Our team

Stephanie Trethewey is the 2024 Australian of the Year for Tasmania. She’s a visionary leader who has transformed personal challenges into a nationwide movement to support rural mothers across Australia. Stephanie is a seasoned television journalist who has reported and produced for some of the country’s biggest news and current affairs programs. In 2019, soon after having her first child, she swapped the city for the country and moved to rural Tasmania. The transition was both a brutal and beautiful journey, and Steph’s struggles with postnatal depression and isolation inspired the creation of Motherland.

In 2022, Stephanie was named the national winner of the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award and in 2023, she celebrated the release of her debut book, Motherland. Stephanie also sits on the Australian Advisory Council of Thankful4Farmers.

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Bronnie was a member of the NSW Parliament for close to a decade, serving as the Minister for Regional Health, Mental Health, Women, and Regional Youth. In 2021, she became the first woman elected Deputy Leader of the NSW Nationals in the 100 years since the party’s establishment. In 2022, Bronnie was named one of the Daily Telegraph’s 31 Most Influential Women in NSW.

For 20 years prior to her election, Bronnie was a registered nurse specialising in cancer care and palliative care. Her work in these fields saw her become one of the first McGrath Foundation Breast Care nurses and then Director of Cancer Services in the Southern NSW LHD.

Bronnie’s commitment to her work is unwavering. She remains dedicated to improving healthcare in regional and rural communities, recognising the unique challenges they face. Her advocacy for women extends across NSW, making her a powerful force for change.

Julia Spicer (OAM) founded her business, Engage & Create Consulting in 2012, from Goondiwindi, Queensland. The focus of Engage & Create Consulting is to support the viability and vibrancy of businesses and community organisations across regional Australia. 

With 20 years’ experience in agricultural extension, Landcare and catchment management – she now works with regional communities and industry across the country on a range of projects, with the focus on identifying needs in business and implementing creative solutions to address them. 

Julia also founded The Goondiwindi Business Hub, which is home to eight businesses who have long-term tenancy. In 2021, Julia and her husband opened The House4390, Goondiwindi’s newest retail hub which is home to five female-led homewares and service businesses.

In 2022 Julie received an OAM for service to regional business and organisations. She has also completed the AICD Company Directors Course and is also a board member on the Queensland Government Innovation Advisory Council and Global Entrepreneur Network Australia.

Arabella Gibson is the CEO of Gidget Foundation Australia, a national not for profit mental health organisation supporting the emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents and their families. Arabella joined Gidget after a lengthy career in the media industry, working in executive management for small business as well as publicly listed entities in both Australia and the UK.

Arabella was formerly General Manager for iSUBSCRiBE, an online magazine subscription business, based in London.  Prior to this, Arabella was the Director of Communications for Australian media entity PBL Media (Nine Entertainment Co) as well as its subsidiary businesses the Nine Network Australia and Bauer Media (formerly ACP Magazines). 

Arabella participated in the advisory group to devise the Australian Government’s Women’s Health Strategy for 2020 to 2030 in Canberra and contributed to the COVID-19 National Mental Health Strategy for Children, Young People and Parents.

In 2022, she was named The CEO Magazines’ Not For Profit Executive of the Year. 

Alison is a Behavioural Scientist who has lived and worked in Victoria’s rural farming community for almost two decades. She is currently the Director of the National Centre for Farmer Health. Her expertise in rural/farmer mental health and suicide prevention has drawn on a range of innovative techniques including digital interventions, digital storytelling, community education programs and peer support models. 

Alison has led numerous farmer mental health projects and continues to build the Centre’s capacity and reach by working collaboratively with researchers, farmers and industry stakeholders across Australia and internationally. Her expertise has been recognised through research awards, numerous advisory roles, peer review publication, international research consultation, invited presentations and expert witness testimony before the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. 

Alison is passionate about co-designing the Centre’s research, education and services in collaboration with community and industry—to ensure the Centre’s work continues to be effective, relevant and tailored to the needs of rural farming communities. 

Simon has extensive experience in land management related disciplines with over 22 years of practice across Agriculture, Forestry and Mining. He has worked for leading Australian and International companies across acquisitions, market development and complex land management investments.

He was appointed COO and Exec Director Commercial for Victoria’s largest land manager ‘Parks Victoria’ – within this role he was accountable for the appropriate commercialization of the 5 million hectare estate.

He was Head of Public Affairs and Asian Markets for the Coles Group. His strong experience in the food and rural sectors was invaluable in leading Coles’ stakeholder engagement and sustainability programs, as well as managing the $50 million Nurture Fund. Prior to Coles, Simon was CEO of the National Farmers’ Federation, where he was appointed to co-create a refreshed vision for Australian Agriculture and lead a complex Transformation Agenda. 

He has recently located back to his home state of Tasmania running a stud beef farm and vineyard with his wife and three daughters. He was recently appointed CEO of ABEL Energy.

Nat Sommerville is a farmer, grazier, mother, mentor, and a proud Torres Strait Islander descendant from the clan Wagadagam of Mabuyag Island from her father’s side. Nat has been living and working on Ngadjuri Country in Mid North South Australia for over 15 years with her husband and two children, and believes when families are well supported and have access to good quality services, rural communities will thrive.

Natalie is currently the President of Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA). Driven by her passion for sustainable agriculture, the environment and social justice, her focus is on influencing positive change in rural Australia and seeing greater innovation, inclusion of gender and age, and respect for diverse backgrounds. 

When Nat is not farming she is mentoring Aboriginal students in local schools and assisting educators to deliver respectful First Nations histories, perspectives and cultural content in lesson plans.

Natalie also volunteers her time on many community and industry boards at local, state and national levels include AWiA, SA Ag Excellence Alliance, Landcare Association of SA, and the local NAIDOC committee.

For over 20 years Helen Barker has applied her experience, education and enthusiasm to the not for profit sector through fundraising, marketing and operations management roles. Her previous work includes roles as General Manager at JDRF, Head of Marketing at Many Rivers and consulting for the Royal Flying Doctors Service WA, TEDx Sydney and Cancer Council NSW.

Currently, Helen runs a family business in Industrial Manufacturing, and volunteers as an Executive team member for We Care Connect, a Hunter/Central Coast children’s charity providing material aid to over 10,000 disadvantaged children each year. Helen is the Deputy Chair of the Australian Men’s Shed Association and Treasurer for Kincumber Neighbourhood Centre.