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Keynote Speakers

Ozwater24 Keynote speaker images Gina Chick

Gina Chick


Winner of the first season of Alone Australia Rewilding and reconnection facilitator

 

Tuesday 30 April


Gina Chick is an international rewilding facilitator, helping people of all ages learn to be at home in the wild. Her nature connection programmes weave ancestral hunter-gatherer technologies into modern life, mining strategies that kept Homo Sapiens alive for 350 000 years for lessons to enrich our lives now. She recently spent 67 days surviving in the subzero Tasmanian wilderness in the middle of winter, completely solo and often barefoot. She runs Rewild Your Child camps eight weeks a year, where 200 people come together to create a village in the wilderness, focusing on nature connection. 

Gina will speak under the theme of Collaboration - The key to unlocking and accelerating our sectors potential and will share her stories of challenge, redemption and inspiration.


Ozwater24 Keynote speaker images Stephen Yarwood

Stephen Yarwood
Urban Futurist, former Adelaide Lord Mayor

 

Wednesday 1 May


Passionate about cities and innovation, Stephen is one of Australia's best-known and respected contemporary Urbanists and Futurists who consults internationally on future city trends, urban innovation, leadership and creating positive change. He is considered an international specialist on the future citizen and the relationships between people, technology, infrastructure, society, the economy and quality urbanism. He has worked, researched throughout Australia and in New Zealand, Taiwan, Europe, the Middle East, China, India and the USA and is a consultant, podcaster, author, trainer, facilitator and speaker. 

Stephen will speak under the theme How we can Equip our sector to Accelerate Action.


Ozwater24 Keynote speaker images Sam Bloom

Sam Bloom
Para-surfing champion, bestselling author, inspiration behind Hollywood film

Thursday 2 May

Sam is a woman with an extraordinary story to share. She suffered a devastating accident while on holiday with her young family in Thailand and was left paralysed from the chest down. Deeply depressed and faced with the possibility of never walking again, a chance encounter with an injured magpie chick, that the family dubbed “Penguin Bloom”, was to change her attitude, her recovery, and her life. Now a two-time World Para Surfing champion, bestselling author, and the inspiration behind the #1 box-office hit movie Penguin Bloom starring Naomi Watts, she's an incredible example of the extraordinary things we can all achieve in the face of adversity. 

Sam will speak on Day 3 under the theme Inspiring and Empowering our people.