MEDIA RELEASE Wednesday 19 September 2012 NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR RURAL WOMEN’S AWARD

Announcing nominations open for Australia’s leading rural women’s award, Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson has urged people to remember that agribusiness and natural resource management leaders live on both sides of the Great Dividing Range. The Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award has been running for 13 years and celebrates the often quiet achievements of rural leaders, businesswomen and primary producers.

Minister for Primary Industries with 2012 NSW/ACT RIRDC Award winner Danica Leys

“The RIRDC Rural Women’s Award celebrates women who are trailblazers in our primary industries sector, whether they drive a tractor or a computer, or both,” Ms Hodgkinson said. The 2012 winner for NSW/ACT was Danica Leys, a Sydney-based lawyer who won the Award for her use of ‘AgChatOz’ social media channels to advocate for Australian agriculture. Previous winners have used the Award as a launching pad to further their career and find new opportunities to make a difference in the community.”

The winner receives a bursary of $10,000; participates in the RIRDC Australian Institute of Company Directors course; is supported to implement a 12 month leadership plan; and becomes a member of the Rural Women’s Award Alumni.

Minister for Women Pru Goward said the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award is a great opportunity for rural women to gain recognition for their often unsung efforts.

“It is important that we support women who are working in trades or careers that are traditionally dominated by men,” Ms Goward said. We have always known that women are central to rural communities, however we need to celebrate these women as their economic participation is vital to the long-term viability of their communities.”

Ms Hodgkinson said the Awards are open to women in NSW and the ACT who are involved in agriculture, primary industries or resource development. The RIRDC Rural Women’s Award is coordinated by NSW Rural Women’s Network through the NSW Department of Primary Industries and is sponsored by the Office of Environment & Heritage and TAFE NSW. To apply or nominate a rural woman visit http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/rwn or call 02 6391 3620. Applications close 15 October 2012.

MEDIA: Fiona Dewar 0407 152 873

Related articles

• 2013 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award now open. Nominate yourself or encourage someone else to apply for the $10k bursary (nswruralwomensnetwork.wordpress.com)
• NSW Rural Women’s Award winner in running for national Award (nswruralwomensnetwork.wordpress.com)

By gathering stories of rural women’s achievements and successes we can inspire each other into the future.

For the full complement of stories visit the River of Life History Project You Tube weblink: http://www.youtube.com/user/cvilleconnect.

To give you a ‘taster’ here is the NSW RWN’s Sonia Muir musing for the camera in St George at the September conference

and River of Life conference keynote speaker: Sally Sara

Related articles

• Missed the River of Life QRRRWN rural women’s gig? Here’s some personal insights (nswruralwomensnetwork.wordpress.com)
• Women crossing boundaries: Latest issue of The Country Web (nswruralwomensnetwork.wordpress.com)

Sonia Muir (NSW RWN) & Georgie Somerset (Chair QRRRWN)

This was a joint conference of Queensland Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Network and Australian Women in Agriculture and attracted about 200 women from across Australia.

The event was an opportunity for the NSW RWN to strengthen interstate networks and connect with NSW border women. It was also good to hear from our neighbouring QLD rural women who have had to deal with two recent devastating floods after years of drought. The event provided an opportunity for inspiration, story telling and capacity building of women – many of whom are still struggling to recover from personal hardships.

There was much sharing on information, knowledge and friendships so, despite the long drive, the trip was very worthwhile. It also provided source material and subjects for future Country Web stories.

I was invited to participate on a panel about the future for rural women with colleagues from Qld, Vic, and WA. This was a good opportunity to promote the 2012 NSW Rural Women’s Gathering being hosted by Parkes (regos close 21 Sept) and generally enlighten participants about the NSW RWN.

St George is a small outback town in the South West of Queensland on the Balonne River. It has a population of about 3000 people and is home of Cubbie Station – the largest cotton farm in the southern hemisphere.

The QLD conference followed similar lines to NSW rural women’s gatherings but the program stretched to three evenings, two full days and a farm tour… it was full-on with little time to spare and is held mid week.

Journalist turned local farming woman – Sally Rigney was an exemplary MC who kept the conference flowing, fun and on track.

Fireside chat with Sally Rigney

 The Day one afternoon farm tour took participants through agricultural land to two farms growing onions and cotton. Access to water for irrigation along with backpacker/grey nomad labour is critical to agriculture in this area. Olympic swimmer Duncan Armstrong is ambassador for the Swap it Don’t stop it health program and spoke on the opening night. There was an array of sponsor/trade stalls including NSW 2012 RIRDC runner up Corinne Annetts selling her goat’s milk products. Women were also treated to a free half hourly booked pamper session available across the two days.

Tai Chi, morning walks and sponsored breakfasts were offered each morning with excellent guest speakers including Netty Smith the 2012 QLD RIRDC winner who is working hard to build bridges between farming and mining business who hadn’t been engaged in very much talking.

Netty spoke about the difficulties that arise when mining and agriculture collide resulting in tensions such as impacts on farm hygiene and erosion. The need to find common ground was essential and she has developed a Certificate 2 in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management training program called ‘My Tracks’ as a way of building mutual understanding. The program is giving mine workers an understanding of the potential impacts their exploration work on farms can have. Rural women are often the centre of these negotiations with mining companies and it can become very complex with bigger property owners having to deal with multiple companies. This is taking women away from family, school, farm and community activities. Adding to this, mine workers often bring weeds onto properties, destroy roads or get bogged in mud and expect farmers to pull them out.

Sally Sara – former ABC Foreign Correspondent and author of African women’s stories – Gogo Mama, was given a standing ovation after her moving snapshot of life on the frontline in Afghanistan and the challenges women face in general. The largest killer of women in that country is childbirth because health services are meagre or non-existent.

The conference program was sprinkled with 15 minute ‘fireside’ chats with local women telling their stories and giving a ‘sneak peek’ into their lives as well as shorter ‘interviews’ with sponsors which was an excellent format.

Marg Enkelmann in her own wearable farm art creation

The gala dinner included announcing winner of QLD’s inaugural Strong Women Awards and also included an amazing wearable art parade with garments all made from ‘stuff’ found on farms such as fertiliser bags, grasses and plastic. Our own NSW 2010 RIRDC Award winner Lana Mitchell gave two presentations over the conference talking about her RIRDC journey at the gala dinner and giving a great interactive session on how to start a business from scratch. The 2012 NSW winner Danica Leys also attended but didn’t have a role on the program.

The workshops were divided into four themes: health & wellbeing, business & communications, self-development & education and agriculture & environment and only four were offered in each time slot so targeting groups of 50 women meant a limit to participant interactivity but the ones I attended were excellent.

Alison Fairleigh a rural mental health advocate ran a workshop on social media. I have been tweeting with Alison for the past year so great to meet her in person. The workshop audience was very mixed so it was quite difficult for the presenter however I did learn about urbandictionary.com where you can find out what new words and social media acronyms mean. I also did a writing workshop with rural author Nicole Alexander and another with Helen Dugdale who challenged participants to aim for positive behaviours using the Behavioural Model (Above/Below the Line). She also spoke about the importance of listening and the PRES[1] (point, reason, example and summary approach solving dilemmas. 

I also did a wonderfully informative communications session with corporate trainer turned rural woman – Robyn Pullman who I have now recommended as a key-note speaker for the 2013 gathering. Robyn spoke about changing habits to become a conductor of your life rather than be a puppet. I particularly liked these quotes:

• Listen to understand not respond
• Don’t compare yourself with others. Feeling inferior or superior are both not good places to be
• Your role is to be the best you
• Delete the word ‘but’ from you vocab and substitute with ‘and’ as it takes away excuses about why you are or are not doing something.
• Women need to be loved and men need to be respected.
• Communications is 55% non verbal, 38% vocal and 7% verbal (no wonder emails get misconstrued! “I didn’t say she ignored that woman”. The meaning of this sentence changes depending on which word is emphasised – try it yourself and see.
• Listen is an anagram for SILENT!
• If you engage with men and look them in the eye for more than 7 seconds you could be considered to be flirting!
• Ask questions to be understood… “Why do you say that?” is a good response when communication is unclear.

Another speaker was voice coach Suzanne Stark, who provided tips on good media communications such as ensuring your voice, appearance and posture are appropriate. She also stressed the importance of good listening skills, being engaging and engaged and using language targeted at a 10-year-old. Suzanne also advised us to leave those jargon words at home and stressed the need to establish three key issues for interviews and try to keep answers short and sharp.

One women who has gone against tradition is Victoria Waring from Brownlow Hill. She is an Award-winning painter and runs her own business. She is also the first woman to receive a major award at the NSW Master Painters’ Awards for Excellence. You can read her story in the latest edition of The Country Web.

In the 12 months to September 2011, 13% of NSW women (2629) who started an apprenticeship or traineeship did so in a trade.

Fifty of those women commenced a construction trade compared to 5140 men and only 116 commenced an automotive and engineering trade compared to 5259 men.

A new report on the status of women in NSW provides interesting data that compare women and men in terms of health, education, work and financial security, leadership, safety and access to justice.

The latest edition of the Rural Women’s Network newsletter The Country Web focuses on women crossing boundaries and is available online.

It is filled with stories of women who have gone against tradition to become electricians, shearers, feedlotters, painters and miners.

The gender divide is still evident in these workplaces but we are seeing changes.

The status of women report shows that Aboriginal women make up 2.1% of the total 50.4% female population within NSW.

Nearly two-thirds of NSW women live in Sydney, with 24.9% in regional areas (outside Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong) and less than 1.0% in remote areas of the State.

The median age of women in NSW in 2011 (38) is nearly two years older than that of men.

One in five families in NSW is headed by a single parent, and 88% of single parents are women.

More than one third of NSW women aged over 65 live alone.

Although a greater proportion of university students in NSW are women, male graduates earn considerably more than females in their first year out and on average, regional women hold less superannuation that their city counterparts.

In terms of leadership, NSW women are more represented than the Australian average woman on government boards and committees and in the judiciary, but are less likely to be in senior public sector positions.

The report, Women in NSW, will be published annually so that progress and trends can be tracked over time.

It aims to raise awareness of gender issues to strengthen the evidence base for government, business and community action on issues concerning women.

BTW – the Office for Women’s Policy is now called Women NSW to recognise a role that goes beyond policy advice to engaging stakeholders in change.

Co-Founder of AgChatOZ, Danica Leys. Join online from 8pm (AEST) every Tuesday on Twitter at #agchatoz @AgChatOZ

AgChatOZ – Australia’s most popular and successful rural social media network will host its inaugural networking event in Canberra this September.

Aptly hosted on a Tuesday evening (Tuesday 18 September), AgChatOZ LIVE, aims to “bring social media to life”. Over the course of the evening delegates will hear from elite agricultural and political experts. They will answer questions in a Question and Answer format over 90 minutes on the topic “rural and urban Australia, enriching connections or growing apart?”

AgChatOZ LIVE will be hosted by ABC political and social media commentator Latika Bourke, a huge coup for the organisation.

AgChatOZ cofounder and NSW Rural Woman of the Year, Danica Leys believes the event will demonstrate how social media can truly bring people together.

“AgChatOZ started as a conversation about the importance of food, fibre and rural issues in Australia.  AgChatOZ is now a network of its own – a place where both city and country come together to learn and communicate about issues affecting the nation”, Mrs. Leys said.
While social media is about online communication, Mrs. Leys is adamant that these conversations extend beyond the “Twitterspehere” and form real and lasting connections for individuals.

“Social media is about engaging online. But what we want to do is create a national event that brings these conversations to life. The event is about extending this online communication to a face-to-face relationship and building upon ideas, beliefs and connections”.

“The event on the 18th September aims to put the spotlight back on agriculture and bring people together in a collaborative and digital way”.

The panel will consist of:

* NSW Farmers President, Fiona Simson
* Queensland cotton and grain farmer, Brendan Taylor
* Australian Year of the Farmer Staff Liaison Manager, Hollie Ballieu
* Greenpeace Sustainable Agriculture Advisor, Richard Widows
* Delta Agribusiness Director, John Pattinson
* West Visa Migration Agent, Trainer and Public Speaker, Michael Jeremy

AgChatOZ was started by Tom Whitty, Danica Leys and Sam Livingstone in 2010. The aim of AgChatOZ is to engage and connect both rural and urban Australian’s via social media about issues affecting the industry. AgChatOZ believes that through conversations and story telling, we can break down barriers and form connections.

AgChatOZ LIVE will be hosted on Tuesday September 18 at Rydges Capital Hill, Canberra, starting at 6.30pm

For more information about how to register for the event – http://wired.ivvy.com/event/9BK9FH/

Newcrest Women in Mining Central West Forum

If you’re considering becoming a tradeswoman then a practical nature combined with common sense, determination and persistence will stand you in good stead. It’s currently not easy to gain an apprenticeship as a woman in non-traditional trades such as the building, construction and manufacturing trades. But it can be done and you may need to be prepared to keep trying.

Apprenticeships are the traditional way to enter the trades and the experience of a good apprenticeship gives you experience and skills which are ultimately suited to that trade. The combination of training on the job and at college is hard to beat. The men and women who are suited to the trades are very practical people who enjoy doing things with their hands, don’t want to be in an office and enjoy the challenge of transferring their skills from one situation to another.

So how do you begin? Find out more at: http://www.saltaustralia.org.au Click on their ‘support’ section to read the full article.

Sydney based lawyer Danica Leys, NSW winner of the 2012 Rural Industries R&D Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award is one of seven state finalists who will travel to Canberra in early October for the announcement of the national Award.

The 2012 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award will be announced in front of 300 industry leaders, politicians and special guests at the national Award dinner at Parliament House on Tuesday 9 October.

The Award identifies and rewards women’s contribution to primary industries and rural communities by providing financial assistance, mentoring, resources and support via its nation-wide network of business and community leaders for selected state winners.

Having been actively involved in agriculture for the past 15 years, including stints as an agronomist in Narrabri and Dubbo and now as a Senior Industrial Relations Advisor with the NSW Farmers’ Association, AgChatOZ co-founder Danica was announced as the state Award winner earlier this year.

The social media community borne from the creation of AgChatOZ is bridging the city-country divide by connecting rural Australia and providing a meeting place for weekly conversations about the issues relevant to rural and regional Australia.

As part of the state Award, Danica received a $10,000 bursary to develop her vision to take AgChatOz to the next level, increasing the online community’s participation and supporting rural people to develop their social media skills.

Danica said the Award has provided a platform to progress this vision.

“Since winning the award I have travelled to Dallas in the US to attend the AgCareers.com Food and HR Roundtable,” Danica said.

“This is an opportunity that may not have come my way had I not had the profile from winning the award.”

RIRDC Managing Director, Craig Burns said Danica’s drive and passion were the reasons for her selection as the NSW Rural Women’s Award winner for 2012.

“Danica is a great example of what this Award is all about – acknowledging the unique leadership traits of women to connect, collaborate and to influence and effect change in their industries and communities,” Mr Burns said.

“Danica’s remarkable contribution to connect rural and regional Australia and reduce the city-country divide is to be commended and we look forward to celebrating her achievements at the national Award dinner in October.”

The 2013 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award is now open to applications. Rural women are encouraged to enter themselves or to nominate someone with a commitment and desire to making a real difference to their industry and community. Applications close on 15 October 2012. 

Related articles

• 2013 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award now open. Nominate yourself or encourage someone else to apply for the $10k bursary (nswruralwomensnetwork.wordpress.com)

The latest issue of The Country Web showcases women from New South Wales who are shining their light in industries and jobs that up until recently have been seen as traditionally male areas. Women featured include: farmers, geologists, painters, mechanics, electricians, engineers, shearers and rangers. Each tell their own story about how they got into the industry, why they love doing what they do and some of the challenges and opportunities they have had. They share their wisdom and provide strategies and tips for women and girls who may be considering a career in related fields.

Here’s a ‘taster’ of some of the stories in this issue:

Lady Trady: An award-winning Painter, Victoria Waring runs her own business and is the first woman to receive a major award at the NSW Master Painters’ Awards for Excellence. Go to Pg 6

I get paid to ‘go bush’: Kathy Jones is one of 20 women featued in ‘Breaking through: Stories of women in non-traditional occupations’ who challenge convention about appropriate careers for women. Go to Pg 11

Are U OK?: You don’t have to be an expert to support someone through a tough time, you just need to listen without judgment and take time to follow up. Try these simple steps to start a conversation. Go to Pg 12

Men’s Matters with Greg Millan: This new column will address issues of importance to men and provide information about specific health concerns. First up we take a look at how to become a calmer man. Go to Pg 12

Women farmers putting food on your table: Melanie Kiel is a woman in a man’s world – trading livestock and frequenting sale yards. She is committed to improving the environment and running a sustainable business. Go to Pg 13

At the coal face: Emma Andrews is a 24-year-old Geologist working in the Coal Advice Section of NSW Trade & Investment. She believes education is the key not only to success but also independence. Go to Pg 14

2012 Rural Woman of the Year: RWN is delighted to pay tribute to a wonderful rural ambassador, Fran Rowe, who was earlier this year named the 2013 NSW Rural Woman of the Year. Go to Pg 18

NSW Rural Women’s Gathering: Don’t miss this special 4-page pullout on the NSW Rural Women’s Gathering to be held at Parkes from 12-14 October. Guest speakers include TV personality Jessica Rowe. Go to Pg 19

Meeting the challenges: Jasmine Nixon is an ag science graduate and meat safety inspector. She is also the 2012 The Land Showgirl and hopes to encourage more women to take up careers in agriculture. Go to Pg 34

What’s next?
The theme for the Number 58 edition is ‘Views from your verandah’. We want to know who our readers are by gathering ‘snapshots’. Just tell us a little about yourself, where you life, what you love and what you do … with a picture or two.

The latest edition of the RWN magazine The Country Web focuses on women pushing boundaries and includes many stories of women who are making an impact in what are often referred to as ‘male’ domains.

One of the popular arguments for ensuring that more women sit on boards is that, it is important for the creation of company values. Several countries in Europe have intensified their efforts to promote gender equality in business by imposing gender parity rules, with possible sanctions for non-compliance. Nevertheless, there are still significant cultural barriers to the inclusion of women in boardrooms.

This research, conducted by Carlsson-Kanyama (Sweden), Ripa Juliá (Spain) and Röhr (Germany), considers further reasons (in addition to legislation) to improve gender equality in boardrooms, such as different perceptions of risk and different decision-making processes.

The study demonstrates the benefits of improving women’s representation in energy companies’ boardrooms and management groups, since they improve the quality of investment decisions about renewable energy and mitigation technologies (key measures to curb climate change and the greenhouse effect). The study finds that women are perceived to be more risk-averse than men, and more worried about climate change than men.     

Energy companies from Sweden, Germany and Spain were surveyed to analyse the representation of women in boards and management groups, and companies with a male/female distribution significantly different to the mean value were selected for research.

The research did not have conclusive findings, since women were significantly underrepresented and boards and management groups demonstrated a very male-oriented culture. However, the research demonstrated the great distance that Europe still has to travel to have an authentic level of gender equality in senior management positions.

Click here to read more

Related articles

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• Working toward gender equality at the Olympics (feministphilosophers.wordpress.com)
• Gender Equality an ‘Economic Necessity’ (psawomenpolitics.wordpress.com)
• Guest Blog by Michael Lassman from Equality Edge (rockingyourrole.wordpress.com)

With the Olympics bombarding us and the issues of equality being discussed in the media I thought I’d share a lovely quote by the air rifle contestant, Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi, The 29-year-old from Malaysia.

“It’s not like men can only do the rough jobs, the challenging jobs. Women, also, can do. Maybe they open their mind… and start to believe that … men have the strength, but women have the endurance.”

Nur Suryani has combined her shooting with being a navy logistics officer. She has continued to train despite suffering from morning sickness and has had to adjust her stance slightly since she became pregnant, although she says the extra weight has improved her stability.

The latest edition of The Country Web has the theme Women crossing boundaries. It showcases many women from throughout NSW who are shining their light in various industries and jobs that up until recently have been seen as traditionally male areas.

For more on the Nur Suryani coverage is below

• Steps toward gender equality, steps backward at Olympics (sports.nationalpost.com)

Related articles

• David Epstein: Pregnant Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi leaves London with a special record (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
• London 2012 Olympics: pregnant Malaysian shooter Nur Suryani Mohamad Taibi aiming for historic gold (telegraph.co.uk)
• Pregnant Olympian competes in air rifle qualifier weeks before due date (calgaryherald.com)

NSW statistics 2001-11 shows population growth in inland NSW centres between 2001 and 2011 was greatest in regions around Tamworth, Orange, Queanbeyan, Wagga and Albury; greatest declines were in Griffith, Broken Hill and Moree.

More than half of NSW’s predominantly rural regions had population declines, reflecting the effects of drought during the decade.

I am a hoarder but sometimes it is good to get rid of clutter for a fresh perspective.

Last year my husband Gordon and I had a book blitz at home, packing the contents of three book cases we hadn’t read in years off to a Lifeline book fair and replacing them with walls full of photo memories.

Now we find if we need inspiration for a dinner party or other home activities we no longer reach for a book but surf the net.

I recently discovered the virtual pinboard platform called pinterest so have a whole new way to feed my hoarding tendencies.

I am also using the internet at work to get the most up-to-date information.

I have just started an office blitz to sort through paper filled filing cabinets, books and reports I have accumulated over the past 19 years, working with the Rural Women’s Network (RWN).

I am aiming for fresh space to gain new perspectives around work and the way I manage information and interact.

According to Australia’s chief statistician Brian Pink “… in order to remain competitive in an international environment, a farmer is more likely to be found with a laptop and sophisticated farming equipment, and are more than twice as likely to have a degree as they were just a single generation ago, and over two-thirds of farm businesses now use the internet for business operations”.

Now workplaces can be anywhere – at home in front of the computer, out in the paddock or in a café using a smart device.

Social media is just another way of delivering information that we need to make part of our lives.

Platforms such as twitter are providing a democratic and dynamic way for like-minded people to have global conversations like never before.

The @AgChatOZ Tuesday evening twitter conversations are a great place to plug in and start conversations around rural issues.

Each week there is a different focus topic.

Developing a large base of followers who may spread the word about what we do can build reputations and connect us to people and potentially useful information and ideas.

It can also enhance the important role of face to face encounters – for example, we hope to see you at the 2012 NSW rural Women’s Gathering being hosted by Parkes from October 12 to 14.

The organising committee has an array of workshops and speakers planned, including author and journalist Jessica Rowe, 2012 NSW RIRDC Award winner and @AgChatOZ founder Danica Leys, and current NSW Woman of the Year Fran Rowe.

Registrations are now open, with everyone invited but I do warn you, once you have been this unique annual weekend event, you will be hooked forever.

Visit www.abs.gov.au, www.agex.org.au/Apps/Book/Apps/Book.pdf

This terrific little short video made by Madeleine P.H. Hamilton will show you the endless career possibilities that the Australian agricultural industry can offer you… And there are plenty more out there!

Why not consider a career within the agricultural industry? There is a whole supply chain out there waiting for you!

In case the video doesn’t work here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tC-EBcQKRc&feature=channel&list=UL

Corinne Annetts Uralla goat product entrepreneur

Are you a woman involved in primary industries and want to take your ideas to another level?

Did I hear a  ”Yes?”

Then perhaps the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award could be just the thing for you.

Applications are now open and you have until 15 October to get your application in…or perhaps encourage another woman. We know there are lots of you out there who would welcome a hand up not a hand out.

This award is such a great opportunity to pull your thinking into a plan and the selection process can be a very useful exercise.

The Award provides a $10,000 bursary for each State and Territory winner to provide the resources to develop your vision into a project or initiative that will benefit primary industries and rural Australia.

Agchatoz social media founder Danica Leys is the 2012 NSW/ACT winner

• formal training in leadership and business management;
• overseas study tours;
• establishing business plans or pilot programs;
• developing education or promotional campaigns;
• networking at forums and conferences to grow your knowledge of industries and markets;
• developing training programs;
• testing information technology initiatives; and
• publishing books.

It’s just a matter of using your imagination to dream big about what you want to do and the future direction of your industry or rural community.

Ask for our NSW/ACT mentor list of past winners and runners -up who are very to help you through the nomination process… so USE THEM and get cracking today!

For an information package see who are past NSW/ACT winners, runners-up and finalists and a list of past winners and finalists who have kindly offered to mentor women applying for the Award, contact Allison Priest on 02 6391 3620 or email: allison.priest@dpi.nsw.gov.au

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BMZHML6

Thanks so much!

  To bring about a paradigm shift in any culture we need to change assumptions and attitudes. (Jean Shinoda Bolen)

Which of the following statements do you think are still seen as assumptions?

ð    A farmer is the ‘man on the land’.

ð    Women’s place is in the individual family business, not beyond it.

ð    A woman’s role is preferably centred on the house and family.

ð    Women have primary responsibility for care of children, the disabled and elderly.

ð    It is the physical and technical aspects of farming which is the core business of our agricultural enterprises.

ð    Young women lack expertise in agriculture.

ð    Men know more about farming than women.

ð    Women in general, lack competence or are not interested in technical matters.

ð    Any woman worth her salt can overcome barriers without special help.

ð    Sons are the natural successors to the farm business.

ð    Men manage the family budget.

ð    Daughters-in-law are potential enemies.

ð    Both men and women prefer men to take the leadership role.

ð    Women in decision-making positions have to become more masculine.

The term ‘grass ceiling’ was created a couple of decades ago, and continues to have a comfortable and established presence in many aspects of rural life.

Women and their male allies are however working hard to plough new tracks through these barriers and dispel many of the above assumptions.

Despite the discomfort that accompanies changing the status quo, research shows we must continue to acknowledge women’s critical roles within families and communities while engaging them in diverse workplace leadership positions and boardrooms.

NB: Nominations will only be accepted for NSW rural women. ‘Rural’ is defined as anyone living outside the large metropolitan centres of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.

Leanne Barratt and Martha Brown are two wonderful Hidden Treasures we unearthed in 2011. We look forward to your nominations for the 2012 Honour Roll, to be launched at the 2012 NSW Rural Women’s Gathering in Parkes, by the Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson on 13 October.

Leanne Barratt [Gloucester]
Leanne is a quiet achiever who makes an incredible contribution to the Gloucester community lifestyle and wellbeing. She grew up in the Illawarra then attended Macquarie University before moving to Gloucester 21 years ago with her husband Scott.
Leanne has been a volunteer member of the Gloucester Environment Group since inception, Gloucester Arts Council and was the founding member of the very successful Gloucester Gallery established 11 years ago.
She has organised hundreds of exhibitions, both community based and of regional/state importance and has managed the entire staffing of the Gallery with a team of volunteers.
Recently, Leanne organised the highly successful and very moving ‘Courage to Care’ exhibition held in Gloucester over several weeks. Many school and community groups found the exhibition a life changing experience.
‘Courage to Care’ is a community outreach initiative that demonstrates the importance of standing up to bullying and prejudice whenever it occurs. This powerful social initiative of inclusion and learning had many of those attending (especially the school students) commenting on the profound and positive impact meeting the holocaust survivors had on their lives. 
Leanne is a valued artist, tutor, mentor, curator and volunteer for many community groups. She is very involved in the 2011 Gloucester Women’s Gathering and is the sole organiser and instigator of ‘Yarning the Country’– aimed at developing connections women make at this year’s Women’s Gathering – by helping to create a knitted landscape for the Gloucester Gallery.

Martha Brown OAM [Orange]
Martha is the Coordinator of the Orange Branch of Camp Quality – the children’s family cancer charity that believes in bringing optimism and happiness to the lives of children and families affected by cancer through fun therapy and education. She has been involved in running the camps, helping with ongoing fundraising and promoting Camp Quality since joining in 1989.
Martha is the Chairperson of the Organising Committee for annual week long camps which support up to 100 children with cancer as well as their families. She has attended 20 week-long camps and has been involved in family cluster weekends.
Martha has raised three children, assisted in the family business and was involved with Cabonne/Orange Life Education Van, the Catholic Women’s League, the Scout Movement and Meals on Wheels. 
Martha is best epitomised by the words of Camp Quality Doctor, David Howe: ‘It is always touching to see how Martha’s efforts are rewarded with smiles, laughter and hugs from the Camp Quality children (as well as all the volunteers). I can not think of a more inspirational woman than Martha Brown.’

Portrait of Senator Dorothy Tangney, 195- Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia:42 nla.pic-an23371982.

At the age of only 32, Dame Dorothy Tangney DBE (1911 – 1985) was our first female federal parliamentarian and the first woman to be elected to the Australian Senate.

Dorothy held office from 1943 for the Australian Labor party,  representing Western Australia until she retired in 1968.

At the same election the better known Tasmanian, Enid Lyons became the Member of the House of Representatives (United Australia Party). 

Dame Enid had a much higher profile, having been married to a former Prime Minister, but Dame Dorothy was sworn in six minutes earlier.

Dorothy came from humble beginnings before winning a college scholarship which lead to a teaching career.

The hardship and poor health of her family as well as the plight of her students built an understanding of the importance of strong health and welfare policies.

Dorothy supported the establishment of the Australian National University in Canberra and advocated support for deserted wives and war widows, along with promoting child endowment, better housing, social services, free education, medical benefits, Aboriginal rights and equal pay and opportunities for women.

She featured on the 45 cent  stamp in 1973 and has a Canberra street and a WA electoral division named in her honour.

In 1968, Dorothy Tangney became the first Western Australian born woman to be appointed  Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the Australian Parliament.

Australia was the first country in the world to give women both the right to vote and the right to stand for Parliament when in 1902 the federal Parliament passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act.

The Australian suffragists lobbied vigorously to secure the passage of this act, despite a common view that giving women the vote would lower their status and give married men a double vote!

Rigid perceptions of women’s roles broke down with the social changes created by the Second World War.

Women replaced absent men and this helped to open doors for women to enter politics.

Many rural women rose to the challenges of the time by keeping farms going and demonstrating they could hold their own and were ready to step outside the kitchen into the paddocks and beyond.

That was 70 years ago.

Now there are still only 17 elected women heads of state and government in the world in 2012 according to the United Nations, up from eight in 2005.

The number of women ministers has increased from 14.2 per cent in 2005 to 16.7pc today.

Dorothy and Enid might reckon we still have a long way to go.

Visit www.unwomen.org and www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/POL/women/43Tangney.htm

This is a talk by a man called Arunachalam Muruganantham. Watch the video, its quiet self explanatory. Amazing work by an amazing man.

“Telling agriculture’s story has never been so important and it’s our young people who are best placed to reconnect with urban communities.” Lynne Strong, Jamberoo dairy farmer & National Program Director – Art4Agriculture.

A Young Farming Champion, Melissa Henry recently presented at Cranebrook and Crestwood High Schools and St Michael’s Catholic Primary School in Sydney sharing with over 150 students stories about agriculture and living in a rural community.

This year has been a critical year for agriculture with issues such as the live export ban, milk price wars, climate change legislation, an expansion of Coal Seam Gas mining and consultations around the Murray Darling Basin Plan having a huge impact on farmers’ images as ethical food and fibre producers.

Lynne Strong believes we need to start a dialogue between urban and rural Australians about what is important to all of us in balancing affordable and ethical food and fibre production.

‘Never before have we been further apart from our consumer base. 86% of Australians now live in cities or within 80 km of the coast and modern supply chains have isolated farmers from their customers,’ says Lynne.

In a bid to bridge this gap Art4Agriculture added a new component to its Archibull Prize competition with 10 Young Farming Champions providing the fresh, female face of farming to around 3000 urban students participating in the competition. The Archibull Prize invites students in suburban primary and high schools to use art and multimedia to explore agricultural themes.

This year schools researched the theme ‘What does it take to feed and clothe Sydney for a day sustainably?’ Each school was provided with a life size fibreglass cow or calf on which the students created an artwork about their allocated food or fibre industry, the farmers who produce it and how it is being produced sustainably.

Supported by the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation and Woolworths Ltd, 10 Young Farming Champions not only provided information to students about the industry they were allocated to study, they also shared their farming journey with
the students. These Champions are breaking down stereotypes of farmers and agricultural careers while helping to bridge the rural-urban divide.

The impact of these young women on students is immense and immediate. Past surveys have shown figures as low as 0.2% of children thought women were farmers. After meeting the Champions the students understand that not only are women farmers but perhaps just
as importantly, farmers can be young, vibrant and have exciting careers.

For some students meeting a Young Farming Champion was life-changing. Many had never met a farmer and the realisation that they were real people with similar interests and dreams galvanised them to take action to support farmers. The student feedback demonstrated how direct engagement between farmer and consumer can build confidence in agriculture.

Nominate a friend, family member, colleague, community worker – any rural woman who you believe makes your community a better place to live.

Hidden Treasures acknowledges the important volunteer roles women play within NSW rural communities. Nominating a rural woman is a great way to formally acknowledge the efforts of rural women and celebrate volunteering as an important community value.

Volunteer roles are diverse and may include fundraising, delivering meals to the elderly, fighting fires, driving patients, mentoring young people, creating community artworks or coordinating events.

To nominate a Hidden Treasures volunteer simply tell us a short ‘story’ about why your nominee is worthy. All rural women nominated will be included in the 2012 Honour Roll to be launched at the 2012 NSW Rural Women’s Gathering being held at Parkes from 12-14 October.

Nominate online OR download the Nomination Form.

For more information or if you need assistance with your nomination call the NSW Centre for Volunteering on 02 9261 3600 or email: rural.women@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Nominations close 20 August 2012.

Collaborative consumption is helping the environment and our pockets in a range of practical ways – swapping, sharing, bartering, trading and renting goods and services.

It goes like this – you borrow a neighbour’s ladder, for example, so you don’t have to fork out funds to buy one and you don’t have to worry about where to store it. When you return the ladder, or afterwards, you can also return the favour in some way.

TIME Magazine proclaimed the collaborative consumption movement as one of the 10 ideas that will change the world.

I know my grandparents bartered, traded, shared and exchanged labour and goods all the time – especially in tough times.

In today’s world of buy, buy, buy, another option is to get back to a simpler approach to sustainable living.

The big difference today is that technology helps to make the process much easier, giving us the option to think before we instinctively reach for the wallet or credit card. The internet enables sharing and trading locally, regionally and even globally.

Ebay is one of the better known collaborative consumption-type websites which has become a common way of shopping or selling unwanted goods.

For some women, the internet has become an avenue for establishing online businesses they can run from their home or farm.

There are some great examples of modern day collaborative consumption web-based platforms.

Do you have a spare room, cottage or granny flat that is hardly ever used except when the kids are home? Or are you tired of staying in a motel room when you have to travel?

Airbnb.com works on the concept of renting a room in your home or in some cases even the whole house, by linking hosts with travellers prepared to pay for a more in-home people-centred experience.

If you are not bothered about making money you can also host people through the hospitalityclub.org website. This online “club” brings travellers together and I have had wonderful experiences staying free with members in Morocco, Dubai, Romania and Australia. We have also hosted people in our home from Canada, Germany, Holland, France and Korea. Club members can look at each other’s profiles, send messages and post comments about their experience on the website, so you get to know a bit about them before you commit.

Another great site I discovered was australiantoyswap.com where you can list your toys for free to swap or sell and findauniform.com.au is a handy port of call for secondhand ballet gear.

Freecycle.org is a global grassroots non-profit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns with each local group being moderated by local volunteers; membership is free.

Most websites involved in collaborative consumption offer reputation rankings so you can make more informed decisions.

Can anyone lend me a drill?