Braiding futures, knitting opportunities, weaving society.

Throughout history, women have always been weavers. Today, Australia’s rural communities have diverse young leaders who are bringing the colours and textures that weave strong and supportive tapestries of love, potential and greatness. In our modern world, we watch as these diverse leaders weave not a carpet to be walked on, not a portrait to be objectified and judged, not a cloth to be used and discarded, but the fabric of society.

Women such as Dr Angela Hardy thread blue, the colour of healing, through this fabric. Born in Port Macquarie, Dr Hardy has worked to bring accessible abortion care to the region, allowing women to obtain safe and affordable obstetrics. After surviving being stabbed by her boyfriend, she is a vocal advocate against violence and sexual assault. ‘Reproductive coercion is a type of gendered violence as well,’ she says, and now uses her medical degree to knit safety into the often threatening web of women’s health and reproduction.

Pink, the colour of teaching, and brown (the colour of earth) are added by remarkable individuals like Claire Murphy and Leyla Acaroglu. Raised in rural Walcha, Claire co-founded Triple Thread Learning, enabling students with dyslexia and literacy difficulties to gain confidence in reading and writing. She offers intervention and support, intertwining understanding and possibility into the lives of students and their families. Leyla, a designer, sociologist and sustainability expert, has used her numerous skills to become a patron of eco-friendly design and lifestyle. She was the UN’s 2016 Champion of the Earth, and now has world-renowned online courses that allow others in her community to live sustainable lives, tying these often opposing areas together to construct a brighter future.

Braiding futures, knitting opportunities, weaving society.

Proud Ngugi woman Stephanie Beaupark is a shining example of how green, the colour of science, is a part of this fabric. Her award-winning investigation into the chemistry of Indigenous dyes connects the deep knowledge of Indigenous people and modern-day science. Integrating the seemingly separate fields of science and art, interlaced by her underlying need to confront disparities in Aboriginal knowledge and European science, she inspires future Indigenous women, especially from her Ngugi mob. Her success has allowed the funding of scholarships for Indigenous students, spinning futures for young scientists and artists across the country.

At the loom of this fabric, orange, the colour of communication, and red, the colour of courage and sport, bring interest and individuality to its future. These two areas connect and inspire rural communities in different but important ways, and women like journalist Annabel Hennessy and Paralympian Jamieson Leeson are the basis for their success. Annabel’s incredible articles have given voice to the voiceless and spoken the unspeakable, uncovering the housing injustices faced by WA’s Indigenous communities and highlighting the suicides linked to this issue. Meanwhile, Jamieson Leeson was, at 16, the youngest Australian to represent the country at Boccia. Born with spinal muscular atrophy, Jamieson’s sporting success constantly aids her goal of motivating others to follow their dreams despite adversity.

To truly see the future of the rural communities that make up Australia, we need only look to the leaders and pioneers – the significantly underrepresented women – within them. Women who notice fraying threads and gaping holes in our world. Women with the passion and skills to mend them. Rural women like the ones I have written about, but also women like our mothers. Our sisters. Ourselves. With incredible leaders, with incredible backgrounds, skills and passions, our communities are connected, inspired and empowered.

Braiding futures, knitting opportunities, weaving society.