Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell, SAM board chair Stephen Merrylees, Regional Australia Institute chief executive Liz Ritchie and La Trobe regional advisory board chair Lisa McKenzie at last week’s 16th John Furphy Memorial Lecture.
The John Furphy Memorial Lecture, which honours the memory of John Furphy, was attended by around 50 people on Wednesday, November 13.
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Now in its 16th year, the night was held at the Shepparton Art Museum and was hosted by the Furphy Foundation and La Trobe University.
Regional Australia Institute chief executive Liz Ritchie presented the event and among those attending was Adam Furphy, Sam Furphy and members of the extended Furphy family.
La Trobe University colleagues and Greater Shepparton City Council members also attended the night, along with Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell and La Trobe University distinguished alumna and last year’s Furphy lecturer, Marnie Baker.
La Trobe University head of campus Elizabeth Capp said Ms Ritchie’s lecture, titled Regionalisation – Striving to Rebalance the Nation, made frequent reference to John Furphy’s story and his significant contribution to the Shepparton community.
“John Furphy’s commitment to products of the highest quality was a defining characteristic of his business, summed up in the sentiment expressed to this day in the company’s official motto ‘good, better, best’, Mrs Capp said.
“Liz also drew on the RAI’s Regionalisation Ambition 2032 – a Framework to Rebalance the Nation.
“The framework is designed to help direct the actions of government, industry and the community towards achieving a greater proportion of Australians living prosperously in the regions by 2032 and beyond.
“Noting that population movement out of metropolitan to regional settings started well before the COVID-19 pandemic, regional communities are now growing at a rate not seen for decades.”
Ms Ritchie’s lecture outlined five pillars, which were jobs and skills, liveability, population, productivity and innovation, and sustainability and resilience.
Sam Furphy, Andrew Furphy, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Regional) La Trobe University Melanie Bish, Liz Ritchie, Harriet Furphy, Frederica Furphy, Adam Furphy, Roger Furphy and Jeannie Furphy.
“These were identified in the framework, which are significantly interlinked and need to be addressed to fully unlock the potential of regional Australia,” Mrs Capp said.
“Liz advocates passionately for working together — governments, industry, peak and regional organisations, not-for-profits and communities — to embrace and unlock the opportunities of regional Australia, and build stronger regions for a stronger, more balanced nation.
“She challenges all of us to consider what role we play in shaping regional Australia and prompted a range of interesting questions from audience members, with discussion continuing for some time over refreshments at SAM.”
A video recording of the 16th John Furphy Memorial Lecture will be available on the La Trobe University YouTube channel in the next couple of weeks.
Adam Furphy speaking at last week’s John Furphy Memorial Lecture, which honours the memory of John Furphy.
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