Joint SSA Qld Branch & AORA Event

Joint SSA QLD and AORA Event
plus 3rd SSA Qld OGM

Friday 14 May 2021
OGM (SSA members): 11 - 11:45 am
SSA QLD & AORA Joint Event: 12 - 3 pm
Lockyer Valley Cultural Centre (Function Room 4 Lake View)
34 Lake Apex Dr, Gatton QLD 4343

Speakers:

Councillor Tanya Milligan
Mayor - Lockyer Valley Regional Council
Cr Tanya Milligan was elected as only the second Mayor of the Lockyer Valley Regional Council in April 2016. Cr Milligan’s local government career began in 2000 when she was first elected to the former Laidley Shire Council, having served in the position of Deputy Mayor between 2004 and 2008. Following amalgamations, she was elected to Lockyer Valley Regional Council in 2008 and again in 2012, where she held the position of Deputy Mayor throughout this term. Cr Milligan spent her early years in Caffey. The vital role of the agricultural industry, both for her family and the Lockyer Valley region, was cemented when her family started farming at Helidon. She raised her family while living at Laidley Creek West and now resides in Laidley. Prior to being elected to Council, Cr Milligan was a Disability Support Worker. Some 18 years in this industry has fostered a strong desire for the region’s first female Mayor to nurture partnerships and relationships, both with and for the community she now serves. During the devastating floods of 2011, Cr Milligan chaired the Human and Social Committee and she held the position of Deputy Mayor during the 2013 floods which again devastated the region, with areas like Laidley, Mt Sylvia and Mulgowie experiencing their worst flood in living memory. She describes it as an honour to work with the community she holds so close to her heart.

Dr Maryam Esfandbod
QLD Branch President - Soil Science Australia
Dr Maryam Esfandbod is a Business Development Manager for Environmental Biogeochemistry Research Lab and Hub Manager for Recourse, Recovery, Recycling & Remanufacturing (4R) Waste Hub at Griffith University. She is Soil Biochemist with strong expertise and experience on remediation of contaminated sites, soil carbon and nutrient (nitrogen) dynamics and their interactions in agro-ecosystems, soil and water environmental chemistry and remediation, environmental impacts of recycled organics application in land and water and waste management, contaminants and microplastic. She is Co-Founder and Executive Manager for Applied Network for Recycled Organics and Waste Management (ANROWM) which brings State Government, Industry and End-user together. She is also President for Soil Science Australia- Qld Branch and Board member for QLD-Professional Environment Women Association.

Peter Olah
National Executive Officer - Australian Organics Recycling Association
Peter Olah is the National Executive Officer of AORA, the Australian Organics Recycling Association. AORA is the voice of the Australian organics recycling industry.

Peter is an experienced leader. Prior to joining AORA, he was CEO of the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI), the national peak body for professionals across Australia’s spatial information industries; and the Executive Director of the Council of Mayors (SEQ), Australia’s largest regional local government advocacy organisation. His previous roles included Executive Director of the Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA), the representative body for the 73,000 volunteers and staff of the NSW Rural Fire Service, and National Affairs Manager of the Hotel, Motel and Accommodation Association (HMAA), the national accommodation industry association. Peter also served as CEO of Scouts Australia (New South Wales), the state’s largest youth organisation.

Peter served three terms as Mayor of Hurstville City Council in Sydney’s south. He has an extensive background in politics and public administration, having served on the private staff of the NSW Premier and as Policy Advisor to Ministers for Justice and Police. Within State Transit, the NSW Government’s bus and ferry business, Peter delivered several change management projects for the organisation’s Board and CEO. Peter’s roles at two professional services firms had him heading up the Australasian government/public sector practice at each. He also established his own consulting firm, Moebius Consulting, with clients across several industries, professional and industry associations, charities and government agencies.

Brad Smith
Managing Director - Grassdale Feedlot
Brad has been in the organics industry for 27 years as a co-owner of Queensland Organics (pelletised organic fertilisers), and more recently as managing director of Grassdale Fertilisers. With a passion for soil health and recycling, Brad has developed a composting operation peocessing over 100,000 tonnes of manure pa, and a large scale granulation facility to convert waste manure from cattle feedlots into a value-added organic fertiliser. Brad also drives the sales and marketing, creating a market for this range of new and innovative products.  A key area of interest is identifying and creating new value-driven opportunities, and at present there is a lot of interest in inoculation of soils with biology, and the granules make the prefect carrier.