An estimated 200 Townsville residents joined thousands of protestors across Australia and internationally, making their voices heard in the ongoing fight against the forced closure of remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia.  

By Sophie Dillon

The Call to Action Protest is a response to the announcement of WA Premier Colin Barnett that more than a hundred Aboriginal communities in the state faced imminent closure.

Townsville protest took place on May 1 at 08:15am outside Stockland Shopping Centre with protestors blocking the Nathan St and Ross River Road intersection for 15 minutes.

James Cook University lecturer Maxwell Lenoy, one of the organisers of the Townsville Call to Action Protest says he is against the Government’s decision.

“Governments should not have the freedom to force communities to close without consent and without a valid reason,” Lenoy says.

The Federal Government is backing Premier Barnett’s announcement and sees the closure as a cost-saving measure for the state’s struggling economy.

Lenoy says the Western Australia government has been doing the closure in secret.

“They [government] are forcing communities to be evacuated by hiring security firms to come in and move people out without any consent and without any forward plan in place to help those members when they then are moved to another regional city.

“The national and international call to action will make it clear to the Government that the community, Indigenous and all Australians, are aware that this is happening and that they will not stand for it,” Lenoy says.

The proposed closure plans attracted widespread condemnation particularly as they followed Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s comments that taxpayer’s shouldn’t be expected to fund the “lifestyle choices” of Aboriginal people who live on their homelands.

JCU Indigenous Support Officer Florence Onus says she fears that if the proposed policy succeeds in Western Australia and South Australia, then the same can happen elsewhere, including Queensland.

“We’re marching because the Western Australia government announced that they’re going to close 150 Aboriginal remote communities, “ Florence says.

A similar policy is being considered in South Australia, she says.

“The Federal Government supports this so we’re very concerned here in Townsville that that’s going to set a precedent for every state and territory.”

The main organizer of the Call to Action protest Meyalah Blackman agrees with Onus and is concerned that the forced removal will reach Queensland remote communities.

“It’s a ripple effect; the buck doesn’t just stop at the removal of Western Australian communities. It’ll affect everybody in the long run,” Blackman says.

One of the many Non-Indigenous Australians who joined in the Townville Call to Action, Josh Denman, felt that it was important to show support for the cause.

“It’s all well and good for me to sit at home and say that the forced closure of these communities is a bad thing, but it’s another thing to come out and make a stand and actually do something about it,” he says.

An Indigenous Australian from Palm Island, Whanjullah joined the protest to stand together with the local, national and international community.

“The reason why we’ve all come out here is to stand in solidarity with the people right across the world about the forced closures of our communities, ” Whanjullah says.

The protests have been covered by social media, running in conjunction with a digital campaign that emboldens people to join in the fight by declaring their support under the hashtag #SOSBlakAustralia.

Many well known names have thrown their support behind the Call to Action campaign including Hugh Jackman, The Veronicas, and Hilltop Hoods. Academics such as Victoria Grieves, Craig Moritz and Sandy Toussaint have also added their voice to the conversation.

#sosblakaustralia #NOconsent #lifestylechoice #ingetjetadoras

A photo posted by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman) on Mar 19, 2015 at 6:35am PDT

For further information about the Townsville Call to Action, visit their page.

JCNN’s Sophie Dillon caught up with local residents on Castle Hill to find out what they want updated and changed on the hill.

Exchange student Julia Dunn held a poetry slam last Thursday night in a James Cook University first. 

By Jemma Boisen

The Uni Club created history last Thursday night by holding a poetry slam, organised by American exchange student Julia Dunn.

THIS SICK BEAT: Event Organiser Julie Dunn slam-dunks her poetry reading CREDIT: Luke Brooks

Julia, an environmental education major, said that poetry is something that she and her friends really enjoy at home in the United States.

“It’s been great sharing something that shows my identity and giving back to the university.”

“I hope to organize more slams before I go back home, hopefully once a month,” Miss Dunn said.

The poetry slam featured nine poets who had four to five poems written, and was hosted by JCU student and comedian from the Comedy Generation, Laurie Page.

One of the first applicants, 17 year old Chloe Dow, said the night was a major success.

“I was really happy that I made it into the second round…I feel more confident in my writing and oral skills now because of the poetry slam,” Chloe said.

The poetry slam progressed through four elimination rounds resulting in a winner, Olivia Lee Mei Lin.

Olivia, a Malaysian exchange student, experienced competitive poetry writing for the first time.

“I saw the poetry slam flyer and my friends suggested I do it.”

“This was the first time I wrote something serious,” Olivia said.

Julia received many applicants for the slam but had to turn some away due to popularity.

WORDSMITH: The Poetry Slam crowd enjoying the rhymes CREDIT: Luke Brooks

Julia hopes the next slam is bigger and better with a more vocal audience.

“Back home in New York the audience yells out and participates more with the poet,” said Julia.

To join the next poetry slam at JCU, contact Julia Dunn or look out for a new flyer posted around campus.

Athletes from James Cook University are preparing to compete in men’s basketball, volleyball and mixed touch at the Northern University Games in July.

By Gabrielle Vacher

Students from JCU are spending five days of the mid-semester break contending against like-minded students from across the region in the Northern University Games on the Sunshine Coast.

The 35 JCU representatives will be competing in the men’s basketball, volleyball, and mixed touch with the anticipation of qualifying for the Australian University Games, to be held in Sydney from the 28^th September to the 3^rd October.

JCU Sport and Recreation Officer Renee Frizzell is in charge of the preparations for the Games.

“Northern University Games are quite different to the Australian University Games,” Renee says.

“The Northern, Southern and Eastern Games are regional and determine which universities will qualify for division 2 of the more popular sports at the Australian Games – netball, lawn bowls, tenpin bowling, mixed touch, men’s basketball, indoor volleyball, soccer, and hockey. The rest of division 2 is established by the teams that did well at the Australian Games the previous year.”

After placing third in division 2 at the Australian University Games grand final last year, the JCU mixed touch team automatically qualifies to compete in division 2 again in 2014.

“Despite the fact that we already qualify for the Australian Games, we’re sending a mixed touch team down with the aim of taking out the gold,” says Renee.

“Last year we lost in the Northern Games grand final against Griffith Gold Coast who along with the Queensland University of Technology will be our toughest competitors.

“Our team is stronger than last year – we have Betty Mareko who is an Australian touch representative and will be an outstanding addition.”

Although unsuccessful in 2013, Renee has high expectations for the JCU men’s basketball and volleyball team.

“We have so much new and competitive young sporting talent in the basketball team especially, I hope that the boys do well,” she says.

“Plus it really is fantastic to have a handful of athletes from Cairns competing in our volleyball team, unfortunately last year our representatives were from the Townsville campus only.”

The University Games have built an enormous reputation dubbed as one of the ‘best weeks’ of a student’s life, renowned for providing a friendly but competitive environment combining the perfect mix of athleticism, sportsmanship and opportunity to socialise with thousands of students from across Queensland and New South Wales.

Mixed touch team member Bri Rossato is thrilled to be competing in the Northern Games again.

“I went last year and had an amazing time,” Bri says.

“It’s quite similar to the Australian University Games, but with a more tight-knit group.

“It was such a great week, with decent competition and a decent bunch of people.”

For further information about the Northern University Games, visit: http://www.unisport.com.au/Pages/Home.aspx

25 John Flynn College residents are fundraising to change the lives of thousands of young people living in extreme poverty.

By Gabrielle Vacher

James Cook University students fundraising for Oaktree’s Live Below the Line campaign have reached the final month of donations.

Along with thousands of Australian participants, 25 John Flynn College residents restricted themselves to eat only $2 worth of food a day between May 5^th and May 9^th to better understand and raise awareness for extreme poverty.

Although college students have little control over the meals prepared in the dining hall, Brenton Mayer and Rosie Mathews coordinated with the chefs to provide the 25 participants with five days of cheap nutrition.

“Brenton, myself and 28 others were keen to tackle the Live below the Line challenge in 2013, but we didn’t see how it would be feasible to prepare all of our meals on college with such a large group participating and such limited cooking facilities to share,” Rosie says.

“Our head chef Rob and the rest of the cooking staff were very supportive and helpful when we approached them about coordinating with us, and it was so successful last year that they were more than happy to take part take this year as well.”

Challenge: JCU students are endeavouring to ‘Live Below the Line.’

Rosie says the cooperation of the kitchen staff encouraged more students to participate.

“Knowing that the meals would be prepared for us definitely had a huge impact on the number of residents who decided to partake in the challenge,” she says.

“We students only had to organise the ingredients by pooling our money and then buying all of the food in bulk, which was split evenly between us.

“The cooks also asked us for meal ideas and the Live below the Line website provided some great recipes that we adapted, and even students from Flynn had some awesome ideas and improvements from last year.

“Most importantly, by collaborating with the kitchen staff we were able to raise so much more awareness on college as we were eating our meals at the same time and in the same place as everybody else – in the dining hall.

“We even had the chance to do some fundraising during lunch and dinner.”

Rosie believes it was the ‘simple things’ that made a difference during the five days of low-budget dieting.

“It was the cheap tea, cordial and jelly that provided something tastier to our otherwise bland menu – these were considered our ‘treats’ and the sugar hit definitely increased the moral of the group!”

“Apart from that we had ‘no brand’ bread, jam, and butter to share for the week, as well as some corn flakes for breakfast and rice, pasta and frozen vegetables for dinner,” Rosie says.

John Flynn College residents Sky Brunker and Emma Green struggled to find the energy for sport and physical activity throughout the five-day challenge.

“Receiving only carb-based foods for every meal affected me, as the change was so rapid and I was no longer receiving the essential vitamins and nutrients I needed,” Sky says.

“My immune system become quite vulnerable and I fell sick towards the end of the trial.

“The biggest problem was then how much the diet affected my ability to do physical activity – I would become instantly light-headed and if I continued I would become quite nauseous.”

“We really did eat so much white bread and rice!” says Emma.

“Overall it wasn’t as bad as I expected, particularly considering our college did it in a large group – it is easier having people to do it with you.

“I really missed fruit and vegetables though, and it was definitely a struggle to play sport.”

The Live below the Line movement is run by Oaktree, Australia’s largest youth-run organisation with over 150,000 members and funded almost entirely by public donations.

Since 2010 it has grown into a multi-million-dollar fundraising campaign that dedicates 90.1 per cent of all money raised to those living in poverty by providing scholarships, renovating schools and training teachers to offer quality education for thousands of young people in East Timor, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.

Rosie, Sky and Emma agree that the campaign is one of the best ways to raise awareness for extreme poverty.

“It was a massive eye opener for me to consider how many people live on less than this for a lot longer than five days,” Sky says.

“It is an amazing cause that is changing so many lives for the better and I would definitely encourage more people to participate.”

“Even though living on $2 of food a day is clearly not in any way close to simulating the lives of people living in extreme poverty, it does release a strong message,” Rosie says.

“The World Bank estimates that extreme poverty may be eliminated by 2030, so if Oaktree can spread awareness and trigger some much needed action then this is certainly a worthwhile cause!”

Support the Oaktree Live below the Line campaign by making a donation to your fellow University peers at: https://www.livebelowtheline.com.au/ – donations close Friday 30^th June.

Sport at James Cook University becomes as intense as the study workload as the end of semester nears.

By Gabrielle Vacher.

Fisher Shield:

Water Polo held on Sunday 30^th March was the third Fisher Shield sporting final of 2014.

University Hall dominated in both matches, defeating Saint Paul’s College in the women’s competition and George Roberts Hall in the men’s.

“Uni Hall may have taken out the guy’s and the girl’s competition, but we did do a lot of training to get there,” says member of the female water polo team, Charley Bond.

“Sanders was an excellent coach for the guys and co-coach with Emily Dearling for the girls.

“The girls versed Saint Paul’s in the finals and it was very tough, but we really pulled it together in the second half.

“Both the guys and the girls were also the minor premiers of the carnival, and we never finished a game over the weekend with less than 12 goals to our team.

“Everyone played so well, and thankfully there were no injuries this year!”

Upon the introduction of Fisher Shield Cricket in 2014, the George Roberts Hall females and University Hall males were titled the first ever cricket champions after defeating the St Marks females and George Roberts Hall men at the finals on Sunday 25^th May.

Captain of the winning female cricket team Imagion Brauer says she is thrilled with the outcome of the match.

“We were going into the final undefeated so we were feeling pretty confident, but we knew that the game against St Marks was going to be a tight match,” says Imagion.

“We batted first and ended up putting 63 runs onto the score board for St Marks to chase, with Talia batting so well she had to retire – she really stepped up when some of our first batters got out quickly.

“When we went into field Steph Clay and Katii Batty took some early and crucial wickets and Sarah Bensted also bowled two girls out.

“In the end we bowled the entire Marks team out before they ran out of overs, so it was a pretty convincing win.

“I’d say Katii Batty was our most valuable player, but every single one of the girls was absolutely incredible considering I was the only one who had played some cricket before the comp.”

Semester 1 Fisher Shield finished with a bang at the Rugby Finals on Friday 30^th May.

JCU Sport and Recreation Officer and organiser of sporting events Renee Frizzell says the crowds are always entertaining.

“With four different colleges competing I knew that the finals were going to draw an enormous, animated crowd,” says Renee.

The Uni Hall males defeated St Marks 23-7, while the St Paul’s females dominated 17-5 in their match against John Flynn College.

Interfaculty Sport:

The Interfaculty Touch finals held on Thursday April 3^rd determined that the Law, Business & Creative Arts females exhibited the most sporting prowess on the touch field, while the Engineering Science males celebrated their touch football talent after their triumphant match.

Semester 1 Interfaculty Sport then culminated after the soccer finals on Friday 23^rd May, awarding the Public Health, Tropical Medicine & Rehabilitation Sciences females and the Arts, Education and Social Sciences males the winning titles.

Social Sport:

Social touch football, netball and soccer ended on Monday 26^th May, while the social volleyball finals held on Thursday 29^th May closed all social sport for semester 1.

The loss of the May Day Holiday after the Groovin the Moo weekend is making it harder for local businesses.

By Sandra Haaland and Cornelia Koppang Henriksen

DISCUSSING ECONOMY: Mayor Jenny Hill and Councillors Suzanne Blom and Jenny Lane visited the radio studio at JCU to discus how Groovin the Moo affects the local economy. PHOTO: Cornelia Koppang Henriksen

The lack of a public holiday following the popular festival ‘Groovin the Moo’ is expected to result in a smaller economic profit for local businesses in the Townsville region.

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill says that because the government moved the Monday public holiday last year, it has made it harder for smaller businesses and the ‘Groovin the Moo’ festival held annually on the first Sunday in May.

“This year will be interesting to see what will happen in turns of the full effect of missing the May Day holiday because people used to stay the extra night to the Monday and stay an extra day in the city before going home,” Hill says.

The main issue surrounding the loss of the holiday is the survival of ‘Groovin the Moo’  in Townsville and the extra money it generates for local businesses.

The manager at Banjo Paterson Motor Inn & Restaurant, Chrissy Lee, says the loss of the extra holiday is bad for her business.

“Normally people would book rooms for Saturday and Sunday night, but this year they are only staying one night,” Lee says.

“We will lose close to 5 000 dollars the Groovin the Moo weekend because of the holiday removal.”

Lee says that the festival should change from Sunday to Saturday, or get the May day holiday back to prevent the local economy to drop

Townsville City Council member and Community and Culture Committee chair Suzanne Blom says businesses need to make sure that they are competitive and that what they offer is as good as their competitors.

“Hopefully our accommodation businesses will put packages together for the people to encourage them to use their facilities,” Blom says.

“We hope that our small businesses that sell merchandises will advertise for our city.”

Mayor Hill says the festival has given the economy a great boost over the past six years and hopes to continue the partnership into the future.

People travel from other regional cities such as Mackay and Cairns for the weekend.

“About half of the attendance from Groovin the Moo do not live in the city,” Hill says.

In Townsville the festival can hold up to 12 000 attendants which has come close to selling out in the past couple of years.

“Groovin the Moo is a great event, and it is designed for regional cities,” Hill says.

“The ticket sale in Townsville is a bit slower than it should be this year, and I think they have sold out almost everywhere else.”

JCNN was not able to get in touch with Groovin the Moo organizers for comments on the matter.

Podcast produced by: Sydney Nolan, Sandra Haaland, Kyla Whitmore and Cornelia Koppang Henriksen

Modern-day Lent has prompted even non-religious individuals to make lifestyle changes and achieve personal goals during the 40 day fasting period.

By Gabrielle Vacher

This Thursday 16^th April will mark the close of Lent 2014*, a religious observance traditionally practiced by Christians who recognise and reflect on the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

For many, however, Lent serves as an incentive to transform and improve their life over the 40-day period.

Sacrifice: Giving up chocolate for Lent, a 40 day preparation for Easter.
Image by: http://www.mslimalicious.com/2012/05/weight-in-disaster-must-quit-chocolate.html

Vet student Emily Pucciarmati has decided to give up fast food for the benefit of her health, and her bank account.

“I hated the way fast food made me feel, and I always regretted eating it,” Emily says.

“It really is too easy to buy, especially when you’re surrounded by Uni students who want to do those sneaky late night takeaway runs!

“Surprisingly, I haven’t found it difficult at all, and I haven’t cheated once.

“It takes 21 days to make a habit and the Lent period has made a non-fast food diet achievable for me! I’m pretty proud of myself.”

Emma Barbagallo, a Speech Pathology student and resident at George Roberts College, has chosen to walk to class instead of driving.

“It seemed like a good idea to do a bit of walking for exercise,” Emma says.

“I have cheated on days where I’ve had to see clients at Uni, although only because I’ve had a lot of things to take with me. Plus, it’s been difficult when I’m running late, or if it’s raining.

“I would really like to try to maintain the habit even after Lent finishes next week, although sometimes it really is easier to drive.”

Engineering student Caitlin Aguirre is sacrificing chocolate over the 40-day period.

“There is no Christian reason behind my decision. I just want to challenge myself,” Caitlin says.

Duchesne College in Brisbane intend to benefit others through their combined choice to give up ice-cream.

“My entire college has stopped eating ice cream,” Genevieve says.

“Admittedly, it’s killing me! But the money we save will be donated to a charity, so it is for a good cause.”

Catholic School Student Gabriella Dal Santo has an alternative outlook toward Lent.

“I tried giving up cake, which then led to giving up only chocolate cake, which even then I blew under the stress of school exams!” Gabriella says.

“To me, it’s the thought that counts. Even failing to fully replicate the hardship Jesus Christ faced during the 40 days he spent in the desert is still a way to recognise the pain and suffering he faced.”

Regardless of whether an individual practices Lent for religious reasons or for the shear benefit of improving their life, the 40-day fasting period clearly helps us to become more spiritually mindful with the bonus of eliminating a couple of bad habits at the same time.

*Following the liturgical abbreviations of the Second Vatican Council in the Roman Catholic Church, Lent, in the Catholic Church, is now taken to end on Maundy Thursday rather than Easter Eve, and hence lasts 38 days excluding Sundays, or 44 days in total.

Every fourth Friday of the month the first year biomedical science students get together for a freaky lunch to relax, meet fellow students and form a community.

By Cornelia Koppang Henriksen

On April 4^th the first year Biomedical students of James Cook University got together for a Freaky Friday Mad Hatter Mid Semester Madness lunch held at the under-croft of the nursing buildings.

Some of the students dressed up as characters from the popular  book, Alice in Wonderland.

THE HARD CORE FREAK: Dr Donnalee Taylor and volunteer students Veronica Munday-Stevens, Stephanie Burges, Rose Blackwood, Philippa Thomas and Taryn Don.

“Sense of Community”

First Year Experience Coordinator for the Bachelor of Biomedicine and Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Dr Donnalee Taylor, says the Freaky Friday workshops bring a completely new experience and opportunity for the biomed students.

“In the past biomedicine has not been that successful in creating a group setting for the students, but now they are staring to feel like they belong to a group, that they are involved,” she says.

“It is nice to create this sense of community.”

Friday’s event was the second Friday lunch, and Dr Taylor and five volunteer students will make every fourth Friday a freaky one, each with different themes.

Get Important Information

It was the academic Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Sally Kift who inspired Dr Taylor to start arranging the regular support event for the students.

Professor Kift says the lunch also helps the lecturers to inform students of important information.

“It is all about providing information to the first year students to support them in their transition from high school or transition back to university,” she says.

“We have guests from around the university, the library, the council and other different areas. They come and meet the students, so they can feel that the comfort level is better when they perceive that they know someone and have a contact if they struggling with something,”

“Never Talked Before”

GOOD OPPOTUNITY: Katielyn Guirguis, Amy Davidson, Hannah Coman and Chloe Mawere says the event is important to meet fellow students.

Most of the attending first year students say the Freaky Friday’s are important in the making of a bio-med community.

Students Katielyn Guirguis, Amy Davidson, Hannah Coman and Chloe Mawere all say they want to continue to attend the event in the future.

“We are often maybe 500 people in one class, so we do not really get to socialize much in that setting,” Amy says.

“The Freaky Friday is fun and it gets everyone together.”

Cameron Brown, another first year student, also says the event is great for meeting new friends.

“This is actually the first time we have talked together. It is really nice to have this chance to get to know each other,” he says.

“It is also nice to get to know our course coordinator.”

If you are a Biomedical student and want to attend, contact Dr Donnalee Taylor.

FREE LUNCH: The first year biomedical students get free lunch at the event.

POPULAR: 50 of 75 students RSVP’d they were going to attend the Freaky Friday event last Friday.

Fisher Shield Girls Basketball: St Pauls vs St Marks

Keep up-to-date with the victories, the losses, and the dates of upcoming matches between James Cook University students and their rival colleges, faculties and fellow peers in the numerous sporting competitions held throughout the semester.

By Gabrielle Vacher.

Fisher Shield:
The Swimming Carnival held on Saturday 8th March was the launch of the 2014 Fisher Shield, a year-round
competition challenging college students to contest on the sporting field and on the stage later during the
year.

John Flynn College conquered the carnival.

“Our star swimmers were Will Lane and Sidony Miller-Waugh, who had previously swam at a national level,
plus Tom Richards and Annabel Fraser who competed at state,” John Flynn College Sporting Rep, Sky
Brunker says.

“As indicated by these students’ status we dominated in most events, however the boys did have some
tough competition from the other colleges and weren’t able to take out first.

“The girls ended up winning the entire competition and thanks to the tremendous effort put in by everyone,
John Flynn was able to take out the win for the first Fisher Shield event.”

Fisher Shield Basketball culminated last Wednesday 18th March after George Roberts Hall was defeated in
both the male and female finals by University Hall and Saint Marks.

“It sucks, of course. This would’ve been our sixth year winning the grand final.

“Saints won because of their offensive rebounds, as well as their transition basketball.

“Although we shut down some of their transitions we couldn’t convert it at our end of the court,” captain of
the George Roberts Hall female basketball team Katii Batty says.

“Special mention to Saints team captain Althea, for taking charge on the court by creating their offensive
moves and dictating the game.

“From our team, Steph Clay played exceptionally for only her second time on the basketball court.

“As vice-captain of our team she stepped up and helped lead the girls by example. She put her body on the
line repeatedly and was always hungry for the ball.”

Those who are interested in witnessing the remarkably fierce competition of intense college rivalry and impressive sporting prowess are welcome join the college crowd at the JCU pool for Water Polo on Saturday 29th March.

Alternatively, watch the guys and the girls get rough on the JCU Oval in the first game of Fisher Shield Rugby next Wednesday 2nd April.

Inter Faculty Sport:
Ever pondered over who would dominate in a sporting match between Vet students vs. Law students?

Would the Education students beat the Engineering students?

Are the Exercise Science students a sure win against the Medical students?

Inter Faculty touch continues on Wednesday 26th March.

Support your fellow classmates or put your curious mind at ease and watch the finals on Friday 28th March to
determine which faculty is the quickest and nimblest on the touch field.

Social Sport:
Combining the guys, the girls, the university students and the general public, social sport is in its third week
of contest.

There is sport suited to every preference with soccer, touch, netball and basketball held every Monday night,
and volleyball and tennis held every Thursday night.

Social Sport continues until the end of the semester providing plenty of opportunities to put down the books
and relax watching local competitors contend in your favourite match.