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Winners of the Gippsland Inventors CompetitionA very successful inaugural Gippsland Inventors Competition was held at the Monash University Gippsland Campus on Sunday 15th May 2005. By MRCICT - 20th May 2005 - Back to News "I have been not only impressed, but awestruck, at just what a wealth of great ideas and innovative people live in regional Australia and especially here in Gippsland" said host of the event Professor Laurence Dooley, Executive Director of the Monash Regional Centre for Information and Communications Technology.
A judging panel of five very skilled people had the difficult task of adjudicating 15 very diverse inventions, with the majority being entered by Gippsland residents. An open category for inventors from outside the Gippsland region attracted inventors from as far field as Western Australia, Queensland and other parts of Victoria.
The judging panel included Ms Christine Kininmonth, also a judge from the ABC’s New Inventors show, Mr Rowan Allan, President of the Rural Inventors Association, Mr Bob Stevenson from the Industry Capability Network Ltd., Ms Toni Wakefield from Moe company, Safetech and also an advocate for the Young Achievement Australia program, and Ms Angela Huston, CEO from East Gippsland Tafe.
Four awards were presented. First place for the Gippsland Inventor went to Mr. Jarrod Richards of Foster, South Gippsland who invented a "Ball Retriever". The device collects balls and other items out of roofing gutters. Mr. Richards won $650 and a plaque, which was supported by AusIndustry. "The Ball Retriever won because it scored well in all areas" said Christine Kininmonth, "from organizing legal protection of his invention, through to market research as well as the unique concept and technically sound prototype".
Second place for the Gippsland inventors went to Ms. Maria Mendrina of Morwell for her Safety Cover for a Club Foot Device. Ms Mendrina won $300 and a plaque, sponsored by East Gippsland TAFE. "Although not a particularly glamorous device at first glance, the judging panel felt that the invention was unique, addressed an obvious gap in the market and therefore has enormous commercial potential." said judge Christine Kininmonth.
Event co-hosts, The Rural Inventors Association, which is an independent organization comprising of rural inventors with commercial track records to provide assistance and advice to new rural inventors, will now assist the Gippsland winner and runner-up to take their concepts to the next level.
The winner of the Gippsland Open went to Mr. Barry Hull’s "Centre Hole Marker" invention, a mechanical construction tool that can find the centre of a hole. Mr Hull won $650, sponsored by Monash Commercial.
The last award presented was the Peoples Choice Award "perhaps the true barometer of the commercial potential of an invention", said Professor Laurence Dooley. This award went to Mr Graeme Wilson of Morwell company, Gippsland Audiology Services for their new and improved Hearing Aid Ear mould. The company received a plaque and a Telstra high speed wireless data device, the Maxon Minimax.
Judge Christine Kininmonth, who is also a successful inventor in her own right, summed up by saying "there were many wonderful inventors with terrific products and ideas but unfortunately lacking in business acumen" she finished with some parting advice to all entrants and inventors in Gippsland "the best thing that I did, (in order to commercialise my invention) was to sell half the equity in the business to an investor and business partner. At the time this was a very hard decision to make, since I, like most of the inventors here today, was very protective my idea. But I would urge all of you to think seriously about forming partnerships."
Professor Laurence Dooley agreed with this by saying"It is clear there is a role for the university to play in educating regional inventors, not only in technical research and development but also marketing, IP protection and the panoply of obstacles that the inventor faces on the path to product commercialization."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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