Wallaby great Eales talks leadership

WORLD Cup winning former Wallaby captain John Eales arrived in Port Moresby yesterday  and was guest speaker at a dinner jointly hosted by GRM International and the PNG Australia Alumni Association at the Crowne Plaza last night.
The 2m tall former lock is here to lend his support to a leadership dialogue between key PNG leadership organisations.
The theme of the speeches would be “Through leadership better partnerships are developed that will lead to the achievement of PNG development goals”.
Although predominantly a business engagement, there were many rugby fans in attendance at the function keen to listen to one of Australian rugby’s most successful players.
Eales, who played for Queensland and Australia between 1990 and 2001, is widely regarded as Australia’s most decorated players.
He played 86 Tests for the Wallabies and 112 matches for Queensland in Super rugby over his 11-year career.
The defining moment in his rugby career was winning the rugby World Cup in 1999 in Wales when the Wallabies defeated France.
Eales is also a director of GRM International and has spoken at numerous functions on leadership and organisational culture.
The night also included an auction of various rugby memorabilia for the “Laikim Laip, Young Life Programme” while local MP  Dame Carol Kidu also gave a speech to open the evening.
Eales, a Marist College Ashgrove old boy, is scheduled to speak at the Royal Papua Yacht Club today which is expected to attract former students of the Queensland school, including former  prime minister Sir Julius Chan.
The forum will provide an important opportunity for organisations to identify critical leadership challenges in PNG and facilitate an ongoing strategic dialogue for future development key organisations.