of 

School, Darryl Poulsen, who plays the French horn and 

performed on one of the historical instruments featured 

on the CD. “But it was freezing, and when we turned the 

heating on, it made such a noise that we had to turn it off 

again, and suffer in the cold.” 

old and they could stay in the program until they were 10. 

Now, parents can come to Music Playground classes with 

their children from the time they are 18 months old. 

When children progress through toddlers, prekindergarten 

and kindergarten programs, they then start to 

come to Soundscapes classes on their own, to develop their 

musical self-confi dence. 

They learn to play recorder and keyboard at a very 

young age, depending on their competence, and can quickly 

progress to violin, guitar, fl ute and higher levels of piano. 

Children join group instrumental lessons with a 

maximum of four children in each class. Once they have 

completed a year of group instrumental classes, they can 

progress, if they interested, to individual lessons, in which 

they receive expert tuition from some of the University’s 

professional musicians. 

All children enrolled in JMS have the option of joining 

a choir or a percussion ensemble, once they have reached 

a certain competency. The choir brings together children 

aged seven to 11 and the percussion group is for fi ve to 

11-year-olds. 

Students sometimes sit in on rehearsals of the WA 

Youth Orchestra and are visited by musical experts in 

specialist areas. 

The new JMS manager, Donna Brookes, said parents 

had confi dence in sending their children to a Universityrun 

program, with access to the latest research, the best 

teaching methods and curriculum. 

“Our teachers are not only well qualified and expert at 

working with children, they are also dedicated, professional 

and passionate about their work,” Donna said. 

Involvement in music 

helps children to develop their 

creativity, problem-solving skills, 

memory, behaviour, maths, 

languages and social skills. 

For more information 

about JMS visit their website: 

www.music.uwa.edu.au/junior_ 

music_school or email jms@ 

uwa.edu.au 

The CD features harmonie (or wind ensemble) music 

from Mozart and Beethoven on historical instruments 

now owned by the University. 

“It’s the fi rst time this repertoire has been recorded 

on period instruments in Australia,” Mr Poulsen said. 

It was fi tting that Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor 

Margaret Seares launched the CD as it was she who had 

written the grant application for the School to buy the 

instruments many years ago when she had been Head of 

the School of Music. 

Peter Moore, the School’s Director of Wind Studies, 

also performs on the CD, playing the bassoon, as does 

former UWA staff member Geoffrey Lancaster, along with 

several graduates. The CD is available from ABC Shops. 


Vice-Chancellor’s 

column 

Meeting our 

growth targets 

The size and shape of our 

university sets the foundation 

from which we are able to 

achieve our overall strategic 

and operational goals. 

It is therefore something which 

we constantly monitor and guide, 

intervening where necessary to 

ensure we remain on track. 

These are matters which were 

considered at the last Senate meeting 

in a discussion which was focused by 

two excellent papers prepared by 

our Registrar, Peter Curtis, and the 

Director of Planning Services, Robert 

McCormack. 

In essence, the assessment 

presented indicated that the 

University’s enrolment and load are 

generally increasing in a direction that 

is consistent with our aim to reach an 

enrolment target of 20,000 by 2010 

(a target set in 2000). However, there 

remain some key challenges, notably 

growing the number of higher degree 

by research (HDR) students. 

Our aim has been for a course 

mix of 70:30 undergraduate to 

postgraduate; with a further mix in 

the postgraduate area of 18 per cent 

HDR and 12 per cent postgraduate 

coursework. Our best estimates 

are that while numbers continue 

to grow towards our 2010 target, 

the mix will remain substantially as 

it is now: 12 percent HDR, 12 per 

cent coursework and 76 per cent 

undergraduate students. 

Aussies prove the best 

Professor Cheryl Praeger is the first Australian 

to be elected to the executive committee of the 

International Mathematical Union. 

The IMU is the international umbrella organisation for 

research and education in mathematics, responsible for the 

International Congress of Mathematicians and the awarding 

of the Fields Medals. 

Professor Praeger’s election was announced at the 

General Assembly in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. She 

will be a Member-at-Large for four years from January 2007. 


T h i s i n p a r t r e f l e c t s 

Commonwealth Government policy 

which puts a priority on the funding 

of undergraduate places, as well as the 

impact of a very buoyant economy 

which makes it difficult to recruit highquality 

postgraduate students. 

The University’s response has been 

to try to boost our HDR enrolments 

through a more aggressive scholarships 

policy, both injecting significant 

additional money into scholarships and 

making more flexible arrangements 

for faculty matching scholarships and 

fee-waivers for international research 

students. The Postgraduate Research 

and Scholarships Office has also 

extended its effort to target honours 

students in the University’s schools 

to encourage more to consider 

postgraduate research. 

Po s t g r a d u a t e c o u r s e w o r k 

enrolments remain a potential growth 

area for this University which has 

a relatively low proportion of its 

enrolments in this category compared 

with other Australian Group of 

Eight universities. There is potential 

Alan Robson 

Vice-Chancellor 

to increase both domestic 

and international numbers if 

postgraduate coursework programs 

are designed to better meet 

demand for professional education 

and to complement our research 

strengths and activities, provided 

appropriate funding arrangements 

support this strategy. 

As the Registrar’s paper 

pointed out, articulated graduate 

programs can serve both these 

markets (of continuing professional 

education and preparation for 

higher degree research), and there 

is evidence that in the international 

market, postgraduate coursework 

is growing significantly in part as 

preparation for research degree 

enrolment. Locally, there is an 

opportunity to tailor programs 

to the need for skills upgrading 

through concentrated and/or parttime 

programs. 

In the area of undergraduate 

courses, the latest data indicates 

that our school-leaver preferences 

in 2005-06 have been stronger 

than ever despite our cut-off 

entry scores rising relative to 

other WA Universities. Central 

to this success rate has been our 

energetic recruitment program 

and a substantial increase in 

undergraduate scholarships. 

The progress towards our 

targets is generally pleasing and 

suggests that the aim we set six 

years ago of achieving funded 

growth commensurate with our 

high-quality teaching and research 

character remains the appropriate 

way to proceed. 

Her colleagues are delighted that Professor Praeger’s 

election recognises her contributions to mathematics. 

They include an invited talk at the International Congress 

of Mathematicians in Beijing, being one of the world’s most 

highly cited mathematicians (according to ICI Citations), 

a Member of the Order of Australia and a Fellow of the 

Australian Academy of Science. 

Professor Michael Cowling, President of the Australian 

Mathematics Society, said that Professor Praeger’s election was 

indicative of the respect that Australian mathematics enjoys 

internationally. And the awarding of the prestigious Fields Medal 

for 2006 to young Adelaide-educated mathematician Terry Tao 

in the same week is further proof. 



sea 

scapes 

Bombing (2005) by Narelle Autio 

It’s not all rolling waves and pristine beaches 

in the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery’s 

current exhibition Picturing the Sea. 

Curator Janice Baker has brought together 

an extraordinarily diverse collection of paintings, 

photographs and sculptures, representing connections 

with the sea that will surprise most visitors. 

Indigenous artist Ben Pushman has created an 

abstract acrylic on canvas called Scar #40, that blends 

the lines of the ocean with the scars of traditional 

scarification. The painting captures, for the artist, 

memories of his grandfather, who was a stoker on a 

battleship. 

The ocean has been the scene of countless battles 

and confl icts. Max Pam’s startling photograph of ships 

beached on a pristine tropical beach (On the Waterfront 

Dar Es Salaam ) illustrates the drama of the relationship 

between the ocean and these confl icts. 

Grace Cossington Smith’s oil painting Dawn Landing 

shows how young most soldiers are. One of the freshfaced 

boys disembarking in a foreign land, ready for 

battle, is her nephew, who never came home from 

his war. This painting is from the Cruthers Collection, 

which concentrates on Australian women artists. 

But there is fun and nostalgia in this exhibition 

too. Patricia Piccinini’s photographic series Sandman 

(2002) recalls the days of the panel van with the iconic 

bleached blonde surfer sitting inside, waiting patiently 

for a wave (Quiet Refl ection). 

Bombing captures the moment, underwater, when 

a young man who has jumped into the sea holds his 

breath to rise to the surface. An evocative image by 

Walkley Award-winning photographer Narelle Autio, it 

is from the Christ Church Grammar School Foundation 

Art Collection. 

Local artist Jeremy Kirwan-Ward captures the sea 

in acrylic on canvas and one of his paintings in particular, 

Ripples on the Surface, from the Wesfarmers Collection, 

is so realistic that you can’t believe it’s a fl at surface 

until you get really close. 

East Timorese artist Maria Madeira has an 

installation, Tasi Mane (Southern Ocean),concocted 

from palm fronds, smooth pebbles and frayed rope, that 

communicates her wish for the people of Timor Leste 

to receive a fair deal out of the oil and gas reserves off 

their shores. 

The exhibition is made up of works from public 

and private collections as well as works from the 

University’s collection. 

A tiny gouache, Fishermen, by William Dobell, is one 

of UWA’s paintings, as is Picnic at Newquay by Charles 

Condor, both about 100 years old. 

Two old charts from the Kerry Stokes Collection 

show mythical marine monsters in the oceans of the 

world but, in 1571 and even in 1723, there is not much 

of Australia on the world maps, other than a vague 

northern coastline. 

Picturing the Sea runs until October . 



Science Communication students have investigated 

a new method, being used by two Forensic Science 

PhD candidates, to detect fraud in the turbulent art 

world. 

Their stories about Emma Bartle, Rachel Green and 

Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass 

Spectrometry are on these pages. 

UWAnews will feature two more stories from Science 

Communication students in the next issue. 

Course co-ordinator Dr Nancy Longnecker is always on the 

look-out for scientists on campus who are willing to talk to 

Science Communication students to help them hone their 

skills. If you can help, please contact her on 6488 2492 or 

at longneck@cyllene.uwa.edu.au 

Taking 

the bull 

out of the 

china shop 

by Catherine Dook 

Emma Bartle now has a love of 

Oriental porcelain she didn’t 

have before 

Mystery and intrigue have 

surrounded the Orient for 

thousands of years. 

Now Emma Bartle, a PhD student 

at the University of Western Australia 

is using modern techniques to unlock 

the secrets of the East. 

Emma is developing an accurate 

way to authenticate porcelain using 

laser beams. She isn’t interested in 

your Granny’s flower tea-cups though. 

The Oriental porcelain Emma studies 

is hundreds of years old and can fetch 

thousands or even millions of 

pounds at auction in Europe. 

Emma is working with 

her PhD supervisor, Professor 

John Watling from the Centre 

for Forensic Science and 

the School of Biomedical, 

Biomolecular and Chemical 

Sciences, on this laser beam 

technique. It is called Laser 

Ablation Inductively Coupled 

Plasma Mass Spectrometry. 

In Emma’s work, a laser 

is fired at a small shard of 

porcelain. The laser is so 

intense it forms a tiny crater 

on the surface. Although this 

crater is incredibly small 

and impossible to see with 

the naked eye, a sample of 

porcelain is collected. 

The sample is passed into 

hot plasma and then into a mass 

spectrometer. Inside this device, a 

computer analyses the chemical 

composition of the porcelain. 

Depending on the results, Emma can 

trace the porcelain to a particular clay 

quarry in China or Japan. By comparing 

the quarry site to documented history 

of when the quarry was in use, Emma 

can identify whether the porcelain was 

made in ancient times or is a modern 

replica. 

This research has sparked local 

and international interest. The Western 

Australian Maritime Museum loaned 

Emma shards of porcelain from the 

Batavia shipwreck. “The porcelain was 

being exported to India, the UK and 

America at the time,” Emma said. 

To develop a referencing system, 

Emma travelled to Japan last July to 

collect clay samples from ancient kilns. 

She recently arrived home from London 

where she spent time at Bonham’s 

Auction House and the Percival David 

Foundation of Chinese Art. 

At Bonham’s, Emma prepared 

exhibits for an upcoming event. This was 

an exciting opportunity to meet private 

porcelain collectors, who offered their 

antiques for future analysis. 

Emma is able to combine her 

fascination with forensic chemistry 

with art and history. Although she 

plans to stay in Perth and continue her 

research at UWA, it is likely her work 

will take her to Europe, where this is a 

huge demand for her skills. 



Fraud exposed with 

just a pin prick 

Paintings by Aboriginal artists are a hot tip for investors 

and collectors. 

With some paintings selling for up to three-quarters of a million dollars, 

Indigenous art is big business and, as in every other region of the art world, 

fraud is rife. 

The copying or painting of indigenous artwork by non-indigenous people 

who pass it off as authentic is on the rise in Australia, in an industry that is 

estimated to generate two hundred million dollars annually. 

Art fraud not only impacts on the Aboriginal communities that produce 

artwork for their livelihood. It also affects galleries, art dealers and collectors, 

tourists and investors who collect and trade in indigenous artwork. 

Until now, photographing an artist holding his/her painting was the 

only means of proving a painting’s authenticity. But accurate and reliable 

methods to determine a painting’s true origin are being developed with new 

technology. 

PhD student Rachel Green is researching methods to authenticate 

indigenous art. She is an expert in forensic art and has spent time in the Kimberley, 

observing the production of indigenous artwork, from the collection of the raw 

materials to the preparation of the paint and its application to the canvas. 

Rachel explained how art fraud was a personal offence to the Aboriginal people. 

“Forging their artwork is an insult to [Aboriginal] culture, because [fraudsters] are 

copying something very personal and making a profit from it,” Rachel said. “The 

Aboriginal people don’t value the actual painting. It’s the act of painting, and the 

story it tells.” She said the paintings were also a “way to permanently record 

their stories of Aboriginal Dreamtime and pass them down from generation to 

generation.” 

Rachel is using a method called Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass 

Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to determine the origin of ochres in paint samples from 

indigenous artwork. 

Ochres are natural mineral pigments produced from weathered iron oxides. 

They have a range of colours from yellow to deep purple. Aboriginal artists mix ochre 

with locally sourced water and a range of natural materials, such as animal fat, 

feathers, saliva and kangaroo blood, to make paint for their artwork. 

The LA-ICP-MS method uses a combination of laser technology and mass 

spectrometry to measure the trace elements in a sample of paint. These are 

chemical elements that are present in minute amounts in the ochre used to 

make the paint. The trace elements in the paint are then compared with trace 

elements in ochre samples from their original locality. 

The advantage of this technique is that the sample size required for 

analysis is microscopic (20µm), meaning the samples do not need to be 

taken from the artwork itself, but instead from the excess canvas under the 

paintings’ frame. 

The sample is subjected to a laser-beam, which vaporises the material. 

This vapour is analysed. The analysis can determine the origin of the 

materials used in any indigenous painting. Results so far show that samples 

of ochre collected 50 km from each other can be distinguished. 

Traditionally, Aboriginal artists have used ochre and other natural 

materials from their local region to produce paint. But they are now moving 

towards commercial materials. Fortunately LA-ICP-MS technique can also 

distinguish between acrylic paints produced by different manufacturers, or in 

some cases, even different batch numbers of the same paint. 

Rachel hopes that this technology will be used to differentiate between 

real and fraudulent indigenous artworks, protecting the integrity of 

indigenous art. 

by Yumiko 

Bonnardeaux and 

Charmaine Kalidas 

ABOVE: Rachel Green 

has become an expert on 

Aboriginal art 

BELOW: Nowee (Kukatja 

language) Balgo Hills 

 



From 

students to 

aid workers 

overnight 

Rebecca Kelly was coming to the end 

of a semester’s ‘in country’ study in 

Indonesia in May, when Yogyakarta was 

devastated by a massive earthquake. 

The 0 Australian university students had been 

staying in the city and were just a few days out from 

exams, looking forward to a month’s holiday before 

coming home to Australia for second semester. 

Three of the group were from UWA. 

“The earthquake woke us about 6am. Like 

everybody else, we were in shock for a while. But 

when lots of people started shouting ‘tsunami’ and 

heading away from the coast, towards the volcano, 

we felt that was the wrong way to go!” Rebecca 

said. 

“There was no electricity, we couldn’t charge 

our phones or listen to the radio to fi nd out 

exactly what had happened, but we heard that the 

village of Bantul, south of the city, had been badly 

hit, so some of us got together some food and fi rst 

aid supplies and hopped on our motorbikes to ride 

down there to offer help.” 

They distributed what they had (noodles, fruit, 

candles, torches and batteries) and returned to 

Yogyakarta to rumours of another earthquake due 

at 8pm – which didn’t eventuate. 

“Hundreds of thousands of people were in 

need. Ninety-fi ve per cent of the houses south of 

Yogyakarta had been destroyed,” Rebecca said. 

“People had signs on the road: ‘We need help’. 

“The next morning, all of the Australian 

students met at the house belonging to the 

Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian 

Studies and we decided on a plan of action. We all 

put our hands in our pockets and, incredibly, raised 

$,000.” 

They bought food, including water, baby’s 

formula, tea, rice and noodles. First aid supplies 

included disinfectant, gauze, bandages and 

paracetamol. They also found plastic sheeting, rope, 

kerosene, torches, shampoo, toothbrushes and soap. 

Somehow they ferried it back down south on 

their motorbikes. 

It was the start of a month-long aid mission. 

The students abandoned their holiday plans, 

emailed home to family and friends, asking them to 

send money. 

“Ninety-five per cent 

of the houses south of 

Yogyakarta had been 

destroyed” 



 

“At first it was chaotic, we didn’t know where 

to find things, but we every day we got more 

and more organised and had people dropping off 

supplies, selling us things at cost price, and we had 

trucks to deliver supplies,” Rebecca said. 

After five days, they were forced to stop their 

aid work and do their exams. “I don’t know how, 

but I got 80s and 90s for my exams. Perhaps it was 

the extra language practice we’d been having. To me, 

it seemed a pity to waste time on something so 

trivial as exams when we could be helping people.” 

“I just felt numb for the month after the 

earthquake. You had to be, to deal with it, otherwise 

you would have fallen in a heap and been no use to 

anybody,” she said. 

“When AusAid arrived, some of the students 

went to work with them as translators, but we felt 

we were needed delivering practical help. 

“Our families and friends sent us $47,000 and 

we distributed aid to more than 10,000 people 

in 30 villages in all directions, but mainly south of 

Yogyakarta.” 

They worked 14-hour days, learning quickly 

to make judgements about who was most needy. 

“We got to the stage where we’d say: ‘You’ve still 

got half a house – you’re OK’ and move on to help 

somebody who had no house.” 

“One of the most challenging 

and fulfilling times of my life” 

Rebecca Kelly 

It was exhausting work but they were satisfied 

that they were doing some good. 

“By the end of June, our money was running 

out and we had no energy left. A few of us had 

to get back to Australia for the start of second 

semester, while others were staying in Indonesia for 

another semester’s study. We divided what money 

we had left between four groups who were building 

houses and left, promising our new friends that we 

would return. 

“On our last delivery day, only half the villages 

we went to had started to receive some money 

from the government — a full month after the 

earthquake. 

“It was undoubtedly one of the most 

challenging and fulfilling times of my life. I was 

inspired by the reactions of the Australian students, 

who gave so much of their time and energy 

selflessly, as well as the generous way our friends 

and family in Australia responded. 

“And it sure improved our Indonesian 

vocabulary. I now know the words for wheelbarrow, 

crowbar and shovel!” 

Rebecca is now teaching English as a second 

language and doing her degree in Asian Studies, in 

the School of Social and Cultural Studies, part-time. 

She plans to return to Indonesia next year and 

visit the people they helped in the days after the 

earthquake. 



Lectopia 

Users 

CAL Copyright Survey reporting requirements 

As many of those using 

Lectopia will know, UWA is 

participating in a three month 

Copyright Survey from July 3 

to September 24. 

The survey is an obligation under 

Part VB of the Copyright Act. Part 

VB of the Act provides universities 

with a Statutory Licence to copy 

and communicate limited amounts of 

published print and graphic material 

without seeking the permission of 

copyright owners. In exchange for this 

More walk, less talk 

The Socialites were delighted to be presented medals for their City to Surf walk: 

(from left) Chantelle Lawson, Dianne Anstey, Jill Woodman, Linley Hill, Sue Lewis, 

Miho Masel and Linda Cresswell. (Absent is Carly Lane) 

They call themselves the 

Socialites, but these women 

prefer a long Sunday walk to 

a long Friday lunch. 

Eight staff members from the 

School of Social and Cultural Studies 

formed a team for the City to Surf 

Fun Run and extended their regular 

lunchtime walks to 12 kilometres 

(just for the one day), proudly 

wearing the UWA logo as they 

walked. 

“We all walk at lunchtime and 

we’d been talking for a couple of 

years about doing a big walk like 

this together,” said Jill Woodman, 

licence UWA pays an annual fee to the 

Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) which 

represent copyright owners. 

The survey, undertaken by all 

universities in turn, is designed to give 

CAL a sample of the published works 

being used by staff for educational 

purposes. This enables payment to be 

made to copyright owners. Essentially, 

the licence provides a user-pay system 

and we have the option of reporting 

three months every four years, or of 

keeping year-round records. 

administrative officer in Anthropology 

and Sociology. “I heard something 

about it on the radio in June and 

decided that this year, we would do 

it. The Head of Department, John 

Gordon, happened to be in my office 

as I was emailing the others and he 

agreed to sponsor us by buying UWA 

T-shirts for us to wear.” 

The Socialites (they’re keen 

for people to understand that they 

don’t wear pearls and drink gin, 

but created the name from their 

School) resisted the temptation to 

stop for morning tea along the way 

and finished the walk in about two 

hours. 

Lectopia is one Central Service that 

is being surveyed for electronic copying 

and communication of copyright works, 

and users of Lectopia are required to 

report the copyright works they are 

copying and communicating during the 

period of the survey. 

To do this, lecturing staff can go to 

the Lectopia Staff Tool and follow the 

reporting prompts: 

http://www.lectopia-service.uwa. 

edu.au/guidelines/stafftool#CALSurvey 

You will need to properly identify 

the copyright materials being used. 

Each separate copyright work needs to 

be reported. 

If the Copyright material you 

are using is an Artistic Work or text 

containing artistic works, you will need 

to provide an electronic copy of the 

material in question. This can be done 

in one of two ways: 

Report via the Staff Tool, the time 

during the lecture recording that the 

artistic work(s) appears (Lectopia staff 

will then make a copy of the work for 

their final report to CAL) 

OR send an electronic copy of 

the artistic work(s) to Lectopia: for 

example: 

• A copy of PowerPoint presentation 

– edited to contain only the artistic 

material; or 

• Electronic copy of any artistic work 

in pages shown on the visualiser 

during lecture 

• Include details of the unit code and 

date and time of the lecture 

• Provide copies in JPEG, PNG or GIF 

formats. 

Providing a representative threemonth 

sample of copyright works used 

by the University will help ensure the 

University has continued access to the 

licence, as well as the lesser reporting 

option. 

If you have any questions about 

supplying electronic copies of artistic 

works to Lectopia please contact 

Kate Goodwin, Project Officer, Arts 

Multimedia Centre in the first instance 

on 6488 2196 or email lectopia@uwa. 

edu.au. 

Questions regarding copyright 

compliance or survey requirements 

can be directed to Laurence Shepherd, 

Copyright Officer on 6488 1248 or 

email lshepherd@admin.uwa.edu.au. 


All the way 

from 

Timbuktu 

UWAnews 11 

Big crowd ponders long coastline 

Honorary Vice-Consul Raph de Vietri 

with the Malian ambassador 

UWA’s Centre for Muslim 

States and Studies recently 

welcomed the Ambassador 

of the Republic of Mali on her 

first visit to Australia. 

Ms Guisse represents a country of 

11 million people, 80 per cent of whom 

are Muslim. 

The University was chosen for her 

first official visit as the newly-appointed 

Honorary Vice-Consul for Mali, Raph 

de Vietri, is a student at UWA. He is 

studying Law, International Relations 

and Political Science, the latter with 

Associate Professor Samina Yasmeen, 

the Director of the Centre for Muslim 

States and Societies. 

Ms Guisse told a gathering 

of academics and mining industry 

representatives that, since establishing 

democracy 15 years ago, Mali was one 

of the most stable countries in Africa 

and welcomed tourists and mining 

interests from around the world. 

She is based in Japan and has 

ambassadorial responsibilities for that 

country, Australia, New Zealand and 

about 10 Asian countries. 

The biggest gathering of marine scientists this year was recently 

hosted by the Marine Futures project, based in the School of 

Plant Biology. 

Securing WA’s Marine Futures is a collaborative project funded by the Natural 

Heritage Trust. 

More than 50 marine scientists from universities, CSIRO, the WA Museum and 

other state agencies gathered to discuss what has been described as the ‘holy grail’ 

of marine resource management, biodiversity indicators. 

Information about biodiversity indicators forms the basis of the first 

comprehensive cross-regional assessments and maps of southern and western 

marine habitats in WA. 

“The Marine Futures project is an exciting and ambitious project and the 

workshop was a unique and amazing opportunity for an extraordinary gathering of 

scientists,” said Heather Taylor, executive officer Marine Futures. 

Family 

‘reunion’ 

on campus 

The great grand-daughter of 

Sir John Winthrop Hackett 

visited the University from 

Zimbabwe this month – and 

was so impressed that she 

asked for information on 

courses here. 

Julie Ann Chapman (far right) 

lives in Harare and said she was 

thinking of doing something different with her life. She has been a nurse, worked 

as a missionary in Africa and, for the past 10 years has been running a catering 

company. 

This is her first visit to Australia. “But somehow it felt like coming home and I 

feel like one of the family here at the University,” she said. “Although I was a nurse, 

I didn’t train in a university; I don’t have a degree. What better place to study for a 

degree than in the university that your great-grandfather founded” 

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Robson, met Ms Chapman for morning 

coffee and they talked about the political situation in Zimbabwe. 

Sir John Winthrop Hackett’s philanthropic bequest and vision founded The 

University of Western Australia nearly 100 years ago. 



UWA ExTENSION SPRING SCHOOL 

DAVID SUZUKI 

Challenges for the 21st Century — Farewell Tour 

Mon 7.30-9pm Sep 18 Standard $39 Conc. $25 

PERTH CONVENTION AND ExHIBITION CENTRE 

Human beings appeared on earth about 150,000 years ago. Compared to 

the other animals, we were not impressive in numbers, size, speed, strength 

or sensory acuity. Our survival attribute was the most complex structure 

in the known universe, the human brain that endowed us with immense 

memory, curiosity and creativity. It invented the concept of “future” and 

thus we were the only animal that realised we could shape the future by 

our actions in the present. We have become a new kind of force, altering 

the physical, chemical and biological features of the planet on a geological 

scale as no other species ever has. Scientists are telling us we are headed 

down a dangerous path — altering the atmosphere, poisoning earth, air 

and water, deforesting the planet and extinguishing species. Hurricane 

Katrina had been warned of for years, but we are ignoring our early 

strategy for survival and ignoring these warnings. Why are we turning our 

backs on our most important ability and what can we do about it David 

Suzuki will discuss the answers to these urgent questions. 

Bookings for all events on 6488 2433 

or online www.extension.uwa.edu.au 

Oral health for 

baby boomers. 

TOO COOL 

FOR SCHOOL 

St Hilda’s Anglican Girl’s 

School Parents and 

Friends Association 

presents their 

23rd Art Exhibition 

16 – 17 September 

(10am – 4pm) 

The Existentialist, Andrew Baines, 2006 

Over 300 pieces representing over 100 artists’ covetable 

contemporary paintings, sculptures and ceramics. The 

exhibition opens Friday 15th September with cocktails, 

and over the following weekend showcases a broad range 

of art from Western Desert to existentialism. Free entry on 

Saturday and Sunday, Bay View Terrace, Mosman Park. 

2381_HampdenDental_UWA_ads.indd 2 

Further information from Ingrid Puzey 9384 6260 or 

Susan Glenn 9389 5249. 

JAZ2381b 

From cracked teeth and old llings to more serious concerns, oral 

health issues experienced by people in their middle years require 

special care to conserve a youthful, natural smile. Dr Chai Lim and 

his team have a special interest in dentistry for baby boomers. 

Call now for 

a consultation 93891482 

visit www.drchailim.com.au 

Hampden Road Dental Care Nedlands 

Experience the difference 

23/2/06 11:13:32 AM 

alliance 

RECRUITMENT 

Why make a ripple, when you can make a wave 

Need temporary, contract or permanent staff 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let us help you. Give our friendly staff a call on Ph 9201 7777 

requestwa@alliancerecruitment.com.au 

www.allianceperth.com.au 

UniPrint is UWA’s 

centre for quality 

COLOUR digital printing 

We can print on a wide range of stock, from paper 

to card weight. Prices to Faculties, Schools and 

Administration start at just 35c for an A4 colour print. 

Send us your pdf file and we will look after the rest. 

We can also design your document for you. 

Need a quick turn around 

Let us know. We will deliver 

within 24 hours if needed! 

A4 colour 

copies 

from 35c 

Contact Ray Horn on 6488 8790 

to discuss all your printing needs. 

Email uniprintjobs@admin.uwa.edu.au 

Website www.uniprint.uwa.edu.au 



T O U R O F 

ROMAN BRITAIN 

2007 

Following on from tours in 2003 and 2004, I am planning a third Tour 

of Roman Britain in July 2007. As before, the tour will run for three 

weeks, starting at Canterbury and ending in London. Although a few 

alterations will be required, the programme from the 2004 tour shows 

the probable itinerary and can be viewed online at the address below. As 

before, a special feature of the tour will be behind-the-scenes access to 

excavations and museums; visits to the Roman Palace at Fishbourne; a 

guided tour of Hod Hill fort by a “Roman legionary”; and a walk along 

a few kilometres of Hadrian’s Wall. All told it will include some 40 

“sites” from Kent to Aberdeenshire. No previous knowledge is required. 

Previous tours included enthusiasts of all kinds: a few students but mainly 

members of the public. 

David Kennedy 

It is likely the cost will be not more than Aus$5750.00 per head 

including almost all the costs of the tour, meals, site entrance etc. Flights 

and insurance are not included. 

If you are interested contact dkennedy@cyllene.uwa.edu.au or phone 

6488 2150. Also see the web page: http://www.romarchgroup. 

humanities.uwa.edu.au/welcome 

Left: Housesteads fort on Hadrian’s Wall 

School of Population Health – Summer School 2006 

The School of Population Health is a leading research, teaching and service 

organisation committed to the discovery and communication of knowledge 

that will influence health policies and practices. It has a reputation for a 

strong evidence-based approach to epidemiology, health services research, 

health promotion, health economics and environmental health. 

The School’s 2006 Summer School Programme offers convenient and 

flexible education opportunities for our current postgraduate students as 

well as those wishing to participate in the individual short-courses. 

WEB ADDRESS: http://summerschool.sph.uwa.edu.au 

Registration and Payment can be made online for professional 

development participants only 

For further assistance, please contact: 

Mrs Leandra Corich 

Administration Officer 

School of Population Health (M431) 

The University of Western Australia 

35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009 

Email: leandra.corich@uwa.edu.au 

Tel: +61 8 6488 1261 Fax: +61 8 6488 1188 

Short-courses (units) on offer for 2006 

Week 1 – 20th to 24th November 2006 

Ecology and Health 

Advanced Topics in Economic Evaluation of Health Care 

2 day course in Economic Evaluation of Health Care 

Introduction to Data Management and Data Analysis Using SPSS 

Week 2 – 27th November to 1st December 2006 

Clinical Epidemiology 

Evidence Based Clinical Practice 

Fundamentals of Genetic Epidemiology 

Week 3 – 4th to 8th December 2006 

Introductory Analysis of Linked Health Data 

Aboriginal Health 

Week 4 – 11th to 15th December 2006 

Advanced Analysis of Linked Health Data 

Please note: students enrolling for credit, must enrol through student administration 

not by the Summer School web process. If correct enrolment procedure is not 

followed, results will not be recorded on student’s academic records. 



new STAFF 

Welcome to the following new staff who recently joined the University 

Rachael Hohl, Administrative 

Secretary, Biomedical, Biomolecular 

and Chemical Sciences 

Helen House, Project Manager, 

Graduate School of Education 

Andrea Howden, Administrative 

Officer, Primary, Aboriginal and Rural 

Health Care 

Benita Hube, Administrative 

Assistant, Graduate School of 

Management 

Aneta Ivanova, Graduate Research 

Assistant, ARC Centre of Excellence 

Della Isackson, Graduate Research 

Assistant, Population Health 

Cale Johnson, Administrative 

Assistant, Student Services 

Timothy Kaethner, Chief 

Operations Officer, ARC Centre of 

Excellence 

Simone Karner, Research 

Assistant, Primary, Aboriginal and 

Rural Health Care 

Lu Kefeng, Visiting Professor, 

Social and Cultural Studies 

Mehrdad Kimiaei, Research 

Fellow, Offshore Foundation 

Systems 

K r i s t i n a Ku e h n , R e s e a rc h 

A s s o c i a t e , A R C C e n t re o f 

Excellence 

Stanislaw Knychalski, Security 

Officer, Facilities Management – 

Security 

Nicole La Freniere, Office 

Coordinator, UWA Press 

Kelly Lauritsen, Graduate 

Research Assistant, Psychiatry and 

Clinical Neuropsychiatry 

Christopher Leighton, Admin 

Assistant, Facilities Management 

Trudi Mackenzie, Research 

Associate, Psychiatry and Clinical 

Neuropsychiatry 

Wolfgang Maier, Senior Research 

Fellow, Earth and Geographical 

Sciences 

Dianne Massoudi, Associate 

Lecturer, Economics and Commerce 

Debra Mcdougall, Australian 

Postdoctoral Fellow, Social and 

Cultural Studies 

Carmel Mcleod, Assistant (Animal 

House), Animal Care Unit 

Shannon Mcneair, Project Officer, 

Primary, Aboriginal and Rural Health 

Care 

Andrea Mcwhorter, Research 

Assistant, Biomedical, Biomolecular 


Amir Mhawi, Research Associate 

Anatomy and Human Biology 

Russell Miller, Computer Support 

Officer, Information Technology 

Services 

Graham Morrison, Field Officer, 

Facilities Management – Unipark 

Dr Samuel Mueller, Lecturer, 

Mathematics and Statistics 

Jayanth Munipalli, Associate 

Lecturer, Oil and Gas Engineering 

Melinda Nelson, Research 

Assistant, Psychiatry and Clinical 

Neuropsychiatry 

Druime Nolan, Technician, 

Biomedical, Biomolecular and 

Chemical Sciences 

Harvey Oates, Network/Systems 

Officer, Library 

Patricia O’Donnell, Administrative 

Officer, Primary, Aboriginal and Rural 

Health Care 

Irene Ong, Administrative Secretary, 

Student Services 

Kyungrock Paik, Lecturer, School of 

Environmental 

John Parry, Medical Co-Ordinator, 


Care 

Kirsten Peters, Research Associate, 

WA Institute for Medical Research 

Violet Peeva, Research Officer, WA 

Institute for Medical Research 

Sylvie Price, Research Associate, 

Population Health 

Jennifer Radford, Lecturer, 

Economics and Commerce 

Kerry Ramsay, Research Assistant 

WA Institute for Medical Research 

Tracy Reibel, Statewide Phcred 

Coordinator, Primary, Aboriginal and 

Rural Health Care 

Klaus Regenauer-Lieb, Research 

Fellow, Earth and Geographical 

Sciences 

Carol Saunders, Project Officer, 

Office of Development 

Nina Septiviana, Dental Clinic 

Assistant, Oral Health Centre of WA 

Tim Sercombe, Senior Lecturer, 

Mechanical Engineering 

Shabier Shaboodien, Clinical 

Orthodontist, Oral Health Centre 

of WA 

Alieen Li Sia Research Finance 

Officer, Research Services 

Emma Simpson, Project Officer, 


Care 

Gordana Sips, Dental Clinic 

Assistant, Oral Health Centre of WA 

Steven Shipton, Publications Officer 

Australian Centre for Geomechanics 

Harjinder Singh, Lecturer, 

Economics and Commerce 

Dr Nicholas Smith, Lecturer, Social 

and Cultural Studies 

Susan Stanley, Marketing Assistant, 

Clinical Training and Education 

Centre 

Susan Takao, Administrative Officer, 

Vice-Chancellery 

Matthew Talbot, Computing Officer, 

Centre for Advancement of Teaching 

and Learning 

Boon Chang Tan, Accountant, 

Finance and Resources 

C h u e n L u Ta n , C o m p u t e r 

Support Officer, Western Australian 

Supercomputer Program 

Wee Lip Tan, Administrative 

Assistant (Enrolments), Student 

Services 

Sonja Tanjic, Research Officer, 

Planning Services 

Paul Teoh, Research Assistant WA 

Institute for Medical Research 

Kim Wee, Admin Assistant, Arts, 

Humanities and Social Sciences 

Glynis Wesson, Secretary, Surgery 

and Pathology 

Patrick Wilkinson, Research 

Assistant, Biomedical, Biomolecular 


Rachael Wong, Accountant, Finance 

and Resources 

Susan Wong, Coordinator Concerts 

And Out, Music 

Pauline Yeung, Library Officer 1, 

Library 

Jiying Yin, Research Associate, 

Mathematics and Statistics 

NOTICEs 

Expressions of Interest 

Mobility Programme 

Expressions of Interest are invited to register for the Mobility Programme for 

up and coming temporary vacancies. 

The Mobility Programme has been designed to link staff to opportunities 

to develop their skills and assist with their access to career development 

opportunities within the university. 

Mobility Placements are generally between 3 and 12 months. They may be at 

the same or higher levels than your substantive position. 

Eligibility for the Programme 

• The Mobility Programme is available to General Staff of all levels. 

• Applicants for Mobility would normally have completed 12 months in 

their current position. 

• Fixed Term Contract staff of 1 year or more are eligible to apply. 

• The Programme is not available to casual staff. 

Applications 

To apply for the programme you will need to discuss your application and 

availability with your manager. 

The Mobility application is available on the HR Web site (see address below) 

or you can contact one of the HR Mobility Officers. 

You are encouraged to read the Mobility Policy before completing your 

application. 

Further Information 

Further Information is available from the Mobility Programme page on the 

Human Resources website: http://www.hr.uwa.edu.au/hr/special_projects/ 

mobility_programme or you can contact one of the HR Mobility Officers: 

Amanda Halls 6488 8759 (Thursdays & Fridays) or Lucette Cant 

6488 3003 hr_mobility@admin.uwa.edu.au 

promotion briefs 

Provided by Elizabeth Hutchinson, Executive Officer, Promotions and Tenure 

Committee, Human Resources 

SENIOR LECTURER TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR 

Associate Professor Carolyn Oldham School of Environmental Systems 

Engineering 

Associate Professor Oldham’s Contaminant Dynamics Research Group 

established in 1994 is currently focused on nutrient and metal cycling in urban 

wetlands and coastal ecosystems, biogeochemistry and nutrient transport in 

surface hydrologic catchments and the evolution and management of mine 

lake water quality. 

Associate Professor Oldham has an international reputation and serves 

on several international strategic working groups including the Strategic 

Committee for Oceanographic Research, as the Asia-Pacific Director of the 

Joint Commission for Groundwater Seawater Interactions, and as Directorat-Large 

and Secretary of the International Association for Sediment Water 

Sciences. 

She has made an outstanding contribution to the administration of the 

University and is to be congratulated on becoming the first woman to be 

promoted to this level in Engineering. 

ASSOCIATE LECTURER TO LECTURER 

Dr Jane Prince School of Animal Biology 

Dr Jane Prince is an ecologist whose research is currently involved with 

how interactions within communities produce the patterns of community 

composition and structure evident in nature. Dr Prince works in key intertidal 

regions of rocky shores and sandy beaches. 

She has also been involved with developing a field guide to a nature trail in 

the Broome Coastal Park. 

Dr Prince courses are innovative and she and runs an extensive program 

of consultancy-based research activity. Her philosophy of teaching is to 

involve students of ecology in field-based programs and provide them with 

opportunities for participation in consultancy work. 

She has served as Manager of the Rottnest Island Research Station and as a 

member of the Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Committee. 

2222 

That’s the number to call in an emergency. 

Whether you need the police, an ambulance or the fire brigade, it is quicker and 

more efficient to call our internal emergency number, 2222 

Then security staff can direct the emergency services to the appropriate entrance to 

the University and make any provisions necessary for them. 


RESEARCH grants & contracts 


AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH 

COUNCIL: LINKAGE 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

EQUIPMENT FACILITIES 

Dr Toby Burrows, A/Prof 

Delys Bird, Prof Dennis 

Haskell, Humanities, Social 

and Cultural Studies: ‘AustLit - 

Humanities Research Infrastructure 

Development through Knowledgebased 

Dataset Building, Augmentation 

of Key Research Elements and ICT 

Developments’—$24, 000 (2006) 

IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF 

SCIENCE TECH & MEDICINE 

ex NIH 

A/Prof Timothy St Pierre, 

Physics: ‘MR of Heart Iron - T2*/ 

T2 Calibration and Application’— 

$80,700 (2006) 

LAND AND WATER 

AUSTRALIA 

D r P h i l N i c h o l s , C e n t re 

for Plant Based Management of 

Dryland Salinity, External: ‘Reliable 

Establishment of Non-traditional 

Perennial Pasture Species - 

Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land 

Sub-program’—$170,000 (2006-07) 

MEAT AND LIVESTOCK 

AUSTRALIA 

Dr Drewe Fergusson, Dr 

Dominique Blache, Animal 

Biology, External: ‘Genetic Estimates 

for Temperament Traits in Sheep 

Breeds’—$47,836 (2006) 

Dr Dean Revell, Centre for Plant 

Based Management of Dryland 

Salinity,Faculty of Natural and 

Agricultural Sciences: ‘Enrich— 

Multipurpose ‘Healthy’ Grazing 

System using Perennial Shrubs’— 

$206,000 (2006-08) 

D r P h i l N i c h o l s , C e n t re 


Dryland Salinity, External: ‘Reliable 

Establishment of Non-Traditional 

Perennial Pasture Species’— 

$320,000 (2006-10) 

MEDUSA MINING LTD 

A/Prof Steffen Hagemann, 

Centre for Exploration Targeting, 

Earth and Geographical Sciences: 

‘Epithermal and Porphyry Au 

Mineralisation at the East Mindanao 

Ridge Philippines’—$70,173 (2006) 

MICHIGAN STATE 

UNIVERSITY 

Mr Matthew Hipsey, Centre for 

Water Research: ‘Lake Erie Fish Egg 

and Larvae Model’—$47,500 (2006) 

MINERALS AND ENERGY 

RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF 

WA 

Professor Yves Potvin, Mr 

Martin Hudyma, Mr Daniel 

Heal, Australian Centre for 

Geomechanics: ‘Broadening the 

Application of Seismic Monitoring 

in Australian Underground Mines’— 

$1,056,000 (2006-08) 

MRX TECHNOLOGIES 

Dr Gary Bundell, Electrical, 

E l e c t r o n i c a n d C o m p u t e r 

E n g i n e e r i n g : ‘ D e v e l o p m e n t 

and Implementation of Robust 

Design and Testing Approaches 

for an Embedded Mission Critical 

Super visor y Automatic Train 

Controller Algorithm’—$129,335 

(2006-07) 

MURDOCH ex ARC LINKAGE 

PROJECT 

A / P ro f Je n n i fer G re gor y, 

Humanities: ‘East Perth Power Station 

and the Electrification of Western 

Australia’—$9,721 (2006-07) 

RURAL INDUSTRIES R&D 

CORPORATION 

Mr M Bennell, Mr J Bartle, Centre 


Dryland Salinity, External: ‘Florasearch 

(stage 3): Selection and Development 

of Multipurpose Perennial Species 

for Large-Scale Crop Development 

in the Wheat-Sheep Belt of Southern 

Australia’—$400,000 (2006-08) 

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN 

RESEARCH AND 

DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE 

Dr Gregory Hertzler, Agricultural 

and Resource Economics: ‘Enabling 

NRM Decision Makers to Make 

Better Use of Climate Science’— 

$36,605 (2005-07) 

SOUTH COAST REGIONAL 

INITIATIVE PLANNING TEAM 

NHT 

Dr Daniel Murphy, Earth and 

Geographical Sciences: ‘Identifying 

Key Limiting Factors for Sustainable 

Production’—$379,250 (2006-08) 

South West Catchments 

Council NHT 

Dr Mark Westera, Mr Andrew 

Limbourn, Plant Biology, Animal 

Biolog y: ‘Analysis and Risk 

Assessment of Existing Coastal and 

Marine Information for the South 

West Region’—$32,500 (2006) 

SOUTHERN CROSS CARE 

WA INC 

Dr Jean Chetkovich, Humanities: 

‘Southern Cross Care (WA) Inc 

History’—$40,080 (2006-07) 

Swan Catchment 

Council NHT 

Dr Robert Davis, Prof John 

Roberts, Ms Lesley Brooker, 

A n i m a l B i o l o g y : ‘ E c o l o g i c a l 

Linkages’—$187,789 (2006-07) 

UNIVERSITY OF 

QUEENSLAND ex ARC 

Dr G Wardell-Johnson, Dr D 

Pullar, Dr Kimberly Van Niel, Dr 

N Burrows, Earth and Geographical 

Sciences, External: ‘Towards a 

Landscape Conservation Culture 

- Broadening the Spacio Temporal 

Scope of Ecological Studies to 

Anticipate Change in Australian 

Forested Ecosystems’—$22,500 

(2006-08) 

WBM OCEANICS AUSTRALIA 

Dr Jason Antenucci, Centre for 

Water Research: ‘Hydrodynamic 

and Water Quality Modelling of a 

Desalination Plant at Pt Bonython, 

Spencer Gulf’—$79,280 (2006) 

WESTERN AREAS NL 

A/Prof Steffen Hagemann, Earth 

and Geographical Sciences: ‘Structural 

and Metamorphic Evolution and 

Control of the Flying Fox Nickel 

Sulphide Deposits, Forrestania Belt, 

West Australia’—$79,904 (2006-08) 

STAFF ADS 

Classified advertising is free to all university staff. Email: staffads@uwa.edu.au 

FOR SALE 

Play Station 2 with chip, memory 

card, two analogue controllers. $280 

ono. Also, miscellaneous Play Station 

games for sale, from $15 + each. 

Phone Maria Ext 2195. 

Neopolitan Mastiff: female, 20 

months old, blue/grey. Phone Maria 

Ext 2195 

FOR RENT 

NEDLANDS: 1 bedroom (+ one 

student-friendly study-sized room) 

share house, fully furnished with 

all the multimedia goodies a 20- 

something student could desire. 

$110 per week plus gas, power, 

internet, H20. Available now. Contact 

David on 0432 939 296 or neld01@ 

student.uwa.edu.au for questions. 

House-share from November 

10 until end of December 2006 is 

available for a female post-graduate 

student or visiting academic. The 

house is 5 minutes walk from UWA. 

Rent + other expenses is $110 per 

week. Email: kathleen@maths.uwa. 

edu.au or phone Kathleen on Ext 

3352. 

townhouse: Fully-furnished 

three-bedroom is available for rent 

beginning in January 2007, for visiting 

academic family or for postgraduate 

students. The house is 5 minutes 

walk from UWA. Email: kathleen@ 

maths.uwa.edu.au or phone Kathleen 

on Ext 3352. 

Wembley Downs: Do you havea 

visitor coming to the University 

and need to find accommodation 

Rooms for rent are available and 

would suit visiting academics or 

students. Includes all amenities, 

fully furnished, ADSL remote and 

ethernet connections. Close to 

beach, public transport and large 

park (Butlers reserve). $120 per 

week. Available for any time period 

between now and until the end of 

the year. Contact: Michael Tobar Ext 

3443 or mike@physics.uwa.edu.au 

SOUTH PERTH: Luxury fullyfurnished 

3-bedroom 1st floor 

apartment in the “Belltower” (60 

Mill Point Road - on the peninsula). 

Two bathrooms (ensuite has large 

spa). Internal area 114 sq.m, plus 3 

under-cover balconies (36, 5 and 

5 sq.m). Includes 2 secure parking 

bays. Complex is fully secure, and 

includes swimming pool and gym. 

Apartment overlooks swimming 

pool area. Short walk to Mendes 

Street shopping area and ferry 

to the city. Rent $690 per week, 

minimum 6 month lease, but longterm 

lease available. Available from 

mid-September. For further details 

phone 6488 3519, or 9364 3886. 

BUSSELTON: “Driftwood Cottage”. 

New holiday house right in town. 

Only 250m to the beach or town 

centre, but quiet and secluded under 

big peppermint trees. Sleeps 8, with 

big spa in main bedroom, and fully 

self contained. Only need to bring 

linen. Contact Nick Gibson on 

0413 622 269 or Tel: 9305 9059 or 

ngibson@cyllene.uwa.edu.au and 

ask for a brochure. 

NANNUP: Holiday rental property. 

Beautiful secluded house set on 

6 acres. Sleeps 7/8. Fully fitted 

throughout to a high standard. 

Contact Nicky Davison on Ext 

4671, 9380 6508 or nicky.davison@ 

uwa.edu.au. Also see website www. 

kanjarralodge.com.au 

FRENCH PYRENEES: Holiday 

rental property. Characteristic 

rental property in the small French 

village of Rodes at the foothills of 

the French Pyrenees. 40 minutes 

from Perpignan and 2.5 hours from 

Barcelona. Sleeps 7. Fully fitted 

throughout. Contact Nicky Davison 

on Ext 4671, 9380 6508 or nicky. 

davison@uwa.edu.au. Also see 

website http://www.eyeinthesky. 

com.au/voletsbleus.html 

Property Exchange 

Retired University academic with 

apartments in England and Spain 

would be very interested in a home 

exchange. Property in North West 

of England is in the South Lakes 

district. The Spanish property is 

situated in a village in the hills close 

to Alicante. Property in or around 

Perth is preferred and most suitable 

dates would be late November 

2006 to late April 2007, although 

other reasonably close dates could 

be possible. Contact through Sandy 

Gordon ext 2375 or sandy.gordon@ 

uwa.edu.au or directly to Dr. R 

Malcolm Reid RMR@talktalk.net 

WANTED 

ACCOMMODATION: Sydney family 

seeks fully furnished accommodation 

from 16th December 2006 to 

14th January 2007. Preference 

western suburbs, 3-4 bedrooms, 1-2 

bathrooms plus air conditioning and 

swimming pool if possible. Please 

contact Steve Felsher at steve@ 

physio4all.com.au or 02 9922 2212 

or 0421 063 587. 



THE 

Last Word 

Georgina Wilson 

Communications Manager, CRC for Plantbased 

Management of Dryland Salinity 

Photo by Bruce Meakins, Executive Director, Sport and Recreation Association 

The sun rises in glorious pinks and golds behind 

the Narrows Bridge and the Perth city skyline. 

It‘s another early winter morning, and the view from the 

calm waters of Matilda Bay is shared by some water birds and 

our fellow paddlers. 

On other days, when the sunrise is less spectacular, rain 

can bring the bonus of a rainbow, framing the university to 

the west. 

While that 5.30 am alarm clock might have seemed like 

insanity – certainly masochism with the temperature just 

above zero when beanies become a high fashion item for 

some – we’ve no doubts now that it is all worthwhile. And 

a pod of dolphins diving joyfully through the waters a few 

metres away seems to confi rm the view. 

Paddle – For Fun & Fitness is one of many courses run 

from the UWA Watersports Complex on the banks of the 

Swan River. When all you need to do is complete a beginners’ 

course and remember a towel, it’s got to be one of the best 

ways around to start the day. 

No matter whether you are slower and middle-aged, 

or fi t enough to tackle the Avon Descent in a single kayak, 

instructor Bruce Meakins makes sure everyone gets a workout 

at their own pace. “If you are not puffi ng, you are not 

going hard enough. If you are gasping at the end, you are going 

too hard,” he reminds us often. 

And if you are into paddling, the modest price of $56 for 

a seven week course with kayaks and lifejackets supplied (or 

$2 if you are a member of the UWA Sport and Recreation 

Association) could be hard to beat. 

If the water is fl at, the early morning group might paddle 

down to the Swan Brewery in sea kayaks (not too many early 

risers among residents there it seems), or head across Matilda 

Bay around the yacht clubs and restaurant to Pelican Point. 

Paddling across the Swan towards the Raffl es is also good, but 

we are never going to make it in an hour’s class! 

More often, it will be into the shorter ‘diesels’ rather 

than the sea kayaks – harder to control without a rudder, 

but very manoeuvrable and better suited to those chases 

around buoys, in and out from the shore at different paces, or 

a game of canoe polo. They are probably also better for skills 

development. 

Just keep an eye out in the gloom for rowing shells and 

their minder dinghies; and be a little wary of the occasional 

swooping seagull near the boatshed. Those birds seem to be 

rather territorial about that patch of river, but really, there’s 

plenty to share. 

But the hour is almost up. We paddle back to the 

boatshed, then in pairs carry the kayaks back up the slope, to 

hose them down along with the paddles, lifejackets and skirts, 

and get them back onto the racks. 

Some of the group have lectures to rush to, and for 

others, work calls. But the endorphins are fl owing, and it’s 

going to be a great day! 

For more information about paddling on Matilda Bay or any 

other Recreate courses, please go to www.sport.uwa.edu.au/ 


EDITOR/WRITER Lindy Brophy Tel: 688 236 Fax: 688 1192 

Email: lindy.brophy@uwa.edu.au 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colin Campbell-Fraser Tel: 688 2889 Fax: 688 1020 

Designed, typeset and printed by UniPrint, UWA 

UWAnews online: http://uwanews.publishing.uwa.edu.au/ 

UniPrint 47582

11 Sept: Vol 25, #13 - UWA News staff magazine - The University of ...

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