It was a leap of faith that brought Sarah Parker and her husband Raymond out of their corporate careers in Brisbane and into the Goulburn Valley.
But it was tireless effort that landed Sarah on a stage in Canberra, in heels and a dress, accepting a national award for rural leadership.
“I haven’t dressed up in years, then I was wearing heels for three days straight,” she said.
“I didn’t mind dressing up ... but it’s always nice to come back to the farm. It keeps me grounded.”
As she accepted the 2022 Rural Community Leader of the Year Award on September 9, Sarah was a long way from where she began.
“We came down to the Goulburn Valley with a ute, trailer, a dog and 20 cows. I was a city slicker and had no idea,” she said.
“Raymond always wanted to farm but the opportunity was never there.
“He was working in Brisbane when we married ... we took holidays for a couple of years to see the different dairy areas and the Goulburn Valley stood out as the best place for entry-level farming.”
But the pair still needed a lucky break, and it came in the form of local couple Terry and Ursula Tidcombe who knew Raymond’s grandfather.
“They were willing to lease us their farm — which was a huge gamble for them because we didn’t know anything about farming in Victoria,” Sarah said.
“Raymond likes to say: Water in Queensland is vertical. Water in Victoria is horizontal.”
That one bit of voluntary goodwill snowballed and the local community didn’t know what hit it when Sarah walked into her first UDV farm meeting.
“I was new to the area and knew no-one outside of working at Dookie college, so I went to a UDV meeting to meet people and I got interested,” Sarah said.
“It was Rien Silverstein at the VFF who gave me the push to join Australian Women In Ag.”
Another mentor was Cathy McGowan (former Australian Women in Agriculture president and former Federal Member for Indi) who was Mrs Parker’s lecturer at university.
“It was Cathy who encouraged me to look further than Queensland,” Sarah said.
“It takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to enable a volunteer.”
ON THE JOB
Sarah Parker’s voluntary roles include:
– National Rural Women’s Coalition vice-president.
– Australian Women in Agriculture’s immediate past president and current treasurer.
– Establishing member and treasurer of the Australian Dairy Collective that works to achieve the best price for its dairy farmers.
– Young Agribusiness Professionals group founder.
– Cows Create Careers advocate since 2012.
– VFF Farm Business Committee deputy chair.
– Illawarra Cattle Society Victorian branch treasurer.
– Fairley Leadership program.
As the volunteering grew, Sarah’s jobs followed the trend, going from a program co-ordinator at Murray Dairy to its chief executive officer, then board member for Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority.
“When we moved people told me ‘when you first buy a farm, the wife has to have an off-farm job’, so I focused on doing that,” she said.
Sarah said everyone steps up and volunteers when it’s right for them.
She described volunteering as a massive mental health booster.
"It builds resilience and helps you connect with your community.
“It also helps you understand where you are and what you’re a part of.”
The post-COVID-19 move towards working from home has become a double-edged sword.
“COVID changed volunteering. Now you can have someone from the city helping out,” Sarah said.
“But I’m also aware of people in our rural communities who are working from home and not leaving the house. We need to help them connect.
“I don’t think it’s healthy to not be meeting people. Nothing beats a chat and a cup of coffee.”
Sarah said digital literacy was shaping up to be the next big hurdle for rural communities.
“If you have a poor phone connection and don’t know how to use it, you’re missing out on so much,” she said.
“When we have good phone connections, we do better than the city.
“People discount rural living, but the reality is there are more opportunities out here.”
A good example of remote technology is Sarah’s insulin pump.
“I have type one diabetes. I have an insulin pump (MEDTRONIC) connected to my phone. My phone has an app (CARELINK) that can be accessed by medical professional from anywhere in Australia,” she said.
“If I didn’t have internet services, my doctor couldn’t monitor me. I need phone service to use this and digital literacy and it’s made my levels as normal as anyone else.”
Sarah recommended AgCAREERSTART gap years as a great opportunity for school-leavers and those looking for a start in agriculture.
“The NFF have a student program where you do a paid gap year on a farm, and they’ll teach you everything,” she said.
“The best thing is it’s formally recognised training.”
For others looking for volunteering opportunities close to home, your local council is a great resource and can point you in the right direction.