CQUniversity's latest Research Unplugged event held in Mackay has been hailed a ‘great success' by organiser and Institute for Health and Social Science Research (IHSSR) representative Dr James Douglas.

The event, consisting of a co-presentation by Assoc Prof Peter Reaburn (School of Medical and Applied Sciences) and Tracey Belbin (Australian Sports Commission), attracted nearly 50 interested attendees, mostly drawn from a number of sporting and community organisations.

Peter Reaburn addresses the audience in Mackay

The presentation was titled Aging as an athlete: what do science and experience tell us?

"The aim was to present a combination of academic research and practical experience in this area of exercise science and the two presenters worked very well together," Dr Douglas said.

Peter Reaburn not only writes about Masters Athletes; he is one himself. He is a former national surf lifesaving champion, has won four state long course triathlon championships in his late 40s and was the Australian (50-54 years) Ironman triathlon champion in 2005. He completed the Hawaii Ironman in 2005 and is currently training to go back to Kona (Hawaii) in 2015. Peter is a father of two and also an A-grade netball coach.

Tracey Belbin engages with the audience

Tracey Belbin is not only the current coordinator of the Active After Schools Program for the Australian Sports Commission in Mackay, she has also coached hockey internationally in South Africa and the United States and been employed as a hockey coach within the ACT, Queensland and NSW sports institutes and academies. She is a dual Olympian and is the winner of an Olympic gold medal in 1988 in the all-conquering women's hockey team of that year. Tracey is a mother of two and passionate believer in the role of sport in the lives of people of all ages.

Research Unplugged has been run by the IHSSR since 2008 as a bi-monthly event. The general aim is to take community-relevant academic research into traditionally non-academic spaces such as pubs and coffee houses, and engage with members of the public as well as with those working within the health and social science sectors.

The next Unplugged event is planned to be held at the Criterion Hotel in Rockhampton on October 25. The guest speaker will be Prof Greet Cardon from Ghent University (Belgium) who will present in the area of 'Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in young children: measurement issues, determinants and intervention strategies'.

Watch the IHSSR website (http://www.cqu.edu.au/ihssr) for details or contact Dr James Douglas on j.douglas@cqu.edu.au for more information.