Sixteen professionals from Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region have spent the past few weeks in Noosa as part of an executive leadership training program run by the University of the Sunshine Coast.
USC’s Centre for International Development, Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership (CIDSEL) provided the training at The J in Noosa Junction for the visitors, who are all recipients of the Institutional John Dillon Fellowship.
This fellowship was created by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to provide career development opportunities for outstanding mid-career agricultural scientists, economists and researchers from ACIAR partner countries.
This year’s cohort comprised fellows from six agriculture, fisheries and forestry research partner organisations.
USC CIDSEL developed the executive training for the fellowship, focussing on agricultural leadership, communication, decision-making and team-building strategies.
Participants had the opportunity to engage with the local community in: workshops conducted by USC experts; leadership presentations by local entrepreneurs, Noosa Council and Noosa Biosphere; site visits to local Sunshine Coast agri-businesses, networking and cultural exchange activities; and radio interviews.
A highlight on the final day of training was a barbecue dinner provided by the Rotary Club of Noosa at the Noosaville Lions Park by the Noosa River.
One of the fellows, Samson Leri from Research and Innovation Project Management at PNG’s Science and Technology Secretariat, spoke about growing up seeing the “Rotary Noosa” brand stamped across the water tanks in his village, not knowing that one day he would get to meet the actual Rotarians who had provided them to his community in a time of need.
Rotarian Tess Alexandroff said club members were delighted to host the visitors to a very Aussie tradition of fish and chips by the waterfront.
USC CIDSEL Manager Tami Harriott said the support from the community was an integral part of their offering and what made Noosa the ideal destination for their programs.
