Gympie’s university.

Whether opening pathways to dream careers, protecting our natural environment and wildlife, or creating safety nets for those who need it most, The University of the Sunshine Coast and its valued collaborators have united to deliver impact for the Gympie region in 2021.

Together, USC and our partners helped implement important initiatives and research that will continue to have benefits locally and globally as we move into the future.

We stood behind campaigns to preserve and research the lives of koalas, sea turtles, native birds and manta rays, held a symposium about long-term research strategies for World Heritage-listed K’gari, and championed causes which aid homeless youth and military veterans.

In the medical field, our many strides included clinical trials to improve treatments for breast cancer, melanoma, malaria and COVID-19, simultaneously maintaining a position as a leader in mental health and suicide prevention research via the Thompson Institute.

With partnerships central to all we do, USC continued important partnerships with a range of organisations and groups, including Gympie’s Business Awards and Christmas in the Park, through to global collaborations with wildlife organisations.

Our athletes were given a platform, shining on a global stage at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and closer to home, USC experienced its best-ever returns at the 2021 universities multisport carnival on the Gold Coast.

In challenging and uncertain times for our cohort, we’re extremely proud to have again secured a five-star rating in the ‘student support’ category by the Good Universities Guide. It’s indicative of the student-first ethos that shapes our culture.

Helping youth at risk of homelessness was the focus of the mobile phone app ‘HomeTown Buddy’, developed by USC in collaboration with Community Action Inc, with advice and support from the Sunshine Coast Primary Health Network and Gympie Regional Council.

USC Gympie Campus manager Angeline Medland said with homelessness on the rise and increasing social disadvantages presenting for young people in the region, the app was designed to help youths and other residents easily find information and support when they required it most.

Development of the potentially life-changing technology took place through USC’s Centre for International Development, Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership (CIDSEL), which works with policy makers, governments, investors, business owners and entrepreneurs to foster creativity and innovation and create positive social change.

In a different area of expertise, high-achieving 44-year-old Gympie grandmother Kathy Pitt completed a USC Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, with the express purpose of inspiring those closest to her.

A recipient of the University Commendation for Academic Excellence, as well as a Leadership Award, she was intent on setting an example for her children and grandchildren.

Along the journey, she gained experience teaching in Cambodia and since graduating has secured a full-time graduate teacher position in the Cape York Peninsula.

On the community activations front, USC sponsored the Business Innovation category of the Gympie Business Awards Gala in October.

The University is also proud to be on board for Gympie’s long-running tradition, Christmas in the Park, which has been held in one form or another for more than 50 years.

USC was named the nation’s best for something we love doing – helping to create real change across our communities by giving back.

Our ‘G-Day’ fundraising campaign was awarded ‘Best fundraising campaign – small team’ by Universities Australia after raising almost $280,000 to find solutions for mental health challenges, help koalas devastated by bushfires and disease, and support financially disadvantaged students. 

Director of USC’s Development Office Russell Ousley said the message for this year’s Giving Day was that kindness could change everything. “And thanks to the incredible generosity of USC alumni, staff, supporters and friends, we showed just what a difference we could make across three key areas of need.”

AGympie woman and USC PhD student was appointed by the State Government as the inaugural First Nations Archive Advisor at Queensland’s State Archives in 2021.

Butchulla woman Rose Barrowcliffe was tasked with amplifying the voices of First Nations people that had previously been overlooked in historical narratives.

“We need to look at archives with fresh eyes to find stories that are recorded but haven't been part of history,” she said.

The work is an extension of her doctoral research at USC which aims to highlight the stories of the Butchulla people, the traditional custodians of K’gari, contained in the K’gari Research Archive collection, held by USC.

“We are extremely proud as a University to have one of our talented research students recognised in this way, and to be undertaking such significant work to record the experiences and perspectives of First Nations peoples,” USC Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Helen Bartlett said.

USC also worked to help increase understanding, appreciation and conservation of the world’s largest sand island by opening a new interpretive centre on K’gari, in partnership with SeaLink Fraser Island and the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Engagement) Professor Joanne Scott said the K’gari World Heritage Discovery Centre highlighted how globally significant, and fragile, this incredible island was.

It is part of USC’s commitment to increase understanding of K’gari’s exceptional Butchulla culture, which dates back more than 60,000 years, and address gaps in visitors’ knowledge of the island’s unique landscapes and ecology which led to its World Heritage listing.

In September, USC appointed Uncle Kev Starkey, a singer, songwriter and producer dedicated to First Nations music, as a USC Honorary Senior Fellow.

dedicated to First Nations music, as a USC Honorary Senior Fellow.
From Glenwood, north of Gympie, Uncle Kev has worked alongside USC academics to develop what is believed to be the first Bachelor of Music in Australia to include a minor in First Nations music.

In July, the Gympie community were invited to a free USC lounge bar lecture to uncover what it takes to dress rock stars and design clothes for leading fashion houses.

USC Design Lecturer Deborah Fisher and music industry costumier Cindy Vogels discussed their experiences in the international fashion industry at the informal public event at a city espresso bar, themed ‘A Fashionable Conversation’