THE hard work and dedication of rural women has been put to paper in a celebration of their contribution to Australia.
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A new book is being launched as part of the Wagga-based AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, telling the stories of growth and success within the Riverina and all across the country.
Jo Palmer is one woman to feature in the release after being named National Rural Woman of the Year in 2019 for her role in helping women find remote work, all from her farm in The Rock.
The founder of Pointer Remote Roles also created an online portal to help alleviate the roadblocks that hold many rural women back from applying for remote work.
"It's quite strange because I was starting that idea for assisting with remote work before the pandemic started, and now it seems more important than ever," she said.
"Doing that training to help people learn how to work remotely to boost our regions is now the main focus, and me living rural myself helps me see things through the country lens - I know what's needed here, what is beneficial and what can boost the economy, the population, all of those important aspects."
The theme of the book is celebrating 21 years of the award with the same question posed to all the participants: "What advice would you give your 21-year-old self."
Ms Palmer said for her, she wouldn't change a thing.
"I'd just tell myself to keep on going the way I'm going," she said.
"We've all made mistakes and messed up, I've had some doozies, but they've all led me to where I am now."
Sharing the stories of growth in rural women across Australia was a "beautiful reminder" of what's involved in their daily lives, according to Ms Palmer.
"It's a reminder of all the amazing stuff rural women are doing, because the fact that we are all running households, farms and businesses means it's often not recognised," she said.
"There are so many impressive women out there and it's amazing to have them in a central directory almost, to help inspire others, create connections and provide resources for a lot of people and businesses."
"For years, the aim of the program is to amplify the impactful voice of all our State/Territory Winners by giving them a platform to share their message and help unlock the potential of all rural women," she said.
"This book shines a light into the deeply personal stories of many women. These journeys are as diverse as the women telling them. They speak of social change, of triumph and tragedy, of ingenuity, resilience, bravery and determination."
The 2020 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award State/Territory Winners will remain as their State/Territory Winners until September 2021 when the National Winner and Runner Up of this cohort will be announced at a gala dinner at Parliament House.
The AgriFutures Rural Women's Award will not open applications in September 2020 for the 2021 program. Applications will open again, directly following the gala event in September 2021 for the 2022 program.