Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Australian Water Associations 5th Young Professionals Conference, hosted at the MCG in Melbourne.
Sessions were conducted in a large conference room with tables of 10, allowing me to get to know my table mates, and to work on activities together during workshop sessions.
Highlights for me included a panel discussion on Australia and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a workshop on Integrated Water Management in outer Melbourne and a discussion on the importance of ikigai and networking by Kathryn Silvester, in her keynote speech on the second day.
It was a whirl wind trip jam packed with networking, presentations and workshops, all set against the vibrant city of Melbourne. I arrived back in Brisbane exhausted, inspired and very excited. My peers in the water industry were exactly as I'd hoped - passionate and driven in their jobs on a day to day basis, but also acutely aware of the importance of our sector and the challenges that loom large for our generation.
I hope to carry forward everything I've learned during my short time and to continue to strive for excellence within my own role at Viridis.
I'd like to thank James Howey, our benevolent Director for the opportunity to attend and also sponsoring my trip. Viridis' continual commitment to the professional development of their staff made me reflect on the leadership workshop from Day 1, where I'd taken a very fitting photo indeed!