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In Denise Goodfellow

/ Published on 07 December 2013

By Denise Goodfellow

When I first received the invitation to speak at the Bird Festival, I thought it was to be held in Columbia, USA.  After all, who in their right mind would run such an event in Colombia, South America?

North Americans participating in my PhD research on birdwatchers who travelled internationally, had elected Colombia as the country most would not visit, several citing friends who had been kidnapped by the FARC, a Colombian Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization. 

And then there were the drugs: everybody I knew had heard of the efforts to rid the country of coca plantations.

But the invitation from Sergio Ocampo Tobon, President of the Colombia Birding Network, certainly was for the South American country: indeed their Government was offering me an all-expenses-paid trip to speak at the third Colombian Bird Festival to be held in Manizales. 

I googled the name to find a beautiful city perched on a ridge in the mountains, a city with no sign of ongoing revolution, but instead twelve universities!

Still I went, heart in mouth, and not only because of the FARC, for very few reviews said anything nice about Aerolineas Argentinas with whom I was to fly – the plane was dirty, seats were broken, the food was terrible and the staff were disinterested. 

But my trepidation was without foundation  - every plane and the one bus I travelled on, was spotless, nothing was broken, and the food and service were nearly equal to that of Qantas.

Still in many ways it was a tough trip - the missing data on the e-ticket, confusing or absent information that nearly resulted in missed flights, the long hours stuck in that tiny space called an airline seat (tough for one who has the freedom of 20 acres at home!), two scary landings, and a bus trip through the mountains that I only just survived with stomach contents still in situ.  But in other ways it was easier than most other international trips I’d taken.   

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In Innovation

/ Published on 28 November 2013

The New Venture Institute at Flinders University will partner with SA Enterprise Workshop and the business and entrepreneurial expertise of successful South Australian enterprises when it re-launches the new Enterprise Workshop today.

The Enterprise Workshop is a highly successful entrepreneur development and business accelerator program within South Australia that aligns well with the objectives of Flinders’ New Venture Institute to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

Commencing in March next year and concluding in October, the Workshops involve 100 hours of contact time and related mentoring and team building activities delivered by experienced business people many of whom have previously graduated from the Enterprise Workshop.

Speaking ahead of the re-launch of the Enterprise Workshop at the Adelaide Town Hall this evening,  Chair of NVI Advisory Council and SA Enterprise Workshop Chair, Dr Nick Begakis AO said “this program builds on a wonderfully rich history of success and allows entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs-to-be to join together with extraordinary people, passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship whether it is in technology or in services, in a once in a lifetime experiential learning experience.”

New Venture Institute Director, Matt Salier, said the re-launch of Enterprise Workshop involved an update of the workshop program, which has existed in South Australia for nearly 35 years, retaining its entrepreneurial, corporate focus as “an accelerated, practical MBA style experience”.

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In Innovation

/ Published on 18 November 2013

The City of Marion was today announced as the Keep Australia Beautiful National Sustainable Cities Winner for 2013 at the National Awards Ceremony at Coogee Beach, WA.

The win caps off a very successful awards event, where Marion also won the Young Legends and Heritage and Culture categories. Marion also received highly commended in two categories; Environmental Innovation and Protection and Water Conservation.  

National Sustainable Cities Judge Cameron Little assessed the City of Marion in September this year working to a tight itinerary showcasing a number of environmental sustainability actions and initiatives undertake in Marion.  

The judging process included a presentation of the Councils Strategic and Community Plans, Hallett Cove foreshore, Lower Field River, Warriparinga Wetlands, Living Kaurna Centre, Warradale Primary School and Oaklands wetland.  

KESAB environmental solutions Executive Director John Phillips OAM said “The City of Marion prepared an extensive submission highlighting the complexity and diversity of managing a council specific to environmental sustainability and community health and well-being.  

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