Celebrating success on International Women's Day

 
NSW Farmers is celebrating the hard work and dedication of rural women for International Women's Day.

Driven and passionate women from across the state were making a difference in their communities – both on and off the farm – NSW Farmers Vice President Rebecca Reardon said.

“Rural and remote communities are held together by women who love where they live and the way they work,” Mrs Reardon said.

“They’re small business owners and teachers, health workers and accountants, volunteers and high-flyers who all play their part in making our communities better.

“Women have always played a crucial role in agriculture, handling a lot of business operations while also traditionally raising the family, and now they’re stepping up and taking on bigger challenges.”

The latest cohort of NSW Farmers Tertiary Scholarship recipients were all young women with big dreams of building their communities.

Imogen Wilkes-Bowes grew up on a sheep and cattle property near Naradhan in the Central West, and regularly returned to help on the farm in between her studies at the University of Sydney. Ms Wilkes-Bowes said she was passionate about rural health and was studying to become a rural GP.

“I have chosen to pursue medicine because I believe the gap in healthcare outcomes between rural and metropolitan areas can be bridged by healthcare which focuses on prevention, education and support,” Ms Wilkes-Bowes said.

“I would encourage every young woman to dream big and pursue whatever they want to do in life – especially if it involves getting into science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“There are still some unconscious biases in society about what boys and girls should do, but my parents encouraged us to follow our dreams and getting this has helped me to continue to pursue my goals.”

Other recipients of the 2022 NSW Farmers Tertiary Scholarships were studying agriculture business management, veterinary science, nursing, and physiotherapy. Applications for the 2023 scholarships close soon.