A local impact showcase is hosted the day before the official conference –referred to as “Day 0” – to highlight initiatives and businesses that emerged over the past ten months. The event also provides local community with an introduction to a smaller room before the wider opening of Day 1.
The presentations were held in the Stanthorpe Little Theatre (https://www.stanthorpelittletheatre.org.au/), with Fundraising and Grants Co-Ordinator Tess Dellagiacoma providing an overview and making the case for investing in local performance art and creative industries, particularly through engagement with young people.
Southern Downs Regional Council Councillor Russell Wantling welcomed delegates with an overview of the region and his personal stories including establishing the water charity fund during the previous drought in the region.
Mary Findlay, Director of the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery shared about the local award-winning programs and reinforced the need for engaging young people in the creative arts. It was a fortunate coincidence that the gallery launched the youth exhibit the night before the conference.
Brooke Summerville, local Boomerang Bags social entrepreneur and Learning & Development Specialist, shared about the local volunteering community, expanding to meet diverse needs in the local community, and the need in regions for specialist technical support with a practical example of sewing machine maintenance.
Stanthorpe State High School Principal Justin Kuskie shared about the school’s innovative vocational programs, their leadership program that engages over 10% of the over 500 students, and plans for expansion to better integrate young people into workforce and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Lachlan Searle shared the innovative collaborative model of The Church they founded, providing a solution for over 50 local wineries needing representation in the region. The principles behind the approach provide a blueprint for developing a collective voice for individual distributed operators outside the wine industry.
Building on the region’s tourism profile, Andrew Beutel shared about the military history of Southern Downs region and opportunities to diversify tourism offerings in the region.
Rick Humphries from Granite Belt Sustainability Action Network shared about the challenges of drought in the region based on reliance on rainfall and the soil’s lack of water retention, with a proposal for a water security strategy and the concept of a water budget as a mobilizing concept.
In addition to the local showcase, two presenters from outside the community shared concepts aligned with the National Regional Challenges. Ash Watt from Why Leave Town highlighted the value of shop local cards to retain community capital in the local economy. Dave Parker from Frontier Services shared about engaging volunteers for their national programs addressing isolation, limited services, and vulnerability to crises in rural and remote Australia.
The presentations act as an introduction to a longer-term conversation and understanding with funders and other presenters in the room.
The evening closed with a youth art exhibition launch at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery followed by a private First Nations welcome dinner to prepare for the conference opening the following morning.
