Linking Hands Across the World

This week we “link hands” with Lord Howe Island who through Rick Kleiner have been in contact with Norfolk to let us know that they are hosting “Australia’s Small Island Forum” April 30 to May 4, 2012. A website has been created for the event – www.asiflordhoweisland.com – from which we have taken the following:

“Australia's Small Island forum, creating opportunity and embracing solutions.

“As readers will be aware Lord Howe Island was World Heritage listed in 1989 and declared a National Marine Park in 1998.  Originally settled in 1834, it has a permanent population of approximately 350 residents, many of whom are descendants of the original settlers.  Now in 2011 due to minimal development and the protection measures put into place by not only the community, but the LHIB, visitors are able to explore and discover the natural attractions of the Island that have been immaculately preserved, thus creating a thriving tourism industry.”

“Across the globe and especially around the Australian mainland are a series of small island communities who are facing common challenges in terms of their economic, social and environmental futures. To come together to discuss these challenges and share successes, seems to be an opportunity that the leadership of these communities would relish. Lord Howe Island, given its proactive approach to community and economic development, its innovation in terms of environmental sustainability and its tourism infrastructure appears an ideal location to host a gathering that brings together people committed to small Island development and who are keen to learn from, and leap frog on best small Island practices from around the world.”

The Themes for the Forum are –

• Growing Sustainable Communities
• Enterprise and livelihood – Tourism, Economy and Environment
• Island futures – Technology and Services
• Culture, Place, Identity and Small Islands

The key speakers at this time are –

• Tim Flannery, is one of Australia's leading thinkers and writers. An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers.
• Peter Kenyon, Director of Bank of I.D.E.A.S, is a social capitalist and community enthusiast.  Over the last two decades he has worked with over 1200 communities throughout Australia, New Zealand and overseas seeking to facilitate fresh and creative ways that stimulate community and economic renewal.
• Mal Bryce, Professor, Curtin University, For most of his working life Mal Bryce has been engaged in developing public policy for Economic Development. In the last 25 years he has worked as a cabinet minister, company director, corporate manager and senior consultant.
• Gwilym Gibbons, Career spans venue, festival and partnership management across public, private and community sectors (including: Destination Management, Economic Development Partnerships and Community Planning).
• Toni Gregory- Hunt, Business Operations Manager, Chatham Islands, is the Business Operations Manager for the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust which is a charitable trust set up in 1991 by the New Zealand Government to manage the infrastructural assets on behalf of its stakeholders (the community).
• Philip Hayward, is a research professor at Southern Cross University, international network convener of SICRI (The Small Island Cultures Research Initiative) and editor of Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures. He has written four books and a series of journal articles on island cultures and has produced seven CDs of island music.

For further information about the key speakers go to http://www.asiflordhoweisland.com/key_speakers and to find out more about the Forum email lee.rogers@lhib.nsw.gov.au.

Dated 25 November 2011