Career panning out nicely

by Vincent Ciccarello

Jobbing actors are regularly faced with the problem of how to make ends meet between gigs, but for James Mitchell, the dilemma is deciding whether to work in front of the camera or behind it.

Better known to thousands of viewers as cult leader Jonah in Home and Away, Mitchell is also a dab hand at media production.

"I never thought I would get to pursue acting as a career. I aimed to work behind the scenes," he said.

But two years into his UniSA Bachelor of Arts (Communications) degree, a tutor suggested Mitchell audition for the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).

"I tried out for NIDA and was fortunate enough to get in that year," he said.

He landed the Home and Away role as a new NIDA graduate in 2004 and, despite the 3am wake-up calls to be on the set in time, Mitchell relished the opportunity.

"It was great, just to be working and to be part of it," he said. "Everyone involved is so dedicated to the craft. And they work so hard."

With a Bachelor of Dramatic Arts in his top pocket, Mitchell returned to complete his communications degree at UniSA last year.

"I’ve used the principles learnt at UniSA in my professional work. Media production gave me a great grounding and an introduction to the industry," he said.

Mitchell’s next screen incarnation is as one of the characters in a New York 1930s gangster game being developed for Sony Playstation but he also has plans to shoot his own short films.

Whyalla opens wellness and fitness hub

Australia’s first community-based research program designed to help overweight adults is off to a running start following the launch of Whyalla’s Wellness and Fitness Hub in April. The Hub is an important facility for the Shape Up for Life: Whyalla Nutrition and Exercise Study, one of the programs of the Australian Technology Network’s Centre for Metabolic Fitness being run by the Centre for Regional Engagement. Facilities in the complex include a gallery room that creatively combines an aerobic workout area and artwork gallery; a wellness and fitness room with diagnostic and anaerobic facilities; and an aerobic activities room with equipment that includes rowing machines, exercise bikes and electronic treadmills.

Sleep centre

UniSA’s Centre for Sleep Research launched its new offices at City East campus recently with a flurry of fluffy slippers and brushed cotton pyjamas.

The opening was held as a pyjama party and everyone from professors and lead researchers to industry partners and CEOs donned their brunch coats and dressing gowns to join in the fun. The new facility, officially opened by Vice Chancellor Denise Bradley and the then Minister of Employment Training and Further Education, Stephanie Key, includes dynamic open plan office spaces and five bedrooms including bathroom and kitchen facilities for subjects involved in sleep research studies.

The Centre for Sleep Research is working on major industry projects looking at pilot and driver safety and clinical research projects examining the links between sleep and sleep disturbance and health and wellbeing.

A step ahead in Aboriginal health

UniSA’s podiatry students are helping tackle the side-effects of diabetes, a major health problem in Aboriginal communities across Australia.

Three times a year for the past six years, a team of UniSA academics and students has visited the Anangu Pitjitjantjara (AP) lands in the north-west of South Australia to provide ongoing podiatry services to the area.

It’s a volunteer program that Dr Sara Jones, UniSA podiatry program director and clinical coordinator of the AP podiatry service, says gives Aboriginal people critical health care and gives students life-changing lessons.

The UniSA service, run with the support of the Nganampa Health Services, involves a tutor and two or three final-year students spending a week to 10 days conducting travelling clinics.

“The population is so small and so remote that there are no mainstream services in podiatry being provided,” Dr Jones said.

“We generally go to five or six communities on most visits and treat upwards of 120 or 130 people.

“The work can be quite complex and diverse.

“It’s an excellent opportunity for students to experience problems they may not encounter in the city and work in a setting where they are challenged to deliver the best treatments that meet with a person’s lifestyle requirements.