Conference Plenary Speakers

Keynote Speaker - Dr Norman Swan

Dr Norman Swan co-hosts RN's Health Report and during the COVID-19 pandemic, has co-hosted Coronacast, a podcast on the coronavirus.
Norman is also a reporter and commentator on ABC's 7.30, Midday, News Breakfast and Four Corners and a guest host on RN Breakfast. He is a past winner of the Gold Walkley and has won other Walkleys including one with his Coronacast colleagues in 2020. He created Invisible Enemies, on pandemics and civilisation for Channel 4 UK and SBS which was subsequently broadcast in 27 countries. Norman has been awarded the medal of the Australian Academy of Science, an honorary MD from the University of Sydney and in October 2022 a Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

During COVID he wrote two books. So You Think You Know What's Good For You (Hachette) is a best seller and was released in the UK. His latest book So You Want To Live Younger Longer has also been on the best-seller list.

Norman trained in medicine and pediatrics in Aberdeen, London and Sydney before joining the ABC.

Synopsis - The Ageing Myth and Myths about Ageing
Why politicians like to talk negatively about ageing - and why we’re not really ageing if you look at the data (even if you feel like you might be!!). And…. given there are so many people and organisations trying to take our money for anti ageing interventions, what actually works and what doesn't? Plus plenty of time for questions and discussion with Dr Swan…including for the grandparents in the audience my new book on the first ten years of life.

Michael Cowling

Associate Professor Michael Cowling (Associate Professor - Information & Communication Technology, CQUniversity) has been a leader in educational technology for over 20 years and recipient of the Universities Australia AAUT Award for Teaching Excellence (Physical Sciences). He is the President (2023 to 2025) of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE), where he is also a Community Fellow, as well as Vice-President of the Open Access Publishing Association (OAPA) and webmaster for Queensland Academy of Arts & Sciences (QAAS). Through his mantra ‘pedagogy before technology’, he fosters thoughtfulness in technology for students, educators and the public.

Synopsis - Future Technology and the third Age
Join Associate Professor Michael Cowling (sometimes known as Professor Tech) as he breaks down future technology and how weaving technology into your life can be helpful, even in the third age. Using his ‘embrace or eliminate’ model, he’ll go through the benefits of using technology and how it helps society, and then talk about this can connect to our own lives, touching on how it will give us a chance to grow, learn new things, and connect in new ways. He’ll also talk about ten practical ways to go digital in 2024, including streaming, social media, and smart home devices. It is sure to be a fun, engaging, and insightful session!

Ritesh Chugh

Ritesh Chugh is an Information and Communications Technology Associate Professor at Central Queensland University’s School of Engineering and Technology. As a socio-technological expert, his research is dedicated to exploring the intersection of educational technologies and the social dynamics of information systems, delving into their impact on both individuals and organisations. His dedication to excellence in teaching and research activities has earned him numerous accolades, including the national Best Practice in International Education Award from the International Education Association of Australia and the Dean’s Award for Mid-Career Research Excellence. Notably, he has also been honoured with the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Good Practice in Learning and Teaching, along with a Staff Award for his invaluable contributions to international education. As one of CQUniversity’s most prolific contributors to mainstream media, he engages in public scholarship on diverse socio-technology-related issues with the broader community, nationally and internationally, via popular media platforms. Ritesh has been interviewed multiple times on radio talkback shows and received media attention for his work in many prominent outlets, such as The Age, The Australian, The Conversation, SBS, Sydney Morning Herald, and The Guardian.

Synopsis - Social Media Impacts on the Third Age
Join us for this presentation to explore the evolving world of social media through the lens of the Third Age. Learn how older adults harness social media’s power to stay connected, informed, and engaged. Gain valuable insights into the unique benefits and potential pitfalls seniors face in the digital realm, backed by examples and strategies for navigating this dynamic landscape.

Joanna Maxwell

Joanna Maxwell was Director of the Age Discrimination team at the Australian Human Rights Commission 2017 – 2021 and is now Director of Age Research at the Commission. She began her career as a lawyer , and has Masters degrees in international law and in older workers and social change. Joanna is the author of Rethink Your Career in Your 40s, 50s and 60s (HarperCollins 2017) and is (slowly) writing a book on the new retirement.

Synopsis - What’s age got to do with it?
Ageism is one of the most prevalent, deeply ingrained and tolerated forms of prejudice – and a major barrier to inclusive and supportive age-friendly environments. The good news is that ageism is also one of the easiest to dismantle. In this session, Joanna Maxwell will talk about how we stereotype others (and ourselves) based on age - and share some useful tips and strategies to reduce the impact of ageism in your life.

Dr Rebecca Nisbet

Dr Rebecca Nisbet completed her PhD in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Melbourne and then undertook postdoctoral studies at CSIRO and University of Queensland. In 2021, Rebecca joined The Florey as the head of the Antibody Therapeutics Laboratory. Her team aims to develop new and effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

Synopsis - Global Research - Dementia
Dr Rebecca Nisbet will share the encouraging news that a lot is happening in research of possible therapeutics in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. An effective therapeutic must be able to cross the blood-brain barrier and the neuronal membrane to deliver the benefits. Rebecca’s group at The Florey is researching how to deliver therapeutics most effectively, and she will outline their thought processes. Finding a more effective way to deliver drugs to the brain will also have a benefit across a range of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease.

Rosemary Cameron

Since 2017 Rosemary has been the Executive Officer of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, an organisation which engages with 80-100 volunteers at every level of the organisation. Nearly her entire career has been spent in not-for-profit, membership-based and volunteer-supported arts management – more specifically management of theatre companies, literary festivals, the peak body for tour guides and latterly museum/heritage management. Her work in theatre took her overseas where she worked for both the English National Opera, the Royal Opera House in London and the Oslo Early Music Festival in Norway. She is the former director of the Melbourne Writers Festival (2005 – 2009) and the Brisbane Writers Festival (2003 – 2005). Rosemary has twice been a judge of both the WA Premiers and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Prizes for Fiction and, in 2023-24 is a judge of the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Prize for non-fiction. She was involved in the successful bid to make Melbourne a UNESCO City of Literature.

Synopsis - Attracting Volunteers
Rosemary will give a very practical talk and provide campaign ideas, position description templates and checklists. She’ll go through workshopping ideas to keep your workplace fresh and engaging and how you can ramp up the volunteering experience. Rosemary will cover value-adding and making sure you always work within your own resources.

Glen Wall

Glen Wall is the Chair of U3A Australia Ltd, and member of the U3A Network Victoria Committee of Management responsible for Collaborations and Partnerships.

He has led the development of the U3A Network Vic Inc program ‘Building Community Engagement”. It focused on the improvement in digital literacy of seniors to better connect to the broader community to improve their wellbeing.

The U3A lead in the “Shaping Connections” co-design” research program co-created by RMIT University’s School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, and U3A. The program sought to understand better how technology use supports senior’s connectedness and enhances social inclusion and participation.

A leader of the City of Whittlesea "Strengthening Seniors Inclusion and Participation in Local Communities" initiative, Glen has established a network of volunteer community connectors which support socially isolated and lonely seniors to participate in activities.

Provided input to Local Government and Victorian State Government on the development of older people community engagement and digital literacy support plans.  Has also developed and delivered Leadership and Governance training to leaders of community groups.

Synopsis - U3A Australia: The newly formed U3A Australia aims to be a national advocacy group for the U3A movement nationally
Recognising the combined strength of the 250 local U3A Associations with almost 100,000 members, U3A Australia Chair Glen Wall will speak about the new organisation aims to establish strong connections with governmental and peak bodies nationally.

"As a ‘bottom up’ organisation, with our strength in our 250 independent U3A Associations nationally, we are a powerful voice, especially considering that we have close to 10,000 volunteers connecting with up to 90,000 members weekly.” Glen Wall, U3A Australia Chair.