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Big year for Women in Cotton
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By Sharna Holman
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Wincott – Women in Cotton – was established in December 2000 to help develop the skills, knowledge and networks of women involved in all aspects and regions of the Australian cotton industry. Wincott has grown and expanded to provide professional and personal development opportunities for all women living in our cotton growing communities. Wincott functions with the dedication of volunteers geographically spread across the cotton industry. Our volunteers are passionate about the industry and assisting other women to achieve personal and professional growth, develop skills and have influence as community members.
We would like to extend our greatest thanks and gratitude to the women, sponsors and our industry that continues to support our organisation. These people provide support in the form of time, energy, commitment and funding to help Wincott achieve our goals and help better our members, our industry and our communities.
Some of the highlights from the 2018 – 2019 season include:
Wincott ‘Ladies of the Land Luncheon’
Wincott hosted the ‘Ladies of the Land Luncheon’ in Emerald in May. The luncheon provided the opportunity for women working in all sectors of agriculture across Central Queensland to learn, network and importantly celebrate being a woman in agriculture. A sold out crowd of 130 guests heard from two guest speakers, Elisha Parker from Cattlesales.com.au and Earle May from Sunsuper.
Cattlesales.com.au co-founder Elisha Parker inspired guests as she represented the modern and multitasking women. Elisha shared her story of raising a family, running a cattle station, working externally for a Brisbane-based law firm and building a revolutionary online platform to market cattle, all from a remote property near Clermont.
She inspired women not to be afraid to break traditions and to dream big. While Earle May put the spotlight on financial questions which most people prefer to put off, providing strategies and solutions to how women can overcome the challenges of wage equality, financial security
Elisha Parker was a guest speaker at the Ladies of the Land luncheon.
and the breaks or reduced hours of employment which can often occur when raising a family.
The goal was to facilitate an event where women from all associations of agriculture could come together to connect and share their unique experiences and skills so that we can grow together. The ‘Ladies of the Land Luncheon’ was an excuse for women to leave the paperwork at the desk, the dirty boots at the property gate and a note that they would be home late. The luncheon saw women travel as far as 200 kilometres from every direction in the Central Highlands to celebrate the beauty of being a woman and the exciting opportunities we have in agriculture. The connections and
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the conversations at this event were invaluable. “These conversations are what sparks confidence and creativity for women to take on new challenges” said Central Highlands Wincott Regional Representative Alexandria Galea.
We are thankful for the support of sponsors The Glennie School, SunSuper, Rabobank, Louis Dreyfus Company and Central Highlands Cotton Growers and Irrigators Association who made the event possible.
Continued growth in our Facebook presence
Our Facebook presence has continued to grow with more consistent posting and promotion of posts, industry events and opportunities that are applicable to our subscribers and membership base. At the start of last season, the Wincott Facebook page had 1054 ‘likes’ and has since increased to 1356 ‘likes’. This increase in followers has allowed the organic reach of our posts to grow, capturing not just women in the cotton industry, but women in our communities and agriculture more broadly. If you have not ‘liked’ our page, we encourage you to get on Facebook, and give our page a like to keep up to date with upcoming Wincott events and opportunities targeted and applicable to our members. You can find our page by searching ‘Wincott – Women in Cotton’.
Annual general meeting
Our Annual General Meeting was held at the Cotton Collective in Griffith in August. This year we also provided the opportunity for members to dial in to ensure distance would not minimise member participation. The AGM saw a new committee elected with a number of new members joining the Wincott Committee and we had the chance to thank our outgoing members for their time and commitment.
Previous Wincott events and workshops
The Australian Cotton Conference provides Wincott with the opportunity to run a luncheon focused on connecting women throughout the industry. The 2018 Australian Cotton Conference saw more than 300 women converge to attend the Wincott Luncheon, celebrating the theme “Making the most of where you are.” The luncheon was hosted by grower and Cotton Australia board member Fleur Anderson, with the crowd hearing from three panel speakers: • Jo Palmer , founder of Pointer Remote Roles; • Clair e Dunn, editor and publisher of Graziher
Magazine; and, • Simone Kain, co-founder of George the
Farmer.
Our panellists had the opportunity to share their stories and journeys as rural women and how they make the most of where they live and work.
The 2018 Australian Cotton Conference also saw Wincott deliver Wincott Workshops for the first time. Panellist Jo Palmer helped deliver “Getting ideas from the kitchen table to market,” sharing how she actioned her kitchen table ideas and “table chat” and gave practical advice and actions for attendees to take home. Panellists Claire Dunn and Simone Kain delivered “The art of telling a good yarn… and being heard” where they shared their personal stories and delved into the art of perfecting a pitch and ideas on how to better communicate to ensure our stories get heard.
Expect big things at the 2020 Australian Cotton Conference where Wincott celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Talwood ladies morning tea
Wincott hosted the Talwood Ladies Morning Tea in June 2018. This event saw more than 80 women from the local area and surrounding district come together. The morning included a presentation from Chantel McAlister, owner of Chantel Renae Photography, about her ‘Truth about Wool’ campaign, delicious treats and a few bottles of bubbly. The event, which started in 2017, provides women in the region an opportunity to catch up, meet each other
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and support one another at a local social gettogether. These events are kindly supported by local businesses.
Banking and financial workshops
Working alongside ANZ, Wincott has delivered interactive banking and financial workshops in southern NSW focusing on the key banking and financial skills for cotton producers. This workshops revolve around the three key themes of: • Helping your bank help you; • Financial markets; and, • Commodities.
Key challenges and goals for the 2019 – 2020 season
The Wincott committee is working to identify the responsibilities of committee members so we can continue delivering benefits to our members. As volunteers, we are ensuring our
Jo Palmer, The Rock; Simone Kain, Penola, SA; Fleur Anderson, Theodore; and, Claire Dunne, Duaringa at the 2018 Cotton Conference. responsibilities and goals are not onerous but achievable to allow our organisation and events to be sustainable in the long-term. Being a regional representative does take a small time commitment, but it is a rewarding role with liberty to host and organise events or workshops that reflect the needs and wants of the women in your community.
We also provide the opportunity for multiple women to be a regional representative in one region, recognising that many hands make light work. With great excitement our Wincott Committee expanded this season with four new regional representatives joining us representing Brisbane. This reflects the true makeup of the Australian cotton industry with rural and city based industry members working together to make our industry stronger.
We are currently developing our work plan for the season based on priorities identified in our previous planning sessions. Our aim is for Wincott to host or help support an event in every region each year with the emphasis of these events being to help support the professional or personal development of women in the cotton industry as well as women in agriculture broadly. We encourage women and industry to get in contact with your local Wincott regional representative if you have an idea for an event or workshop – we are always open to new ideas or those wanting to join our Wincott committee!
If you have any ideas for a Wincott event in your region, want to know how to contact your local Regional Representative or become a Regional Representative yourself, please get in contact with us either via email: wincott@mail. tidyhq.com or through our Facebook page.
