Giving to UniSA
An overview of past 2009 seminars, together with presentation notes, are available below. For details on upcoming seminars please return to our main page.
The final seminar in the 2009 Successful Ageing in Australia series, held on Friday 4th December, provided an update on the current social landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The audience heard from a diverse range of speakers at the seminar entitled "Social & Education Advancement: Perceptions of modern Indigenous culture in Australia."
Professor Peter Buckskin, Dean & Head of the Indigenous College of Education and Research at UniSA, returned from a national conference to examine the progress being made for Indigenous rights. Peter's presentation focused on acknowledging the past and showing respect for our traditional land owners, with the emphasis on moving forward. He also discussed the positive experience he received as a participant in the 2008 Australia 20/20 Summit, as well as the need for early childhood education and support.
As he was unable to attend in person, a video of the Gavin Wanganeen Indigenous Scholarship recipient, Nathan Agius was played. Nathan conveyed his thoughts on receiving the scholarship and expressed how the generosity of the scholarship donors had inspire him to give back and support Indigenous students. Nathan has just accepted a teaching position at the John Pirie High School, Port Pirie, and is also undertaking an additional certificate which will enable him to provide training and mentoring to Indigenous students at the High School and within the community.
OZ Minerals External Relations and Environmental Manager, Ross Sawers, offered an interesting corporate perspective. As a large mining corporation, OZ Minerals has implemented a number of initiatives to engage local Indigenous & non-Indigenous people in their business and provide practical skills for longevity of the remote community. Ross discussed the success of the OZ Minerals Prominent Hill Pre-Employment Program, designed specifically for the Antakarinja community, who are the traditional owners of the area around Prominent Hill. In October 2009, the fifth program concluded with the 44 graduates now employment at the mine. Planning for the sixth course is underway and will target other groups in regional South Australia.
The final speaker for the seminar was Colin Weetra, Executive Director of Adelaide's Tauondi College. Colin shared with great warmth his experiences as an Indigenous family man, working to create a harmonious society and increase respect and self respect for Indigenous people. Tauondi College strives to create a balance between cultural teaching and education and offers a variety of both accredited and non-accredited courses as well as many community events.
To conclude the seminar, a stirring music clip of the Paul Kelly song "From little things big things grow" was played for the audience. This version was performed by the GetUp! advocacy group, along with Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody, in 2008 to coincide with the Australian 20/20 Summit and features overlays of speeches from Prime Minister Paul Keating and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Download the presentations and follow the links for more details:
Proudly supporting the Gavin Wanganeen Indigenous Scholarship
The audience of the third seminar in the 2009 Successful Ageing Seminar series received two thought-provoking presentations on Friday 25th September. A group of approximately 170 people braved the wet and windy weather to hear the seminar entitled "Health Care: Truth or Myth - How much do we know about medicine and healthcare?"
Guest speakers for the seminar were Professor Allan Evans, Pro Vice Chancellor: Health Sciences at UniSA, and Michael Simpson, an optometrist with the seminar sponsor Just Spectacles. Mr Simpson provided a three part presentation on eye care, including an update on the effects that smoking has on vision; the benefits of having digital retinal check–ups; and the pro’s and con’s of ready–made spectacles. Mr Simpson noted that “our eyesight is largely taken for granted, but needs ongoing care just like all other parts of our body.”
In his presentation “Valuable medicine or deceptive snake oil”. Professor Evans explored the increase of self–medication and the use of over-the-counter medicines and remedies.“How can a consumer know whether health claims are genuine and whether a product will do all that it claims?” asked Professor Evans, “It is more important than ever that consumers understand the level of evidence that is required for a health claim to be made and understand that you cannot always believe what you may hear in the mainstream media about the benefits of supplements and complementary medicines.”
Download the presentations for more information and interesting facts.
A record crowd of approximately 300 participants attended the Successful Ageing Seminar held on Friday 3rd July. The topic 'Active Ageing: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind - The key for a healthy life' appealed to a wide audience keen to understand how to improve the quality of life throughout the ageing process.
We were delighted to have Active Ageing Australia® sponsor the seminar and use the event to launch their Active Ageing Week (3-10 July 09). The seminar also provided an opportunity to launch their assistance products: Get Active for Living DVD and Falls Prevention SA website. Mr Barry Couzner OAM, Former Executive Officer of Active Ageing Australia®, introduced the new Get Active for Living DVD and demonstrated how simple low impact exercise can be easily added into a daily routine. Ms Tracey Gerhardy, Program Manager at Active Ageing Australia®, showcased the new Falls Prevention SA/ website designed especially to reduce the potential of falling. The website includes an online self-assessment, as well as useful information on exercise, vision and even the impact of some medications. The presentations highlighted how important regular exercise is to maintain wellbeing.
Professor Helen McCutcheon, Head of the School of Nursing & Midwifery at UniSA discussed the evidence that physical activity also delays cognitive decline. Professor McCutcheon amused the audience with anecdotes on ways to keep the mind active, including showing some online memory games. Noting that the brain's processing ability starts to decline from the young age of 20, Professor McCutcheon revealed that the brain also has the ability to regenerate and it is really a case of "use it or lose it".
The message from this seminar - Activity is good for your health!
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April 2009 – Finance 'Superannuation - Strategies for tough times' was the topic for the Successful Ageing Seminar held on Friday 24th April. Despite wet weather, a strong crowd came for an overview of global financial markets and suggestions on how to make the most of their superannuation.
Keynote speaker from AXA Australia, Ms Carmel McKenzie, discussed the falling global financial markets and the current economic climate. She also explored the impact that these factors have had on investors seeking to utilise their super to finance their retirement lifestyle.
"Volatility in investment markets has retreated significantly from the
very dramatic movements seen late last year and in February and early
March this year, although it is still above its long-term average.
In the past few weeks, a pick up in the volume of share trading in key
markets is another indicator of rising confidence in the outlook. Of
late, the cause of the positive or negative short-term shifts in the
share markets have proved easier to discern than was the case in late
2008. While not advocating the use of short term trends as a factor in
investment decisions, the improving clarity means more people are likely
to consider widening their investment options. Before acting however, we
always recommend consulting a financial planner who can add a broad and
deep perspective of the investment options appropriate for an
individual's own goals and circumstances."
Carmel McKenzie, National Development Manager
Investments, AXA Australia
The audience also received some practical planning tips from AXA
Australia's Andrew Martin and some technical pointers from UniSA Program
Director, at the School of Commerce, Peter Lennox.
Peter Lennox highlighted the importance of super fund members being aware of the differences that can exist between individual funds, for example; whether a fund provides for appropriate levels of life insurance or permits binding or non-binding death benefit nominations. Peter suggested that retirees reassess whether the types of benefits currently being paid from their superannuation fund best suits their needs given the significant superannuation reforms that were introduced from July 2007.
"Don't forget.......superannuation is not an investment but a structure
that can help you build your wealth and meet your retirement goals in a
tax effective way. Taking the time to understand superannuation allows
you to make the most of what you've got."
Andrew Martin, Financial Planning Manager SA / WA, AXA
Australia
Thank you to the seminar sponsors Silverstream Financial Solutions for their participation and for the information kits provided to all attendees.
