Well I got back from the Conference and the main thing I bought back was a case of Covid!!  It was pretty frustrating to have to isolate for seven days with what was no more than a minor cold.  I didn't even get a temperature at any stage and despite a negative RAT test on day three was still stuck at home.  Crazy thing is Michelle has an extremely heavy cold - bedridden - and is still testing negative.  Oh well the inside of the house got a good spring clean up to pass the time.  My seven days is up on Sunday so will be back on courses then just in time for some more lousy weather and rain.

The Conference was a ripping success with nearly 800 delegates cramming in on the first day to hear from a range of speakers.  The first day is a plenary day with the General Managers Association and was primarily about personal development with a great session from Paralympian Dr Jess Gallagher on mental health and personal well being.  Dr Jess has an extraordinary story to tell after being told at 17 years of age that she would become progressively blind.  After medals in both the summer and winter Paralympics she is well placed on advising on mental health and it's importance.  

Mental health has been a yearly topic at our Conference for many years and has been way before it became ''fashionable''.  When you are in a job that literally competes with Mother Nature and your success as a turf manager is often adjudged by how well a competitor played his sport on your prepared surface, it is often a thankless stressful task.  One only has to look at pro golfers who tap down ''spike marks'' after putting out on absolutely pristine greens after missing a putt or a cricketer who gets out LBW.  Have you ever seen a cricketer out for LBW who nods his head to say ''yep that was too good''.  No, most of the time they glare at the pitch and do some ''gardening'' as they depart after looking at the pitch in disbelief. 

The last speaker on day one for the plenary session was Storm coach Craig Bellamy.  I was always unsure how this would go as a lot of attendees are AFL with no NRL interest and the others are passionate NRL with a hatred of the Storm.  Craig focused on overcoming adversity and keeping your team focused which  was an incredible task that he successfully navigated around the salary cap scandal.  Nearly 900 people crammed in and it was standing room only and you could have heard a pin drop for an hour and a half.  Amazing stuff.

The week then progressed as normal with a vast array of topics on offer and even though I am part of the organising committee there was probably too much on offer at the same time which made attending everything I wanted to difficult.  This is despite presentations being grouped into sub classifications such as agronomy, golf, sportsfields, management and various specialised workshops.  There was also the accompanying Trade Show and that was humming all week with a further 1500 people coming in to visit.

As mentioned in the last Blog post, one of the key sessions on my agenda was on Wednesday when there was an open forum with the GMA and the topic was finding common ground.  Unfortunately whilst everyone on the panel agreed that there is a major problem in staff procurement, training and retention across Australia, there was little result on what can be done.  And it's not just on the golf courses but in the clubhouse as well with F & B staff.  A few private discussions with some of my peers and I have a few ideas going forward but it's a big hill to climb.  The divide between the elite clubs in golf and those lower down the rungs has never been so broad as it is now. 

Craig Bellamy is the focus of a full house.