Chicks in the Sticks - high tea in a wetland

Regional opportunity for ‘Chicks’ gathering

Organisers of an Edenhope event celebrating the contribution of women in west Wimmera land management are exploring ways of spreading a similar message across the region.

Wimmera Catchment Management Authority community education officer Bronwyn Bant said a ‘Chicks in the Sticks High Tea’, which celebrated the role of women in balancing farming and wetland conservation, could easily adapt for other parts of the region and other land-management issues.

“Chicks in the Sticks was a great success. It provided insight into how women and farmers in general could be key drivers in land rehabilitation and protection without sacrificing financial return,” she said. “But it was more than that. It was also about women getting together in a relaxed environment where they could share experiences and have fun.”

Ms Bant said Chicks in the Sticks celebrated both the achievements and leadership women were providing in the west Wimmera in raising awareness of wetland issues. She said guest speaker and NSW Rural Woman of the Year finalist Gillian Hogendyk, who had led a major community wetland-protection project in Warren in the Macquarie Valley, was a prime example of how rural women could make a significant contribution to landscape health.

“Gillian’s presentation was inspirational and everyone there could relate to what she had done. While the landscape where she comes from in the Macquarie Valley is very different to the west Wimmera, many issues that region faces are similar,” Ms Bant said. “She comes from a farming family and believes it can be easy to strike a balance between farming and wetland conservation.”

Women attending Chicks in the Sticks at Ros and Andrew Bradey’s Ullswater farm also toured revitalised wetlands and listened to presentations by Wimmera CMA staff. Edenhope Lions Club prepared the high tea.

“Some of the ladies frocked up and they all had their gumboots on. It was a lot of fun,” Ms Bant said.