Note from the Centre Manager

This week marks the official end of Spring, although with the soaring temperatures it feels as though summer arrived early, bringing with it a timely reminder to slow down and take care. As we wrap up our final events for the year, our team is looking forward to a well-earned break over the festive season. It has certainly been a big and rewarding few months.

Spring was packed with meaningful achievements. We hosted our inaugural CUC Balonne Charity Ball, raising significant funds toward student bursaries, and facilitated Sporting Horizons as part of the Regional Sporting Roadshow in partnership with Goondiwindi and Roma. We also celebrated important milestones in our national reporting obligations and attended the Widening Participation Forum in Canberra. To finish the season on a high note, we gathered to celebrate our locally supported graduates, a wonderful reminder of why our work matters. Our one big remaining event for the year is our University Campus Immersion Trip in the first week of December (to be shared in our Summer newsletter).

Across Semester 2, the Centre supported 111 students from 24 institutions, studying across 16 fields. Notably, our registrations of First Nations students have grown to 20%, closely aligning with the Balonne Shire’s Indigenous population of 20.5% (ABS, 2021). This follows the onboarding of our First Nations Education Officer, Kaiamba Davis, whose work is already strengthening relationships and widening participation across the region.

Connection with our fellow Regional University Study Hubs has been another highlight. Our participation in the QUT RUSH/SUSH Study Tour and the National Widening Participation Forum has continued to deepen partnerships and shared learning across the network, essential ingredients for delivering high-quality, place-based support.

Our team has also advanced key strategic projects, including the finalisation of our Strategic Plan 2025–2028 and the ongoing delivery of student and community activities, from Aspire to Health sessions to school workshops, and community events, including school and church fetes. I was also pleased to complete the Graduate Certificate in Career Development Practice, enhancing our in-house career guidance capability.

A heartfelt thank you goes to Eliza, Kaiamba and Emily, whose commitment, adaptability and hard work continue to make an enormous impact. I also extend sincere appreciation to our dedicated Board of Directors. This year, we farewelled Duncan Taylor, founder of the Country Universities Centre affiliate, whose vision and leadership have shaped regional tertiary access nationwide. We were, however, delighted to welcome Isabelle Gillespie, Chief Operating Officer of CUC Central, to our Board, strengthening our governance and strategic alignment.

On behalf of CUC Balonne, I wish everyone a safe, restorative and joyful festive season. We look forward to continuing to support our students and community in 2026.

CUC Balonne Charity Fundraising Ball 2025 – “A Night in Full Bloom”

In September, CUC Balonne hosted A Night in Full Bloom, a vibrant Charity Fundraising Ball that welcomed 157 guests and raised $44,000 for the Student Bursary Program. Revellers danced to the Army Band and generously supported raffles and auctions throughout the night. Delivered by the CUC team with the help of dedicated community volunteers, the event built on the momentum of previous Mayoral Balls and will directly support local students facing financial barriers to tertiary education. Thanks goes to Eliza Woodruffe who took the lead for this event.

CUC Balonne staff glammed up and welcomed guests to the first CUC Balonne Charity Fundraising Ball.

Sporting Horizons – Exploring Careers in Sport

This year Sporting Horizons grew to become part of the Regional Sporting Roadshow. Working in collaboration with CUC Maranoa and Goondiwindi RUSH, this year entailed a three-day event travelling to Goondiwindi, St George and Roma. This event showcases diverse careers in the world of sport. For an insight into the St George event, check out the link below:

2025 Sporting Horizons – St George

QUT Study Tour

In September, the QUT Regional and Suburban Study Hub Tour brought together centre managers from across Queensland for two days of learning, collaboration and networking. Thank you to Rowena Barrett, QUT Pro Vice-Chancellor, Entrepreneurship and Regional Innovation, for hosting this inspirational event.

Admiring the QUT Sphere – a 5m diameter LED globe in the atrium of QUT’s Education Precinct at the Kelvin Grove campus.

Juggling Futures

Juggling Futures is a social-circus–based career education program designed for young people aged 8–13 who are at risk of disengaging from school, helping them build confidence, teamwork, decision-making and other core capabilities through fun, sequenced activities. Developed in response to community concerns about low self-belief and disconnection among local youth, the program uses creative collaboration to strengthen wellbeing, belonging and early employability skills. Strong demand for the pilot program has already demonstrated its value, with each session supported by local agencies and Elders to ensure cultural relevance and community-led impact.

Graduation

CUC Balonne celebrated the achievements of 22 graduating students at a warm and lively ceremony held at Riversands Wines. The graduates represented an impressive range of qualifications from law, rural science and IT to nursing, trades, community services, and postgraduate studies, reflecting the growing depth of local career pathways supported through the Centre. The celebration highlighted the remarkable success of local learners choosing to study and thrive within the Balonne community.

12 out of 22 of this year’s graduates were able to attend our ceremony.

Widening Participation Forum

Eliza and Elspeth were proud to present both a poster and a 30-minute workshop on CUC Balonne’s Horizons program at the 2025 National RUSH Widening Participation Forum, held this week at the Australian National University. The Forum brought together more than 150 participants, including 90 from Regional University Study Hubs, 46 university representatives, and 11 government stakeholders, creating a vibrant platform for collaboration and shared purpose. Over two days, attendees explored bold ideas through keynote sessions, panel discussions, sub-project presentations, and capacity-building workshops, all focused on strengthening equitable education outcomes. The event was marked by a strong spirit of generosity, openness, and cross-sector partnership, reflecting the growing maturity and impact of the RUSH network.