BUSINESS PRESENTATIONS
Sweet Sensations Farm, Manager Craig Van Rooyen has been working closely with
CQUniversity to trial non-lethal methods of pest management on orchards. Craig will talk
about the methods they’ve used to reduce the impact birds and bats have on their crops:
lighting, netting, high frequency sound, gas guns, smoke and remote-controlled drones. So
far, they’ve been able to reduce crop losses from about 30 per cent to 5 per cent.
Run4 owner, Dr Henry Thomas is living the dream. He turned a hobby of designing
bicycles into a successful business to invent the Bionic Runner right here in Bundaberg, with
the help of local engineering firms. Henry will explain how social media and crowd funding
helped him get his business off the ground. Henry believes innovative new ideas for products
and services can literally be designed, marketed and created from anywhere, by anyone with
the requisite skills.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Officer Gary Channells will explain how
technological advancements are having a significant impact on how our emergency service
personnel manage incidents, with particular focus on remote management, ground to air
communications and information dissemination.
Bundaberg Walkers Engineering, mechanical engineer Clyde Garson has worked in a
wide variety of roles during his 30-year career in the sugar cane industry, including 17 years
in applied research and development. Bundaberg Walkers Engineering started 125 years ago
as the Bundaberg Foundry. Today, they service the needs of sugar, power generation, mining,
marine and general engineering industries in both the domestic and the international market,
exporting to more than 20 countries.
Jack Milbank is a 2006 Nuffield Scholar with a Bachelor in Applied Science. He is the CEO
of three Bundaberg-based businesses: Hortus Technical Services, Biofilm Crop Protection,
and Bargara Brewing Company. Bargara Brewing Co is a new regional-scale craft brewery
with a production capacity of 300,000L/yr. Their five beers are sold online, and at over 30
venues and bottle shops across Queensland. Jack will talk about isolating yeasts locally,
social enterprise beer, crowd funding campaigns, and ways to reduce environmental impact.
Best Practice Software, chief relationship officer Lorraine Pyefinch will outline how she
and her GP husband created not one, but two highly successful medical software businesses
over 25 years. Their current venture, Best Practice Software is now Australian market leader
in general practice software with over 12,000 doctor customers. They service approximately
one third of Australasian Ophthalmology Specialists and have a growing Allied Health
market share in Australia and New Zealand. The business employs 85 staff across four sites:
the Bundaberg Operations Hub BPHQ, Brisbane, Sydney and Hamilton (NZ).
Agricultural Microbes, industrial hemp breeder David Gillespie will talk about industrial
hemp as a rotational crop for cane and vegetable growers. Whole houses can be built from
hemp, except for the frame. It can make a wide range of biodegradable and industrial plastics,
without the need to modify existing machinery. Hemp is also versatile as an environmentally
friendly oil and fibre crop. David has bred six new varieties of hemp over ten years.
CQUniversity PRESENTATIONS
CQUniversity, Wide Bay Burnett Region Associate Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy
Bridges will discuss STEM related programs available at the Bundaberg campus, such as
Accident Investigation, Engineering, Health Promotion, Occupational Therapy, Psychology
and Physiotherapy. He’ll also talk about the three main areas of research that have grown in
strength locally in recent times: Horticulture, Gambling Behaviour and Community
Resilience.
CQUniversity, School of Business and Law, Associate Lecturer, Tim Whan teaches
management, economics and marketing and is deeply passionate about ensuring students
have the skills required in the newly globalised century. Tim will talk about three key
ingredients to successfully market your competitive edge in science to your customers,
contacts and community.
CQUniversity, Director of the Institute for Future Farming, Professor Phil Brown will
talk about the contribution scientists have made and continue to make to Australia’s fruit and
vegetable industries, to provide the high quality fruit and vegetable products we all consume
today. Bundaberg is one of the best places on the planet to see science and innovation in
horticulture, with the industry producing $500m of fruits, nuts and vegetables each year.
CQUniversity, Engineering Lecturer, Doctor Benjamin Taylor helped establish
undergraduate engineering courses at the University in 2013, and has now expanded the
courses to include full programs in Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. Ben’s focus
on hydrology and water resource engineering has earned him recognition from the Society for
Sustainability and Environment Engineering and Engineers Without Borders Australia. Ben
will travel to India with several engineering students for the 2016 Humanitarian Design
Summit.
CQUniversity, Discipline Leader Physiotherapy, Professor Tony Schneiders will talk
about his work to-date in developing a global tool for identifying concussion in sports
participants. Tony’s expertise lies in the on-field and sideline detection and management of
sports-related concussion. Head-injury in sport continues to dominate media coverage of
sporting injuries and can have both catastrophic and long-term consequences for athletes.