I have been a farmer for 41 years, from the time my Melbourne-based family moved to regional Victoria, following a career move for one of my parents. After a year of living in a regional town, my parents purchased a small property at the end of the Hume Weir, near Sandy Creek. I immediately felt my roots penetrate the soil: I was home.

Today I still live in rural Victoria, having settled into a small farming community in Norong, near the Victoria/New South Wales border, after a period of study and secondary teaching. I now run Affectus Rural Training Initiatives, which was born following the tragic events of September 11, 2001 – I saw the world through different eyes and wanted to make a difference by helping people find and develop their leadership space. This highly successful leadership consultancy business involves transforming leaders and affecting communities all over Australia.

I rely on efficient and state-of-the-art telecommunications to build relationships with my funders, clients and participants all around the country. Before my home office was connected to the NBN, I felt like Australia was galloping ahead of me – I could be found in city hotels in the middle of the night uploading leadership videos, because the service provided to my home office couldn’t transfer files quickly enough before the system crashed. I would catch earlier flights to destinations where I was delivering programs, just so I had an extra few hours in an airport with free wifi.

We now have wireless broadband, which, although not perfect, means I can connect on social media with other leadership consultants across the world. It also keeps me in touch with the more than 800 graduates of the program, and a team of facilitators located from the Torres Strait to Melbourne. Technology has allowed me to follow my dream and make a difference to the companies, businesses, industries and individuals who choose to work with us.

Visit Affectus Australia here