June marked the month of The Mortgage Gallery’s 20th anniversary celebrations, with the team enjoying their annual conference held at Perth’s Burswood Entertainment Complex. Known to us as JB, our Chairman John Bignell opened the 2011 conference with a trip down memory lane. Reflecting on the past 20 years, we saw the growth of our brand, our team and our successes. WA property market, GFC, we have managed to all work hard to stand the test of time!
With an outstanding array of presenters set to inspire Janine Allis – Boost Juice, Kurt Fearnley – Olympian, Tara Winkler - Cambodian Children's Trust, Ric Charlesworth – Super Coach and funny man Vince Sorrenti took to the stage. The day was set for many laughs, tears and triumphs.
After a special visit from Mark LeCras on the Lunch break, spirits were high and before we knew it we were heading to our evening function with our lenders for some networking and more importantly round up some donations for our HeartKids and the big ‘JB Cup’ which followed the next morning.
The JB Cup
The anticipation, the excitement, the waiting just gets too much at this time of the year and that's just for the spectators. We can only imagine how those supreme athletes who have been putting themselves through all sorts of torture are feeling.
Mind you, with the pain comes glory. Recognition and adoration from the fanatical audience is what they long for. It's why they work so hard to get into the shape required for such a prestigious event. The adulation, the bright lights and the back-slapping that goes with being a champion is something to crave for. This year once again sees the running of the race for HeartKids coinciding with our lunch on Saturday. The "time honoured" CUP and by popular demand the return of the MUG are once again the two featured events. 1. The Cup - the 100 metre challenge. Entry is by nomination for this prestigious event. 2. The Mug - a 40 metre sack race. Compulsory nomination for all offices, lenders and wannabees! Of course all entry fee’s go to Heartkids.
After all that hard work and training our participants would never be prepared for what happened next! The runners were announced and as the warm up and stretching began, so did the Wii on the screens! Super Mario Wii Race it was going to be! The runners were all in disbelief! And ‘The Mug’ Wii Dance Party. Hilarious! Congratulations to Daniel Bowler from our Kalgoorlie Office, winning his second ‘JB Cup’ title.
The Gala Dinner & Awards
Our Gala Dinner & Awards Night recognises the outstanding achievements of our members through our Special Achievement Awards and Excellence Award categories. There was a buzz in the air at this year’s black tie event and our team, partners and special guests walked the red carpet, it could have been because it was our 20th Anniversary or it could have been because it was wrapping up what had been our best conference yet! After some very well deserved awards we were treated to an outstanding performance by Justice Crew and we grooved the night away to Slim Jim and the PHATTS.
Be sure to check out all the highlights from our 2011 Conference in the image gallery below!