Michael Duncan

Co-Founder and Board Member, Michael Duncan, also pens the Sports Department.

Michael’s strengths are utilising his creativity to solve complex problems, with great communication skills and a natural ability to network and create positive business relationships. He has extensive project management experience within government, education and private sectors. He’s passionate about helping individuals/business to overcome challenges and find new ways forward.

Michael is usually found in the coffee shops of Gippsland or interviewing a local sports star from his home in Tyers.

Gippslandia: What do you love about being based in Gippsland?

Michael Duncan: Everything. I’ve got it all at my doorstep, but most importantly it’s home, family and friends. It has everything you could want, at a pace and a price that allows anyone to make a start and enjoy life.

Why do you support Gippslandia?

Part of the reason for starting Gippslandia with Tim and John was that over my journey I’ve been lucky to work with a broad range of people and businesses that do incredible things, yet their stories were not being told.

Gippslandia is our small way of contributing to a larger cyclic problem of community pride + negative press.

What is your favourite piece that you’ve worked on for Gippslandia?

Tough one. When I wrote the article on Ted Hopkins, I met him in Windsor for an hour, which then became an entire afternoon. He’s such an interesting human.

Mark Howard would be up there too. I’ve always been a huge fan of his podcast, The Howie Games. I love his ability to bring out the real personalities and stories of his guests. So to have him on the other side of an interview was pretty cool. He spent much of his younger years in my hometown of Tyers, which is cool too.

What does a successful and supportive community look like to you?

It looks like the one where my kids have grown up. Where they’re proud of their upbringing and the opportunities they have. Regardless of where they live or what they do, it will be a passion, not lack of opportunity that leads them there.

A supportive community is one where we celebrate everyone’s wins, not just our own, whilst shooting down others, which is an all too common a trait in Australia.

I recall walking into a pub in Ireland (I can’t recall all the ones I walked into) but it was a Tuesday night the town was smaller than Tyers and the pub was full, everyone from young to old was singing, dancing and having a good time. That’s a picture of a community for me (naturally, it involved a pub of some description).

Share with us your hot tip, how can visitors have the best time in our region?

Sounds simple, but get off the highway. Don’t come to Gippsland purely seeking the destination – take in the journey.

My only other hot tip, don’t put in for the ballot at Wilsons Promontory for Christmas time. It seems more and more people are doing that these days and I keep getting rejected, which breaks my heart. So if you refrain doing that, then I’m in with a chance to escape to my favourite place. Appreciated!