Dr Michelle Ryan

Hawkesbury-Nepean Waterkeeper Dr Michelle Ryan explores how the search for the elusive platypus has sparked a powerful community movement in her talk, "What the Platypus Can Teach Us About Connection."
Dr Ryan demonstrates that environmental initiatives, such as the Hawkesbury Nepean Platypus Project, ultimately foster science, hope, and deeper human connections across the region.

Nicolle Drake

After losing her son in a sudden drowning accident in 2013, Nicolle Drake did something unexpected, she didn't just grieve. She asked a question that would lead to life-saving technology, a university research partnership, and a new way of understanding what becomes possible after loss.

Nicolle developed Trauma Transfer, a personal framework for converting the energy of grief into purposeful action, protective systems, and meaningful reform. Her journey led to the co-development of APPTRAKK, an underwater drowning detection technology built in partnership with Macquarie University, and the establishment of the Smile Like Drake Water Safety Foundation.

Her talk, Don't Waste Your Trauma, is a call to rethink how we respond to devastation, not as something to recover from, but as a force that, when given direction, can reshape the world we build next.

Scott Hinks

In "When Communities Lift Each Other," advocate Scott Hinks challenges the reliance on top-down aid, using the Hawkesbury floods to illustrate how grassroots efforts are the true backbone of crisis response. He demonstrates that a resilient future relies on ordinary people turning passive compassion into active service to rebuild their communities from the ground up.

Dannielle Pearson

In her talk, former US intelligence officer Dannielle Pearson draws on her high-stakes background to address the disempowerment many feel amidst rapid technological advancements. She argues that by harnessing our innate capacity for critical thinking, we can reclaim our self-agency and effectively navigate today's complex environments.