Community News

CITY OF NEWCASTLE HONOURS RESEARCH LEGACY

Freeman of the City Distinguished Laureate Professor Roger Smith AM after being presented with his medal by Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes

An internationally recognised researcher who has advanced our understanding of human birth has been named the 19th Freeman of the City of Newcastle.

In a career spanning more than 35 years, Distinguished Laureate Professor Roger Smith AM has sought answers to some of medicine's biggest questions, helping families worldwide with his research into pregnancy, premature birth and stillbirth. Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Professor Smith had made his mark in Newcastle and overseas.

"Professor Smith's research is dedicated to improving the welfare and the wellbeing of everyone," Cr Nelmes said.

"He was instrumental in creating the Hunter Medical Research Cooperative Limited in 1990, which eventually became the world-leading Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI).

"Professor Smith established the Gomeroi Gaanyggal project in Tamworth, Newcastle and Walgett, endeavouring to 'close the gap' where Aboriginal health is concerned, using art as a medium for increasing Indigenous women’s access to healthcare during pregnancy.

"He also helped create a program in Nepal that reduced maternal mortality by 40 per cent by encouraging the Nepalese military to conduct helicopter evacuations of women with obstetric emergencies. The program arranged supplies of sanitary napkins for 2.6 million schoolgirls to allow them to stay at school longer and increase their future opportunities."

Professor Smith said being named a Freeman of the City was an unexpected honour.

"It's exciting to be the first scientist and researcher to become a Freeman of the City, and I believe it will change the way Newcastle thinks about itself," Professor Smith said.

"I'd like to see Newcastle continue to develop as a city of ideas, finding solutions for global problems such as climate change and artificial intelligence, bringing together business groups, the University of Newcastle, HMRI, Hunter New England Health and City of Newcastle to generate this future. I'd like to be part of Newcastle's contribution to the world.”

Among his incredible list of achievements, Professor Smith and his team of researchers discovered the biological clock within the human placenta that determines the length of human pregnancy. He and his team discovered how aging of the placenta can be a cause of stillbirth and have developed nanoparticles targeted to the muscle of the uterus as a treatment for premature birth.

Professor Smith was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2013 for his outstanding contribution to the field of human pregnancy physiology and Indigenous health.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Society for Reproductive Biology, a Life Member of the Endocrine Society of Australia and a Scientific Director of the HMRI Mothers and Babies Research Program.

Professor Smith joins an illustrious group of Novocastrians to be awarded the Freeman of the City honour, including Surfest co-founder Warren Smith, award-winning architect Brian Suters and sporting administrator and civic luminary Adele Saunders OAM.

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NEWCASTLE AND HUNTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROUDLY BEHIND OUR OLYMPIC ATHLETES

Newcastle and Hunter public schools are getting right behind our Olympic athletes as they go for gold in Paris.

Olympic debutants Clare Wheeler (Hunter Sports High School) and Ky Willott (Belmont Public School and Belmont High School) will be joined by fellow public-school alumni and Matildas player Emily van Egmond (Warners Bay and Whitebridge High Schools), Hockeyroo Mariah Williams (Hunter Sports High School) and men’s water polo co-captain Nathan Power (New Lambton Public School and Merewether High School) at the Games.

Local public schools will also go green and gold on Friday, 2 August, to support our Olympians.

NSW Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar said more than 50 former NSW public school students would fly the flag at the 2024 Olympic Games, making up a sizeable chunk of the 460-strong Australian team.

“We are incredibly proud of our students and alumni who have achieved the extraordinary honour of qualifying for the Paris Olympics,” he said.

“This remarkable achievement is a result of years of hard work and dedication, but also unwavering support and encouragement from their public schools, teachers, coaches, and families.

“As we prepare to honour our NSW public school alumni in Public Education Week (5-9 August), their journey to the Paris Olympics inspires all current students, reminding them that anything is possible with passion and commitment.”

The establishment of sports high schools, starting with Westfields Sports High School at Fairfield West in 1991, has led to further success. There are now eight government sports high schools across the state, balancing the needs of emerging athletes with a first-class education.

Their influence is no better exemplified than by the Matildas, with sports high schools providing five members of the 2024 Olympics squad, while a further four players also attended a NSW public high school.

A close relationship with the Australian Olympic Committee was further strengthened after sports high schools became official Olympic pathway schools in 2023.

The 2024 Olympic Games are on now and will conclude on 11 August. The 2024 Paralympic Games run from 28 August to 11 September.