NEWS
Jenny’s decades of dedication
Jenny Treeby first joined the Dried Fruits Australia board as a way to give back to an industry that had already given her so much. Now, more than 20 years on, Jenny has retired from the board and reflected on her decades in the industry. Jenny officially stepped down from her board position at the DFA AGM late last year, and DFA chair Mark King said she had been a great asset to the organisation. “She always put her hand up to help, whether attending biosecurity meetings, reading pages of reports or with constructive input at board meetings,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to travel with Jenny to Anuga, the biggest food fair in Cologne, Germany. We made work into an enjoyable task, and if anyone has stood at a booth for 10 hours they will know that it can become quite tedious but Jenny was always happy to hold the fort, while I got the coffee.” Mark thanked Jenny for her commitment and dedication to the Australian dried fruit industry.
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“I will miss her and the staff and board will miss her, but as she now works with the table grape sector, we will still see her around.”
“Coming back, I felt that I should give something back to the industry that had invested in me and so I decided to stand for the board,” Jenny said.
A way to give back
“The rest is history.”
Jenny’s contribution to the board began in 2000 when she received an invitation to a leadership skills program held at the CSIRO in Merbein.
Jenny would go on to spend more than 20 years on the board, as well as serving on the Drying for Profit Committee, and chairing it for several years.
“The two-day program was jointly run by the Victorian and Murray Valley Wine Grape Growers Council and the Dried Fruits Research and Development Council,” she said. “I really enjoyed the program and when the offer was made to further hone my skills or, in my case actually acquire them, through a rural leadership program at Marcus Oldham College, I grabbed the chance.” Jenny said she enjoyed the course, which expanded her network to other participants and commodity representatives from across Australia. The course pushed her outside her comfort zone with radio interviews, negotiations, interpersonal skills and personal assertiveness skills.
Her work included involvement in producing an occupational health and safety manual for the region with other horticulture industries, as well as starting the BMP booklets.
Reflecting on the highlights Jenny said representing growers, being part of the board team – and not “the female board member” – as well as working with different chairs, CEOs and field officers to better position the industry and drive innovation were highlights of her tenure. During her time on the board, Jenny also enjoyed the opportunities to go to South Africa, Germany and China to represent the industry and learn more about how other growers and industries work, think and live.
