Future Female Leaders of the Northern Beef Industry Unite
Media Release
16 May 2011
Future Female Leaders of the Northern Beef Industry Unite
Everyday hundreds of girls do it – take on the challenges of working in the pastoral industry and mix it up in what some wrongly think is solely a man’s world.
Last week was a little different for over forty young women as they swapped mustering for workshopping in Mt Isa at the Women in the Pastoral Industry Career Workshop coordinated by Longreach-based Desert Channels Group (DCG).
DCG Industry Liaison Officer Colleen James said this unique two-day workshop was designed specifically to empower women in pastoral roles to identify their potential and take responsibility for career development and opportunities.
“This was an invaluable opportunity and the first time an event like this has been held, with the focus being primarily on building women’s careers in the pastoral industry,” Colleen said.
Colleen said the response to the workshop was really encouraging, with numbers initially expected to peak at around twenty. The end result was an impressive forty-four women representing twenty-eight properties across the northern beef cattle industry from right across Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Leading pastoral companies, the Australian Agricultural Company, The North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCO), S Kidman & Co and Stanbroke embraced the concept, were involved in the program concept and design and nominated a number of their valued staff to attend.
Tallah Deans from Stanbroke’s Fort Constantine felt the days showed that there are young woman out there really making a difference in the industry. “It gives me a lot of motivation to really step up and try harder,” she said.
While most days you’ll find Nicole Thomas on S Kidman and Co’s Brunchilly Station she was yet another enthusiastic participant at the workshop and drew inspiration from the day.
“It was good to see how far we can actually progress through the industry to get a good job based on experience,” she said, “The workshop has given me a better understanding of others and helped me to set goals and realise how to achieve them. It has also made me realise not to be down on myself or my work abilities.”
Colleen summed up her thoughts on the day, “I am confident that this is just the beginning and building on the success of this pilot, events like this will be continued into the future. The day was not only a success because of numbers but because the girls were prepared to make the most of it. It is now up to them to maximise this opportunity and put themselves forward rather than just waiting for things to happen.”
This workshop is an initiative of the Desert Channels Group and was funded by the Queensland Government’s Blueprint for the Bush program through the Landholder Support Service Project and funding from the Desert Channels Group. Further support has been received from the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Meat and Livestock Australia, The Australian Agricultural Company, The North Australian Pastoral Company and Ellerfield Financial Planning.
ENDS
Media enquiries: Colleen James (07) 4652 7826 or 0428 580 998 or colleen.james@dcq.org.au
