Alumni Connect September

Alumni Breakfast event in Canberra – Wednesday 13 September 

Next week is a big week in Canberra with the annual AgriFutures Rural Women’s Awards Gala Dinner to be held at Parliament House on Tuesday 12September. Plus – the Graduation of ARLP C29 on Thursday 14September. (Just on C29, wishing all participants, and staff, a fabulous final session in Canberra. Looking forward to joining your Graduation celebrations next week!) 

Anyway – we know these events bring alumni, staff and the broader network into town so we’ve decided to host an Alumni Breakfast on the morning of Wednesday 13 September.   

So if you live locally or you’re heading to Canberra for next week’s celebrations, we’d love you to join us at the Lonsdale Street Roasters, from 7.30am – 8.30am. Please register your attendance via this link https://events.humanitix.com/arlf-alumni-canberra-event.

Attending the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Awards – we’d love to know!

Just on the Rural Women’s awards, if you are attending the Gala Dinner, please let us know. We generally gather as many alumni as we can for a photo after the main proceedings. Just send the briefest of emails to me – julias@rural-leaders.org.au.  I’ll be there together with ARLF Chair Rick Sawers and Acting Chief Executive Philippa Woodhill on the ARLF table. So look out for us. And we’ll certainly be on the lookout for you! 

And – the best of luck to current ARLP 30 participant Eileen Breen – who has been named at the NT
finalist for the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award. Fingers and toes crossed for you Eileen! 

Don’t miss this opportunity… ‘When Everyone Leads’ Webinar – 28 September. 

For those of you who have not booked your ticket for the ‘When Everyone Leads’ webinar set for 28 September – I suggest that you do!  This is honestly such a fabulous bite sized, personal development opportunity!

Our two facilitators from the Kansas Leadership Centre, Julia Fabris McBride and Joseph Shepard, are both such high calibre speakers and experts in the field of leadership. This is a really accessible way to re-energise your thinking around the concept of collective leadership and connect you with two leadership experts. 

A full price ticket is $119. But ARLF and Tassie Leaders Alumni can access a discounted ticket for only $74.95 (there’s an alumni discount code that has been emailed to you).  

Plus – you’ll get an e-copy of the book “When Everyone Leads”. Check out our website for more information. 

The webinar is a joint initiative between ARLF and Tasmanian Leaders. We are keen to bring graduates of Australian based leadership programs together to learn fresh ways to support each other on the journey of leadership. 

Also, check out and connect with Kansas Leadership Centre. It’s a fabulous organisation whose ethos, well understood by the ARLF and Tassie Leaders, centres around inclusive leadership for lasting and impactful change when faced with complex challenges.  

A thriving network in action! 

We love nothing more than to see our network in beautiful collaborative action!  Watching on as Lisa Anderson, ARLF Fellow from C27, Co-Convene the Thriving Women’s conference held in Wagga in mid-August was a delight. The inaugural NSW event (sold out 6 weeks ahead of the event) brought together a 200 strong crowd of women from across NSW, QLD, VIC, SA and ACT. 

The conference theme was ‘Growing and inspiring women connected through agriculture’ and keynote speakers included renowned ABC journalist Leigh Sales, climate change warrior Olympia Yarger and champion regional business entrepreneur Jane Cay. 

Toolbox talks covered some of the big issues – climate change, fast fashion, managing food waste and unlocking ag tech. There was also conversation around leadership, networking, mentoring, communication skills and how to use humour to effect. For some, the building blocks around finance, legal challenges and succession planning were a highlight. 

The conference also celebrated those who are authentic, genuine, brave and vulnerable.

Helping to co-convene this conference was Lisa Anderson’s post ARLP passion project – a perfect way for her to give something back to regional, rural and remote Australia. And an opportunity to use and practice some of the things learned during her time on the ARLP.

Lisa says “What I particularly noticed was the power of networks and affiliation. My C27 cohort gave me confidence and courage. I sought out alumni who I thought might offer advice and champion the event. They were generous, especially with suggestions for keynote speakers and presenters. One lobbied and arranged for sponsorship. One spoke. One gave the Welcome to Country.” 

“Something really important to the team was to ensure that, despite the ticket price tag, there was an opportunity for those in rural locations to attend with a ticket paid for by someone else. I’m proud beyond words of the alumni that stepped up and made the opportunity for others to attend happen.” 

And, the conference allowed for connections between a variety of different cohorts and programs. We had alumni from ARLP, Drought, Trail, Milparanga and LARC in attendance”. 

Lisa adds “The group photo shows most of those that were able to attend the conference. But it misses Donna Digby who flew in from Alice Springs. And the fabulous Emma Thomas who gave a toolbox talk on climate. What it also doesn’t show, is the people who stood beside me and quietly offered courage, wisdom, ideas and so much more.” 

Lisa’s work here embodies everything we hope for when choosing an ARLP participant. It’s NOT about personal development, but it IS about fostering leadership capacity so participants can give back to their community in the ways they are most passionate about.  And we are thrilled that Lisa has leaned so strongly into the ARLF network for support and guidance in this instance.  And no surprise that the network was so generous in return. 

We love everything about this story! The only downside from our perspective is that no ARLF staff member could attend the conference as it clashed with our annual retreat! But next time – watch out! We will be there. 

Again, congratulations to Lisa and the Thriving Women’s team on what has been an incredibly successful event. Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Spot any emerging leaders in your network/community?

TRAIL is our Emerging Leaders program which runs annually in March. It’s a 7-day experiential and challenge-based program helps future leaders become aware of their own personal behaviours and learn how to engage effectively in their workplaces, communities, and industries.

As ARLF Alum, your knowledge of our programs make you perfectly placed to spot an emerging leader in your network who could benefit from an ARLF program experience and help turbo charge their capacity for effective leadership. The TRAIL program is a self-funded program – so organisations can book a spot for their staff, or for any individuals keen for the experience. 

So – if there’s someone in your network that springs to mind, please reach out to us. Or if you work for an organisation committed to fostering leadership development for staff, TRAIL might be a great personal development option to explore.   

Check out our webpage on TRAIL for more information about the program. Otherwise, you can reach out to our Business Development Manager Tristan Richmond at tristanr@rural-leaders.org.au with any questions. 

Upcoming Alumni Events    

With staff moving around the country delivering programs or attending events/conferences, we are keen to take full advantage of this movement. So – see a list of events below coming up between now and November. 

Click the links bellow for more details about each event and to register your attendance.  We will also reach out to local alumni in each of these locations via email.

ACT 

Canberra – BREAKFAST – Wednesday 13 September 7.30am – 8.30am

https://events.humanitix.com/arlf-alumni-canberra-event

QLD 

Rockhampton – DRINKS and NIBBLES – Tuesday 26 September, 6pm – 8 pm. 

https://events.humanitix.com/arlf-alumni-rockhampton-event

Cooktown – LUNCH – Wednesday 27 September, 1pm – 2pm

https://events.humanitix.com/arlf-alumni-cooktown-event

WA 

Merredin – LUNCH – Tuesday 19 September, 1pm – 2pm 

https://events.humanitix.com/arlf-alumni-merredin-event

Narrogin – LUNCH – Thursday 12 October, 1pm – 2pm

https://events.humanitix.com/arlf-alumni-narrogin-event

Perth – DRINKS and NIBBLES – Thursday 2 November, 5pm – 7pm 

https://events.humanitix.com/arlf-alumni-perth-event

Coral Bay – LUNCH – Wednesday 8 November, 1pm – 2pm. 

https://events.humanitix.com/arlf-alumni-coral-bay-event

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