In early August this year, The Lucas Group sponsored and attended the Thriving Women 2022 conference hosted by WOTL.
Held amongst the trees at the Adelaide Hills Convention Centre in Hahndorf, the event focused on the “Impact of Us”, focusing on the contribution of women in Australian agriculture.
Three of the Lucas Group’s team headed up into the hills for the two-day event, so we’ve asked them to provide some insight into what they gained from the event:
What was your favourite experience or moment of Thriving Women 2022?
Claudia: Networking with new people, especially on Day 1 of the conference.
Michaela: My favourite experience of the event was listening to Annabel Crabb’s speech about empowerment and how women have changed the way people, especially how the government looks at female farmers and women in general. Her passion and confidence were inspiring, it was eye-opening for me.
Grace: Hearing Yung Nietschke present on Day 2 about her journey from post-war Vietnam to a wheat and sheep farm in the Barossa Valley. She was very impressive, and her story was so touching (won’t lie, I did tear up a little).
What was your biggest takeaway from the conference?
Claudia: The biggest takeaway [for me] was that women in the agricultural industry are so much more than farmers’ wives.
Michaela: My biggest takeaway from this event was how important HR is and the power of people as a resource. [The workshops I attended] further supported my beliefs that all industries rely on effective HR and People and without it, success is unattainable.
Grace: I found it very illuminating to hear the way different generations approached each subject and toolbox talk. It definitely helped inform me as to how the industry is proceeding.
Tell us one thing you learned about yourself.
Claudia: The one thing I learned about myself from the WOLF conference is that pushing back on certain things and saying no from time to time is okay. I also learnt better ways to communicate in a team environment.
Michaela: One thing I learned about myself from the event was that I needed to be more confident when talking to people and that confidence is key. I spent most of my time with Claudia and I watched her confidently network with many stores/people. She told me that as long as I am confident, then people will perceive me that way. This has changed my perspective and attitude when talking to people and will hopefully both improve my networking skills and recruiting skills for the future.
Grace: One thing I learned about myself at Thriving Women was that my contribution, as a woman in ag, is still a very valid and important part of the industry. It further impressed upon me that not everybody has the same views or strengths, but together we can continue to effect change with a similar goal.
Image: WOTL Facebook