St Kilda Boat Sales - Women In Marine Luncheon - Huge BIAV Success
23 November 2010
Women In Marine Luncheon - Huge BIAV Success
Sandringham Yacht Club, Melbourne was the superlative venue of last week’s inaugural Women in Marine Business networking lunch, Thurs 18 Nov, hosted by the BIA Victoria and raising much-needed funds for the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre.
Around 80 women and a handful of brave men attended and enjoyed excellent cuisine, an array of auction and raffle prizes and guests speaker, Nancy Knudsen – Cruising Editor of Sail-World.com, avid sailor, author and pioneer in so many spheres, as we learned on the day.
A representative of the Royal Talbot also addressed guests, speaking about her own harrowing experience injuring her spinal cord, forcing her to completely reassess and adjust her life to being wheelchair bound. Then there was a rousing fashion parade with apparel by Musto, and the talents of exceptional female models and some very enthusiastic sailors, sponsored by Musto (Cam and Deano).
Clyde Batty, general manager of BIA Vic, opened proceedings, introducing the event, guest speakers and the beneficiary cause and its aims. While the weather had taken a dramatic wintry turn from the glorious sun and warmth of the previous day, Sandringham’s newly refurbished Yacht Club, with its commanding position on the lip of Port Phillip Bay, gave the impression of being afloat in the chop and slight rain.
Nancy Knudsen was the ideal speaker to mark the occasion. Amid chuckles, gasps and sage nodding, Nancy told of the many facets of her career, starting when she was 19 with entree into TV – which had just launched in Brisbane in 1959 as the first female face on the Queensland capital’s TV.
'It sounded like a good opportunity, and the money was nice, so I said yes. But never having seen television [which launched in Australia in 1956 to coincide with the Melbourne Olympic Games], I asked ‘what will I be doing?’ I became assistant to the compere of a show. When I suggested I would like to read the news, I was told ‘oh no. Only men read the news. Women’s voices are unsuitable for broadcasts. Tell that to Oprah Winfrey!'
Nancy learned many lessons from that first foray into media, including 'people in power will say almost anything to protect their patch'. 'Also, I learned not to put up with a bad situation.'
Nancy went on to compere her own show, then produce and host her own series which she sold back to the networks. For her work she won two Logie Awards.
After marrying, having two children and moving to Sydney, she shucked off the responsibilities of TV production to give time to her children, and for several years pursued an acting career in Sydney, appearing in leading lady roles in ‘Homicide’ alongside such luminaries of Australian screen as Bill Hunter, Chips Rafferty, Lorrae Desmond, Anne Haddy, Gus Mercurio and George Mallaby, while studying for a degree in politics at Macquarie University.
Not content with this already phenomenal list of achievements, Nancy opened a travel business, which grew into a tourism and aviation venture. A single mum by this time, she founded Aircruising Australia and Bill Peach Journeys, which expanded much to the concern of the two major players in aviation at that time, who began to thwart her success and would not allow her company to charter their larger planes. 'I wrote copious letters to the Minister in charge of Aviation at that time and was told ‘nobody will lend a slip of a girl the money required to buy an aircraft’. So I used the ammunition available to me and wrote a press release.'
Nancy’s carefully chosen words, more importantly the headline, struck a chord. 'It appeared first in a Newcastle paper the next day, Friday morning: ‘mother of two’s company to go under because of government inaction’. By Monday morning, the Minister’s people had called and asked me to come to Canberra to meet with the Minister. He was most displeased and told me there had been no need to resort to those tactics, as he had the approval letter on his desk, dated Friday.'
The moral to that tale was 'use any resources, any ammunition you have at your disposal, because the people you are trying to compete against will too'.
Purchasing the company’s first F27 aircraft was no easy task, so Nancy floated the company on the Sydney Stock Exchange in 1986 in order to raise the money. For many years she was the only female chair of a public company in Australia.
During that time in business, Nancy was awarded many accolades, notably Business Sydney's CEO of the Year, the Australian representative in the World Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Telstra/Westpac Woman Business Owner of the Year.
Then she came to sailing. 'There were no sailing schools in those days,' she recounted. 'I was told to walk along the marina and just look around for a boat that might have crew positions available. So I toddled off along the pier, found some men standing around a boat and asked them if they had any positions available.' Nancy said the blokes looked her over then looked at each other and practically fell over each other saying with a nudge and a wink 'Have we got some positions for you??'
Needless to say, she gave up on that approach and dipped a toe in crewing for harbour races and short off-shore races, before eventually graduating to ocean sailing.
Nancy remarried, finding in architect Tedd Nobbs a more experienced by equally passionate sailor. They determined to buy a boat to go long range cruising. It took six years to purchase the boat, Blackwattle, sell the house, prepare the boat and organise their respective business lives. They left Australia in 2003 and returned in 2008, having spent the five years circumnavigating the world.
While away, Nancy completed a Graduate Certificate of Journalism with Deakin University and took up the role of cruising editor for Sail-World.com.
Parlaying her writing skills into publishing a book, her first will be available from May 2011, titled ‘Flying fish, falling star’ (Allen & Unwin), and charting the life changing experiences which brought her back from their adventure a new person.
Characteristically humble, Nancy lamented that in each and every endeavour, if she had just waited a few years, her path could have been easier. To the entire audience, however, it was abundantly clear that Nancy was the pioneer in each of her chosen fields – without her fledgling steps and triumphs, the trail would have been harder for the women following in her daunting, always elegant footsteps.
Nancy questioned the status quo, in firm, but well modulated tones, in an era when women could not hold their own credit cards or mortgages and officialdom required their hubbies’ signatures for even the most banal sales, including a vacuum cleaner from a door-to-door salesman, as was Nancy’s experience.
Nancy wedged open doors (or in many cases the windows when she could not jimmy those by traditional means) which once were firmly closed.
'Well, at least I hope I opened a small crack in the glass ceiling,' she acknowledged.
Following a sumptuous lunch and mouth-watering dessert, Lynn Panayiotis took the stage – with some difficulty, as she pointed out, as there are still many barriers to people confined to wheelchairs.
Lynne was injured in a bus accident during a trip to Egypt nearly five years ago. Trapped under a tour bus for many hours, she sustained a fracture/dislocation to T12/L1 (bottom of ribs) causing paraplegia. She also had a below knee amputation to her left leg, dislocated her sternum, fractured several ribs and had a subdural haematoma. Her husband died.
Lynne spent some time in the Austin Hospital and four and a half months in rehab. Prior to her injury she worked as a secondary school science teacher and held many roles including year level coordinator, professional development coordinator and acting assistant principal. She now works as a Peer Support worker based at the Royal Talbot where she helps train and supervise volunteer mentors who work with people who have newly acquired spinal cord injuries.
Prior to her injury Lynne and her husband enjoyed travelling, bushwalking and fishing, particularly spinning for trout in freshwater streams and rivers.
The BIA Vic has previously worked with the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre at the 50th Melbourne Boat Show. The Community Integration Team at Talbot work with people who have suffered spinal cord Injury to provide support for them via leisure and re-entering the community.
Of course, many patients are keen fishing and boating enthusiasts, but because they use electric chairs they are unable to participate in fishing charters and recreational boating.
The issues include the door of the transom is commonly not wide enough for electric chairs to enter. The other problems faced are the weight of the chairs, and the ability for them to be locked onto the deck of the boat for stability.
Even cruising on massive ships poses a challenge, as Lynne explained, 'because, I understand the logistics of weight distribution and all, but all the rooms for wheelchairs are in the centre. I want to go on a cruise and have a view, a balcony, not be locked in the middle of a big boat!'
Jayne Piercy from the BIA Vic has been working closely with the Royal Talbot, identifying opportunities to raise awareness and funds for the organisation.
According to the Royal Talbot, they have acquired all the fishing gear, such as Shimano electric reels that hook onto battery packs and harnesses to hold the fishing rods in place.
The organisation has received two offers of support for boat modifications – the first from Peter Wallan of T-Cat Charters, and another from Tide Master. But it all comes at a cost, around $10,000.
Nicky Thursfield from The Royal Talbot and Jayne Piercy, BIA Vic. - BIA VIC Click Here to view large photo
The Women in Marine Business networking lunch aimed to raise as much as possible to go towards the modifications.
The event was topped off by announcing the winners of the raffle and auction prizes and a thoroughly enjoyable fashion parade, featuring Musto’s new season’s Lifestyle and Technical ranges and accessories in new generation materials such as Gore-Tex, Windstopper, Polartec, Schoeller fabrications to provide the brand’s hallmarks of stretch, waterproof and breathable garments.
Thanks to sponsors, supporters and prize providers, and to the BIA Vic for having the foresight to provide a forum for Women in marine Business to get together and contribute their unique individual and collaborative talents to the industry.
More about the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre and its tremendous work at http://www.austin.org.au
Reprinted with permission from:
Sail-World.com by Jeni Bone Share 11:30 PM Mon 22 Nov 2010