Thirty-one leaders from rural, regional and remote Australia have gathered in Melbourne this week to enhance their leadership skills and build networks.
Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) chief executive Matt Linnegar said this diverse group of people would engage in developing their leadership capabilities to better serve the communities, industries and organisations of regional Australia.
“We have participants from all over Australia and various industries, including agriculture, health, the arts, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” Mr Linnegar said.
“During the program we give participants the time and space to think about their role as a leader.
“We examine working together for the greater good of rural, regional and remote Australia.”
The program takes place over 15 months and involves five sessions in locations across Australia. In the first session, participants immersed themselves in unique experiences in Darwin, Northern Territory and the Kimberley region, Western Australia.
In February 2017, the group will travel to Albury, Wodonga and Wangaratta, before travelling overseas to Indonesia in May for the international component of the program.
Victorian participants for cohort 23
- Rachaele May, Ballarat, is sponsored by the Victorian Government Department Environment, Land, Water and Planning. She is an Assistant Chief Fire Officer in Forest Fire Management Victoria. Rachaele is passionate about the linkages between communities and their natural environments, and the many services public land provides. She has helped establish a school kitchen garden program and is keen to encourage children to experience their natural environments.
- Sally Mitchell, Torrumbarry, is sponsored by the Gardiner Dairy Foundation. She is a dairy farmer, on the family farm Wattle Creek which adjoins the Gunbower Island National Park in northern Victoria. Sally has been involved in a number of equestrian organisations to improve quality, and availability of competitions and venues for rural equestrians. She is actively involved in current dairy reforms in representation and pricing models.
- Neale Sutton, Moorabbin, is sponsored by Grains Research and Development Corporation. He is General Manager of Australian Crop Accreditation System Limited and the National Variety Trials research program. Neale has a broad-acre cropping and sheep farming background and hails from Birchip in Victoria’s Mallee region. He has over 10 years’ experience in the agricultural research sector and is a member of the Australian Cereal Rust Control Program’s Consultative Committee.