All the best to 2019 Victorian AgriFutures™ Rural Women’s Award winner Claire Moore who is off to Canberra in September with six other state and territory finalists for the national award ceremony. The national winner will be announced at the ceremony on 11 September. Good luck Claire!
Each state and territory winner receives a $10,000 bursary for innovative ideas and projects, access to professional development opportunities and alumni networks. Four days after Claire won the Victorian award for her project addressing declining bee numbers, she was on a plane to New South Wales to learn about queen bee grafting at Tocal Agricultural College.
Claire’s aim is to breed genetically diverse queen bees that are healthy and adaptable in a range of climates. She says of the course, “It was a whirlwind and big learning curve, but I loved spending time with a group of fabulously talented beekeepers. This is only the beginning.”
Meet the other finalists
Jo Palmer, NSW/ACT. Jo, founder of Pointer Remote Roles based near Wagga Wagga, wants to create an online portal to cut career barriers for working women in regional, rural and remote areas. The portal’s resources and training will also educate and support businesses to adopt remote employment.
Deanna Lush, South Australia. Deanna, a communicator and farmer from Palmer on South Australia’s Murray Plains, is selling the message to all Australians that agriculture is vital to the industry’s continued success through her network of ‘trust in ag’ champions across rural Australia.
Anh Nguyen, Tasmania. Anh, an engineer by training, is retrofitting current irrigation and farm monitoring systems with a smart and automatic Internet of Things remote control system. Her aim is to make farming management more efficient, smart, and sustainable.
Natasha Roebig, Queensland. Natasha, another bee keeper and apiary innovator, wants to establish an interactive training facility with the apiary industry in South-East Queensland, to promote innovative research and ethical beekeeping practices.
Belinda Lay, Western Australia. Belinda, a mixed sheep and cropping farmer, sees no reason why livestock cannot have ‘fitbit’ technology similar to humans to monitor their bodies in real time. Her aim is to trial imported sheep collars and reduce the need for manual handling.
Zoe Malone, Northern Territory. Zoe, a Darwin local, is passionate about the role people and communities play in creating strong and vibrant regions. Her project is to work with grassroots organisations to empower volunteers and community groups to take charge of their governance.
More at AgriFutures™’ website: agrifutures.com.au/people-leadership/rural-womens-award/
Facebook: facebook.com/agriculturevictoria/
Twitter: twitter.com/vicgovag
Pictured: Claire Moore with her first queen bee grafts at Tocal Agricultural College
