Scientific Conference Collaboration Raises $5K For Lorne Firefighters

In February this year, 5 scientific conferences known collectively as “The Lorne Meetings” were again held in Lorne at the Cumberland Lorne Resort. The Conferences were a success, beating the coronavirus disruption by days. Traditionally the volunteer committees have been most concerned with the impact of summer bushfires in the area rather than pandemics. With Australia battling a devastating bushfire season of 2020, the meetings organiser, ASN Events, introduced a fundraising initiative whereby each of the five Lorne conferences, the venue and ASN Events would match a dollar for every delegate to be donated to the local Lorne CFA. Together they successfully raised $5,516 which has been passed to the grateful Lorne CFA brigade captain, Lee Hollmer.

“The Lorne Fire Brigade wish to thank all of the Lorne Conference committees, delegates, sponsors and organisers for their generosity, the support is fantastic for our local volunteer fire brigade. The donation will help our brigade to stay fire ready for the town and surrounds, giving us the opportunity to purchase much needed equipment to assist us in the future. The conference attendees also contribute to the local businesses, supporting them during the conference which did not go unnoticed by the community and we are all very grateful for the support to Lorne.” shares Hollmer.

The first “Lorne Meeting” was held at Erskine House in 1976, with delegates being scientific researchers looking at the many roles played by the many different proteins in each of our bodies. The Conference success resulted in the decision to hold it annually at Lorne each February. New specialist interest groups related to protein research emerged over the years’ as the Conference grew, each eventually forming their own successful Conference – Proteomics, Proteins, Cancer, Genomics and Infection & Immunity. The five linked conferences meet every Summer and bring more than 1,600 delegates from around the world to the region annually across a two-week period.

The “Lorne Meetings” help deliver millions of dollars in support to the local community via accommodation nights, restaurant takeovers, and even utilising the local cinema for large joint sessions. Some delegates have taken their love for the location further by purchasing property in the town.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community volunteer resources such as the Lorne CFA” says ASN Events CEO Tim Hancock

When asked about the Lorne Meetings journey Professor Emeritus Robin Anders, who has participated annually since 1977, was quick to point out:

“as much as the Lorne conferences have contributed to the local businesses and community, the contribution they have made to world understanding of biomedical sciences cannot be overstated. Each year many of the leading biomedical researchers in Australia and numerous eminent scientists from other countries attend one or other of the Lorne Conferences where they present the latest advances in protein, proteomics, cancer, genomics or infection and immunity research. A measure of the regard in which the Lorne Conferences are held by the international biomedical research community is the 20 plus Nobel Laureates and subsequent Nobel prize winners who have attended over the years.”