This conversation is part of a series exploring the impact of the Changemaker Workshops delivered across more than 30 regions by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, thanks to the Future Drought Fund. These workshops are part of the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative.
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we’re joined by Kate Coffey and Brett Thompson. Kate is the Senior Project Manager at Riverine Plains, where she leads the organisation’s Farmer and Community Engagement activities. Brett at the time of this chat was coming to the end of his role as Executive Officer of social organisation LEAD Loddon Murray, and has just completed a Masters of Teaching which will carry him into his next chapter. As leaders, Kate and Brett are both embedded in their home communities of Yarrawonga and Bendigo (respectively) and they shared the experience of completing a Changemaker workshop in Euroa in 2024.
In this conversation, Kate and Brett illustrate how the Changemaker program added a deeper layer to their leadership within community organisations. They explain why different perspectives and mindsets are vital when working out solutions to challenges. They look at the realities of engaging and retaining volunteers in our rural and regional communities. Brett and Kate both have experience working to deliver FRRR community impact programs, and they share some of the resulting benefits these projects have already had in their regions. They also sum up precisely why initiatives that are designed to build connection, networks and greater engagement within our rural communities – are essential in the face of disruption and natural disaster. It’s how we ‘get into credit’ for those times of need.
This episode is the third of an 8-part series within the Rural Leadership Unearthed podcast where we delve into stories from people passionate about transforming their communities. This is a practical resource designed to provide insight into what it takes to drive positive change in rural, regional and remote Australia.
Some highlights:
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we sit down with Courtney Palmer, a proud Worimi Woman whose career has spanned corporate retail leadership and community impact projects. From leading Big W teams across Queensland and the Northern Territory to championing the Happy Boxes social impact project, Courtney has always been drawn to supporting people to be their best and achieve collective results.
Here, she shares her reflections on finding connection, combating the loneliness of leadership she experienced as a First Nations woman early in her corporate retail career, and embracing the power of networks built through the ARLF’s Milparanga Established Leadership Program. Courtney also opens up about the challenges, lessons, and opportunities that have shaped her—and the importance of paving the way for the next generation of Indigenous business leaders.
Some highlights:
• Courtney shares how her career has shaped her approach to people, culture and community impact.
• The challenge of loneliness in leadership as an Aboriginal woman, and the importance of building networks and peer support.
• Why the Milparanga Program felt like the “missing puzzle piece” in her leadership journey.
• Learning to step onto the “balcony” to gain perspective, instead of staying caught on the “dance floor” of daily demands.
• Her passion for the Happy Boxes Project and the difference it makes in remote communities.
• The importance of paving the way for the next generation of Indigenous leaders.
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
This conversation is part of a series exploring the impact of the Changemaker Workshops delivered across more than 30 regions by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, thanks to the Future Drought Fund. These workshops are part of the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative.
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we chat with Willana Morris to explore the role of epiphany in personal growth, and how to take that first step of action for change afterwards. Willana is born and bred in Mount Isa and has been working to support young people for over 20 years. While she’s a passionate do-er, Willana credits the Changemaker workshop in Mount Isa with sparking some powerful shifts in her perspective. Not least of which has been the epiphany that she and her team at the Ngukuthati Children and Family Centre are striving for the same things as countless other leaders, organisations and volunteers in Mount Isa, and that together, they can achieve amazing things.
One of those things was the back-to-school event that Willana and her team – with support from a host of other organisations and businesses in Mount Isa – pulled together to equip more young people to get to school and help families to support their kids’ education. In this conversation, Willana reflects on how just two days spent sharing and learning with fellow community members has given her access to resources, networks and solidarity in the quest to create a bright future for her town.
This episode is the second of an 8-part series within the Rural Leadership Unearthed podcast where we delve into stories from people passionate about transforming their communities. This is a practical resource designed to provide insight into what it takes to drive positive change in rural, regional and remote Australia.
Some highlights:
• Understand how moments of epiphany can spark a mindset shift
• How the adaptive leadership framework mobilises collaborative response to a challenge
• Willana’s heartening experience of asking for and accepting help
• The role of emotional shifts in fuelling tangible action
• Why having a strategy is key to dealing with setbacks
• The tools that can help us to take the first steps towards taking on a project or realising a vision
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
ARLF podcast blog: https://rural-leaders.org.au/blog/
ARLF website: https://rural-leaders.org.au/
Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative: https://rural-leaders.org.au/helping-regional-communities-prepare-drought-initiative/leadership-development-in-your-region/
Ngukuthati Children and Family Centre: https://www.nwqicss.org/services/ngukuthati-children-and-family-centre/
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we’re joined by Diana Sanchez, who lives and works in Toowoomba as a laboratory coordinator in the seed and grain industry. It’s a position that reflects her determination and drive to better herself and stretch herself. When Diana and her husband decided in 2020 to relocate from their home in Colombia to re-set their lives and develop their English language skills, they couldn’t have predicted that they’d face the extreme isolation of Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns.
After a rocky start, Diana’s background in horticulture pulled her towards a job advertised in Queensland’s agricultural sector. Diana began a role as a grain tester, working alongside other seasonal workers from diverse backgrounds, in a lab. It was in this setting that Diana experienced the frustrations of miscommunication. Spurred on to support others sharing similar experiences, Diana became focused on the ingredients of strong communication and what helps us to be understood.
Fast forward to 2023, and Toowoomba not-for-profit, The Mulberry Project, nominated Diana for the ARLF’s TRAIL emerging leaders program. The experience affirmed her leadership capabilities and the importance of the contribution made by Australia’s immigrant community.
Diana explains how the experiential program confronted her with her own vulnerabilities but also revealed her strengths as a leader. Now, Diana is modelling how to create strong bonds within her culturally and linguistically diverse team, and advocating for workplaces to understand the value of slowing down and creating opportunities for connection where all are given the chance to be heard and understood.
Diana’s scholarship on the seven-day TRAIL program was funded by the Weis Community Fund, managed by Heritage Bank Charitable Foundation.
Some highlights:
• Discovering a ‘weakness’ can reveal our other strengths
• The importance of asking for help
• Opportunities for connection makes stronger teams
• Being heard and understood is critical to everyone
• Common ground is where we bond
• Providing leadership opportunities to migrants in Australia is a key way to recognise their contribution
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
This conversation is part of a series exploring the impact of the Changemaker Workshops delivered across more than 30 regions by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, thanks to the Future Drought Fund. These workshops are part of the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative.
There’s nothing like a fresh perspective to flip a problem and transform it into a possibility. In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we’re joined by mechanical engineer, Rana Everett, who shares her experience bringing a fresh take to a regional skills shortage. When Rana relocated to Albany in WA to work on the construction of a wave energy converter, she brought fresh eyes to the challenge of finding qualified local welders.
Rana came to Albany from her home base just outside of Darwin, with the unique opportunity to observe as an outsider and learn with a curious and open mind. It was her participation in the Albany Changemaker program that gave her the impetus to conceptualise and pioneer a home-grown employment solution. Drawing on the power of partnerships, and the potential of augmented reality technology, she has opened up new horizons to young people, women and others looking to up-skill and find their place in the booming world of welding.
This episode is the first of an 8-part series within the Rural Leadership Unearthed podcast where we delve into stories from people passionate about transforming their communities. This is a practical resource designed to provide insight into what it takes to drive positive change in rural, regional and remote Australia.
Some highlights:
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we’re joined by David Keetch, a seasoned agricultural researcher who first embraced ag as a highschool student growing up in Adelaide. Now, as Nufarm’s Green-on-Green Program Director, he leads two national projects focused on developing advanced in-crop camera-spraying technologies and herbicide solutions tailored to Australian farming systems.
If it sounds complicated, that’s because it is. Fortunately, Dave is a skilled, patient communicator with a real adeptness for understanding how different types of people thrive with different styles of communication. A core part of his job is adapting his approach for different audiences and stakeholders. Without this ability, he says he just wouldn’t be able to lead effectively.
But it hasn’t always come easily. It was his experience with a “melting pot” of other leaders in his cohort during the 2021 Australian Agribusiness Leadership Program that brought home that the way diverse personalities connect and relate to one another directly shapes outcomes.
In today’s conversation, Dave walks us through the challenges that come with managing a project that blends AI technology with Australia’s unique growing environments. He shares how stewardship of best practice and sustainable technology use in ag is what drives him in all that he does. Dave speaks openly about managing the different pulls between his passion for research and the realities of commercial expectations. He also reflects that when we’re working towards long-term goals, it’s vital to break it down into smaller milestones and celebrate the wins along the way.
Some highlights:
• How returning to core aims help Dave manage complexity
• The importance of celebrating small wins
• If you’re not changing, you’re not growing
• How adapting to others’ communication preferences can be as simple as picking up the phone or even knocking on a door
• An ‘independent streak’ can get in the way of asking for help
• Why being rigid and inflexible just doesn’t work
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
This conversation is part of a series exploring the impact of the Changemaker Workshops delivered across more than 30 regions by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, thanks to the Future Drought Fund. These workshops are part of the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative.
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we’re joined by Tanya Lehmann, a leader who has made it her mission in life to un-riddle the things that sometimes hold our small towns back from taking control and shaping their own bright futures. As a leadership development coach with a community health management background, and a country girl herself, Tanya understands both the barriers to change in rural areas, and the opportunities that exist when we can unlock their greatest asset – their people.
In today’s chat, we explore just who or what a ‘changemaker’ is and Tanya’s role facilitating the ARLF’s Changemaker workshops around our regions, seeing first-hand the powerful seeds for change that can be planted in just two days. Tanya emphasises that leadership is a verb, and wherever you might be, it’s an action that any one of us can take. And it’s through tackling challenges together that we thrive and our communities thrive too.
This episode is the introduction to an 8-part series within the Rural Leadership Unearthed podcast where we delve into stories from people passionate about transforming their communities. This is a practical resource designed to provide insight into what it takes to drive positive change in rural, regional and remote Australia.
Some highlights:
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we sit down with Jason Strong, former Managing Director of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and a leader with more than 30 years’ experience in the red meat and livestock industries. Since wrapping up his role with MLA at the end of 2023, Jason has embraced the chance to shift gears and follow his curiosity and passions. From this vantage point, Jason reflects on some of the big leadership lessons of his career, and the lasting take-aways from his experience on course 11 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP).
He shares the pivotal insight the ARLP gave him into his natural introversion, and how this had influenced his leadership style. What followed was a kindling of curiosity about how others think and behave, and a new understanding of the importance of bringing others along with you throughout your career and leadership journey. We learn about Jason’s formative passion for showing cattle; and the legacy of his early contribution to the development of the Meat Standards Australia Program. He also shares the excitement of his time with MLA as their regional manager in Europe and Russia, getting to tell the story of Australian beef in the European market. Jason’s advice for the next generation of leaders in agriculture is to embrace building connections through authenticity and vulnerability.
Jason is currently a Councillor with the Royal Agricultural Society and on the Board of the RAS Foundation. He is also Chairman of Bovotica, a biotech start up, and on the Smithfield Cattle Co Advisory Board.
Some highlights:
• How the experience of showing cattle set Jason on his career path
• The power of understanding different personality types
• Getting from A to B doesn’t have to be a straight line
• Leaders with large visions need to be able to communicate each small step along the way
• The privilege of building projects for long-term impact
• Personal stories in agriculture are invaluable for learning
• Collaboration enhances problem solving
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
We’ve just marked National Reconciliation Week for 2025 – the theme centred on ‘Bridging Now to Next’. In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we sit down with a veteran of Indigenous affairs and graduate of the third Australian Rural Leadership Program, John Paterson. John fondly recalls the expansion of perspective the ARLP gave him. Within his cohort, John was looked to for leadership and insight into some of the enduring conversations Australia is still having about respect, recognition of First Nations History, land rights, and the ability to live, work and thrive side by side, together. John’s roots stem from the Ngalakan people of the Roper River region in South East Arnhem Land. He has seen big changes happen in his lifetime and has played his part in bringing about positive systemic shifts.
From a humble start as a junior clerk in the NT public service in the late seventies, to being appointed CEO of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory in 2006, John’s leadership has evolved as he has understood where his skills could best make a difference. He is currently a member of the Coalition of Peaks on the Joint Council for Closing the Gap. He is also the current Chair of the Aboriginal Peak Organisations of the NT.
John understands what’s at stake for all Australians when division and disconnection stand in the way of progress. The bridge from now to next, in John’s eyes, is one where truths are told and stories shared without blame, so that all Australians can better know their past, understand their present, and of course, where emerging leaders from all sectors are supported to strive for a better future.
Some highlights:
• Fear mongering is the enemy of reconciliation
• Education is the key to better outcomes for all First Nations Australians
• Hear how John went from a ‘garbologist’ to the senior ranks of the NT public service
• Learn about a bus trip from Darwin to Sydney that changed John’s life forever
• John believes the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation’s alumni hold great power and potency to create positive change
• He knows that truth telling without judgement or blame is an important part of healing
• Future leaders must be supported to carry forward the journey to reconciliation
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, the Unbreakable Farmer, mental health crusader Warren Davies, speaks to us about the insights and stories he feels privileged to share in as he travels around rural Australia. He reflects on the forces buffeting the communities he speaks to, and particularly the impact that the rapid transition to renewable energy sources is having throughout country Australia.
In this conversation, Warren reflects on what he is seeing and hearing as many farmers, families and towns face circumstances they’ve never come up against before. He shares what he sees as the key ingredients to navigating the things we can’t control and staying connected so that we can support each other.
Warren’s message of communicating, connecting and reaching out for help is cemented on the foundation of his own battles as a farmer suffering from mental ill health and how he has harnessed his story to help others.
Warren is sharing his personal experiences and anecdotes as he travels around the country speaking with hundreds of rural communities. We acknowledge that there are a whole range of different experiences wherever energy projects are rolling out, and they are all unique in their impact.
Some highlights:
• No plan is complete unless wellbeing is factored in
• Warren’s keys to resilience include communication, connection and clarity
• Problems with Australia’s renewable energy transition arrive when transparency, consultation and sound communication are lacking
• Leadership at all levels is critical to navigate unprecedented change
• Being able to reach out for help is integral to our mental health
• Creative vehicles for connection are needed to support busy, overwhelmed farmers and rural communities
• Sharing your story gives others permission to share theirs
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, Australian Rural Leadership Foundation CEO, Matt Linnegar, sits down with former Australian diplomat and founder of Geopolitical Strategy, Michael Feller, for a conversation about leadership in an increasingly chaotic global environment.
Matt and Michael examine how leaders internationally are navigating rapid change and disruption. They discuss the limitations to a ‘transactional’ style of leadership, and the need for calm, empathetic leaders with strong values and clear objectives. They discuss the implications of economic policies impacting free trade and offer some observations about what may lie ahead as we move from a unipolar global order towards a multipolar order.
We note that the insights and analysis provided in today’s episode are not a reflection of the views of the ARLF. This conversation is a stimulating one that leaves plenty to consider, whatever context you are leading in.
Some highlights:
• Why transactional leadership delivers poor long-term outcomes
• When context matters, and why the ‘Silicon Valley’ approach may not translate to the Whitehouse
• Examining constraints to better understand global leadership decisions
• Beware the appeal of a simplistic solution
• The logic and the emotion behind a return to tariffs
• How artificial intelligence is driving the fifth industrial revolution
• Tools leaders need to navigate an increasingly disrupted world order
Resources:
ARLF podcast blog: https://rural-leaders.org.au/blog/
ARLF website: https://rural-leaders.org.au/
Rural Leadership Unearthed: https://rural-leaders.org.au/podcast/
Geopolitical Strategy: https://www.geopolitical-strategy.com/
In this episode of Rural Leadership Unearthed, we have joined forces with the Ducks on the Pond podcast to bring you a conversation about advocacy; systems thinking; solutions journalism and more.
In this chat with Ducks on the Pond co-host and founder of the Rural Podcasting Co, Kirsten Diprose, and Catherine Marriott OAM – an ‘agvocate’, ARLF Associate and former WA Rural Woman of the Year, we explore the challenges surrounding how our rural industries are represented and perceived. Catherine and Kirsten share how they have both arrived at the ways they want their leadership to havean impact, and what it takes to step into a space and take a stand. We cover the sense of divide that can exist between rural and non-rural Australians and the role each of us can play as an ally and supporter of the voices and viewpoints that aren’t always included in public discourse.
Having transitioned to farm life from Melbourne a decade ago, Kirsten brings a unique dual perspective to the agriculture sector, and Catherine brings her knowledgeand experience in the northern beef and southern grains sectors and more widely in the agribusiness space in Australia and Asia.
The pair also discuss their experiences of the Australian Rural Leadership Program – Catherine from her vantage point of almost 15 years down the track, and Kirsten as part of the currently participating 31st cohort of the Program.
Both of these women are passionate about leaving the planet a better place and empowering and supporting others to make an impact too.
Some highlights:
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
ARLF podcast blog: https://rural-leaders.org.au/blog/
ARLF website: https://rural-leaders.org.au/
Rural Leadership Unearthed – The Art of Vulnerable Leadership: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-art-of-vulnerable-leadership/id1729314042?i=1000644516273
Meet our team: Catherine Marriott: https://rural-leaders.org.au/people/catherine-marriott/
Ducks on the Pond: https://www.ducksonthepond.com.au/
The Rural Podcasting Co: https://www.ruralpodcastingco.com/
Gardiner Foundation: https://www.gardinerfoundation.com.au/
Agrifutures Australia: https://agrifutures.com.au/
Andrew Bryant is a manager of learning at the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, responsible for the design and delivery of leadership programs.
He joins us for this episode of ARLF podcast,Rural Leadership Unearthed, to illuminate what it takes to be a ‘vulnerable leader’. Andrew draws on our second ever episode, with regional arts leader Alysha Herrmann, who describes how she frames the raw and difficult parts of her story to enhance her leadership.
This is the first of a recurring ARLF episode format where we sit down with one of our knowledgeable learning team and go deeper into an aspect of leadership. Here, theory meets practice, as we look at a real mini-case study and examine how we might understand and apply what we’re exploring.
We also get behind the scenes and learn more about Andrew, as he shares his personal experiences with authenticity, self-belief, personal growth and the ongoing development of emotional intelligence.
He also shares two of his favourite resources on the art of vulnerable leadership.
Some highlights:
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLFfor more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on ruraland regional Australia.
Resources:
ARLF podcast blog: https://rural-leaders.org.au/blog/
ARLF website:https://rural-leaders.org.au/
Rural Leadership Unearthed – The Art of Vulnerable Leadership:https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-art-of-vulnerable-leadership/id1729314042?i=1000644516273
Meet our team: Andrew Bryant -https://rural-leaders.org.au/people/andrew-bryant-2/
TEDx Houston, Brene Brown, The Power of Vulnerability:https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability
There’s a huge amount of symbolism in a new year, and that can bring with it a lot of pressure.
As we mark the start of a year and a new season for the ARLF podcast, Rural Leadership Unearthed, we wanted to give you some inspiration and ideas that we hope will set you up to start the year off in a positive way.
So, we’ve wrapped up a bit of collective wisdom from some past guests, including Aaron Thomas, Megan McLoughlin, OIi Le Lievre, Melanie Bloor, Liz Stott and Bernice Hookey. While in many ways wildly different, these leaders all share strong values and a clear sense of the impact they want to have. They have also mastered the art of reflection: taking their rich experiences – successes and failures – and tucking away lessons that serve them well into the future.
If you need to ‘take the pressure down’ and put your aims for the new year in perspective, this is an episode for you.
Some highlights:
• Aaron Thomas on slowing down
• Megan McLoughlin on living our lives with empathy and gratitude
• Oli le Lievre on managing our inner critics
• Melanie Bloor on creating fertile ground for ours and others’ efforts to flourish
• Liz Stott on making plans and setting goals
• Bernice Hookey on making sure that we let love guide our leadership.
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
Rural Leadership Unearthed – Dairy Leader’s Mental Health Mission
Rural Leadership Unearthed – To Be Saved by a Stranger
Rural Leadership Unearthed – Reframing How We Think About Farming
Rural Leadership Unearthed – Resilient Communities Run on Connection and Kindness
In this episode, we reflect on the recent challenges and wins for Australian agriculture and take a look at trends that will continue to impact the sector. This is a conversation between two veterans of agricultural advocacy and leadership in rural Australia: CEO of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and former head of the National Farmers Federation, Matt Linnegar, and our inaugural Special Representative for Australian Agriculture, Su McCluskey.
Sitting down with our host, Claire Delahunty, Su shares her recent experience representing Australian agriculture at the COP29 Summit in Azerbaijan. She and Matt discuss the ways international events are creating headwinds and tailwinds for our rural industries, and the role of leadership and innovation in managing these.
In the face of significant uncertainty around global politics and trade, Matt and Su examine the keys to resilience in the face of challenges, and the importance of supporting the collaborative leadership required for our agricultural sector to thrive.
Some highlights:
• Su walks us through what really happens at a climate conference
• Matt’s take-aways from the 2024 Australian Farm Institute Roundtable
• What net zero means for Australian agriculture right now
• How shifting global regulations and changes of government might be felt closer to home
• Why sustainability matters more than ever
• The importance of collective, collaborative leadership
• Opportunities and causes of optimism for Australian agriculture’s future
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
Australian Farm Institute Roundtable - Walking the talk: Putting policy into action
Rural Leadership Unearthed episode 8 – Cotton’s Leadership Fibre
In this expansive episode registered nurse, John Wright, reflects on the career he has built as a remote area nurse and clinical educator currently serving some of Australia’s most remote communities. John is a proud emissary for a career that he has found to be rewarding, challenging and rich.
Sitting down with our host, Claire Delahunty, John shares the winding path he walked on his way to join the ranks of a profession of which men make up just over ten percent. His love of ‘bush’ communities has remained a constant throughout his life, as has his gravitation to work where his skills are most needed.
John is frank about the legacy of family violence in his childhood and the way it impacted his ability to deal with conflict as an adult. In the management roles he has taken on throughout his career, John has worked determinedly to develop healthy communication skills and tools to have difficult conversations. Learning is another constant throughout John’s story, as at every turn he has invested in further study to enable him to give his best to every role. He talks about the impostor syndrome and the leadership development opportunity that helped him to truly embrace ‘being a leader’.
John is currently a Nurse Education and Research Coordinator with the Tennant Creek Hospital’s Clinical Improvement Unit, and he has a part time secondment with Flinders University as a teaching academic. He completed Course 16 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program in 2010 thanks to a scholarship from the-then Department of Health and Ageing.
Some highlights:
• The rewards for men of a career in nursing
• Why early career health workers should give remote communities a go
• How to beat imposter syndrome and reject self-imposed limits
• How practical steps and peer support helped John un-learn a fear of conflict
• Insights into the long-term impact of the global pandemic on the health workforce
• Relationships and trust: the keys to being a health practitioner in rural communities
• How feeling valued, heard, and respected helps health workers to stay in the bush
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
Australian Rural Leadership Program
Department of Health and Aged Care
This episode discusses domestic and family violence. If you need support, reach out:
Lifeline | call 13 11 14 | text 0477 13 11 14
Kids Helpline | 1800 551 800
1800 RESPECT | 1800 737 732
Kids Helpline | 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia | 1300 789 978
In this raw episode, dairy industry leader, Aaron Thomas, shares the story of his mental health break-down in the midst of a “perfect storm” of personal and professional hardship. As well as managing a dairy farm in Southeast Gippsland, Aaron is working to break down the stigma, shame and lack of support that can see people struggle alone – especially in rural communities.
Sitting down with our host, Claire Delahunty, Aaron candidly talks about his battle with depression, anxiety and alcoholism, and how in 2016, his mental health deteriorated to the point that he twice attempted to end his life. From the darkness of rock-bottom, the belief of Aaron’s employers, his family and his industry supported him to get back up and choose the life and impact he wants to have.
October is Mental Health Month and as Aaron explains, “you never beat it, but you learn to live with it”.
Aaron is a Farmer Director on the GippsDairy Board and a graduate of Dairy Australia’s Developing Dairy Leaders program. He completed Course 29 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program thanks to a scholarship from the Gardiner Foundation.
Some highlights:
• Aaron describes the gradual and accumulative factors that can lead to mental health decline & how recovery is equally gradual
• The essential role of the support of Aaron’s employers and industry
• How ARLP Course 30 graduate and fellow dairy leader and mental health crusader, Sallie Jones, affirmed Aaron’s purpose in sharing his story
• How the Australian Rural Leadership Program taught him to ‘slow down to go faster’
• To be curious and ‘trust your gut’ if you think someone you know is struggling
• Why Aaron sees a bright future in the dairy industry
• Being truthful about our mental health is what matters, and it’s ok not to have all the answers
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
Australian Rural Leadership Program
National Farmer Wellbeing Report
More on Aaron’s mental health and leadership journey
Sallie Jones, ARLP graduate, dairy industry leader and mental health advocate
In this inspiring episode, ‘connection cultivator’ and co-founder of the grass-roots group, Resilient Uki, shares her passion for hyper-local community leadership.
Sitting down with our host, Claire Delahunty, Mel explores what she and her community have learned from the devastating NSW floods of 2022. She unpacks how an existing scaffold of connection helped Uki to cope with the trauma and isolation of the flood, and what the community has done since to make sure that it is well prepared for the next challenge.
Mel’s motto is “in service”, and she richly demonstrates why kindness and connection are much more than ideals – but rather the foundation on which leadership and resilience can grow.
This conversation helps us to understand why community self-reliance is a growing reality of living in Australia’s changing climate, and to see the strengths inherent in our rural towns.
Mel has a background in environmental science and climate advocacy, and is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation’s Leading Australian Resilient Communities (LARC) Program. She has an article published in the Australian Journal of Emergency Management and is busy generating and collating community resilience building tools to share nationally.
Some highlights:
• Mel unpacks what ‘resilience’ means to her
• “Who gives a shit about the washing?” – Mel explains why there can be a ‘honeymoon period’ after natural disaster
• Why kindness and connection are the essential foundation for disaster preparedness
• Practical tips to help us all prepare for ‘next time’
• Plus the importance of giving everyone the space to have ideas and take the lead
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
Leading Australian Resilient Communities (LARC) program
Red Cross community-led resilience teams
In this illuminating episode, cotton industry leaders and growers, Liz Stott and Aaron Kiely, share their stories of advocacy for their industry, and contribution to their communities.
Sitting down with host, ARLF Chief Executive Matt Linnegar, for this special conversation, Liz – deputy chair of the Cotton Australia board, and Aaron – President of the Queensland Farmers’ Federation, speak about their pathways in the cotton industry. They also reflect on the ways that a range of leadership development opportunities have shaped their understanding of how and where they can make an impact.
This rich conversation takes in everything from social license in ag to the power of a 5-year plan; the importance of mentors; and of knowing your core values.
Liz is a graduate of Course 20, and Aaron of Course 29 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP), thanks to scholarships provided by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation. Aaron is also a graduate of the ARLF’s TRAIL Emerging Leaders Program, and of his industry’s Australian Future Cotton Leaders and Cotton20 programs. Both Aaron and Liz share a passion for building up people in agricultural industries to take the whole sector forward.
Some highlights:
Our host:
Matt Linnegar is the Chief Executive of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. He is the former CEO of the National Farmers’ Federation, and a committed advocate for rural Australia. Currently, he’s on the board of the Telstra Foundation, Agribusiness Australia and The Leadership Network.
Resources:
Cotton Research and Development Corporation
TRAIL Emerging Leaders Program
Australian Rural Leadership Program
Cotton Australia Leadership Programs
If any of our episodes raise personal challenges or concerns for you, please reach out for support. Lifeline: call 13 11 14 | text 0477 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au/
In this inspiring episode, Indigenous Midwife and Arrernte leader, Cherisse Buzzacott, shares her story of personal resilience and service to her community. She unpacks the ways systemic prejudice can compromise structures of care available to First Nations women and birthing people, and her determination not to accept what is broken, but to play a lead role in fixing it.
Cherisse is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation’s Milparanga Leadership Program (2023). She has just returned from the first session of Course 31 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, thanks to a scholarship from the National Indigenous Australian Agency. Cherisse acknowledges the huge role of leadership development experiences in shaping her path in life.
Sitting down with our host, Claire Delahunty, Cherisse talks about her fulfilling role with the National NAIDOC Committee. This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is Keep the Fire Burning, which perfectly captures the spirit of activism and progress that lives in everything Cherisse stands for.
Some highlights:
Our host:
Claire Delahunty, is a writer and journalist who has worked with the ARLF for more than ten years, interviewing leaders having a positive impact on rural and regional Australia.
Resources:
National Indigenous Australians Agency
Rodanthe Lipsett Indigenous Midwifery Charitable Fund
If any of our episodes raise concerns for you, please reach out for support.
Lifeline: call 13 11 14 | text 0477 13 11 14 | https://www.lifeline.org.au/
13YARN: call 13 92 76 | https://www.13yarn.org.au/