Didn’t get to the SCA (NSW) Annual Convention? That’s a pity because it was fantastic. Themed “Evolve”, it was aimed at helping members as they evolve their thinking, business and careers. So, here’s what you missed.
The new President is Chris Duggan, who was of course re-elected to the Board along with Greg Haywood, Tony Irvine (after an absence of 12 months), Bill Coles and Colin Grace.
Details of the full Board for the year ahead can be found here.
This year’s awards recipients were Pip Ryan who was presented with the Max Dunn Award and David Ferguson who received the President’s Award.
SCA (NSW) presented new awards this year recognising and thanking outstanding contributors to the organisation. Platinum sponsors CHU and Macquarie Bank were recognised for their many years of sponsorship while Neil Trenwith and Christine Kinsela from Magnatex were recognised for their outstanding contribution in the development of the Strata Works Agreement.
Day one – strata manager’s day – was an opportunity for members to access information and have discussions about the new strata laws.
Keynote speaker, John McGrath, delivered an inspiring presentation aimed at reassuring members as they go through this evolution. One thing that members took away was the idea that you shouldn’t fear change, you should fear not changing.
The remainder of the day was a great mix of presenters and panels discussing a variety of interesting and up-to -the-minute topics from loose-fill asbestos to international strata living where the highly regarded Dr Hazel Easthope described how Sydney stacks up.
Day two was principal’s day and it also included several interesting presentations. One that stood out was Daniel Borin’s on cybersecurity. Do ask you colleagues who attended to fill you in, at which you will likely run and double your security. I know I will.
It had been a while since I had attended any SCA (NSW) events because of another full-time project so it was terrific to attend the second day of this year’s Annual Convention.
From the moment I arrived I noticed a new energy. While it was lovely to catch up with familiar friendly faces, there were a lot of new, younger people who had obviously made their way into the strata industry either as strata managers or service providers.
There was a new slickness to how things flowed and a level of professionalism that had probably been there but is now enhanced by an enthusiastic and welcoming Secretariat team.
I was impressed to see the new President, Chris Duggan and General Manager, Rachel Lynn, MC the day together. They had a great rapport as they gave a recap of the previous day’s sessions and set a great tone for the rest of the second day.
Why am I telling you all this? If you haven’t been to SCA (NSW) events for a while I think you will be pleasantly surprised. And if you have young staff who have not been involved, then encourage them to get involved.
Jennifer Ross
SCA (NSW) Communications Consultant