Post by Georgia Honan, a wonderful member of our blogger team.
Growing up in the country has many benefits, from lower crime rates, to cleaner air, to a bit more room to move. But one of the most beneficial elements of a country lifestyle, particularly when living rurally from youth, is the core skills and values you build.
In my last post for Country to Canberra, I discussed the importance of getting high-achieving women into high-profile roles. I am a firm believer that the skills learnt in rural and remote areas are essential for everyone in creating the next leaders; our CEOs, politicians, and managers.
We country kids understand what it means to be resilient. We’re used to long days, where things go wrong. Our families losing sleep over a lack of rain, talks of selling up and moving to the city, days when everyone just feels like giving up. It is ingrained in us from a young age to bounce back and have another go, because we have seen it all before.
We learn the value of hard work. Stories of farmers sleeping under their tractors to maximise their time during seeding, or working 16-hour days to ensure all sheep have been shorn are far from uncommon.
Finally, we learn that the heart of friendship is to help people, not impress them. Too often, I come across people in the city who value their friends based on their achievements, or net worth, rather than experiences they have shared together, or the love they have for each other. In the country, friendship means heading out to help your neighbours fight a fire, or lending them a field bin, not picking and choosing based on who has the most expensive car.
It’s these skills, which are ingrained in our country kids, that will translate into creating stronger leaders for our future.