From the President

In a year that has forced many of us to change the way we approach things; I decided to double down and make a concerted effort to soak in the joy and celebrate the good things. The warmth of the sun, the beauty of the bush, the freedom to go outside and run, the companionship of friends – they all exist in this world even during a global pandemic.

2020 will long be remembered for the first pandemic in 100 years, the first time Australia shut its borders to the outside world, and the first time our states shut their borders to one another.

In a year of firsts, Consult Australia hosted our first online awards night. On Thursday 29 October, we gathered virtually to celebrate the achievements of our industry from the comfort of our own homes and offices.

Personally, I enjoyed the virtual awards. They had all the bits I usually appreciate without the music, dancing, alcohol and lots of people. I didn’t have to try and hide from Nicola as I snuck out early - I could go home and unwind after a big couple of days.

We had some fantastic projects and award winners this year. I would like to extend my congratulations to all of you. Once again, we were reminded of the wonderful industry that we all contribute to.

Yet, this year’s awards got me thinking. What is there to celebrate in a year that has stretched so many of us to the edge of breaking (or in some cases past that point)?

I’m sure all of us would like to be positive people, who are grateful for what we do have – especially when we still have so much. Australia is one of the safest places to live, we have very low infection rates currently and even Melburnians are starting to exit lock down. Parts of our sector are still able to work almost unaffected and the government is looking to our industry as one of the catalysts to help exit the COVID-19 recession.

While I would like to have the ability to savour the positive things, I am known by my friends as the last person to remember to celebrate anything. I just move onto the next thing that I need to do. This is something I have been trying to work on. I have tried to write down the good things that happen, I have tried to say them to another person, I have tried to get other people to do the whole celebrating thing for me. But to date I still gloss over the good things and move straight to the next problem – it is just how my brain is wired.

In a year that has forced many of us to change the way we approach things; I decided to double down and make a concerted effort to soak in the joy and celebrate the good things. The warmth of the sun, the beauty of the bush, the freedom to go outside and run, the companionship of friends – they all exist in this world even during a global pandemic. So, in the face of uncertainty and change, my challenge to you all is to dwell on the good things. Reflect on what you are grateful for. But more than that, tell the people you love about the things that make you happy– share your joy. Gratitude and joy are powerfully contagious.

My sincerest congratulations to everyone who entered the awards, whether you won or not. My deepest thanks to the team at Consult Australia for reminding me that we can still celebrate even with all the uncertainty around. And my deepest gratitude to any of you who made it this far in my column – thank you for reading!

Gerry Doyle

President