University of Wollongong

Yeah, not being from Wollongong myself, it was always interesting when I first went up there and I now have a home up there and spend time between my family home and my home in Wollongong.

It traditionally is not a business hub, as we all know, but because our office is situated on the innovation campus with the University of Wollongong, it enabled us to tap into not only the other businesses on campus, but into the faculty and into the students.

They have an excellent supply chain program at the University of Wollongong, and we've hired many entry-level staff in through that program.

They also have a fantastic finance program there.

I think COVID...

And speaking of bent spoons and things like that, we round off the episode once again in the Trove segment, where we're going to be looking at more press attention given to the Bent Spoon Award.

This year we're looking at things like the TV program Medicine or Myth and the blog Sarah's Day, as well as the shenanigans at the University of Wollongong.

Now, a couple of little notes from me.

The other day, as I was doing research or mindlessly looking at YouTube, I don't know which one, I came across a video from the early 80s of the founder, or one of the founders and the patron of the Australian Skeptics, the one and only Dick Smith.

Where are we? Where are we? On my long list here...

2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Now the winner, or the winners I should say in 2016 were Judy Wileyman, Brian Martin and the University of Wollongong.

And I really didn't find much about this at all in the general media.

So large discovery spaces where families with young children come and literally learn through play together.

It took a while, but we got a partnership going with the University of Wollongong and created-

Ah

... what's now known as the Early Start Discovery Space.

What am I meant to do here? What are you trying to teach me or tell me? What is the story? So all the experiences we put into discovery spaces, whether it's archeological dig site, a house construction zone, dress up, a theater area, whatever it is, it's about getting in there and unleashing your creativity.

So our energy house here is very much about that.

So Paul, you saw my surprise there as soon as he said that he was part of this children's discovery that's comes particularly a lot of partnership with the University of Wollongong.

My son lives down there with his three children.

Martin Lyons, The Uses of Literacy in Colonial Australia is published by Anthem Press.

Here on ABC Radio National's The Bookshelf, we'll stay with the history of reading for a little bit longer as we hear from Sue Turnbull, Honorary Professor of Communications and Media at the University of Wollongong, who specialises in television, naughty crime and audiences.

She also regularly reviews and judges crime fiction.

She's a life member of Sisters in Crime Australia and is chair of the Bad Sydney Crime Writers Festival, all of which means she reads an awful lot of genre fiction.

Yeah.

Um, it's been a, been a, a long slog and, and, and challenges, but, um, you know, with, with some help with the- In the active in UOW and, and council down there, we've managed to secure a, a, a home.

Um, it needs a bit of love and a bit of work on it.

Um, but we've got a field, uh, somewhere where we can train out of regularly, somewhere our juniors can play out of regularly.

So my name's Anna Sidis.

I'm a clinical psychologist and an academic at the University of Wollongong.

Most of my work is with young people on the psychosis spectrum or young people experiencing suicidal worries.

And I like, also like to work with families.