25/05/2026
There is a proverb that says:
“The fool asks, ‘Are we there yet?’
The wise person asks, ‘Do we have enough strength left for the journey?’”
This quote was shared with TLP20 by Martin Flanagan, and it stayed with us across two big days exploring Community Leadership.
From truth-telling, leadership and hope with Aunty Patsy Cameron AO and Martin, to conversations about adaptive capacity, privilege, power, allyship, advocacy and lived experience, the session asked us to look more closely at the communities we are part of — and the responsibilities we carry within them.
When we look honestly at our communities, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by how far there is still to go. On some issues, progress feels slow. On others, it can feel as though we are sliding backwards.
But community leadership asks something deeper of us.
Not just whether we have arrived, but how we keep going. How we sustain courage, connection and hope. How we keep showing up when the work is hard, complex and unfinished.
Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and wisdom, including Aunty Patsy Cameron AO, Martin Flanagan, David Adams, Robin Banks, Mary Knowles, Chris Lenga, Aleana Robbins, Jane Wardlaw, Kirsten Ritchie and Strike It Out Inc Tasmania, Julia Curtis, our TLP community project speakers, Miriam Silva AM and Rodney Croome AM.
A powerful few days of listening and learning that lasting change requires both urgency and endurance.
