This week’s first webinar in the Building Orbost and District Together series brought together local residents, community leaders and changemakers to hear from three guest speakers: Elly Bird from Lismore, Kerry Grace from Kempsey, and Dr Chad Renando from Ipswich.
Held during the lunch hour, the online event delivered powerful insights into how rural and regional communities across Australia are building local leadership and collaborative governance approaches to tackle complex challenges.
Participants shared ideas and reflected on what lessons from other communities might be adapted to the Orbost and district context.
“It was a great session — practical, honest and inspiring,” Australian Business Volunteers (ABV) community facilitator, Natascha Wernick said.
“Each speaker brought valuable perspectives on how to grow leadership that is deeply grounded in community and place. And we saw just how much local appetite there is here to shape our own future together.”
This leadership and governance series is part of the next phase of the Future of Orbost and District (FoOD) project — a collaboration between the Orbost and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ODCCI) and ABV, supported by the State Government through the Resilient Regions Program.
The next two webinars are set to build on this momentum.
– Monday, July 22 will feature guest speakers Ruth Rogan (Mirboo North), John Walters (Cobargo), and Susan Freeman (Buchan), all of whom bring experience in grassroots community leadership and strategic place-based initiatives.
– Monday, July 29 will showcase Mel Bloor (Uki), Errol Richardson (Buderim), and Liz Mitchell (Orbost), sharing powerful reflections from within and beyond the region.
The webinar series leads into a community workshop on Wednesday, August 21 in Orbost, where participants will work together to co-design future-focused leadership and governance models specific to the district.
Registrations are still open. Local residents from all backgrounds — including youth, small business, farming, education, health, creative industries and volunteering are encouraged to get involved.
For more information, contact Dr Nicola Watts through email (details via the Snowy River Mail office).
