Author: Claire Fenwicke

Music echoes from the community hall in the village of Wongawilli. It’s the Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club and it’s holding a dance night to celebrate Festa della Repubblica – the day Italy became a Republic. While the official holiday is June 2, the patrons of the club couldn’t wait. A live acoustic band provides the music, with accordion, violin, guitar, piano, whistle and percussion. The club aims to “socially enjoy music, song and dance from whatever culture.” Honorary Secretary David De Santi said folk dance is a great way to bring communities together. “Once you get over the phobia of thinking…

Since the backlash surrounding the Protein World advert in a London Underground station, “fit shaming” seems to be the new buzzword. Amateur bodybuilder Lauren Killey is familiar with people criticising her physique. “Especially on social media, one of the most awful [comments] from a random person was, ‘Bitch, stop roofing, you look like a man’,” she said. Killey began bodybuilding in 2014 after completing her degree at the University of Wollongong. She had many reasons for taking up the sport. “I was so self-conscious and I hated my figure, and the great thing about body building is it’s literally body…

The Women in Defence Illawarra rugby league kicks off this weekend, with four teams tackling for the cup. Teams from Helensburgh, Corrimal, Berkeley and Windang Juniors clubs have entered, with over 100 women aged 16 and over playing. Competition sponsors Defence Force Recruiting have rebranded the league this year as part of a new marketing strategy aimed at attracting more players. Manager Chris Bannerman said the increased participation also has something to do with the exposure women’s rugby league experienced last year. “In 2014, four girls from our competition, all from the Helensburgh club, were selected to play for the…

Years of dry weather in New South Wales may have helped eliminate footrot, a debilitating disease found in sheep and goats. Claire Fenwicke reports. Since the establishment of the NSW Footrot Strategic Plan in 1988, footrot cases have steeply declined. In 2009, less than one per cent of flocks displayed symptoms of the disease. According to a report, titled Footrot in Sheep and Goats, by the NSW Department of Primary Industries, ongoing surveillance of flocks and effective response have maintained the low incidence. Footrot is a contagious bacterial disease of the foot found in sheep and goats. According to the…

When you have a mental health issue, one expression you come across is, “Get a grip”. In regional and rural areas, mental health issues are more prevalent than in cities, but services are inadequate and youth in particular are missing out. Claire Fenwicke explores possible solutions. The statistics are grim: suicide is the number one cause of death of Australians aged 15-24, and it’s worse in non-urban areas. According to News Corp, in 2010, 5.9 per 100,000 15-19 year-olds died by suicide in capital cities compared to 10.3 per 100,000 outside capitals. Analysing 20-24 year-olds in the same year, the…

The University of Wollongong has announced a 20-year development plan to transform the entrance and accommodation of the university, but there are no plans to extend the exisiting car parks to students ratio. New retail, accommodation and transport projects have been proposed, with 1000 beds planned and an impressive new entrance on Northfields Avenue. Along with these new plans was the announcement there will be an expected 50 per cent jump in full-time students, from 16,700 to 25,000. However, the current 3,100 car parks will only be expanded to 3,650 spaces, a 20 per cent increase. UOW Director of Facilities…

University of Wollongong creative arts students are preparing to head overseas to showcase their new work at a festival in Singapore. The Bachelor of Performance students will take part in the Festival of Student Theatre at La Salle in early June. The double bill, Duet & Bogey Man, are short plays by Daniel Keene, and are directed by third-year student Mark Churchill.  The performance students are looking for support to help fund the trip, which is they claim is a huge opportunity for them and the university to create stronger relationships in the international performing arts industry. AUDIO: Director Mark Churchill discusses the upcoming…

A battle between two universities will rage tomorrow at the University of Wollongong. Teams from UOW will face off against adversaries from the University of Western Sydney in practice for the main university sporting event, the Eastern University Games. The Games will be held in Wagga Wagga in July, while the nation-wide Australian University Games will take place on the Gold Coast in September. The UOW v UWS event will feature matches of hockey, basketball, Oztag, football, netball and Quidditch. Organisers encourage UOW students to attend the matches and cheer on their teams from 9am. Zoe Hunt was at URAC…

Controversy has surrounded the SBS program Struggle Street which aired its first episode last night. Labelled by some as “poverty porn”, the show is facing criticism over claims it does not fairly represent the people of Mt Druitt – the suburb where the documentary is based. People portrayed in the first episode all had a different story of hardship, including drug addiction, homelessness, mental health issues and unemployment due to disability. Ten garbage trucks from Blacktown descended on SBS at Artarmon yesterday, and blocked access to the building in protest over the show. Protesters demanded it not be aired. Blacktown Mayor Steven Bali said…