Hello and welcome to she makes news.

It's Friday, October 4.

I'm your host, Kimberly Finesse, and this is your weekly wrap up for regional women in Australia.

Rural entrepreneurs Jo Palmer and Julia Spicer have teamed up together to launch the connection table to ensure rural Australia has a voice at decision making tables across the country.

Julia, an experienced business leader based in Kundawindi, Queensland, says the connection Table connects rural, regional and remote leaders with opportunities on boards, advisory committees and beyond.

Basically what it is is a platform that brings together leaders from across rural, regional and remote Australia.

So sector agnostic for men and women who are interested in being able to leverage work that they've been doing to look at how they want to position themselves on boards advisory committees.

But really, I guess selfishly is to make sure that we can support the impact that we know regional, rural and remote Australia can have on a national level.

The Connection Table is a membership based subscription model designed for those already on a leadership path.

The platform offers resources to help members find roles on boards, become keynote speakers, and continue their advocacy work.

So the connection table is suitable for anybody who is already on their leadership pathway.

So you might have done a leadership program already, you might be an alumni of a rural woman's award, a nuffield, a ARLP kind of a program.

So you've done a level of professional development already and you are looking for what's next.

You're looking for how do you use that professional development to get onto boards, to become a keynote speaker at conferences, to look at what your next step is around your leadership or advocacy role that you might want to take.

Julia highlighted the unique features of the platform, such as monthly lunch with friends sessions which bring together influential voices from across Australia for insightful conversations.

The first event, scheduled for October 25, will feature leaders like Catherine Marriott and Fleur Anderson, both involved in the platform's inception.

So we have monthly lunch with friends where it is very much the opportunity to hear from leaders, key people from across Australia who will join us literally for lunch to have some conversations.

But we also will be running professional development through the platform.

Anything from how to prepare an online keynote speech through to cross cultural leadership, how we manage remotely, you know, these topics that we're having and these challenges that we're having, regardless of whether we're in agriculture, local government or philanthropy across regional Australia.

These are some of the areas that we really want to be able to help people focus on Kimberley and give them some skills, confidence and importantly, some networks to be able to cross fertilize, let's say and do some work with different people and start to get some of these regional voices and regional leaders into some other decision making spaces and also onto some other stages around Australia.

Julia also touched on the persistent gap between women in rural workforces and leadership roles.

What we find is often the statistics of women in organisations or women in business is roughly 50 50.

The challenge we find, though, is when we look at leadership roles within industry or within business, that drops to about 1%.

And so, you know, some of that is women in particular leave the workforce to not only have the babies, but then raise the families.

And that still happens, you know, more regularly than it does the men leaving the workplace to do that.

And so then to come back in at that leadership level is more challenging for people.

So there was some work done years ago with some of the corporate ag businesses across northern Australia and that was certainly the statistic that, you know, 50% of their workforce was women, but only 1% in leadership roles.

And so there's that element to it.

And then the other really interesting thing, Kimberly, from what's seen both anecdotally and also through some of the research, is the amount of.

Of time that women spend on volunteer boards before they think they have the experience or skills to move onto a paid board role.

And that is in some cases, you know, decades or certainly at least five or six years.

And so we're potentially missing women joining bigger board roles, paid board roles, you know, we're missing five or ten years of their experience around that table because they don't think they're ready yet.

And in some circumstances that might be the case.

But I would doubt that that's the case for most of the ladies.

With a third of Australians living in rural areas.

Julia and Jo believe that representation on state and national boards should reflect this.

A third of Australians live in the region.

So if we follow that through to state health boards, national advisory councils, et cetera, et cetera, you would assume that a third of the boards and councils at state and national level should also be filled by regional people.

We know that's not the case and we see the connection table as a way to be able to bring regional Australia across sectors into an area where we can then be accessed while we're all in our silos of industries or states or whatever, it's really hard for people to be able to find us and engage with us.

And so, you know, there's the pulling together of all of the regional people and helping promote.

There's also the flip side of where we're far more easy then for a federal or state government department to come and find the clever leaders who are doing a level of professional development and have found their way to the connection table.

So we're really looking at it as that two way opportunity for the regions to better engage and also bring our skills and experience to the table.

The connection table is certainly set to play a key role in making rural Australia more visible, accessible and engaged in shaping the future of the nation.

Big changes at the Conron store in Grenfell, New South Wales.

It has a new owner and a fresh location in the heart of Main street.

Store manager Sophie Hancock has been part of the journey since it was opened in 2023 by Rachel Conran and is now part of the next chapter with.

New owner Hayden Rhodes, the founder of the Conran store.

Rachel Conran, she flagged the idea of opening a rural lifestyle store that would operate in conjunction with Conran Stock Creek.

So Hayden was already involved in that business, so he got to see the store come to life, which was so exciting.

He was already in love with the idea of the store and how great it had been going, so he jumped at the opportunity.

It's nice to be able to still work with him in this capacity because we were working in the same location before, but, you know, he was involved with Conran stock Crete and I was involved with the store.

So it's really exciting to continue that partnership with him and, yeah, in a new location which we've just only opened in.

So it's been a really great time.

Sophie says the retail scene is thriving in the small town of Grenfell.

Grenfell has got such a range of retail stores.

It's really exciting what's happening here in the moment, especially up the main street, and you can start at one end and you can just, you know, visit a series of shops the whole way up the street, which is really great.

And everyone is so supportive of one another, especially because we all offer something so different.

So our store predominantly is rural lifestyle.

We have a mixture of country clothing and work clothing and a few outdoor pieces where there's other stores that have homewares or, like a more fashion style.

So something that we don't have, we'll let them know about another store up the main street and vice versa.

So there's a really exciting range of shops that are happening in Grenville at the moment.

And to have the local community support, that is so exciting.

But also to bring other people into the town has been really great to see.

Speaking about the difficulties facing retail businesses in rural areas.

Sophie says initiatives like buy from the Bush have spotlighted rural talent and why shopping local makes a meaningful impact on communities like hers.

The retail sector, like any industry, definitely has its ups and downs.

And, you know, the downs can be pretty low and the highs are very high.

And I think just to ride that wave is really tricky.

But I think when you say to shop local, I think to bring it back.

A few years ago, that buy from the bush really lifted the lid on what was happening in rural and regional Australia.

Like, there are so many wonderful businesses doing incredible things, and I just think there is so much talent out there, especially in, you know, the rural and regional sectors.

And I think because already being in those types of communities, there's already that resilience, you know, whether it be through drought or, you know, the other challenges that we do face out here, which vary a lot.

So I do think there is a lot of resilience for people in the country, but I just also think that there is so much to see.

We just have so much to offer to shop local.

It means so much to not only the community, but, yeah, just to so many wonderful women who are doing great things.

And I think buy from the bush really just showcased what there is out there.

The Conron store recently moved into a historic building at 38 Main street, formerly a hardware store and co working space.

So the new store has a really lovely history.

It's a beautiful building.

We're at 38 Main street, and it was originally a hardware store.

When I was a little girl, I used to come in here with my dad, and, you know, later down the track, it developed into a beautiful co working space called the Collective, which was owned by Belinda Marwini.

And, yeah, we've returned back to the retail roots.

And to open the store up into this space again has been so lovely just to have so much history here, and it's been really lovely to have different generations come into the store and, you know, see how it's transformed over the years and, you know, just to bring new life into it, to keep it going.

It's in a beautiful part of the street, and I think to have something with so much history and just to keep it going and to add to its story is really lovely.

The Conron store is a go to destination for wow factor retail experiences, but it shouldn't be your only stop.

We actually have got a beautiful instagram account called Retail Road Trip to Grenfell, which showcases all of the beautiful shops to come and see why you're here I would definitely go and visit the natural home.

They've got such beautiful homewares and furniture, farm and fable.

They have got a nursery and a coffee shop as well as some other beautiful gifts.

The tin cupboard have got beautiful kitchen wares and other lovely things.

Chrome boutique there's scope clothing, there is a beautiful bound pages.

Bookshop there is.

Yeah, there's so many lovely shops to see but definitely follow retail road trip to Grenfell and yeah, you'll see what's on there and come and spend the day in Grenfell.

Now for some news headlines.

Steph Trethewey, founder of national charity Motherland, has launched Motherland Connect, Australia's first digital resource hub for rural mothers, a one stop shop connecting them to the services they need to support their mental and physical health and their families.

Steph, a former tv journalist, set up Motherland in 2021 to connect mothers raising children on the land, along with her podcast Motherland Australia.

Still on motherland and Tola trading, who design work shirts with unique print detail, have partnered up with the national charity to donate $5 from every holly shirt sold.

Rhythm First Aid has launched its first food tracker fridge magnet.

Designed by founder Nicole Gleeson, a paediatric emergency nurse and first aid expert, the comprehensive food trackers make the journey of introducing solids to your baby easier and less overwhelming.

Georgie Somerset, a rural industry leader and strategist, has been named a joint recipient of the Peter Kenny Medal as part of the Queensland Agriculture Awards.

The award recognises her commitment to innovation that leads to profitability and sustainability and receives a $3,000 bursary to go towards supporting her studies or work.

Eileen Breen has received the Northern Territory Telstra Best of business award for promoting sustainability for her business, Entex.

Entex is a resource recovery company that transforms potential environmental liabilities into valuable resources.

Its flagship project converts waste, concrete and tires into reusable materials.

Eileen is on a winning streak, having earlier this year been named Northern Territorys Rural Woman of the year.

Australian women in Agriculture held its national conference in Aubrey Wodonga last week.

Three days of inspiration, networking and lots of seeds for success shared amongst 200 women from across the country.

There is still time to get in your application for the 2025 Agrifutures Rural Women's award.

Your business program or project could be the next to receive over $35,000 in funding thanks to Platinum sponsor Westpac.

Applications close on Wednesday, October 9 and a few events coming up.

Rural Women's Day is Tuesday, October 15.

There are many fabulous events held across the nation to celebrate and connect with like minded women.

You'll find me at the New South Wales Rural Women's gathering in Hardin Murrumburra on October 19.

The gathering is full of wonderful activities, including twelve unique workshops, networking opportunities, arts, craft and cultural experiences.

I'll be joining two incredible guest speakers, Yana Pitman, former Australian Olympian and two time athletics world champion, and Ruby Reith Muller, founder of Womankind.

Tickets for Saturday are $65, which includes three workshops, catering and access to keynote speakers.

The Matresen's collective are bringing a pregnancy, birth and postpartum expo to Bendigo on October 27.

Attendees will have access to a number of service providers who are experts in supporting new mothers through pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

That's your weekly wrap up for regional women.

You'll find links in our show notes for anything that's been mentioned.

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