Forkliftaction founding members (L to R): Rodger Lamb, Ann Hofmans, Michael Leu and Melissa Barnett.

Recently, the team at Forkliftaction got together to mark our 20th Anniversary. The current COVID-19 restrictions meant a limit to the number of us who could meet, but most of our Brisbane-based team and our dear former colleague, Yvette, celebrated against the backdrop of one of Brisbane's most iconic hotels.

The night was always going to be meaningful. Being together as a company to reflect collectively on where you've come from is, of course, special. And Forkliftaction had a lot to celebrate: we are a small team that has weathered the ups and downs of 20 years in the harsh and unforgiving world of digital publishing (sorry for the overly dramatic rendering, Aussies love an underdog story). But in this coronavirus climate and with friends and family in other Australian states (and around the world) still in lockdown, celebrating together, in person, felt even more significant.

I think a high point of the night for all of us was the speeches. Ann Hofmans (our CEO) re-lived Forkliftaction's origin story and how she initially came to join the project. She paid tribute to our founder, Michael Leu and his original vision (which at the time of launching must have felt like a long shot at best) and made a special note of thanks to the full list of staff, past and present, who have contributed to the Forkliftaction story. Michael also took the opportunity to reflect on the early days of the company and, of course, the significant role played by Ann in our success.

To cap off the night, each of us was presented with a company commemorative gift: a small wooden picnic table adorned with a special 'thank you' message and, of course, room for a cool beverage.

You might be interested to see some pictures of the night below ...