Irvine VII - President's Summary
Zinc@Federation Square was the venue for Irvine Club Lunch VII on 16 November 2007 with a number of guests then continuing on to the salubrious Transport Bar. Given the heaving room at the RACV Club for Irvine VI, it was decided that the lunch should be restricted to 335 guests which resulted in all tickets being sold out within three weeks of release of invites. Again, it is amazing to think that our first lunch in November 2004 attracted only 69 people and we are in the enviable position of restricting numbers.
Part of the appeal of the Irvine is the amazing speakers we have been able to attract to speak at our lunches. Irvine VII was no exception with perhaps our finest-ever speaker, Sir Richard Hadlee, putting on a fine performance and ensuring that a room full of Australians bowed down and gave a fine Kiwi the respect he fully deserved. Sir Richard was tremendously supported by Clinton Grybas who showed why he is one of Australia’s leading broadcasters and why his exuberant, knowledgeable approach is much admired.
The Irvine Club was also delighted to support the James Macready-Bryan Foundation (‘JMB Foundation’) and welcomed James’ family, led by Andrew Macready-Bryan. As most are aware, James now suffers an acquired brain injury, and the JMB Foundation was established to help James and others with similar injuries be given access to treatment and accommodation that is suitable to allow rehabilitation and a better chance at life. Andrew spoke passionately about the issues facing sufferers of such injuries and the impact it has on their families and friends. It is fair to say that there was not a dry eye in the room and the response Andrew received after his presentation and throughout the rest of the day highlighted the power of Andrew’s presentation and the need to support and build awareness of the issues faced. We were therefore delighted that we were able to support the JMB Foundation from an awareness and financial perspective and we look forward to seeing funds raised from the lunch being used to support the JMB Foundation reach its objectives.
As one lunch concludes, so must the next lunch be planned. We look forward to releasing details of Irvine Club Lunch VIII, which is scheduled for 28 March 2008 at the Docklands. Until that time, thanks all for your support and we look forward to sharing many more Irvine experiences with you.
Andy Evans
President, 2007
Part of the appeal of the Irvine is the amazing speakers we have been able to attract to speak at our lunches. Irvine VII was no exception with perhaps our finest-ever speaker, Sir Richard Hadlee, putting on a fine performance and ensuring that a room full of Australians bowed down and gave a fine Kiwi the respect he fully deserved. Sir Richard was tremendously supported by Clinton Grybas who showed why he is one of Australia’s leading broadcasters and why his exuberant, knowledgeable approach is much admired.
The Irvine Club was also delighted to support the James Macready-Bryan Foundation (‘JMB Foundation’) and welcomed James’ family, led by Andrew Macready-Bryan. As most are aware, James now suffers an acquired brain injury, and the JMB Foundation was established to help James and others with similar injuries be given access to treatment and accommodation that is suitable to allow rehabilitation and a better chance at life. Andrew spoke passionately about the issues facing sufferers of such injuries and the impact it has on their families and friends. It is fair to say that there was not a dry eye in the room and the response Andrew received after his presentation and throughout the rest of the day highlighted the power of Andrew’s presentation and the need to support and build awareness of the issues faced. We were therefore delighted that we were able to support the JMB Foundation from an awareness and financial perspective and we look forward to seeing funds raised from the lunch being used to support the JMB Foundation reach its objectives.
As one lunch concludes, so must the next lunch be planned. We look forward to releasing details of Irvine Club Lunch VIII, which is scheduled for 28 March 2008 at the Docklands. Until that time, thanks all for your support and we look forward to sharing many more Irvine experiences with you.
Andy Evans
President, 2007