POWER OF COMMUNITY presenter
Dr Jock Gilbert will speak about the Yulendj Weelam Lab at RMIT University and their work combining design thinking with Indigenous cultural heritage knowledge to support the built environment sector through partnerships, advocacy, and community-led projects. Their work builds organisational capacity, embeds First Nations perspectives into practice, facilitates respectful Indigenous-led design processes, and supports First Peoples communities to advance projects that reflect their needs and aspirations.
POWER OF COMMUNITY co-creative director
Emily Knight, principal of Emily Knight Design, has been an active member of the RAA Committee and its events since 2022. A self-confessed sustainability nerd and passionate advocate for community, Emily is committed to professional development within our industry, ensuring her work is informed by current ideas, processes, and materials. This commitment has helped to shape the development of a program focused on deeper discussions around scalability, community strength, and the potential for collective achievement and real-world improvements.
POWER OF COMMUNITY fringe event
David Booth, aka Ghostpatrol, will discuss his practice generally, particularly around his involvement in Hepburn Energy and his characters Gale and Gusto which are depicted on the turbines there.
He then has “…a fun little drawing exercise game to loosen us up. We’re drawing to laugh and connect, we’re drawing to make something new.”
“My little drawing game is addictive and you’ll be taking home the meme to play with your friends and family. Trust me you’ll love it.”
“Be brave and let’s let the drawings come to life.”
POWER OF COMMUNITY presenter
Dr Mark B. Luther will speak about and display his prototype hydronic suspended ceiling panel. Radiant systems are healthy and environmental conditioning systems, operating at about 1/3 of the cost. His ceiling panel has overcome many of the problems of past radiant systems, that are slow, embodied energy intensive and costly.
POWER OF COMMUNITY presenter
Geoff Park will speak about Renewable Newstead, a pioneering community-led initiative demonstrating how a small regional town can transition to renewable energy in a way that is technically feasible, commercially viable, and socially equitable. Located in central Victoria, Newstead has delivered a 3MW solar farm and 5MWh battery system capable of generating six times the town’s electricity needs. The project stands as a model for how local leadership, strong partnerships, and deep community engagement can drive meaningful energy transformation.
POWER OF COMMUNITY fringe event
The Saturday morning program of fringe events will include a site visit to a modest Goldfields home by Melbourne firm Design Office where architect Mark Simpson will show delegates around and provide insight into the project.
POWER OF COMMUNITY fringe event
A tour of Hepburn Energy will be our first fringe event for Power of Community. Hepburn Energy is a member owned co-operative and Australia’s first community owned wind farm, now looking to add solar and battery storage.
Hepburn Energy owns and operates Australia’s first community-owned wind farm. The 2 wind turbines, known as Gale and Gusto have been offsetting the town of Daylesford since 2011. Now the organisation are working on being the first hybrid wind, solar and battery co-operative and showcasing to other communities a successful community energy model.
POWER OF COMMUNITY presenter
Marnie Hawson will discuss where businesses who want to “do better for nature” can start, and how they can move beyond carbon. Her workshop will make biodiversity real, accessible, and directly connected to business reality — bringing nature into the room in a tangible, practical way.
Marnie Hawson is a former environmental scientist turned photographer, using two connected paths to support nature through the built environment.
POWER OF COMMUNITY venue
The Guildford Public Hall is a much-loved venue central to its local community and will become the hub for discussion, conversation and learning at RAA’s March 2026 event. Powered by community itself, it is the fitting space for a gathering that aims to inspire and empower delegates to instigate change in their own local area.
POWER OF COMMUNITY co-creative director
Now local to Yarrayne / Guildford, Robert Mierisch is a semi-retired Mechanical Engineer and inventor of several innovative systems in mechanical engineering. Currently, Robert is working on a Rural Residential Energy System that will provide electricity, hot water, winter heating, summer cooling and electric car charging, at night.