February 28, 2013
Four high-achieving Queensland women are vying for the top spot in this year’s prestigious Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award.
Agriculture Minister John McVeigh said the nominees were in the running for a $10,000 bursary to develop their personal vision into an initiative to benefit primary industries and rural Australia.
“All of the finalists are focused on giving a boost to their communities, but each has a unique vision and initiative,” Mr McVeigh said.
Nominees were judged on how they would use the State bursary prize to further develop their proposals to benefit the primary industries.
The 2013 Queensland finalists are:
- Robyn Adams, Blackall
- Alison Fairleigh, Ayr
- Terressa Ford, Hughenden, and
- Ursula Keating, Chinchilla
Minister McVeigh said some of the State finalists were working towards assisting primary industries as a whole, while others were focused on improvements in specific primary industry sectors.
“Their projects range from natural resource management and animal welfare to improving access to rural mental health services and up skilling rural women,” he said.
The State winner and runner-up titles will be announced at an awards ceremony at Parliament House in Brisbane on Tuesday, March 19.
State and Territory winners will then go on to compete for the national 2013 Rural Women’s Award in Canberra in October 2013.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry co-ordinates the award every year, in conjunction with RIRDC, as part of recognising and supporting the innovative contributions rural women make to primary industries.
