“What a great achievement to gather 200 women together”, was the comment from one of the ladies who attended the ‘adapting to change’ forum on Wednesday in Birchip. The forum ‘adapting to change’ featured guest speakers Nigel McGuckian from the RM Consulting Group and Li Cunxin the best selling author of Mao’ s Last Dancer. The Birchip forum was the final in a series of climate related events held in Donald, Warracknabeal and Woomelang.
The afternoon began with 35 ladies listening to a feed grain marketing talk before venturing out to BCG’s Main Field Day Trial Site where they furthered their knowledge of agronomy. The evening kicked off at 5pm at the Birchip Leisure Centre with ladies arriving by the bus load to enjoy the delicious canapés and bubbles on offer before the evening officially began.
Nigel McGuckian from RM Consulting presented the first session ‘decision making and succession planning’. Joking about being the warm up act for Li Cunxin Nigel held his own by challenging the ladies in the room to write down ‘what they value the most in life’ and the ‘three most important goals in their life right now’. Nigel talked about decision making, farm viability in a changing climate and the six jobs one must complete when tackling succession planning, which included: understanding the needs and aspirations of those involved, building relationships, transfer management and control, plan for retirement, ensuring farm viability and lastly transferring assets.
After dinner the crowd was moved by the life story of Li Cunxin. Dedication, courage, love, perseverance and strong family values were his focus. Li’s maxim ‘follow your dream’ gave those in attendance the inspiration to realise their own destiny. Speaking about the challenges in his own life, growing up in China and becoming a successful ballet dancer, Li drew a comparison between his ability to continually adapt to change and the ability of many in the audience to continually adapt given the successive droughts.
BCG would like to thank the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for their support in running the ‘Climate Roadshow’. The forums have provided women throughout the Wimmera and Mallee with a fantastic opportunity to get together, discuss, network and feel empowered.
