Women Empowered Everywhere
Almost 70 ladies and a handful of enthusiastic gentlemen, from across the Central West walked away feeling empowered, enlightened and energised after attending Empowering Women Forum in Barcaldine in 2010.
The forum, held on Tuesday 9th March brought a number of well-known and highly respected speakers to the region to share their skills, knowledge and experiences. Topics included achieving goals, mental health and stress management, succession planning and business management.
The day began with a chicken and champagne breakfast then Margaret Bridgeford from Resource Consulting Services gave a detailed presentation on business management and the business environment in western Queensland.
Robyn Pulman gave an inspirational and motivational presentation sharing skills to improve your life, identifying and achieving your goals, family and work relationships and how to consciously make choices in your life that leads to happiness. Robyn refers to it as ‘Personal Mastery’.
Linda McDouall as a psychologist talked candidly about metal issues with a rural perspective. The Lawrie women from the central coast offered their inspirational take on what is required to be a strong feminie force in the grazing industry. The forums included a number of trade displays from local businesses such as quilting materials, beauty products, beauty therapy, photography, art and local produce. A number of organisations including Rural Fire Service, Royal Flying Doctors Service, West N’ Breast Support Group also displayed the programs and services they offer.
The Desert Uplands Build-Up & Development Strategy Committee, supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry under its Australia’s Farming Future program, anticipated the need to directly engage women of the west in capacity building workshops. The strong and positive response and the great value to the attendees confirmed this, as did the second Empowering Women Forum in Pentland the following day, 10th March with a similarly enthusiastic and appreciative group of women of the northern Desert Uplands.