Justin Smith amuses the audience - October 2024
Melbourne Network Group
Welcomes guests & new members.
Email us:
MelbourneNetworkGroup@gmail.com
We meet for lunch on the 2nd
Wednesday of every month at
one of the best locations in town.
From midday, 45 minutes of
networking, then we take our
seats for the entree.
In turn, each member stands
& gives a quick introduction.
Main course is served.
The guest speaker talks for
up to 20 minutes before
taking questions.
Networking resumes,
sometimes for quite a
few hours!
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"Members are
decision-makers,
leaders, or principals
of their own businesses."
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At our February lunch Lisa Buffinton
explained the security risks that we
need to care about, and why as
business owners and company directors,
we have a requirement to get a grip on
the subject.
To know what to protect and why. To
log events and threats; properly
decommission old IT systems, and
understand supply chain risk management
-you may be okay but what about your
suppliers and customers?
We have to understand that, in future,
quantum computers will be capable of
breaking encryption methods protecting
our data —this will cause us serious
concerns, and that we need to
prepare for it.
We may offer a podcast of this
speech, stay tuned.
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"Thanks to you and the
Brains Trust for a most
enjoyable lunch today.
I really enjoyed it.
Great food, great
company and great
presentation by Lisa.”
- RS
“Thank you. Really enjoyed it.
Can I come to the next one?
Got some unfinished chats.
- John
Created with
Authentic Intelligence”
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2026 lunches
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The Melbourne Professional & Commercial Business Network Group was the invention of our late friend, Ian Dear. He strongly believed that business was best conducted face-to-face, person-to-person. And that developing a strong network of trusted relationships is an important tool for every decision-maker.
Members are decision-makers, leaders, or principals of their own businesses.
Ian hosted the monthly lunch meeting, initially called the Albert Park Business Network Group in the early 1990s, which continues to this day, under the stewardship of Wayne Banks-Smith, Wendi Dawson, Campbell MacKintosh, Simon Madden, and James Nixon.
The name is easily remembered as the Melbourne Network Group, and we meet for lunch on the second Wednesday of every month.
Why don't you join us, beside the sea, in Albert Park?
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" … lunch was amazing. The
marketing guy that created the
happy meals for McDonalds
was exceptional. I wish he was
working for me …
40 million extra meals!"
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Ian Dear's pot plant is still
thriving at Jack Kagan's place.
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Email us:
MelbourneNetworkGroup@gmail.com
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Great review:
"I can't remember a better MPCNG
'Network Group' than the one held
this week.
Venue is great, food & beverages
well-priced, there was a solid turnout
and the presenter was excellent!
Well done, & thank you to the team!"
- Steve
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"It was fun and you guys
made us feel included.
Food was good too!"
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At our last lunch for the year Grant
Dooley explained the real work that
goes on behind the doors of Australia’s
overseas embassies, and his posting at
our largest —in Jakarta— from 2004 to
2007. At that time, Indonesia was one of
Australia’s trickiest relationships, where a
tiny percentage of its 220 million people
were trying to kill you. All the time.
Grant’s first hand account of the terrorist
bomb attack on the embassy in September
2004 and the Boxing Day tsunami, were
harrowing, but his graphic remembering of
the Garuda flight that crashed in Yogyakarta
in March 2007 killing some of his colleagues
and friends, was quite devastating.
It was that event which led to his leaving
the posting, with scars that have taken
years to heal.
Grant's powerful speech, and lively Q&A
session afterwards, was a highlight of
our year.
We look forward to getting him back to talk
about his time in China, and reading his
next book.
His book, Bomb season in Jakarta
is a must read. Get it by clicking here.
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Our November speaker was
Samuel McLennan who,
having been an infantryman
in the Army, obtained a Science
degree, with a Major in artificial
intelligence and robotics. A
professional problem-solver,
he has become a quietly-spoken
leader, who chose a novel way
to inspire his own creativity.
Building a boat out of marine
debris, then sailing it from Hobart
and across Bass Strait, —to our
pier for our lunch— was his big
trick. But infecting Tasmanians to
clean up their beaches, one at a
time, will be his legacy.
‘Don’t call me lucky … I’ve failed
more times that you’ve tried.”
One of our most captivating speakers.
Samuel now helps people to develop
calmness, confidence, and increase
their personal performance.
You can donate to his cause, and
check out Project Interrupt on his
website: projectinterrupt.com
Check out our podcast of the
speech and Q&A, plus pics
of the boat by clicking here.
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Our October speaker was John Cooksey
who has spent most of his career working
at the intersection of business, psychology
and performance. A psychologist who
created the Executive Performance Zone
concept, in the spirit of turning ‘Dust into
Diamonds’ he taught us one technique,
and provided seven tools for us to create
brief meaningful boosts —sparkling
moments— which we can use every day.
His business is Confident Performance
confidentperformance.com.au
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Dr Chris Sotiropoulos talked about
how you can become a success by
linking the people we meet with the
people we know.
He proved it to the MBA class at
Swinburne, pulling-together the local
and overseas students; in his career
as a lawyer, and later as CEO of his
own pharmaceutical business.
It’s how Rotary works! He was
recently President of their largest
Australian chapter.
It seems at odds to modern business
practices where the cheapest deal often
comes first, but the old-fashioned way
of doing business with people you know,
or who have been recommended to you,
is making a comeback —if it ever
really went away.
We explored the richness of the people in
the room, with Jack Keegan wondering
how we can tap this amazing resource
Food for thought, along with a
great lunch!
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At our August lunch our speaker was
Greg Yorke, AM, CSC who recently
retired as Commodore in the Royal
Australian Navy, and as the Senior
Naval Officer for Victoria.
His career included Navigating a number
of ships, Commanding a Patrol Boat,
and serving as the Commissioning
Skipper of the ANZAC Frigate HMAS
Arunta which was built at Williamstown.
He took a break from the Navy and
worked in the consulting industry for
10 years, before rejoining the Navy
in 2016.
Greg assured us that all businesses
can benefit from the crossover of
defence training, where all members
are skilled in operating as teams,
constantly training for real world
events by way of simulation.
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At our July lunch Simon Madden
asked James Nixon whether or it is
safe to fly over the Middle East.
We were told how the countries
benefit from overflight fees from
airlines, how the industry is regulated
by the International Civil Aviation
Organisation and managed by IATA,
the ‘club of airlines’.
James explained the checking and
double-checking by Pilots, Cabin Crew,
Engineers, Load Masters, Ground staff,
Refuellers, Flight-Planners, Air Traffic
Controllers, and Security experts, and
how —given its complexity— that it
comes down to being ‘a people
business’ with extremely low profit
margins …
and how all pilots earn their entire
annual salary in two flights a year.
Pic: Wendi Dawson, James Nixon,
Maria Ruberto & Christian Roth
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Our June lunch heard from
Paul Sheahan.
Ever the educator, with a
handwriting of a headmaster,
the ‘elegant’ double-century
cricketer performed a stunt
demonstrating how probability
can be exciting in room of 34
people.
“Hands up whose birthday is
in July!” And we cheered when
we discovered that Andrew
Cochrane and John Spragg
were twins.
We learnt the excitement of a
21-year-old walking-out on the
Adelaide oval to play cricket
for Australia, and what it was
like to score 100 runs in a test
match in the cauldron of cricket
madness on the planet. And how
you have to sit there, hour after
hour, kitted-up, waiting for your
mate to stuff-up so you can dash
out on the ground within 120
seconds.
Of the ‘unfulfilled potential’ of
the cricketing teacher who had
a wife and three kids to support,
a man who has never been totally
sure of himself, but worked-out
the trick of relying on staff, hiring
the right people, and letting them
get on with it.
A headmaster who understands
that preparing young people for
life is a people-business.
He voiced the dilema facing youth
of today “How do you know you're
happy unless you've been sad?”
in a world where no-one’s allowed
to fail —where every kid gets a prize.
Paul quoted William Whewell, the
father of the word ‘scientist’ who
observed: ‘Every failure is a step to
success.’
Sheahan is a man who understands
that the long walk back to the
pavillion is just another part of the
game.
And that marathon? After a delay
getting his heart plumbing rebuilt,
he did it –in time for his 70th:
“On the flattest marathon course
possible.”
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At our May 2025 lunch
Liz Kefford told us about her
life as a journalist on television
and radio, and her switch to
the law in later life.
She has built a practice where
victims of institutional sex abuse
have a voice, and litigate for
compensation.
We heard many stories of those
who have fallen through the cracks
of despair, having tried to block out
their night terrors with substance
abuse. Successful litigation doesn't
guarantee a good night sleep.
But in one case, a lady stepped-out
of jail, bought herself a house,
reconnected with her three adult
children, and is planning for a life
without ice now that she’s got
something to live for.
Liz Kefford realises they can’t all
be success stories, but the good
ones are bloody good.
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At our April lunch, our speaker
David Banger made it clear that
Artificial Intelligence isn’t going
anywhere, so we need to start
getting comfortable with it. Like
with computers —garbage in
equals garbage out— data is
at the foundation of your company’s
AI, poor quality or inconsistent data
will result in poor AI.
*'David broke down the basics,
like the differences between
machine learning, natural language
processing, and robotics, in a
way that made sense. While there’s
a lot to be excited about, he also
pointed-out some big security
risks.
If you’re not careful with how
you use AI, you could accidentally
share your own IP, and competitors
might spot your weak points and
use them against you.
The takeaway? Stay ahead of
the game and make sure your
business has a clear plan for
how AI should be used.'
*(Editor: ' I used ChatGPT to summarise
my 130 words in a casual style)
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At our March lunch Malaysian-born
David Talalla took us on a lifetime’s
journey. We were with him as a tiny
six year old Malaysian boy at schoo
l in Perth, accepted by an Aussie kid:
‘ya better learn how to kick a footy.’
He’s been kicking goals, all over the
world, ever since. As a lawyer, cricket
player, referree, coach, mentor,
administrator involved in inclusion,
governance and risk for Baseball
Australia — and Multicultural
Ambassador for Cricket Australia.
He’s also worked with Hockey
& the Australian Football League.
We were with him on the Sydney
Cricket Ground in November 2014,
he was Match Referee, and the game
became life and death.
In the end, we were back in
Perth at the deathbed of that
kid who taught him how to kick
a footy —if he wanted to
be an Aussie.
One of our most inspirational
guest speakers.
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Another sensational and
inspirational speaker ...
Everyone has a story to tell,
David has certainly lived a
full life and could have kept
us going all day.
I also always look forward
to what the chefs have in
line for us each month.
Magnificent as always.
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At our February lunch, Christian Roth
captivated us with another exposé into
his life and times marketing McDonald’s
worldwide. Spies, lies, and fries told
the story about the international Monopoly
promotion which increased revenue by
5.8% in the USA, and by higher throughout
Europe and the rest of the world.
But something wasn’t right.
Invited to a 10 a.m. meeting in room 1201
in the exclusive Drake Hotel in Chicago,
Christian was confronted with senior
McDonalds staff, and agents from the FBI.
It turned out that, against all odds,
the game was rigged.
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2025 lunches
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Our December Lunch was a
celebration of the year, departing
from the normal format. Simon
Madden and James Nixon led
the guests through an extended
introduction, many giving us
inspirational advice as they went.
Wendi Dawson, who brought
the Christmas Crackers, told of
her journey from Seattle to New
Zealand on the family yacht.
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Our November lunch speaker,
award-winning photographer, and
author Marina Brbot, told us about
her journey, which resulted in her
two books honouring and highlighting
sixty inspirational people who have
helped shape and enrich Australia.
‘Because She Can’ & ‘And So He Did’
will make great Christmas presents,
and are available from her website:
marinabrbotbook.com
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At our October lunch, Journalist & Author
Justin Smith wondered why Australians
have ceased being curious, and went on
to tell us how a court accepted a years-old,
undated, character reference in a child
molestation case. Until Justin asked, not
one person in the justice system had said:
‘I wonder if the person who wrote this
reference knows the subject was
using it in this way?’
Was happened next was a great yarn.
Justin has a knack of telling great
yarns, his novel ‘Cooper Not Out’
it’s one of the best yarns ever, and
the perfect Christmas present:
https://tinyurl.com/CooperNotOut
And Good As Gold, latest book, is out
now through Penguin Random House.
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"It was fun and you guys
made us feel included.
Food was good too!"
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"A superb story teller,
leaving me wanting more,
guess I’ll have to buy the
book.
The kitchen crew are
setting a mighty high
bar, well done again."
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At our September lunch Maria Ruberto
taught us that Resilience is a concept
where we build, in terms of our mental
health, a range of skills to grow our
well-being prior to adversity.
It has a bearing on how we recover six
to twelve months later —when others
are susceptible to PTSD.
Our mental ‘force field’ is developed
over time by fostering a positive
mindset.
To listen to Maria’s speech click here.
Maria’s Salutegenics website is here.
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"Great meal, great speaker,
and wonderful company."
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At our August lunch Simon Madden
interviewed George Donikian about
his amazing life —of his father’s journey
after arriving at Station Pier, being
bereft of English (despite speaking
six other languages fluently) and
experiencing the kindness of strangers—
to his sporting prowess in cricket, rugby
and soccer, and having the nerve to ask
Bruce Gyngell for a job which led to
leaving radio station 2WS and becoming
the face of multicultural television as the
national news anchor for SBS.
He talked about his move to Channel
Nine, then Channel Ten, and his latest
foray: Disrupt Radio, where he reads
the morning news and spars with the
fabulous Libbi Gorr at 08:30 each
weekday on the ‘D Spot’!
Well worth a listen HERE.
Thanks James and Team.
Great day, presentation,
and company.
Wouldn’t change a thing!
- T H
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At our July lunch Tiffanee Cook
showed us the result a punch in
the face can bring. Facing fears,
committing to life-changing boxing
training, winning her first fight, before
being handed the microphone
—which she’s never handed back!
Tiff’s ‘Roll With The Punches' podcast,
810 episodes in, is now an institution,
her training & personal coaching
business thrives, her speaking
business is flying, and there’s a
book on the way.
Tiffanee Cook’s website is here.
"Terrific catch-up yesterday,
Tiffanee Cook was fabulous
—very inspirational— food
delicious, and all in all, a
most enjoyable afternoon."
- S.W.
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At our June lunch, Sue Westerman
focused our attention on keeping an
eye on those around us, and how to
recognise those with mental health
challenges.
She reminded-us that we can,
and should, leave problem people
at work:
“You don’t have to take them home
and sleep with them!”
Placing People with Passion,
specialises in recruitment,
engagement and talent retention.
Contact Sue HERE.
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At our May lunch, Tim Holden captivated
the room just by telling us his c.v., starting
with a stint in the Navy, then the Church,
before studying Psychology, and finally
settling into a position within a bank!
The long (and humorous) way around to
a career as a Liquidator in the insolvency
industry, and his volunteer role as Treasurer
for the R.S.L. (Victoria).
The art, he says, is knowledgeable listening.
Too many people think they know what they
heard … but did they really get it?
Crouch Amirbeaggi’s website is HERE.
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At our April lunch, Christian Roth
captivated us with his story about
the formation of McDonald’s Happy
Meals and the race to have 40 million
children’s toys ready in time, from an
industry that usually survived on runs
of 100,000. How he worked with the
founders of the Muppets, Disney and
Pixar, and how China made it possible
for 95% of American children to have
a Happy Meal collectible character.
Christian has over 37 years experience
in business, working with some of the
world’s largest companies and brands
besides McDonald’s, such as Coca Cola,
Disney, Nestlé, and Shell. He has built
multiple businesses over the course of
his career and is currently a Director of
The Sentius Group, a Consulting
Marketing Agency.
The Sentius Group’s website is HERE.
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At our March lunch Simon Madden
interviewed Ian Cohen about his
extensive media career; his business
Cozalive, and how he clearly, precisely,
and creatively gets his clients’
messages across.
Ian’s charity work with Neil Daniher’s
Fight MND began when the charity
was three years old. 2024 will be their
tenth year, and they have raised over
one hundred million dollars towards
finding effective treatments, and
ultimately a cure, for Motor Neurone
Disease.
Cozalive’s website is HERE.
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At our February lunch
Suzanne Neate told us about her
journey to build The Aftershock,
and its role raising awareness &
funding for medical research into
the 16 high-mortality cancers. With
the help of their large volunteer
network The Aftershock has raised
over $650,000 with expenses of
less than 10%.
The Aftershock's website is HERE.
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2024 lunches
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At our December lunch, Peter
Nevile gave us an enthralling
talk about Risk Management.
Your personal risks, and those
arising when you start interacting
with other humans, romantically,
financially, or in business.
Mitigating risks is the trick, by
setting-up professional structures
to protect your assets. That’s
where a good lawyer comes in.
Sitting around a table sharing
each others’ points-of-view and
expected-outcomes —before
racing-off to court— can go a long
way to solving problems, and
saving money.
Most importantly, if you aren’t
going to die, you don’t need
a Will!
But the rest of us do.
Peter’s website is here.
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At our November lunch, Karine
O’Donnell shared her 18 years’
experience as a project delivery
specialist.
She pointed-out the warning
signs: scope creep, budget
problems, radio silence,
bottlenecks, & issues with
communications.
And the three main reasons
why projects fail:
People are not clear on 'why',
people make the wrong
assumptions, & the tracking
or measurement is wrong.
Sounds easy? You’d be
surprised. Karine’s business is
Projecting with People.
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At our October lunch, Victor Perton
showed us how ‘Optimism is the
Superpower of the Entrepreneur,’
and how to sustain optimism amid
a continued narrative of gloom.
Victor challenged us to replace
our traditional Aussie greeting:
‘How are you going?’ with
‘What was the best thing
that happened to you today?’
which leads to richer, optimistic
interactions.
We ended the day with
Laughter Yoga!
Victor's website is the
Centre For Optimism.
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At our September lunch, Madgwicks
Lawyers Partner Catherine Ballantyne
discussed Google reviews, what to do about
a bad one, how to tell when a review is
defamatory, and what you can do about it.
Catherine explained the options when the
person posts the review under a fake
name, and that every business needs
to plan for it with a ready-to-go strategy .
Obviously a hot topic, Catherine answered
many questions from the floor. Her website
is www.madgwicks.com.au
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At our August lunch, The Exit Strategy
Group’s Kerry Boulton intrigued us
with: ‘Exit is a Four Letter Word!’.
She made us realise that no business
plan is complete without an exit plan,
and finished by giving each of us two
of her books.
Kerry’s website is
theexitstrategygroup.com.au
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At our July lunch, Leo Petrik told us how,
through clever (attraction) marketing, you
can tailor your networking approach, and
how to make sure your networking events
get results by “Networthing”.
Leo is the head of Flow Australia.
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At our June lunch, Catherine
Baird told us how to get our
clients to fall in love with us,
for free.
All it takes is true leadership,
& commitment to your staff.
Faking it doesn't work.
She should know, having been
the Senior Vice President of
Crew Training with Emirates.
25,000 cabin crew & 4,500
pilots from 130 nationalities.
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At our May lunch, Deanne Baptista
spoke of her journey from Singapore
to Melbourne via London, Indonesia,
Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
Her extensive education, and wide
business experience, led her to study
the 'internet of things' and bring it to
a practical application in the huge
pest control industry.
The product, Ratsense, and its global
support network has taken off.
See the Ratsense website here.
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At our April lunch, Marg Lange
explained how modern business
needs to ‘get back to the basics’ when
it comes to getting new business.
Making personal connections
gets the leads, and she gave
examples; when you need to
get things done, you invariably
go back to using your personal
networks.
See Marg Lange’s website here.
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At our March meeting, Cam Evans
told us about his career in banking
and how it led to working for The
World Bank, living as an expatriate
in Thailand, Egypt and Vietnam.
He explained how the World Bank's
activities are designed to reach the
objectives to end poverty, and promote
shared prosperity.
See the World Bank's page here.
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At our February meeting, Peter Bellion
taught us two allow a two second gap
between us and the car in front, to not
swim after drinking alcohol, and to avoid
swimming at dawn and dusk when the
wildlife is feeding.
His enthralling speech covered his 30
years with VicPol, the Major Collision
Investigation Unit, and his time as
President of the Port Melbourne Life-
Saving Club. Check out their page here.
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Thank you very much for lunch
yesterday – I really enjoyed it!
Some really interesting
people there!
- James
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2023 lunches
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At our December meeting, Jem Fuller
taught us how we can Control, Influence,
and Accept our reactions to every aspect
of our lives by training our minds.
Check out his Ted Talk, leadership, culture
changing, coaching packages, and
his book by clicking here.
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At our November meeting, Grant Siedle
taught us about ocean swimming, and
the challenge that is RipSWIM.
RipSwim is planning two swims
across Port Phillip Heads this summer.
Check it out here.
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At our October meeting, Simon Madden
explained the benefits of having an
Advisory Board for your business.
His business, Simon Madden Consulting,
can increase your performance.
Check it out here.
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At our September meeting, Mary Barry
explained the future of offshore wind for
Victoria, and outlined the projects.
Check out the Star of the south.
Mary's new business is called
CircularECO
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At our August meeting, Steve Hubbard
helped us get to grips with social media.
His business, Do It For You social
media marketing, can help you too.
Check out DIFY Social by
CLICKING HERE
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At our July meeting, James Nixon
helped us get back in the air, telling us
about the 23 Tips To Survive A Long
Flight, before giving each of us a book.
Checkout his three books
by CLICKING HERE
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At our June meeting, Dr John Tickell
fired us up with his unique brand
of wisdom ahead of the launch of
his new book:
Your Best Immunity
Checkout his Healthsense
program by CLICKING HERE
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At our May 2022 lunch
Chatto Creek Advisory's
Russell Scoular told us about
the Australia-India Trade Agreement,
& what it means for our businesses.
ChattoCreek.com.au
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