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On Friday 15 May, we closed our doors for the day to bring our whole team together for our annual Gowrie Victoria Staff Conference, with this year theme being Learning and Growing. It was a reflection of our commitment to high quality learning for both children and adults. The day celebrated significant milestones for our organisation, including the opening of three new kindergartens and the continued expansion of our adult learning programs across Victoria. It was a pleasure to welcome Louka Parry as our keynote speaker. Louka, a learning strategist and education futurist, challenged us to think deeply about leadership, connectedness and our role as educators in a digital world.
Breakout sessions are a key component of our conferences where our staff can participate and learn in unique workshops of their choosing. These were led by sector experts Dr Sarah Young, Rosalyn Muir PhD and Kerrie O’Neill, alongside collaborative workshops facilitated by colleagues from across our services and programs.
The conference also gave us the opportunity to celebrate outstanding contributions across our organisation. We acknowledged staff milestones of five, 10, 15 and 20 years, and were proud to present three awards: Marlee Laidlaw received the Living and Leading the Values Award; Clara Boaretto received the Marcela Award for her commitment to professional learning and development; and Cerri May received the Outstanding Pedagogy and Practice Award. Each recipient embodies the care, curiosity and leadership that strengthens learning communities for children, families and adult learners alike.
We asked our staff about their experiences at this year’s conference.
On being recognised
For award winner Marlee Laidlaw, Leadership Support at our Clare Court service, the recognition came as a genuine surprise. “When I found out I had been nominated and read what Ruth wrote about me, I was genuinely taken aback. It gave me a valuable insight into how others view my work and the passion I bring to even the small everyday tasks — something I hadn’t really recognised in myself before.” Marlee, who describes herself as someone who naturally prefers to uplift others rather than be in the spotlight, shared that winning has only deepened her commitment: “It has strengthened my passion for early childhood education and motivates me to continue bringing a hardworking, positive attitude that inspires those around me.”
On connection and collaboration
A recurring theme in our team’s reflections was the value of coming together across services and programs. Jade Dunne, Lead Mentor in our Adult Learning team, highlighted the particular significance for those who work remotely: “We are a remote team and always value the opportunity to all be together to reflect and connect.” She described the conference as “a scheduled pause in amongst the busyness of the everyday” — a chance to hear the broader impact of our work across both early learning and adult learning spaces.
Bianca Bell’Almo, Operations Leader at our Clare Court service, echoed this, valuing the opportunity to “re-centre as an organisation and support personal development, bringing alignment for the remainder of the year ahead.” For Bianca, the day was also rich with practical inspiration — from insights shared during a leadership session to new ideas for how tools like Canva could be used in day-to-day communication with families.