Health and Wellbeing Program Day

What do we really know about the people who live in the Great South Coast Region? Do we really know our neighbours and the challenges of our own community?

Did you know that the Great South Coast region has a suicide rate twice the national rate or that the Corangamite Shire has the highest rate in the region for hospital visits for Dental caries which is substantially higher than the rest of Victoria?

The 2015 program Leadership Program participants today focused on people – the human capital of our region: not the impact of the global economy or climate change but the health and wellbeing of our community.  Lynda Smith, Health Promotion worker with South West Primary Care Partnership urged leaders to think and work “upstream” of some of the dire health and wellbeing challenges for our region.

It was a moving day in many ways as speakers bought some emotions to the surface, particularly as the afternoon moved into the area of mental health and suicide prevention.  Mandy van den Berg and Anna Azzopardi from the Mental Illness Fellowship gave us insights into not just the experience of mental illness, but the path to recovery and the importance of having a valued role and personal identity.

Belinda Clark, the Manager of Suicide Prevention Services at Lifeline South West shared the chilling statistics on suicide, far outstripping the road toll and having enormous impact across families and loved ones. Acting Senior Sergeant Kelly McNaughton of Victoria Police spoke about the day to day realities of working with people who threatened or attempted self harm and the immense workload and psychological impact that this had on members.

The day was a timely reminder of the reason we seek to have leadership roles, to make a difference in the lives of people in our community. By the generosity of our speakers we saw raw insights into the challenges that face our community and the hope that can motivate us to lead change.

Thanks to our presenters and our sponsor for the day, Timboon Health Services.

Phil Hose

2015 Alumni Events Calendar

Alumni Professional Development – held in partnership with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)
Governance Foundations for Not for Profit Directors

Thursday 18 and Friday 19 June (1.5 Days)

Port Fairy Community Services Centre: 16 Atkinson St Port Fairy VIC 3284                                             

Early Bird Rate (Register and pay by 15 May): $920 inc GST            Full Rate: $990 inc GST

See course info below.

This event is fully booked – registration of interest for our next Program are bring taken on 0408627066 

Alumni Professional Development Event – held as part of the Warrnambool Small Business Festival
Tuesday 18 August

5.30 pm onwards – Spotlight on Leadership – Knowing your Personal Brand
Held in partnership with our major partner Telstra – our guest speaker is Sadhana Smiles 2013 Telstra Business Women of the Year 

Sadhana  is CEO of Harcourts Victoria, one of Australia’s leading and well respected real estate brands and the 2013 Vic Telstra Business Woman. Her personal and professional leadership journey will inspire you and her personal branding advice will be invaluable to all.

Dinner to follow event (at own cost)

Alumni Networking Event + Christmas drinks
Tuesday 17 November – pencil this date in your diaries

Venue TBA 5.30 pm onwards – Canapés provided – drinks at bar prices

Economy Program Day

We live in challenging times; an aging population, climate change, technological advances and globalisation are all major issues which require foresight and planning.

The 2015 Leadership Program participants heard from several experts in Regional Development, Economics and Industry. Throughout an intensive session, discussion revolved around trends and events that are currently shaping local, regional and global economies.

Keenan Jackson, Senior Economic Policy Analyst with Regional Development Victoria, encouraged the group to consider factors which cause growth and decay in regional centres, and how strong leadership can impact these trends.

Dr Greg Walsh, Chairman of Champions of the Bush, presented an informal discussion on the challenges that have faced Australian leaders over the past 50 years. He encouraged the group to consider how we might learn from the past as we face new and unforseen challenges in the future.

The final speaker for the day was Daryl Roe, Former Senior Vice President and Executive General Manager of Incitec Pivot and Orica, who gave a moving account of his experiences in Executive management within a multinational organisation.

The day provided the participants with a greater depth of knowledge about economic and political factors affecting our region, from some very inspiring speakers.

The Leadership Program participants acknowledge the terrific contribution of these speakers, and the value they bring to our Leadership journey.

Special thanks to our hosts Corangamite Shire.

Gareth Colliton

Climate Adaptation Program Day

Climate change is scientific fact. How we choose to respond will have a significant impact on our community’s future.

The 2015 program participants learned about the challenges a changing climate will pose to our region, from temperature rise to storm events and rainfall changes.

The Department of Environment’s Climate Extension Specialist Graeme Anderson gave insight on how those impacts may manifest. Discussion focused on how we as leaders can considerately involve the community in planning for that future.

Professor of horticulture and viticulture at the University of Melbourne, Snow Barlow, spoke specifically on the challenges and opportunities climate change poses for the wine industry.

The discussions were brought into practice with a visit to Jigsaw Farms, managed by Mark Wootton and Eve Kantor. Jigsaw Farms is an exceptional example of leadership mixing with sustainable practice – proving that biodiversity can be improved whilst being harnessed for increased agricultural productivity.

The wicked problem of climate change will take time to solve, but our program participants now have greater awareness of what can be done.

Thanks to our Program Day sponsors, RMIT, Mark Wootton and Eve Kantor.

By Billy Greenham