North East personalities inspiring new leaders in the Australian Rural Leadership Program

The Australian Rural Leadership Program has spent the past week in the region, travelling through Wodonga, Wangaratta and Beechworth to learn about how the communities take their own action.

Voices for Indi members from Yackandandah, Diane Shepheard and Denis Ginnivan, and Boynton's Feathertop Winery owner Janelle Boynton were involved in a panel discussion at The Old Priory in Beechworth on Thursday.

They advised the group of about 30 people on how to inspire others to make a difference and put each individual’s skills and passions to best use, from pushing for action at Mount Buffalo Chalet to setting up an event like Yackandandah Folk Festival.

Hay wool producer Bert Matthews said he had been burned out from previous leadership positions, but the program taught him to be more collaborative.

“Coming on this journey, I’ve realised there are people that can do part of everything, I don’t have to do everything myself,” he said.

Sally Mitchell, a dairy farmer from Echuca, said there was a real need for strong leaders at a difficult time for dairy, but meetings also had to be fun and inviting for people to join.

“You want the best representation and I felt that when I was in the dairy industry, I may not have been the best person I could be, so I needed to upskill,” she said.

“It is interesting to see the level of engagement that is in this North East community … It’s quite inspiring to see that there’s such a grassroots organisation going not far from where I live.”

Andrew Lui travelled from the Torres Straight for the leadership course and said he had always worked to help people and wanted to improve by putting himself in situations out of his comfort zone.

“My journey on this course, it’s life changing,” he said. “Back home we have groups, but they’re all operating themselves.

“The difference is having that structure, getting that communication right.”