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  • Saturday, April 21, 2018 12:09 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Ken Sutton Memorial Library Group requires volunteers who would be willing to assist with organising RGSQ library material. No experience needed. If you are interested, please email Peter Griggs


  • Friday, April 20, 2018 5:27 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Professor Iain Hay, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Geography and Dean (Education) in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University has been re-elected as one of the three Vice-Presidents on the Executive Committee of the International Geographical Union for the period 2018-2022. The other two VPs are from Italy and China. It is an honour to have Prof. Hay represent Australia on this peak international body for Geography.

    http://www.flinders.edu.au/people/iain.hay


  • Friday, April 20, 2018 5:24 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The winner of the 2018 Royal Geographical Society of Queensland Prize for the highest achieving student graduating from the geography major at the USC announced.

    The Faculty of Arts, Business and Law at the University of the Sunshine Coast held its annual Awards and Prizes Ceremony on Tuesday, the 27th of March. Ms Bethany Williams-Holthouse was the 2018 winner, having received a grade point average of 6.82 (out of a possible 7) for her Bachelor of Regional and Urban Planning (Honours) program, and a grade point average of 6.875 (out of a possible 7.0) for the geography major in the program. Bethany is now working as a strategic planner for the Bundaberg Regional Council, which she enjoys very much. Bethany said that she loved geography, and that everything about geography has helped her in her present work with the Council.

    Photo: Associate Professor Jen Carter with Bethany Williams-Holthouse, Awards and Prizes Ceremony March 2017.


  • Friday, April 20, 2018 4:39 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Dear Members, the Gold Coast XXI Commonwealth Games this April marked the fifth time that Australia has hosted the Games – it was previously held in Sydney (1938), Perth (1962), Brisbane (1982) and Melbourne (2006). In 2018, 6600 athletes and team officials from 71 nations participated. The country with the largest contingent of 473 athletes, not surprisingly as the host, was Australia. The opening ceremony with a kaleidoscope of brightly attired competitors carrying national flags set me thinking more broadly about the role of the Commonwealth in global affairs in 2018.

    “The 54 Commonwealth countries cover 20% of the world's land area, spanning six continents and with an estimated population of 2.5 billion people, of which half is in India."
    Map Source


    After decolonisation of the British Empire, the London Declaration of 1949 changed the name from the British Commonwealth to the Commonwealth of Nations. Member states include republics and indigenous monarchies as "free and equal" nations, sharing English as a common official language and having democratic parliamentary systems. The Commonwealth recognises Queen Elizabeth II as its Head although not all countries were former British colonies. The newest members, Rwanda and Mozambique, have a very limited connection to British history but see trade advantages in joining the Commonwealth.

    Debate persists as to the relevance of the Commonwealth today. Critics describe it as “neo-colonialist”, as being dominated by former colonial nations and for not taking action against member countries guilty of human rights abuses. Proponents argue the benefits of shared values, trade opportunities and cite the more human aspect, the “People's Commonwealth" comprising voluntary, professional, philanthropic and sporting organisations that work to improve the lives of people in member countries. The bi-annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) discusses issues affecting the organisation and each member country. Equal representation for all member states gives the 31 smaller nations an international platform they may not otherwise have.

    The Commonwealth Games is the highest profile international event sponsored by the Commonwealth of Nations.

    Australia’s winning bid for the 2018 Games was announced in 2011 in Basseterre, the capital city of Saint Kitts. I was not familiar with the Geography of this small country but here’s what I discovered ...

    MapSource

    The twin-island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis is located in the West Indies Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles, approximately 1,300 miles southeast of Miami, Florida. The two main volcanic islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, have high central peaks covered in tropical rainforest. The numerous streams descending from the mountains provide fresh water for both islands. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population. The name St. Kitts is a shortened form of its official name, St. Christopher, given to it by Christopher Columbus when he landed there in 1493. St. Kitts was Britain's first colony in the West Indies founded in 1623. In 1983, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis gained independence. The inhabitants call themselves Kittitians. Nevis is named after the Spanish word for snow - not because there is any! But because of the white cloud usually around the island's peak. The inhabitants are known as Nevisians. In 2016 the population of St.Kitts and Nevis was 54,821, most of whom identified as Anglican Christians. English is the official language but Saint Kitts Creole is also widely spoken. The economic landscape is dominated by tourism, former sugar plantations and light manufacturing.

    There is now a thriving offshore-banking sector, an international financial centre and the regional Eastern Caribbean Stock Exchange. There is no income tax, corporation tax or withholding tax on profits in the Federation.

    St. Kitts and Nevis had a total of seven competitors in the 2018 Gold Coast Games in the beach volleyball, athletics and table-tennis events.

    References:
    https://www.sbs.com.au/news/is-the-commonwealth-of-nations-still-relevant March 12 2018
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Kitts_and_Nevis#
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations

    Dr Iraphne Childs, President

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