Women in the Burdekin region have demonstrated their commitment to their communities by participating in a leadership forum in Ayr from 19 to 21 March.

Organised by the TNQ Drought Hub, the Influential Women Leadership Forum aimed to equip women in agriculture with the necessary skills and confidence to take on the extra challenges such as climate variability, declining workforce numbers and limited access to industry experts and training opportunities currently faced by the agriculture sector.

The forum brought together a mixture of women from all type of backgrounds including those living and working on properties full time as well as those working in agricultural education and science related disciplines and provided an opportunity for both personal and professional growth, empowering the women to become more confident leaders.

Reflecting on the significance of such forums and workshops, TNQ Drought Hub Building Human Capacity Program Lead Dr Jane Oorschot said, “Women often don’t take time out for their own personal growth and development. They are typically busy looking after everyone but themselves and often working in multiple roles. By running these kinds of workshops directly in regions that are supported by the agriculture sector, we can give them the confidence to make future focused decisions and help them find a stronger voice and know their contribution is valid.

“The hub’s aim is to build community resilience. When there’s times of hardship, often people leave their community. So we need people to be ready to step up in the future into community roles such as a sports or Lions club, the Country Women’s Association or council.”

The forum featured a diverse array of group and individual activities, including sessions on identifying leadership and personality types, values, understanding the impact of change on decision-making processes, and managing conflict and difficult conversations effectively.

Participant Elizabeth Stockton said she registered for the forum as she was looking to enter a leadership role within her work as an agronomist, “I learnt how your values and your personality can conflict or promote others in your team. I’ve learned a lot about myself personally, and how I manage scenarios, as well as how people work in teams and how having each personality type in a team can be really beneficial.”

Shantelle Arratta, another participant spoke about the importance of having these type of forums and networking opportunities in one’s hometown, “In times of drought, or climate issues, or any kind of time where you need resilience, I think we forget to lean on one another, and those that are going through the same experiences. Having this networking opportunity in our own home, its more comforting, it’s more accessible and relatable because we are with other women who have this shared commonality.”

Elizabeth added, “The women I’ve met here this week have been amazing, their experiences are different, their backgrounds are different, but we’ve all come together for one thing and that was to be leaders in agriculture, and to better ourselves.”

This marks the second Influential Women Leadership Forum the hub has run following the inaugural event held in Mt Surprise in early 2023. Dr Oorschot said, “We have plans to repeat this event bi-annually offering opportunities for continued growth and empowerment for women across the TNQ region to make a lasting impact on their communities.”

The forum was delivered with the support of Bluewren Connection, NQ Dry Tropics, Growcom and the Burdekin Shire Council.