Good evening everyone. I’d like to begin by saying that we consider each and every person here tonight as a special guest, and someone that contributed greatly to our journey in some way throughout the year.
This is a night of thankyous, and first I would like to thank Toyota for providing us with the opportunity to bring together the many people who have made the MyPOWER tour the success it has certainly been. This not only includes our sponsors, but also the people who have donated their time and shown unconditional support for our vision.
The list of such people is endless, and one that I would not dare attempt for fear of leaving someone out. But I would like to make a particular mention of the many musicians who have donated their time and talent to our tour this year and will be performing at our return festival at Dunningham Park tomorrow. Paul Appelkamp, The Strides and Pete Andrews – thank you. We’ll be hearing an acoustic set from the talented Pete Andrews later on in the evening.
The generosity and enthusiasm for our project offered to us by the many people we have met throughout the journey has been truly humbling. From the desert roadhouses to the coastal cities we have found nothing but beautiful people in the vast expanse of our Australian home. Complete strangers have offered us beds for a week and chased us down the highway to give us a watermelon for the road ahead.
It is this selflessness and team spirit embedded deep in the Australian culture that makes me optimistic about our common future. As we as a nation embark on a journey through the unchartered waters of energy descent, I must say that I’m glad to be living in such a country. We have many challenges ahead. In order for us to be successful it will require the involvement of governments, large corporations, community groups and individuals – all moving forward with a shared vision.
To end the thankyous, I would like to thank my family. My sister, Lauren and her boyfriend Matty Brown somehow managed to escape from Thailand in time to be back here tonight – so good to see you and I can’t wait to hear about your adventures.
Lastly, and most importantly, I admire my Dad Ross Coggan, for the strength he has shown throughout what has been the toughest 6 months of his life. To send both of your children away to finish their journeys and follow their dreams at the time you need them most is a display of character in a man I aspire to. Mum would be so proud. It has been a long year, and man I’m glad to be home. Just a word of warning though... I have almost finished that Thor Heyerdahl book and I think my adventure days are far from over!
So... many people ask us “Where to from here? Is this where the MyPOWER story ends?” The answer is most certainly and most simply “No”. In 2009 we are going around again!!!.. no, just kidding, we aren’t going anywhere.
Our vision for a sustainable Australia has only become clearer and our motivation to make it happen even stronger throughout our journey this year. In 2009 the MyPOWER project will continue, with school presentations, events and festivals throughout the country – the first of which will be at falls festival in Lorne over the new year period. We have a number of projects planned – including an initiative called “Rescued T’s” and the establishment of a school gardens network in the Sutherland Shire area. Our visits to them in 2009 will focus on building this network.
Most of us need to finish off uni degrees next year, but we are up to the challenge of doing both. We consider ourselves to be representatives of the youth in Australia today, and realise that visions like this will only be achieved with a team effort from all sectors of the community. Let’s make it happen – thankyou.