Justin Smith amuses the audience - October 2024
Melbourne Network Group
Welcomes guests & new members.
Email us:
MelbourneNetworkGroup@gmail.com
We meet for lunch on the 2nd
Wednesday of every month at
one of the best locations in town.
From midday, 45 minutes of
networking, then we take our
seats for the entree.
In turn, each member stands
& gives a quick introduction.
Main course is served.
The guest speaker talks for
up to 20 minutes before
taking questions.
Networking resumes,
sometimes for quite a
few hours!
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"Members are
decision-makers,
leaders, or principals
of their own businesses."
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Our December Lunch was a
celebration of the year, departing
from the normal format. Simon
Madden and James Nixon led
the guests through an extended
introduction, many giving us
inspirational advice as they went.
Wendi Dawson, who brought
the Christmas Crackers, told of
her journey from Seattle to New
Zealand on the family yacht.
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"It was fun and you guys
made us feel included.
Food was good too!"
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The Melbourne Professional & Commercial Business Network Group was the invention of our late friend, Ian Dear. He strongly believed that business was best conducted face-to-face, person-to-person. And that developing a strong network of trusted relationships is an important tool for every decision-maker.
Members are decision-makers, leaders, or principals of their own businesses.
Ian hosted the monthly lunch meeting, initially called the Albert Park Business Network Group in the early 1990s, which continues to this day, under the stewardship of Wayne Banks-Smith, Wendi Dawson, Campbell MacKintosh, Simon Madden, and James Nixon.
The name is easily remembered as the Melbourne Network Group, and we meet for lunch on the second Wednesday of every month.
Why don't you join us, beside the sea, in Albert Park?
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" … lunch was amazing. The
marketing guy that created the
happy meals for McDonalds
was exceptional. I wish he was
working for me …
40 million extra meals!"
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Ian Dear's pot plant is still
thriving at Jack Kagan's place.
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Email us:
MelbourneNetworkGroup@gmail.com
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Great review:
"I can't remember a better MPCNG
'Network Group' than the one held
this week.
Venue is great, food & beverages
well-priced, there was a solid turnout
and the presenter was excellent!
Well done, & thank you to the team!"
- Steve
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Our November lunch speaker,
award-winning photographer, and
author Marina Brbot, told us about
her journey, which resulted in her
two books honouring and highlighting
sixty inspirational people who have
helped shape and enrich Australia.
‘Because She Can’ & ‘And So He Did’
will make great Christmas presents,
and are available from her website:
marinabrbotbook.com
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At our October lunch, Journalist & Author
Justin Smith wondered why Australians
have ceased being curious, and went on
to tell us how a court accepted a years-old,
undated, character reference in a child
molestation case. Until Justin asked, not
one person in the justice system had said:
‘I wonder if the person who wrote this
reference knows the subject was
using it in this way?’
Was happened next was a great yarn.
Justin has a knack of telling great
yarns, his novel ‘Cooper Not Out’
it’s one of the best yarns ever, and
the perfect Christmas present:
https://tinyurl.com/CooperNotOut
And Good As Gold, latest book, is out
now through Penguin Random House.
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"It was fun and you guys
made us feel included.
Food was good too!"
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"A superb story teller,
leaving me wanting more,
guess I’ll have to buy the
book.
The kitchen crew are
setting a mighty high
bar, well done again."
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At our September lunch Maria Ruberto
taught us that Resilience is a concept
where we build, in terms of our mental
health, a range of skills to grow our
well-being prior to adversity.
It has a bearing on how we recover six
to twelve months later —when others
are susceptible to PTSD.
Our mental ‘force field’ is developed
over time by fostering a positive
mindset.
To listen to Maria’s speech click here.
Maria’s Salutegenics website is here.
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"Great meal, great speaker,
and wonderful company."
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At our August lunch Simon Madden
interviewed George Donikian about
his amazing life —of his father’s journey
after arriving at Station Pier, being
bereft of English (despite speaking
six other languages fluently) and
experiencing the kindness of strangers—
to his sporting prowess in cricket, rugby
and soccer, and having the nerve to ask
Bruce Gyngell for a job which led to
leaving radio station 2WS and becoming
the face of multicultural television as the
national news anchor for SBS.
He talked about his move to Channel
Nine, then Channel Ten, and his latest
foray: Disrupt Radio, where he reads
the morning news and spars with the
fabulous Libbi Gorr at 08:30 each
weekday on the ‘D Spot’!
Well worth a listen HERE.
Thanks James and Team.
Great day, presentation,
and company.
Wouldn’t change a thing!
- T H
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At our July lunch Tiffanee Cook
showed us the result a punch in
the face can bring. Facing fears,
committing to life-changing boxing
training, winning her first fight, before
being handed the microphone
—which she’s never handed back!
Tiff’s ‘Roll With The Punches' podcast,
810 episodes in, is now an institution,
her training & personal coaching
business thrives, her speaking
business is flying, and there’s a
book on the way.
Tiffanee Cook’s website is here.
"Terrific catch-up yesterday,
Tiffanee Cook was fabulous
—very inspirational— food
delicious, and all in all, a
most enjoyable afternoon."
- S.W.
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At our June lunch, Sue Westerman
focused our attention on keeping an
eye on those around us, and how to
recognise those with mental health
challenges.
She reminded-us that we can,
and should, leave problem people
at work:
“You don’t have to take them home
and sleep with them!”
Placing People with Passion,
specialises in recruitment,
engagement and talent retention.
Contact Sue HERE.
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At our May lunch, Tim Holden captivated
the room just by telling us his c.v., starting
with a stint in the Navy, then the Church,
before studying Psychology, and finally
settling into a position within a bank!
The long (and humorous) way around to
a career as a Liquidator in the insolvency
industry, and his volunteer role as Treasurer
for the R.S.L. (Victoria).
The art, he says, is knowledgeable listening.
Too many people think they know what they
heard … but did they really get it?
Crouch Amirbeaggi’s website is HERE.
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At our April lunch, Christian Roth
captivated us with his story about
the formation of McDonald’s Happy
Meals and the race to have 40 million
children’s toys ready in time, from an
industry that usually survived on runs
of 100,000. How he worked with the
founders of the Muppets, Disney and
Pixar, and how China made it possible
for 95% of American children to have
a Happy Meal collectible character.
Christian has over 37 years experience
in business, working with some of the
world’s largest companies and brands
besides McDonald’s, such as Coca Cola,
Disney, Nestlé, and Shell. He has built
multiple businesses over the course of
his career and is currently a Director of
The Sentius Group, a Consulting
Marketing Agency.
The Sentius Group’s website is HERE.
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At our March lunch Simon Madden
interviewed Ian Cohen about his
extensive media career; his business
Cozalive, and how he clearly, precisely,
and creatively gets his clients’
messages across.
Ian’s charity work with Neil Daniher’s
Fight MND began when the charity
was three years old. 2024 will be their
tenth year, and they have raised over
one hundred million dollars towards
finding effective treatments, and
ultimately a cure, for Motor Neurone
Disease.
Cozalive’s website is HERE.
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At our February lunch
Suzanne Neate told us about her
journey to build The Aftershock,
and its role raising awareness &
funding for medical research into
the 16 high-mortality cancers. With
the help of their large volunteer
network The Aftershock has raised
over $650,000 with expenses of
less than 10%.
The Aftershock's website is HERE.
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2023 lunches
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At our December lunch, Peter
Nevile gave us an enthralling
talk about Risk Management.
Your personal risks, and those
arising when you start interacting
with other humans, romantically,
financially, or in business.
Mitigating risks is the trick, by
setting-up professional structures
to protect your assets. That’s
where a good lawyer comes in.
Sitting around a table sharing
each others’ points-of-view and
expected-outcomes —before
racing-off to court— can go a long
way to solving problems, and
saving money.
Most importantly, if you aren’t
going to die, you don’t need
a Will!
But the rest of us do.
Peter’s website is here.
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At our November lunch, Karine
O’Donnell shared her 18 years’
experience as a project delivery
specialist.
She pointed-out the warning
signs: scope creep, budget
problems, radio silence,
bottlenecks, & issues with
communications.
And the three main reasons
why projects fail:
People are not clear on 'why',
people make the wrong
assumptions, & the tracking
or measurement is wrong.
Sounds easy? You’d be
surprised. Karine’s business is
Projecting with People.
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At our October lunch, Victor Perton
showed us how ‘Optimism is the
Superpower of the Entrepreneur,’
and how to sustain optimism amid
a continued narrative of gloom.
Victor challenged us to replace
our traditional Aussie greeting:
‘How are you going?’ with
‘What was the best thing
that happened to you today?’
which leads to richer, optimistic
interactions.
We ended the day with
Laughter Yoga!
Victor's website is the
Centre For Optimism.
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At our September lunch, Madgwicks
Lawyers Partner Catherine Ballantyne
discussed Google reviews, what to do about
a bad one, how to tell when a review is
defamatory, and what you can do about it.
Catherine explained the options when the
person posts the review under a fake
name, and that every business needs
to plan for it with a ready-to-go strategy .
Obviously a hot topic, Catherine answered
many questions from the floor. Her website
is www.madgwicks.com.au
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At our August lunch, The Exit Strategy
Group’s Kerry Boulton intrigued us
with: ‘Exit is a Four Letter Word!’.
She made us realise that no business
plan is complete without an exit plan,
and finished by giving each of us two
of her books.
Kerry’s website is
theexitstrategygroup.com.au
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At our July lunch, Leo Petrik told us how,
through clever (attraction) marketing, you
can tailor your networking approach, and
how to make sure your networking events
get results by “Networthing”.
Leo is the head of Flow Australia.
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At our June lunch, Catherine
Baird told us how to get our
clients to fall in love with us,
for free.
All it takes is true leadership,
& commitment to your staff.
Faking it doesn't work.
She should know, having been
the Senior Vice President of
Crew Training with Emirates.
25,000 cabin crew & 4,500
pilots from 130 nationalities.
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At our May lunch, Deanne Baptista
spoke of her journey from Singapore
to Melbourne via London, Indonesia,
Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
Her extensive education, and wide
business experience, led her to study
the 'internet of things' and bring it to
a practical application in the huge
pest control industry.
The product, Ratsense, and its global
support network has taken off.
See the Ratsense website here.
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At our April lunch, Marg Lange
explained how modern business
needs to ‘get back to the basics’ when
it comes to getting new business.
Making personal connections
gets the leads, and she gave
examples; when you need to
get things done, you invariably
go back to using your personal
networks.
See Marg Lange’s website here.
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At our March meeting, Cam Evans
told us about his career in banking
and how it led to working for The
World Bank, living as an expatriate
in Thailand, Egypt and Vietnam.
He explained how the World Bank's
activities are designed to reach the
objectives to end poverty, and promote
shared prosperity.
See the World Bank's page here.
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At our February meeting, Peter Bellion
taught us two allow a two second gap
between us and the car in front, to not
swim after drinking alcohol, and to avoid
swimming at dawn and dusk when the
wildlife is feeding.
His enthralling speech covered his 30
years with VicPol, the Major Collision
Investigation Unit, and his time as
President of the Port Melbourne Life-
Saving Club. Check out their page here.
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Thank you very much for lunch
yesterday – I really enjoyed it!
Some really interesting
people there!
- James
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2022 lunches
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At our December meeting, Jem Fuller
taught us how we can Control, Influence,
and Accept our reactions to every aspect
of our lives by training our minds.
Check out his Ted Talk, leadership, culture
changing, coaching packages, and
his book by clicking here.
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At our November meeting, Grant Siedle
taught us about ocean swimming, and
the challenge that is RipSWIM.
RipSwim is planning two swims
across Port Phillip Heads this summer.
Check it out here.
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At our October meeting, Simon Madden
explained the benefits of having an
Advisory Board for your business.
His business, Simon Madden Consulting,
can increase your performance.
Check it out here.
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At our September meeting, Mary Barry
explained the future of offshore wind for
Victoria, and outlined the projects.
Check out the Star of the south.
Mary's new business is called
CircularECO
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At our August meeting, Steve Hubbard
helped us get to grips with social media.
His business, Do It For You social
media marketing, can help you too.
Check out DIFY Social by
CLICKING HERE
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At our July meeting, James Nixon
helped us get back in the air, telling us
about the 23 Tips To Survive A Long
Flight, before giving each of us a book.
Checkout his three books
by CLICKING HERE
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At our June meeting, Dr John Tickell
fired us up with his unique brand
of wisdom ahead of the launch of
his new book:
Your Best Immunity
Checkout his Healthsense
program by CLICKING HERE
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In May Chatto Creek Advisory's
Russell Scoular told us about
the Australia-India Trade Agreement,
& what it means for our businesses.
ChattoCreek.com.au
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Melbourne Network Group is hosted by
CrammondMEDIA HOME
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November 2024