Shrine Nehme, Gavin Dal Broi and Syam Mohan will be among eight speakers at the inaugural Griffith TEDx event. Photo: Supplied.
A filmmaker, female pilot, teenager and weaver will be among eight presenters announced for the line-up of a global public speaking event at Marian Catholic College on 29 August.
TEDx – a world-famous conference program that operates under the slogan, “Ideas worth spreading” – will be held in Griffith for the first time, after businesswomen Sara Pixley and Jacinda Violi secured a licence to stage the event.
Over 70 people applied to speak at the forum, with an organising committee selecting eight people to share their talks under the theme, “Home is where the heart is”.
The line-up includes Indigenous lawyer and weaver Jayne Christian, soil and plant expert Gary Dal Broi, agricultural sales manager Rodney Dunn, former Virgin airline captain Michelle Huntington, filmmaker Elijah Ingram, healthcare specialist Syam Mohan, 16-year-old public speaking ace Shirine Nehme and high school teacher Kristy Wallace.
Details on the topics of their talks will be made public in the coming weeks. Tickets to the event cost $95 and are on sale now. Due to TEDx licensing guidelines, only 100 tickets are available for this inaugural event, most of which have already been sold.
Sara Pixley, senior relationship manager at Westpac, is lead organiser for TEDxGriffith and said she jumped at the opportunity to spark discussion and connection in the community.
“Through work, family life, and volunteering in Griffith, I have met some amazing people – some with stories and achievements that far exceed expectations of regional Australia,” she said.
“It has been the ‘everyday extraordinary’ stories that have stayed with me, and they’re a big part of why I wanted to get TEDxGriffith going.
“I couldn’t be happier with the line-up that’s been selected, it’s so diverse and every speaker has a deep connection to the Riverina.”
Cater and Blumer, a law firm that celebrated its century in Griffith last year, has been signed up as a major sponsor for the conference, while The Perfect Pour, a mobile bar launched in 2023, will provide beverages for speakers and the audience.
The Wagga TEDx event was a huge success. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
The first TED conference was held in 1984 and focused on the fields of technology, entertainment, and design.
It relaunched in 1990 attracting people from a wide range of disciplines, all with a curiosity and open-mindedness that yearned for connection through knowledge, ideas, and community.
The most popular TED talk of all time was titled “Do schools kill creativity?” by British author Ken Robinson. It has been viewed more than 76 million times.
Wagga held its first TEDx event in November 2023.
“I went and saw [Wagga event producer] Adam Bannister. They did an amazing job. I picked his brain; he’s been very supportive,” Ms Pixley said.
Curator Oumi Karenga-Hewitt has been utilising her performance, communications, and mentoring experience to prepare speakers for the TEDxGriffith stage.
“Each speaker has a unique lived experience but I realised that they all shared a passion and optimism for the places and spaces we call home,” she said.
“Their talks cover a wide range of subjects but are grounded in connection and community, and a deep desire to inspire a better world. They are a testament to the spirit of regional communities.”
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