Mount Pleasant grazier Garlone Moulin.

Dick Richardson (left), of Grazing Naturally, and grazier Bob Harris enjoying some “grass discourse” at a field day held in the BBB.

Guest speaker Jim Fletcher, DAF, (left), and Reid Muirhead, Weetalaba Station. Reid and wife Julie kindly allowed LDC to run the workshop at Weetalaba.

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Leadership program has an eye on the future

IN its inaugural year, 13 emerging grazing leaders are graduating from a leadership program developed specifically for graziers in the Bowen and Collinsville region.

The program has been designed by the NQ Dry Tropics’ Landholders Driving Change (LDC) project.
LDC project manager Lisa Hutchinson said the aim was to provide members of the Bowen Broken Bogie (BBB) catchment grazing community a structured and supportive pathway for personal and professional development.

“Leaders are the life-blood of small towns and rural communities,” Ms Hutchinson said.

“The success of community development efforts often rests with the degree of leadership locals are willing to provide. This program promotes leadership development in a rural context, developing leaders who understand what it takes to lead in a regional environment.

“It supports young people wanting to grow their skills, as well as established leaders wanting new ways to engage with their community.

“One of Landholders Driving Change broader goals is to build capacity and capability in the BBB grazing community, and we hope this program will become a lasting legacy for the project.”

Program participant Bob Harris, Glencoe Station, said the program had enhanced his knowledge, skills and understanding of emotional intelligence and teamwork.

“It’s exciting to be part of an enthusiastic and committed group of people who are keen to build interpersonal, self-management and personal skills to help us improve and promote a well connected industry and successful businesses,” Mr Harris said.

“I’ve certainly enjoyed sharing with other people. We signed up to the program because we’re trying to find ways to better tell our stories to the wider community on how we’re improving our country and our industry outcomes.”

Grazier Garlone Moulin, Mt Pleasant Station, was also enthusiastic about her experience on the program and said she felt privileged to have done it.

“The program fast-tracks a broad range of training and condenses years of experience into months,” Ms Moulin said.

“The exposure to, and interaction with, the other people on the course – and the benefits of having an extensive and supportive peer network going forward – has been invaluable.

“The facilitated approach to the entire program was a real strength of the training too.”

Grazier Reid Muirhead, Weetalaba Station, said he enjoyed the interaction with other graziers and hearing about different ideas.

“As far as telling the grazier story, we need a broad range of ideas and views, and everyone brought something different to the table which has been fantastic,” Mr Muirhead said.

“It’s been a valuable experience learning how to communicate effectively, and how to build meaningful relationships with your peers.

“I used to think that leaders always led from the front, but now I believe that leaders can ‘lead from the back’, in that they should encourage and guide people, especially the next generation, nurturing new ideas so the industry can move ahead in innovative ways.

“The next generation is more technology-minded and forward-thinking than the last. We need innovation in the cattle industry, so we must nurture the young people in the industry.”

The program consists of four two-day workshops delivered by some of Australia’s leading trainers and facilitators including Jill Rigney, of The Right Mind, Jo Eady, of Rural Scope and Julia Telford, of Engage and Create Consulting.

The Landholders Driving Change project is a Burdekin Major Integrated project funded by the Queensland Government through the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.

The second intake for the program is underway. To register your interest, contact Lisa Hutchinson on 0427 594 192.