A born and bred South Australian, Moira Were AM is the City of Onkaparinga's Mayor. From her formative years, Moira has led a community-first life focused on social impact and giving voices to those typically without them.

After beginning her career at the community coal-face as a social worker, Moira has contributed to organisations of almost all descriptions and at all levels through a distinguished working life. Most notably, she has served as the Chief of Staff to the Hon. Trish White, former Minister of the SA government, the CEO of Volunteering SA&NT, Deputy Commissioner at the South Australian Fire & Emergency Services Commission, Director at Ethical Fields, Executive Director for Social Impact Network of SA, Co-Founder of Collab for Good and Founder of The Hen House.

What has struck me deeply in my personal interactions with Moira is how she is able to hold an empathetic understanding of individuals and their needs in her heart as she uses her head at scale in a systems design capacity. It is a rare and necessary quality of a humanitarian leader to hold these perspectives in a delicate balance.

A lover of poetry and writing, Moira considers her role in society deeply through her weekly writings and carries a book of poetry with her everywhere. David Whyte - her proclaimed favourite living poet - is a personal favourite of mine too.

Please enjoy this conversation with Moira. She is a magnetic personality with years of wisdom threaded through each word she speaks. We discuss her life and philosophies at breadth and depth, tapping into the brilliance of one of Australia's dearest held community leaders.

--

00:00 - 2:40 - Intro

2:40 - 5:08 Welcome to Country & Intros

5:08 - 11:48 Importance of early career to late career, the personal being political & everything being connected

11:48 - 15:55 - Mindset of a Community Worker, Experiences that Shaped Moira

15:55 - 24:20 The Value of Books & Poetry

24:20 - 29:05 - Biomimicry & Policy

29:05 - The Journey to Mayorship

41:00 - Being at the Frontier & Staying Progressive

44:12 - 48:00 - Business, Social Work & Co-ops

48:00 - 53:15 - The Vision of Ongkaparinga

53:15 - Southstart (5 co-ceos) - The Lessons from 5 Co-CEOs

57:30 - Transcendent Life Moments

1:01:30ish - The Journey