Wightman

“When men step up and work differently ... it says you can be a serious player at work and an engaged dad. "That role modelling, that sharing of yourself, your personal experience, your personal challenges are so important and it's what I call courageous leadership,” said Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Liz Broderick, in the Sydney Morning Herald. Broderick was inferring that men should leave work loudly. “How are the Ninjas travelling?” mainland colleagues enquire, aware the mighty warriors are my children’s soccer team. They regularly check on progress, and I willingly elaborate with pride and focus. At 4.30pm on a Thursday, I volunteer as a coach during the season; a privilege understood and supported by my employer. Although, at times, the home office calls me back after training. I am fortunate. To be honest, until recently, I never achieved work-life balance. It wasn’t a problem early in my career as education was our passion and our hobby as much as ou...

As I approached my fortieth year, I became fascinated with the samurai and their unwritten rules of conduct, the Bushido Code.  Alas, I haven’t been to Japan nor met a Samurai, nor have qualities worthy of warrior status. Even still, I regularly reflect on the Bushido virtue of courage, particularly in the face of fear. I am exemplary at feeling scared and struggle to stir a desire to overcome. In fact, when the opportunity arises to face fear something stops me. “Next time,” I offer in a consoling manner. “You don’t have time today,” I reassure. And I’m not the only one in our family who fears. Katie is petrified of spiders. And I mean arachnophobia. There was the showdown at Conara Junction where, hobbled by recent hip surgery, I valiantly attempted to evict a spider loitering in the air vent. It was dead… And the romantic, pelican encounter at Binalong Bay. At the time we were courting, and I naively supposed that Katie had stopped to view magnificent bi...

It was Monday night that I struggled to sleep. Mind racing; random thoughts delivering a muddled theme without even a trace of reality. The more I tried, the more I failed, and even a fascination with Hemingway’s use of punctuation, particularly commas, was futile in delivering a pause that would facilitate slumber. On reflection, I was worried. Banksy, perhaps also known as Robin Gunningham, the gorilla artist, was keeping me awake. The renowned enigma and artistic phenomenon, Banksy, cloaked in camouflage to protect his identity, both fascinates and scares in equal measure. He has amassed a fortune from graffiti art; stencilling simple yet captivating images, often politically or culturally inspired. Banksy’s most recent artwork involved the partial shredding of 2006 painting, Girl with Balloon, after it sold for A$1,924,269 at Southeby’s Contemporary Art Auction in London. A remote-controlled cutting device fitted to the base of the frame leaping to life once the ...

He strides onto stage, Akubra Stylemaster positioned precisely, exuding a calmness that makes nervous anticipation fall over the gathering, patiently, waiting. We are in the presence of presence. It is a trait rarely witnessed; the ability to fill a room without saying a word. He has it, in abundance. A Tasmanian travelling to Darwin feels like you’ve arrived in a different country. All-consuming warmth, rich red soils and a relaxed way of life that makes us look uptight. Learning from others, whether interstate or travelling overseas, is important to me. Listening to conversations, asking questions and endeavouring to understand makes me better. The 2018 Property Congress is fortunate to hear from academic, activist, lawyer and founder of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership, Mr Noel Pearson. A magnificent orator who delivers a challenging message, with pauses, which elicit stillness, building space for thought. Like me, he’s a Paul Keating devotee. Pea...