Economy Program Day 2014 – Port of Portland

Economy puts a positive spin on Friday the 13th

The 2014 LGSC participants made their way to the offices of the Port of Portland on Friday the 13th, the venue for our second Economy Program Day. 

Our first speaker Sharon Kelsey, CEO Glenelg Shire impressed the group with a diverse and very interesting resume. After an overview of Sharon’s background she utilised her energetic and humorous presentation style to discuss leadership lessons with the assistance of real life scenarios. Tips included:
The need to know yourself and to be yourself.
Know what you stand for.
What’s your view?
What’s your brand?

Clint Larkin, Harvest Supervisor from South West Fibre presented a company overview and opened up discussion about facing challenges and opportunities using effective community and stakeholder engagement. Hearing examples of how this engagement has worked successfully for South West Fibre was an eye opener for the group. Clint left us with his leadership words of wisdom “understand yourself before you try to understand others”.

Steve Walker, Ports Development Manager has been integral part of the GrainCorp export operations at Portland. Steve explained how the values of GrainCorp have encouraged him think deeply about his personal values, and what he chooses to focus on to succeed in life. Steve finished with a pat on the back for the 2014 participants “Trust yourself. You are already a success”.

Heading into lunch with invited guests from the Committee for Portland this quote reminded us that we are already achieving by being part of the LGSC Program.

The afternoon was a field trip to the Port of Portland. Prior to the bus tour the Port Engineer Mark Kamphuis provided an overview of the import and export operations and how the Port is tackling the challenges and constraints of their limited footprint.

On the bus the data Mark presented came to life with many wow factors leaving the group amazed at the Port operations. Seeing the ships up close and the technology used to deliver, load and unload product showcased new advances in technology.  

Sincere thanks are extended to the days sponsor the Port of Portland and to our speakers who were generous with their time, knowledge and leadership tips.

Economy Program Day 2014

LGSC participants were treated to a timely reminder as to what it means to be an effective leader and the importance of recognising leadership qualities in others.

Daryl Roe, former Senior Vice President and Executive General Manager, Incitec Pivot and Orica, spoke to the group passionately about his leadership journey. He explained “it’s OK to take sideways steps. You must be prepared to broaden your base”.

A highly engaging presenter, his wisdom and experience delivered a clear message that leadership is not something that happens overnight, a good leader understands their strengths and weaknesses, surrounding themselves with a team to support these areas.

“For some leadership is innate and often needs to be developed” Daryl Roe

Two key words were in the participants minds this week; the economy. Words that carry such weight and significance within regional Victoria are often poorly defined and understood. Some of this weight was lifted by our speakers.

A unique insight to regional economic development was provided by William Li, Economic Policy Analyst with Regional Development Victoria. Mr Li provided an insight into sectoral growth and the potential of the Great South Coast region. Defining events that are likely to impact Australia and what it means to be competitive in a global economy.

Champions of the Bush Chairman, Dr Greg Walsh highlighted four trends that impact or regional economy. Suggesting that “there needs to be a shift toward thinking globally and acting locally”.

The complexity and importance of regional economy was unpacked as the group began to think about our region, our food and fibre, our infrastructure, our workforce and our tourism industry within a global context.

Thanks are extended to our speakers, Daryl Roe, William Li, and Dr Greg Walsh for imparting upon the group their passion and wealth of knowledge in leadership and the economic opportunities of our region.

Thanks to our Program Day sponsor the Terang Co Op and Liz Aitken, HR Manager for providing and overview of their business model. The Terang Co Ops significant re-investment into the Terang community is impressive and inspiring.

Health and Welfare Program Day 2014

“People’s lifestyles and the conditions in which they live and work strongly influence their health.” (World Health Organization, ‘Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Facts’, 2003.)

How well do you know your community? A key question was posed to LGSC 2014 participants in a recent Program Day, as the layers were peeled back on health issues across the Great South Coast, to reveal an in-depth look at the social determinants of health.

Passionate speaker and Health Promotion Officer for the South West Primary Care Partnerships, Lynda Smith, asked participants to look beyond surface issues and to metaphorically ‘turn the tables upside down’ on chronic health problems, in seeking to take up leadership opportunities to design health promotion programs based on the social determinants of health. Ms. Smith outlined the importance of addressing the fundamental underlying socio/economic determinants, as factors contributing to the erosion of health and wellbeing.

Ms. Smith delivered a clear message that public health policy is more than merely the provision of accessible medical care; it must also have a macro application throughout the community, based on underlying social determinants. “Health care promoters need to use a combination of strategies to address both the ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ levels of health care across all streams of society,” Smith said.

Mr. Lud Allen, Sexologist from Sexual Health Counseling and Education Services, facilitated a comprehensive discourse on sexual health issues for young rural people and challenged participants to examine their own ideas on sexuality and sex positivity.

Throughout the presentation, Mr. Allen appealed to participants to challenge dominant social meanings surrounding patriarchal practices, sexual diversity and sexual health. He implored participants to understand that young people are engaging in sexual practices at a younger age than ever before. “It requires sensitivity from parents; schools and the wider community, to provide ‘straight answers without blushes,’ to give young people skills in sexual decision making and encounters”.

Mr. Mark Brennan, Executive Officer, South West Primary Care Partnerships, presented a thought provoking presentation on obesity and outlined the challenges facing the Great South Coast. “3 in 5 Australians are obese,” said Mr. Brennan. “We are seeing higher rates of chronic disease, so the bottom line is we are seeing higher costs for the government and us as a community.”

The key message delivered by Mr. Brennan outlined the need for the Great South Coast to address obesity at the social determinants level, to deliver greater outcome in health and wellbeing. Brennan highlighted the need for any potential health promotion program to be driven from within the community. Mr. Brennan drove home the sobering fact that obesity is of epidemic proportions within our community. He called on all participants and local leaders in industry to answer an urgent call to action and invest in prevention programs for the Great South Coast Region.

Special thanks are extended to guest speakers, Ms. Lynda Smith, Mr. Lud Allen and Mr. Mark Brennan for giving their time to conduct intellectual discourse to promote leadership opportunities in the health sector.

Strategy Program Day 2014

Embrace the chaos; get out of the old and into the new world – Authentic Leadership

Emerging leaders were taken on a challenging journey of self-discovery and asked to consider the next generation of leadership at the Strategy Program Day in Camperdown on March 28, 2014.

Chair of the Great South Coast Group, Cr Chris O’Connor, together with Bruce Anson, Chair of Regional Development Australia Barwon South West, set the context of where the region is currently placed and the vision of the Great South Coast Group. The need for strong leadership was highlighted with Mr Anson telling participants that the region needs to “change how we think and what we do” and that “bold thinking changes the future, not status quo thinking”.

Cr Ruth Gstrein, Committee Member of Regional Development Australia Barwon South West then joined Cr O’Connor and Mr Anson to discuss the GSC strategic plan and the key priorities, including education attainment, food and fibre strategy, nature based tourism and rebuilding our regional roads.

Participants were then treated to a presentation from Mike McAllum, a futures architect from Global Foresight Network and a specialist in the practice of strategic foresight and designing better futures. Mr McAllum lead participants on a journey from an existing ‘old world’ of thinking, to a ‘new world’, asking group members to challenge existing assumptions to ensure that thinking is not limited to what we know and understand. “What kind of leader do you want to be? A leader in the old world, or a leader in the new?” was the question posed to participants.

There is both challenge and opportunity for the Great South Coast region. The strategy Program Day has asked participants to think outside the square and challenge existing norms. Bold thinking and exceptional leadership will be required in being able to foresee and plan for a better future. Do you want to be a maker or a taker? Do you want to create a future or are you happy to just mark time?

Thanks to sponsors Corangamite Shire and the Great South Coast Group. Special thanks to Cr O’Connor, Cr Gstrein, Bruce Anson and Mike McAllum for their time.