How often do we get a sneaky short getaway from our busy schedules? Thanks to the IET I had the privilege and experience of meeting other like-minded volunteers from across Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane, a city which I had yet to set foot in. 


Brisbane is charming and we were lucky to be situated on the picturesque South Bank river front.  On occasion I pondered why I was stuck in the conference room when I could see the amazing day it was outside. 


I attended the ANZ YPC workshop where I had the joy to reconnect with familiar faces and meet new ones. In the conference, we exchanged ideas and shared our best practices allowing all the Local Networks to further develop the plan for their LN and the YPC objectives. Everyone present was motivated and passionate. On Saturday, we all met with Karla Smith, the CCAP chairperson and had a fruitful discussion with her. Karla had also given us great input to improve our local networks. I could not wait to share the wealth of knowledge with my committee back in Perth.


As we packed up and bid farewell to Brisbane, we all left with a heavy heart, but fuelled with motivation to drive and improve our local networks. They say pictures tell a thousand words. I was fortunate enough to fly in early on Thursday afternoon to take some beautiful snaps of Brisbane and diligent enough to wake up early on Friday morning to capture Brisbane's magnificent sunrise.  Whilst the conference might had come to an end, I hope with these photos, when we look back in years to come, will remind us of all the fun we have and ultimately, why we love volunteering for the IET.


Words and Photographs: Leon Ha

Email: leon.ha@theiet.org