International Women's Day 2023 | Event Recap
On the final day of March 2023, Gen Collective hosted our International Women’s Day Luncheon with special guest speaker, Sam Bloom. There was such an incredible vibe throughout the event, thank you to everyone who shared in the days celebration.
Our guest speaker Sam Bloom is a 2 x World Para Surfing Champion, bestselling author, and inspiration behind the Australian box-office hit Penguin Bloom.
In 2013, while holidaying in Thailand with her husband and three young sons, Sam unknowingly leant on a rotten balcony railing, falling through it and plunging six metres onto the concrete below. Sam’s injuries were horrific. The near-fatal accident shattered her spine, ruptured her lungs and caused severe bleeding on the brain.
“Feeling very humbled after spending the afternoon listening to Sam Bloom share her incredible story. I can’t wait to read her book.”
Not only was Sam physically broken and facing the daunting reality of never walking again, but her soul and spirit were crushed. She was not the active, adventurous mother she once was and was convinced if she could not have her old life back, her new one was not worth living.
A serendipitous encounter with a frail and injured magpie chick, her sons dubbed Penguin, was to transform her attitude, change the course of her recovery, and save her family.
Sam and Penguin’s remarkable bond and extraordinary story of parallel recovery was sensitively captured through the lens by Sam’s husband, acclaimed photographer Cameron Bloom. The images formed the basis for the international bestselling book Penguin Bloom, a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive.
Such is the sheer beauty and power of their story that it inspired a major film of the same name, starring Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln. The movie, released in January 2021, became an immediate hit, claiming #1 at the Australian box office and trending on Netflix in North America and across Europe.
Sam’s is a story for the times, with profound messages for us all - of the power of love and family, and of our innate ability to find determination and courage in the face of adversity.
Gen Collective also proudly partnered with our Charity Partner SpinalCure Australia, through ticket purchases, we raised $2,700 to fund groundbreaking research to cure spinal cord injury.
Our International Women’s Day event would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of local businesses. Gen Collective would like to thank our Event Partner, Spillane Property, our Platinum Sponsors Synchronicity Wealth, LH Agenda, and our Gold Sponsors MusePilates, A.I.R Recruitment, NOVOFinance, and Coast Finance Group.
“Wise words from Sam Bloom signed in my copy of her book and something we definitely need to be reminded about “Don’t put your dreams on hold.””
Thank you to those that made our event extra special:
MC: Kate Haberfield
Venue: Merewether Surfhouse
Photographer: Harry from Poppy Seed Media for capturing the event