After growing up in remote Australia and attending boarding school on a farm, Blue Sky Alternative Investments founder Mark Sowerby says he spent more than two decades figuring out “what am I good at and what am I not?” before eventually creating a venture capital fund that now manages over $2 billion in assets.

This journey of self-exploration equipped Sowerby, who’s currently serving as Queensland’s chief entrepreneur, with a deep understanding and appreciation of not only his own talents, but the value in others around him.

In September of last year, a 9 year old boy named Bryce from Burleigh Heads, QLD, had a goal to raise enough money to purchase six Super Max the Turtle nightlights for children with cancer on The Gold Coast (these are night lights designed specifically for children with cancer because they can be sanitized and taken in and out of even the strictest of hospital wards including isolation and ICU. Research has shown that sleep is a critical component of healing, and these night lights are designed to help encourage healthy sleep for children with cancer.

 

Gecko – Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council Association Incorporated was founded in 1989 when representatives of six local conservation groups joined together.

They envisioned the organisation working for the care, protection and conservation of the natural environment and the improvement of the built environment so that it would become more ecologically sustainable.

Gecko's Mission Statement:

To actively promote, conserve and restore the natural environment and improve the sustainability of the built environment of the Gold Coast region in partnership with our member groups and the wider community.

Welcoming Cities facilitates a national network of inclusive, vibrant communities internationally recognised for their ability to foster a sense of belonging and participation.

It seeks to address and embrace the challenges and opportunities of migration. We are working to create more welcoming and inclusive communities by supporting local government leaders and communities to be more effectively resourced, networked and supported.

Aleem Ali is the branch manager of Welcome to Australia, Brisbane and coordinator of the Welcoming Cities initiative.

Welcome to Australia exists to engage everyday Australians in the task of cultivating a culture of welcome in our nation.

The Australia we love is known for its diversity, compassion, generosity and commitment to giving all people a fair go.

We’d like to find many different ways that individuals, families, businesses and other organisations can work together to continue to develop these values in our communities, work places, schools and institutions.