Innovation

Impress Media Australia works with a range of innovative Australian companies and individuals. Please read the stories below for details.

Paul DelaneyAn Australian conference on albinism this month learned how one man with albinism had become an internationally successful professor of astronomy – despite having a severe visual disability.

More than five per cent of Australia’s nearly 1300 albinos attended the Albinism Fellowship of Australia biennial conference in Melbourne on October 8 and 9. The two-day event – dubbed SPF for Spectacular Platinum Festival – covered topics ranging from genetics, visual acuity and brain development to professional opportunities and human rights.

Albinism is an inherited condition present at birth, characterized by a lack of pigment that normally gives color to the skin, hair, and eyes. The condition, which is found in all races, may be accompanied by eye problems and extreme sensitivity to sunlight. In Australia, the incidence of albinism is one in 17,000 – giving the country a total albino population of less than 1300 people. In South Africa, the incidence of albinism among the white population is one in 15,000 – while the incidence among the country’s black citizens in one in 3900!

If you’re goin’ to Rundle Street East, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair on the last Sunday of October because flower power, paisley pants and hippie highs are back in fashion with Woodstock Revisited.

The corporate charity show, which kicks off at midday on Sunday, October 30, will occupy the north west corner of Rymill Park, opposite the Stag Hotel.

As well as a stack of music, munchies and a drop or two of patchouli oil, the show will have bars available for anyone whose psychedelic supplies have passed their use-by date.

Woodstock Revisited 2011 follows the sold-out success of four previous Woodstock events held at the former Waterfall Gully home of Alan Greig and Jane Mitchell, who last year moved to the Fleurieu Peninsula to run Leonard’s Mill.

If you think the current generation of politicians is a pack of pretenders, they’ve got nothing on the crew lined up to entertain the reconstituted hippies, yippies and Adelaide Hillbillies for this afternoon of Peace, Love and “limited edition event merchandise”.

Roger Daltry will front The Who, courtesy of John “Swanee” Swan, while Joe Cocker will croak out a few tunes, thanks to the man behind this year’s Woodstock show, Mastermind Music’s Shane Witham. Janis Joplin (Jackie Yeo), Carlos Santana (Peter Lymbo) and even the guitar-biting maestro himself Jimi Hendrix (Chris Finnen) will fill out the bill.

They’ll get by with a little from their friends, a talented band including Phil Smith on piano, Steve Williams on guitar, Rob Norman on Hammond Organ, James Stewart-Rattray on bass, Livv Bafile on drums and Rowland Creighton on percussion. There’s even a horns section, Dave Brooks (tenor sax), Nick Miller (trumpet) and Michael Cousins (trombone), and a pair of “heavenly angels”, Deb Brunotte and Louise Pearson.

As well as performers including The Boomers, Bluescasters and Brother T & Band, the line-up has even slipped in Bah Na Na.

While organisers promise their show will go on, rain or shine, they probably hope for no repeat of the acres of mudfields that blossomed on Max Yasgar’s farm after rain inundated the original Woodstock.

General admission is $59.95 but if you want to go the whole hog, the all-inclusive VIP ticket will set you back $250. Line up to buy ‘em at Venuetix. For every little detail, check out www.woodstockrevisited.com.au.

 

Jeremy Ervine and David CampbellDavid Campbell and Jeremy Ervine from Adelaide advertising agency Fnuky are the only two South Australians to make it onto the Australian marketing and media industry’s prestigious “30 Under 30” list for 2011.

Announced this week by leading industry commentator B&T, 30 Under 30 is an annual list recognising the hottest young industry leaders from all marketing communication disciplines around the country.

”The standard of entries was again really high, causing many headaches for our panel of six independent judges,” said Tim Addington from B&T.

David and Jeremy’s inclusion marks the first time South Australian faces have made the list.

The duo leads Fnuky which has an uncommonly high number of young people making up the staff of the agency, with 80% of the team under the age of 30.