02/10/2024
It is with a heavy heart that I announce TEDxJCUCairns will no longer continue. We faced challenges due to COVID and had hoped to resume afterward. Unfortunately, a lack of funding and support, along with the departure of the brilliant Russell Milledge (Bonemap Intermedia) from JCU, has made it impossible to move forward.
We accomplished so much, since our first talk by David Hudson in 2014. We hosted 79 talks, which collectively garnered aprox 1.7million views. Many of these talks have been translated into multiple languages and shared far and wide. Together, we experienced moments of laughter, poetry, music, science, ideas, passions, and raised awareness on a variety of important topics. The successes are too numerous to count.
What I am most proud of, however, are the connections and networks we built. We helped great speakers become even better, and guided nervous speakers to find their confidence and shine. One of my favorite quotes from our training sessions was: “Doing TEDxJCU was like being hit in the face with a wet fish, but still one of the best things I have ever done.”
We also provided valuable training to students JCU: James Cook University, Australia in areas such as social media, graphic design, event management, photography, and camera and sound production. It truly took a village to make all of this possible, and I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed along the way.
A special shout-out to my partners in crime: the most enthusiastic person I know when it comes to communication, David Burston whose wisdom guided us, the knowledgeable and professional Russell Milledge, who always found a way to make things work; the behind-the-scenes magician, Alex Cee and the worlds greatest sounding board Lisa Jones, who helped scientists speak in everyday language.
A huge thank you to all the camera crews, student groups, catering suppliers, and, of course, our amazing audiences. Thank you to The Cairns Institute, Allan Dale for his continued support, and to Petrus Manu'ai—who brought us all the camels!
But most importantly, my deepest gratitude goes to our incredibly talented and inspirational speakers.
On a personal note, I need to thank the two most important people in my life, Connor and Caitlin. They became volunteers by default but were with me every step of the way. I couldn’t have done it without them. Strangely, being involved for so long and from such young ages, I believe the experience helped shape them as much as it did me.
