Meet our team:

Emma Bennetts

Headshot of Emma Bennetts

Emma Bennetts

I create visual communications to engage with our online community and share what we are doing to in rural, regional and remote spaces within Australia. Good visual communication helps bring the mission of ARLF to the forefront of peoples minds, creates engagement and prompts conversation.

I’m a creative with too many ideas and not enough hands. I’ve spent most of my creative energy on honing my woodworking skills and have attended a Furniture Making School and a Guitar Making School. As such I have a beautiful handmade Parlor guitar as well as a Scandi-style Tassie Oak dining table under my belt. I also love scouring marketplace for timber furniture to restore.

Where does your passion for rural, regional and remote Australia come from?

Originally from Sydney and now living in regional NSW, I have a first hand view of the challenges faced by communities outside Metro areas. Fighting for our local hospital to stay open has made a huge impact on my understanding of the struggles faced in rural, regional and remote areas.

What’s your favourite memory or most memorable moment in rural, regional and remote Australia?

Stranded in the small town of Berridale, NSW at the start of the Easter long weekend, my husband and I were halfway to our destination, now with a broken down car. We had to wait 4 days for the nearest car hire place and towing company to open after the long weekend. Incredibly, this tiny town of 1300 people, put on the most delightful Easter Festival and we ended up having a gorgeous, intimate experience with the locals. We sat around a fire and drank hot tea from a Billy Can. We ate homemade damper from the CWA. We scoured the local antique wares that were for sale and we wandered around the historic community art gallery. All in all, this small community made a big impact on our time there.

What’s your professional background?

I have worked as a Graphic Designer in Marketing and Communications for over 12 years. I spent the first part of my career working in Publishing as a Book Designer. In more recent years I have worked as both an Exhibition Designer and Creative Media Designer within the Tourism and Education sectors.

Three things you love about working at the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation?

The opportunity to work remotely from my home in Regional NSW, my wonderful team and being part of something that is making a difference to our rural, regional and remote communities.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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