Nick Columb has a passion for Melbourne. He resides in Melbourne, works in Melbourne, and lives it 24/7.

Nick has had a high profile in Melbourne business and sporting circles since the 1970s. He is a straight talking and innovative achiever.

His Columb Corporation grew exponentially from a small promotional/advertising agency to being one of the largest promoters of consumer exhibitions in Victoria.  Simultaneously, it invested in hotels, private hospitals and rural properties.

Along the way, Nick has sponsored several worthwhile causes and talented individuals.  He was the first Chairman of Friends of the Mental Health Foundation and recently provided a scholarship for talented cobbler-cum-star tenor, Peter Brocklehurst.

More recently, Nick was a director of Southern Capital Group, which developed nearly $100 million worth of retail property throughout Melbourne.

Throughout, he has maintained a heavy involvement in sports.  From childhood, he has been obsessed with the mighty Bulldogs footy club. In the 1980s he joined the Board and served as President of Footscray in 1989.

His other hobby has been thoroughbred horse racing and over the years he has owned and bred many great horses.  Among these, Caulfield Cup winners Tristarc and Imposera; Courtza; Centaurea; Magari and Full on Aces, amassing 17 Group One victories across the country.

For nearly 20 years, he served on the Board of the Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners’ Association and was its Chairman for most of that time.  He also chaired the National and Asia Pacific racehorse owners’ bodies and represented Australia as both a speaker and delegate at numerous International conferences.

He is also a founding Board member of the John Landy Club in athletics.

These days, he consults to the racing industry, predominantly to Arrowfield Stud, Australia’s number one thoroughbred breeding operation.

nick@passion4melbourne.com

Sue Calwell is one of the most prominent and dynamic people in the Australian tourism story.

In 1999, the Australian Tourism Council recognised her as the person having made the most outstanding contribution to Australian tourism.

As founding CEO of the Melbourne Tourism Authority, Sue Calwell focussed the emphasis on the city's visual charm, sophistication, elegance and exciting entertainment scene, putting an end to Melbourne’s image as Australia’s drabbest capital city.

She campaigned tirelessly for the development of a Melbourne Convention Centre and was appointed as Chair of the Melbourne  World Congress Centre.

Sue was the Inaugural Chair of the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, which is the largest such show in the southern hemisphere. She was a Board Member of the Queen Victoria and Fish Markets; the Royal Exhibition Trustees; the Surf Life Saving Foundation; the Australian Tourism Industry Association; the Australian National Maritime Museum; Tourism Tasmania and other private boards.

She was the instigator and convenor of the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo [A.I.M.E.], held in Melbourne annually and recognised as the southern hemispheres premier meeting, convention and incentive trade show.

Sue is a published author of 3 best selling novels and is the owner of a small chain of successful retail stores in Mebourne, and was the first female member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne.

sue@passion4melbourne.com