16 minute read
The Regional SA Woman Award
For a regional woman who has created a thriving business or career and is an advocate for her community.
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Proudly sponsored by: Beaumont Solutions
THE REGIONAL SA WOMAN AWARD
Be proud of yourself!
Sandy Davis was the winner of The Regional Woman in Business Award in 2021. Sandy is the owner of Davo's Deli in Parndana, on Kangaroo Island. Her aim is to provide all the community needs, from everyday takeaway and groceries to external catering and then they've also got the local post office services as an added bonus.
As every person in business knows it takes more than one to make a business, it takes a team. Whether they are staff, family, or friends it takes a team. I have surrounded myself with supportive, honest and driven people who continue to inspire me with what they achieve and that helps drive me to push myself in so many areas of my life. I am coming into my 16th year of being a business owner and I still aim to grow, learn and better my management skills, my business and networking skills and my leadership skills. I cannot express how important self development is.
Sandy Davis' acceptance speech was overflowing with pride and home truths, and she had the entire SA Woman community nodding their heads in agreement. We absolutely loved the closing remark that Sandy made in her speech, "Lastly I’d like to thank that one man who in 2007 came into the shop in my first week of business and heard we were making some changes and told me I’d never make it work. Thankyou for unleashing the most stubborn part of me and that’s the part that when someone tells you you can’t, it so much more enjoyable when you do." We are now eager to talk more with Sandy to hear how business and life has been on the Island, and what she loved to share from her years of experience as a regional woman in business.
// We were so grateful you could be in Adelaide with us to accept your award last year! From bushfires to lockdowns to everything inbetween, it’s been such a challenging few years for everyone on Kangaroo Island. How has the past year been for Davo’s Deli?
I think for us the last year's most challenging part has been the continual change of needs for our customers and community. Realising and strategising to get the best from our business and continue to service our community as best we can.
Supporting and appreciating your staff as much as anything else goes a long way in business. You can’t do it on your own so take every opportunity you can to show them you see what they do and appreciate what they do.
// What would you love to see improve for regional women in business?
I think it’s just the support and belief in what we are doing for our regions. Support for each other and belief in ourselves.
Belief in how much we can achieve in every day on top of all other daily expectations. Let’s recognise how well we compartmentalise our lives between family, social and work and how we smash it all the time.
To read Sandy's acceptance speech in full, follow this QR code.
Discover more Davo's Deli at facebook.com/davosdeliparndana
Alison Meaney, Bukirk Glamping, was the People's Choice Winner of The Regional Woman in Business Award in 2021.
THE REGIONAL SA WOMAN AWARD
2022 Finalists
There are no problems, only opportunities. Everything comes down to the way you choose to look at it.
What do you love most about being in business?
I love the diversity of clients and the type of work we get to do. It is so exciting to partner with business owners who have a huge vision and need the help and expertise to pull it off.
Not only does this mean we get to celebrate the wins in our own business but we become a part of our clients success as well. That would be what you call a 'Win, win!'
Encouragement. Renewed passion to keep pushing hard for my dreams. Depth of thought around our brand and how I want it to keep growing and evolving. New-found respect for all the other amazing businesswomen we have in our awesome state.
A sense of pride. I hadn't really thought about how amazing it is to have gotten as far as I have in my business and as a leader in my community - until my mum wrote on my Facebook post announcement "Well done. May you go all the way. Vote for her as a champion of women's futures", and then I realised the impact I have had and the path we are all forging for future generations. Humbling and so amazing!
SHARNI-MARIE BARNEY, FORJ MARKETING
Forj Marketing is a strategic marketing agency that partners with businesses and organisations that are focused on growth to bring their ideas to life and establish them as influential brands in their specific market place.
To connect with Sharni-Marie Barney and discover more about her business, follow this QR code.
To connect with Stacey Phelan and discover more about her business, follow this QR code.
STACEY PHELAN, COMMERCIAL HOTEL STRATHALBYN
What started as weekend work experience at my uncle’s country pub in the late 90’s, quickly turned into a career path - and I’ve never looked back. After soaking up knowledge in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, in 2016 at 34, I left my Hotel Manager role and took the leap, purchasing the leasehold of The Commercial Hotel Strathalbyn. My drive for my business comes from the feeling of making others feel great. Simple as that!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received about business? Always back yourself and your decision. Share your experiences of the endeavours that didn’t take off how and be proud of taking the chance. I have learned just as much from my failures as I have from my successes. Bite off more than you can chew, then chew like hell.
What do you love most about being in business? The best thing about being in country pubs is having the ability to make a positive impact on someone’s life – it could be in that moment or even on their entire life. Hospitality is a challenging industry, but you won’t find one more rewarding and with such comradery. My team and my locals are my family. I get to celebrate their happiest moments but I also get to comfort them through the hard days. In 2020, this love for my community and its people, led me to fighting for better ambulance and Paramedic services for our town – a fight that brought the government to task in 2022, forcing them to act and commit to more services for our town. Being a country publican gives me the opportunity to connect to my community and advocate for them every day – there is no other career like it. What has being involved in the 2022 SA Woman Awards brought to your life? I have put in the blood, sweat and tears to grow my hotel and its brand, and it's easy to measure its financial success, in its growth.
However, this is the first time that I have taken a minute to recognise my own achievements and what I personally bring to my company and my team, as a SA Woman in business.
Upon sharing the news of being a finalist for the SA Woman Awards, I have received immense support and congratulations – it only makes me wonder why I waited so long to celebrate my own accomplishments, because doing so is overwhelmingly uplifting! Working through my own growth and abilities in this process has given me the confidence to continue my dream – to own more than one pub. This is now in the pipeline for later this year. Thank you, SA Woman, for reminding and inspiring not just me, but other women, to chase our dreams. Not just because we can and deserve to, but because we are brilliant at it!
THE REGIONAL SA WOMAN AWARD
KALSEY-ANNE FEAR, RIVERLAND VETERINARY PRACTICE
I have worked at the Riverland Veterinary Hospital for 16 years, initially as a Kennel Hand before completing further study which allowed me to progress as a Veterinary Nurse, an Accredited Veterinary Nurse, and then to my current role of Assistant Manager. We are a privately owned mixedanimal veterinary practice, providing care to animals of all sizes. Our clinic operates a 24/7 Emergency Hospital and services an area of 31,000km2. In my current role I have helped organise several programs to make veterinary care more available and more affordable, specifically for those who are homeless or low income.
To connect with Kalsey-Anne Fear and discover more about her practice, follow this QR code. What key moments led you to starting your business? Due to external factors, I made the decision to drop out of school at the age of 16, and found myself searching for a full-time job. I was connected to the Veterinary Clinic through a job provider and offered a position as a Kennel Hand. I had always loved animals, and from beginning at the Clinic, my passion for animal welfare grew. From there, I was supported by the Clinic to enrol in further study, and upon completion I was hired as a Veterinary Nurse within the clinic. Over my 16 years (and counting) I have shown passion and diligence in my work, which has led me to be offered the position of Assistant Manager, which is my current role. Through progressing, as both a Vet Nurse and a leader, I have also gone on to pursue other animal welfare projects outside of work.
What has been your biggest triumph in your career? The biggest triumphs in my career have been implementing and sourcing funding to make routine veterinary care more affordable to my community, as well as working together with Safe Pets Safe Families to set up pop-up veterinary clinics in the community to provide free veterinary care to low-income earners, the homeless, and those at risk of homelessness.
What change do you want to see for women in your region or industry? The Veterinary Industry is female-dominated, and the majority of industry professionals I work with are female peers. However, the Veterinary industry is also notorious for negatively affecting mental health, with research showing that those who work in the industry are four times more likely to take their own life than those in the general public. Moving forward, I would like to see changes implemented to assist with reducing the pressure on Veterinary workers' mental health, such as upskilling nurses and support staff to create a more positive working environment, increasing the availability of mental health support in workplaces, and working towards cultivating a work environment in which working women are more able to open up about their struggles.
What key moments led you to starting the role you are in?
The moment I knew I had to stand up and lead in this space was when I lost a friend, a real mental health warrior, to depression. She had a vision of flipping the script on mental illness to mental fitness and it is because of Kirsty that I looked at my own journey and decided I could no longer stay in the shadows about what I had hidden about my own feelings of grief, loss and suicide.
I wanted to step into the light and see her legacy live on in our community.
Do what you love and feel passionately about it, because if you do, you will never feel like you have worked a day in your life. For me, this has proven to be true. What started out as a volunteer role in mental health with Mentally Fit EP, has turned into the biggest self-learning and passion project of my life. Mentally Fit EP gave me the chance to give back to others and to support communities to find ways to be mentally fit. I am so grateful to them for seeing something in me and giving me the chance to lead the Our Town Project. It has been the most challenging and yet rewarding time of my career.
What do you love most about being in your role?
The thing I love most about my role within Mentally Fit EP and Our Town Cummins is the people. My community, my team and my mentors. Those people who inspire me to do the work I do every day because of their passion and commitment to wanting to see real change in this space. To the people who share their stories with us, to the people who I am lucky to work with and walk beside every day. They are my motivation and inspiration. Without their bravery and commitment to change we would not see shifts in the mental health space.
EMMA GALE, OUR TOWN CUMMINS
After growing up in the regional community of Cummins with a sibling living with heart disease and losing her mum to breast cancer in her teens and a new love in her twenties, Emma learnt first-hand the lack of supports when living outside of major cities when you are in crisis. Making the choice to return home years later, healed, and with a family of her own, she turned her sights to finding ways to support others battling their own challenges. It is because of these moments Emma has become a passionate mental health ambassador for the Eyre Peninsula, focussing on prevention at the core.
To connect with Emma Gale and discover more about her work, follow this QR code.
THE REGIONAL SA WOMAN AWARD
To connect with SarahJane Abley and discover more about her work, follow this QR code.
SARAH-JANE ABLEY, KIMINNES PTY LTD
After years in the corporate world, a change was needed. That's when Kiminnes Ol School Shearing was created. A new take on an age old profession. A shed where everyone is equal and teamwork is a necessity. We are aiming at making the shearing industry appealing to those wanting a steady career.
What led you to start your business? Due to a lack of professionalism and a shortage of continuous work, I saw an opening to create a new type of shearing contractor that looked after not just their clients, but their staff too.
Throughout the ups and downs, how have you stayed true to your vision? I have to say it's come down a lot to my amazing staff that I've pushed through the downs. Especially while I'm dealing with cervical cancer, my team has managed quite independently to continue my vision.
What has been your biggest triumph in your business? When I was first recognised and published in a local paper after my first year. I was told by a number of people that I would succeed and definitely would be able to change how the industry is run and perceived, as it’s been like it for decades. Now in my third year, I have been succeeding and am in high demand from farmers due to the type of service we are offering. What change do you want to see for women in your industry? I would love to see more female contractors. I think we can offer a different approach and I've found that I get more interest from women that didn't want to join a very rough, male-dominated industry contact me for information, then be happy to come and work with us knowing they're also going to be treated respectfully and fairly.
What has being involved in the 2022 SA Woman Awards brought to your life? Recognition for what I've been trying to create had been the most important thing I've got out of this experience. From local papers, farmers, random people in the street and local radio contacting me, or coming up and chatting with me about what I'm doing in the shearing industry, and giving me encouragement and congratulations for being brave enough to try something different and also being a Finalist in this award.
Be honest, be transparent. If you wouldn't want it happening to you, don't do it to anyone else!
Vision statement: Big enough to matter, small enough to care. Disclipine to the task, teamwork and being supported by the team has helped us stay true to our vision.
Despite the challenges of COVID we remained open to ensure our customers were serviced and staff were looked after.
Many people were delighted to get answers immediately, expecting we would be closed. What obstacles and opportunities have you found from being a woman in business?
Dealing with difficult customers has been both a challenge and an obstacle. This has been overcome by not letting customers think they are always right and sticking to business principles and being fair. During lockdown, we continued to service our customers with flexible cancellations/refunds and accommodating essential workers. We remained open throughout the shutdown periods to service our customers - both owners and guests. This continued to employ local staff and contractors and keep local businesses active. Opportunities included a chance for selfreflection and work on our business systems and a general tidy up of the office which we don't get the chance to do often. In 5 years from now, what would you love to be celebrating? In 5 years, I would love to be retired and reflecting on the 30 years of achievements of Country Getaways and believing I made a difference to Yorke Peninsula as a regional tourism destination.
This would include employment opportunities created as a highlight and the dollars injected into our community through bringing more guests to the region and spending their money in the region.
HELLY EASTHERSMITH, COUNTRY GETAWAYS HOLIDAY RENTALS
Country Getaways offers over 200 holiday accommodation options throughout Yorke Peninsula including beach houses, shacks, farm stays, apartments, bed and breakfast properties, and executive holiday houses; all with a wide range of styles and budgets. The local staff at Country Getaways can help with first-hand knowledge of the region, information about accommodation, facilities and towns. We are all Yorke Peninsula locals.
To connect with Helly EastherSmith and discover more about her business, follow this QR code.
