Telstra Wagga Wagga: Beyond 2050
What was once considered an impossibility will soon become a reality for the Wagga Wagga community.
That was the clear message given by technology experts at the cutting-edge conference Telstra Wagga Wagga: Beyond 2050, which drew a large crowd to the CSU Playhouse.
The event was hosted by Committee 4 Wagga in partnership with Charles Sturt University and was generously supported by naming sponsor Telstra as well as Enirgi Power Storage Recycling, Transgrid, Ron Crouch Transport, The Riverina Conservatorium of Music and Big Springs Water.
Among the highlights was the unveiling of a replica Vertiia – a vertical take off and landing aircraft closely resembling a “flying car”.
Vertiia’s creator AMSL Aero was represented by Russell Hoore and Andrew Gong, who gave a presentation on the future of regional air mobility.
Russell told the audience that Vertiia provided “faster, cheaper and cleaner” transport capabilities with the ability to take passengers from Wagga to Canberra in 35 minutes without needing to land at an airport.
Vertiia may be seen in action before 2050, according to Russell.
The “mock” cabin of Vertiia was brought to regional Australia for the first time courtesy of Ron Crouch Transport’s tireless efforts.
Committee 4 Wagga Chair Adam Drummond said the unveiling of the Vertiia cabin was worth the time and effort to transport it to the theatre. “We would not have been able to do this without Crouch Transport - it was not an easy feat, but Geoff, Daniel and the whole Crouch team are true supporters of Wagga, C4W and this event, and always help out when a cause benefits our community - we are truly grateful.”
Digital Twins – The Future of Local Planning and Development was a presentation from Replika representatives Ray Singh and Mark Grentell.
Replika creates real-time visualisations which can help city planners make informed decisions in shaping sustainable and vibrant cities.
Virtual reality technology founder and entrepreneur Mick Byrne presented The Future Of Training in VR on behalf of EmergiSim.
Raised and schooled in Wagga, Mick’s training platform is specifically designed for the defence and first responders.
Co-founder and director of CSU’s eXtended Reality Centre, Andrew Hagan, gave a presentation on creative immersive technologies which can be applied across all industries to develop smarter and safer ways of living.
Telstra’s Kim Krogh Andersen addressed the conference on Digital Future and Transformations for Regional NSW.
Kim spoke on the importance of technology and expertise to Australia’s industrial, agricultural and educational sectors and the future requirements to enable our industries to seize their opportunities.
Kim Krogh Andersen, Telstra Product and Technology Group Executive spoke about the investments Telstra is making in Regional NSW.
Kooringal High School captain, Emily McMahon who graduated from the Committee 4 Wagga’s Wagga School Leaders Program in 2022.
Kooringal High School captain Emily McMahon provided the audience with a youth perspective of what’s ahead for Wagga.
“I really want to thank the speakers for making the event such a success,” C4W chair Adam Drummond said.
“For them to travel to Wagga, donate their time and present their visions for the future we are so appreciative.
“Committee 4 Wagga is also grateful for our sponsors who contributed towards the event and made it all possible.
“We were also lucky enough to have some of our School Leader Graduates help with lighting, ushering and other theatre duties which smoothed out our operations on the day. Thank you also to all attendees who gave up half a day to hear about the exciting times ahead for our region.”
