Thank you so much to Anthony Dow who invited me along on behalf of Regional Development Moreton Bay to the 2016 Moreton Bay Innovation Awards Gala dinner. I am constantly amazed by the innovation on our doorstep that we never knew existed, real people getting on and just doing it! The awards were a fantastic showcase of local Queensland innovation with many who are exporting internationally, you can check out the winners and some of the award entrants https://www.facebook.com/MoretonBayInnovationAwards/ the video case studies are fantastic.
The Hon. Wyatt Roy, Federal Member for Longman and Assistant Minister for Innovation attended as did the Hon. Leanne Enoch, MP for Algester and Qld Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business as well as a whole host of others. It was great to see such support for true innovation in our communities by all levels and sides of government. Wyatt Roy’s passion and enthusiasm for innovation and truly trying to move policy forward to embrace the future to enable innovation and those seeking to make a difference in our world in regards to sustainability and jobs growth was undeniable.
Some of my favourites were:
Defenda Tag who won the Sesame Lane/ Think 2 Be Foundation Emerging Innovation- Defenda Tag game was originally designed by Kung Fu Master Aaron Turnbull to best prepare children for real self-defence scenarios.
The New Eye Company who won the Telstra Established Innovation of the year award (and they’ve just returned from being on Shark Tank). They’ve created a clip in prescription lense that can be put into their own range or other safety glasses that are inexpensive compared to traditional script safety glasses.
And one of the finalists Northern Light Technologies (NLT) were the first company in the world to introduce Wi-Fi networks to underground coal mines with some of the largest mining companies globally still relying on and using their technology. They are best known for their cap lamp technology.
There were so many others doing outstanding things and seeing significant growth. The thing I love most about nearly all of these innovators is they are dedicated to supporting jobs, production and manufacturing within their region as much as possible. They are leading examples of great innovation and that you can literally scale your business from anywhere and take on the world. Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners and I encourage anyone reading this post to checkout their stories on the facebook page. And if you get an opportunity to attend something similar in your local region- do so, you will be amazed at the talented people who surround you every day.
