KJR Co-op 2026: Regional Celebrations, Connection and Competition
This year, KJR Co-op 2026 looked a little different. In past years, the whole Collective has travelled to one location to celebrate together over a couple of days. For 2026, we decided to try something new: taking the celebration regional, with around 80 members of our Collective connecting locally, on the same day, across Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. Same spirit, same values, and all the connection we look forward to each year, just closer to home for everyone involved.
Regional Celebrations
Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane each hosted their own celebration on the same day. The afternoon began with regional updates, giving teams an opportunity to reflect on the year and look ahead to what’s next. Then it was time for the main event: the Quickfire Challenge, delivered in partnership with Be Challenged. Each region split into teams and went head-to-head, both locally and against teams across the country. It brought together the best of both worlds: strong local connection with a healthy dose of national competition.
Quickfire Challenge: Mental, Active and Creative
Across all three regions, teams tackled the same set of challenges, split across three categories:
Each category came with its own escalating levels of difficulty, so teams had to think on their feet about where to push hardest and where to play it safe. Every region crowned its own local winners on the day, complete with medals for the top team and a good-natured wooden spoon for the team that came last, all in the spirit of friendly competition.
But the real prize was national. Each state’s points fed into an overall tally, and when the dust settled, Victoria was named the winner of the national Quickfire Challenge, taking home the Co-op Cup for 2026. A well-earned win, and one that gave every region something to rally behind, even from the other side of the country.
Recognising Our People: Kudos Awards
No KJR Co-op is complete without pausing to celebrate our people, and this year was no exception.
Across every region, we presented our Kudos Awards, our peer-to-peer recognition program that celebrates the values that make our Collective strong. It’s about recognising the people who go above and beyond, living out those values every day, whether through curiosity, honesty, compassion or leadership. This year’s national winners were:
Recognised for speaking up, asking the right questions, and always keeping things honest and genuine.
Recognised for his curiosity and his willingness to try new approaches to solve a problem.
Recognised for genuinely caring about the people around him and always being ready to lend a hand when someone needs it.
Recognised for getting behind the team, celebrating others, and always being there to help people succeed.
Recognising Our People: Spirit Awards
Each region also handed out its own KJR Spirit Award, chosen by that region’s MCs and given to the person whose energy, teamwork and collaboration lifted the whole day, our version of the ultimate team player recognition. Congratulations to Shipra in Victoria and Pam in Queensland, and Callum in ACT for embodying exactly what Co-op is all about.
Wrapping up the day
With the challenges done, the medals handed out and the Kudos winners celebrated, each region moved into an evening of networking, dinner and drinks, a well-earned chance to relax, unwind and catch up with colleagues after a day of friendly competition. A few brave souls even had a go at axe throwing to round out the night, proving the competitive spirit from the afternoon hadn’t quite worn off yet.
Celebrating Together Across the Country
Going regional for Co-op 2026 gave our people a chance to connect locally while still feeling part of one national Collective, competing together, celebrating together, and having a genuinely good time along the way. It’s this balance of connection and celebration that keeps our Collective strong, wherever in the country we’re catching up, and it’s a format we’re proud to have tried for the first time this year.
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