MY HEART, MY COUNTRY NUMBER 51 SUMMER 2009 FREE NEWSLETTER MY HEART, MY COUNTRY Where ever I may go, I always come back Where my heart belongs. As I sit and look at the hills they bring back lots of memories My heart, my country. We respect and share our land, The quiet and peaceful times With memories of joy and sadness, Of walks by the river Remember to tell the children that This is our heart, our country. Family and friends gather around, Hearing the dreaming stories All about the mother earth, The grandfather moon And stars. This is where we keep The culture alive. My heart, my country WIRADJURI COUNTRY. PHYLLIS, SONY, BARBARA, CORAL & REBEccA. BRUNGLE WIRADJURI WOMEN' GROUP Aunty Phyllis Freeman and Aunty Sony Piper, Brungle LIVING IN HARMONY ■ 2010 RURAL WOMEN'S AWARD ■ ANIMALS ON BIKES PUBLisHED BY INDUSTRY & INVESTMENT NSW ISSN 1039–5202 THE COUNTRY WEB contents The Country Web is produced by the Rural Women’s Network (RWN, part of Industry FEATURES & Investment NSW) and is distributed free, 6 My heart, my country three times a year. For more about the RWN 'You may be born in another place see page 5. and have ties to it but it is the land, EDITING/DESKTOP PUBLISHING family and community that you Allison Priest belong to that is the most important CONTRIBUTIONS thing.' Wiradjuri Elders, Aunty Phyllis & Aunty Sony share their story. Letters, stories, poems and photographs from rural women and their families are welcome. 10 A sense of belonging FREE MAILING LIST Cooma is often called the most multi-cultural town in Australia. Yvi If you live in New South Wales and would like to be on our free mailing list, contact RWN. Henderson from the Monaro Family Support Services shares some MAGIC ADVERTISING moments that will hopefully inspire 13 000 copies of The Country Web are others to embrace their community produced each edition. We welcome and provide friendship and support advertisements and offer competitive to people of all cultures. Tree change success for rates. Contact RWN for more information. 16 Melbourne fashion designer Sponsorship and insert options also available. 12 Making a home in a new country CONTACT DETAILS Frances Parker from the RWN State Advisory Committee tells the story of Rural Women’s Network Locked Bag 21 Kristina Le and her family, who came Orange NSW 2800 to Australia from Vietnam 27 years Ph: 02 6391 3620 ago. Frances said, 'Every family has a Fax: 02 6391 3650 story of making Australia their new TTY: 02 6391 3300 home. They are an important part of Email: [email protected] our agricultural industry and have put Website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/rwn their heart into our country.' COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS 14 Five generations – and still farming See page 14, 23 & 24 for competitions. Jenni and Peter Fagan encouraged 1. Information on how to enter and prize details form part their children to leave the farm and of the Terms & Conditions. By entering the competition, entrants accept these Terms & Conditions. 2. To enter, you try other employment opportunities must provide your full name and postal details, and in 25 but the strength of their connection words or less answer the competition question. 3. Entries must be posted to the stated address by the stated date. to the land has seen them return and 4. This competition is a game of skill. The best answer as establish new enterprises. judged by the RWN will win. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Prizes cannot be 22 RIRDC Rural Women's Award transferred or redeemed for cash. The winner will be notified finalists announced by mail within 14 days from the judging date. Junee Women's Gathering Find out who our 2010 RIRDC NSW wrap-up. DISCLAIMER 17 Rural Women's Award finalists are Recognising that some of the information in this document is provided by third parties, the State of New South Wales, and their visions and hopes for the the author and the publisher take no responsibility for future of primary industries and rural the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of any information included in the document provided by such Australia. third parties. The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing. However, because of advances in knowledge, users REGULAR FEATURES are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up-to-date and to check currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Industry & 3 Editorial 23 Book reviews 30 RWN SAC Update Investment NSW, or the user’s independent adviser. 3 Calendar 24 Grants/Funding 32 Web Watch © State of New South Wales through Department of Industry & Investment [Industry & Investment NSW] 2009. You 4 Letters 24 Health 33 What’s on, may copy, distribute and otherwise freely deal with this publication for any purpose, provided that you attribute What’s new? 5 Across my desk 28 Women in Decision Industry & Investment NSW as the owner. Making & Leadership 34 Resources 15 Parenting 2 THE COUNTRY WEB • MY HEart, MY Country editorial – The Hon Linda Burney MP I’m a proud Wiradjuri woman. I in September I felt confident were included in the scheme and grew up in a tiny settlement in that I would be a good advocate last year so was the University the Murrumbidgee, so my heart for women who live beyond the of Wollongong. This will provide is firmly located in the bush. sandstone curtain – around 37 a valuable opportunity for our Wiradjuri country spans the fertile percent of all NSW women. regional students. plains that stretch from Nyngan I am aware of the enormous The NSW Government continues to Albury, from Bathurst to Hay, contribution you make to to support the Women in Local and is one of the largest tribal your families, industry, your Government Awards, which areas in Australia, including the communities and to the state recognise the women who are Murrumbidgee, Lachlan and as a whole, including your work elected to and working in local The Hon. Linda Burney MP, Macquarie rivers. In Wiradjuri as volunteers and on decision- government. This year’s Awards Minister for the State Plan, these rivers are the Galari, making bodies. included nominations of women Minister for Community Wambuul and Marrambidya. I am from Bega, Muswellbrook, The Government continues Services & formerly the of the Marrambidya Wiradjuri. Queanbeyan, Dubbo, Broken Hill, to support rural Women's Minister for Women My children’s names are Binni Gatherings. The 2009 event was Parkes and Wagga Wagga. Dironbirong, which means a huge success in Junee and I am As Minister for Community violence and raise awareness strength like the shaft of a spear pleased to re-affirm that NSW Services I know only too well of on this issue. This season six and the red colours in the setting Government has committed the hardships facing women and regional and rural rugby league sun, and Willurei Ngurumbi $42,500 towards the 2010 children living in regional and clubs which have significant Karramarra, sweet like bush Gathering in Wentworth. remote areas. I have visited safe numbers of Aboriginal players received sponsorship. The results honey, winter water. They are a This is one of a range of initiatives houses, refuges and services for so far have been very good – of constant reminder to me of our for women supported by the women and children who have the 230 players who signed up to links to country, even though NSW Government and I thought to deal with family violence. I the program, only one breached I now live only 14 km from the I’d highlight a few others. know how domestic violence centre of Sydney. stretches its tentacles across their code of conduct. The Lucy Mentoring Program every community but drought, This past year also saw the For many years my work involved aims to motivate and educate unemployment and the tyranny expansion of the Staying Home criss-crossing the state, meeting young women to become of isolation make it even tougher Leaving Violence program friends and colleagues in towns leaders in business, finance, for women in the bush. which had been successfully and centres, and visiting remote economics, accounting and piloted in Bega and East Sydney. communities, so when I was law. In 2007 the universities of Tackling Violence was my appointed Minister for Women Newcastle and New England initiative to reduce domestic continued page 4 CALENDAR OF EVENTS FEBRUARY 2010 28, NATION-WIDE or to book a site contact Alison on WHAT’S NEXT? 24, SYDNEY Neighbour Day is a day to say thanks Ph: 03 5020 1934 or 0427 502 019. The theme for the next 2010 RIRDC NSW Rural for being a great neighbour and for edition of The Country Web is 30 – 2 MAY, TOCAL Women's Award Gala Dinner & being there when I needed you – it's Perception v's Reality. The Tocal Field Days are an annual Announcement, hosted by Tony an annual celebration of community, event attracting people on the land, Contributions are required by Kelly MLC, Minister for Primary bringing together the people next hobby farmers and enthusiasts Monday 15 February 2010 for Industries. door, across the street or on the and people just looking for a great publication in April 2010. next farm for a beer, a barbie or day out. Whether you enjoy piglet MARch 2010 just a cuppa. What are you doing to If you have stories, poems, races, great food and wine, fencing 8, NATION-WIDE celebrate? For ideas, information and pictures or other items of demonstrations or the Grand Parade International Women's Day is resource see: www.neighbourday.org interest, we would love to hear you can be sure the 2010 event will an annual event to celebrate from you.