Victoria’s 2022 rural women’s finalists announced
3 February 2022
Three inspiring Victorian women have been announced as the Victorian finalists for the 2022 AgriFutures™ Rural Women’s Award, recognising their innovative ideas to support Australia’s rural communities.
The Award supports Australian women to use and develop their skills to benefit industries and communities and play a part in Victoria’s $17.8 billion agriculture sector.
Kelly Barnes from Dunkeld, founder of Mates Dog School and 2020 Victorian winner, said the award offers an amazing opportunity for innovative and resourceful rural women to step out of their comfort zones and onto a statewide platform to showcase and develop their ideas.
“This year’s finalists are fantastic examples of the creativity and passion we have residing in rural communities. I commend each of them for putting themselves forward to receive the recognition they deserve for the contributions they are making in their communities,” she said.
This year’s finalists are:
- Kimberley Furness, from Strathfieldsaye, who is the Founder and Editor of OAK Magazine, a publication dedicated to female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Kimberley would like to grow her magazine to span print, digital and audio.
- Nikki Davey, from Glenmore, is a co-founder of Grown Not Flown, a slow flower movement digital platform. She would like to grow the platform to include florists, event professionals and other small businesses, while working with marketing specialists to educate flower consumers on the importance of buying local.
- Deborah Bogenhuber, from Irymple, works closely with Food Next Door Co-op which supports new migrant farmers to grow traditional and culturally important crops. Deborah wants to establish a co-operative small-scale mill facility in Mildura to turn maize grown by this community of farmers into flour.
The Victorian winner will be announced at an upcoming Award ceremony and will receive a bursary of $15,000 towards her project. The winner will also compete for the National Award and a further $20,000 for their project, which will be announced at a gala dinner in Canberra later in the year.
In addition to the Victorian AgriFutures™ Rural Women’s Award, the Victorian Government is supporting women in agriculture with the Rural Women’s Network, encouraging leadership, resilience and connection for women in rural Victoria, and recognising the significant contributions that women have made across the state.
For more information about the award visit the Agriculture Victoria website.
Media contact: Tess Astle, 0427 059 834