Inaugural president of the Financial Planning Association Bernie Walshe has been awarded life membership of the FPA.
The Melbourne-based financial planner was awarded the accolade at yesterday’s FPA Convention opening ceremony in Melbourne by outgoing FPA chairman Ray Griffin.
Griffin says the award recognises Walshe’s “vision and hard work” in the development of financial planning as a profession in its own right.
A number of other industry luminaries were also recognised for their contribution to the industry including Ted Thacker, Paul Clitheroe, David Barnett, Peter Van West, Tony Beal, Colin Scully, Wes McMaster, Clive Herrald and Julie Berry.
The awards were the centrepiece for the opening ceremony which included a medley from the Victorian Police Pipe Band and a rendition of the national anthem by 14 year old Eliza Richardson.
Some of the 2400 people who witnessed the opening of the conference told Money Management that the ceremony was “lower key” than previous years but reflected the strength of the program on offer at the conference.
Chairman of the organising committee Neil McKissock told the packed auditorium that the line up of speakers was the “strongest ever assembled for an FPA Conference”.
Griffin quashed suggestions that the FPA Conference did not attract a high percentage of financial planners, saying that more than 70 per cent of this year’s attendees were practising financial planners. He also said the FPA membership had grown 16 per cent in the past year to more than 12,000.
