QRWN Metal Work On Display This Month At Kingaroy Art Gallery 11th November 2011: Earlier this year the QRWN's Barambah branch secured RADF funding from the South Burnett Regional Council to run a welding workshop for women in the South Burnett. The workshop was a huge success and in addition to learning how to weld for practical purposes, everyone who took the course also learned how welding could be used to create sculptured artworks. Tonight the South Burnett Regional Council will be unveiling a new art exhibition at the Kingaroy Art Gallery which showcases many of the art-related projects that its RADF programme has funded over the last 12 months. And as the photo above shows, welded sculptures created by our Barambah branch members will have pride of place alongside ceramic portraits created by the Jumping Ants Art Group and portrait photography created by the Woorolin/Tingoora Young Mothers Group. Marg Enkelmann and members from the Barambah branch will also be presenting a Wearable Art Fashion Parade at tonight's opening (doors open at 6:00pm). So if you can attend it looks like being a really great night!. But if not not, the works will remain on display for the next month and you can pop in any time to see them. PS: A big "Thankyou!" to Val Sapin for this photo, as well as several others she's sent us showing these incredible sculptures. We hope to have a photo gallery of these available on our website in the next few days so that members who live far away from Kingaroy can see them too.

A Golden Opportunity! Take A Year Off To Help Promote The Australian Year Of The Farmer 10th November 2011: A few days ago we told you about the up-coming Australian Year Of The Farmer in 2012. And now we'd like to tell you about a once in a lifetime golden opportunity associated with it: How would you like to take a year off - on full pay - to travel around Queensland with the Australian Year Of The Farmer team to promote this wonderful event? Right now the AYOTF team are looking for suitable people to help them organise all aspects of this unique celebration. The first hirees will begin training in late December with the aim of taking the AYOTF Roadshow on the road early next year. Art4Agriculture Young Farming Champion Hollie Baillieu (see video, above) has been engaged by the Australian Year of the Farmer team to coordinate the Roadshow component. And she's looking for potential recruits to travel around Australia to showcase the industry. You can find out all the details about the work and the sorts of qualities she's looking for - which many QRWN members would have in abundance - on her website. So if the idea of taking a year off to travel around Queensland promoting agriculture and farming to the general public appeals, act quickly!

Got A Great Idea In Agriculture? Then Apply For A 2012 Science And Innovation Award 9th November 2011: Do you have a great idea for a project that will help develop Australia's primary industries? Are you aged 18 to 35? Then you should apply for a 2012 Science and Innovation Award. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARE) runs these awards each year. They provide young people aged 18 to 35 who are involved in agriculture, fishing or forestries grants of up to $22,000 to fund a project on an innovative or emerging scientific issue that will benefit Australia’s primary industries. The Awards aim to encourage science, innovation and technology in rural industries and help to advance the careers of young scientists through national recognition of their research ideas. They've already helped more than 150 young Australians make their ideas a reality as well as showcase their talent to the world. The closing date for applications is 5:00pm AEDT on Friday, November 18th though - so if you're interested you'll need to get your skates on. You can find out more details and get an application form on ABARE's website. Photo: Dr Tracy Stirling from the University of Melbourne was a 2009 Science and Innovation Award winner. She received $20,000 for a project that explored a possible new link between a Holstein bull and the fertility of his daughters.

Another Great New Service For Our Members! Now You Can Join Up Or Renew Your Membership Online 7th November 2011: We've been rolling out a number of great new services over the last few months. And today we're very pleased to announce another one: online membership sign-ups and renewals. Thanks to our friends at RegisterNow.com.au you can now join the QRWN or carry out an annual membership renewal safely and securely from your computer. And without needing to go anywhere near a post office box or a fax machine either! We've introduced this new service because these days almost 100% of our members are online. And you're all very comfortable with buying goods and services online too. We all know that it's simply more convenient to pay bills on the Net than it is to mail a cheque or fax paperwork around the country. So we're moving with the times as well. Besides, QRWN membership is so inexpensive (just $44 pa for individuals, $110 for non-profit organisations or $220 for government or commercial operations) that we think it makes good sense to keep everyone's overheads down to a minimum too. So from now on you can join the QRWN or renew your current membership by simply clicking here. And if you'd like to find out about all the many, many benefits of membership we list them on this page of our website.

Get Behind The Australian Year Of The Farmer In 2012 (We Are!) 7th November 2012: 2012 will be a special year for rural and regional Australians. Why? Because it's been designated as the Australian Year Of The Farmer. And right acrosss Australia there'll be an amazing amount of publicity and activities all through the coming 12 months to celebrate it. Incredible as it sounds, Australian farmers are being asked to raise their current prodiuction levels between 75% and 100% by 2050 to help meet forecast world demand for foodstuffs, And while that might sound almost impossible to many city dwellers, most farming organisations are confident that with the right support from scientists, government and the community they can meet that goal. The Australian Year Of The Farmer is designed to raise awareness of the importance of agiculture throughout the community and to rally community support for our farmers as they face the big challenges of the 21st century. Naturally, the QRWN supports this concept 100% and over the coming year we'll be doing our part to help support and publicise this tremendous concept. And you can get an idea of what it's all about by watching the official 6-minute Australian Year Of The Farmer launch video (above) which came out yesterday. Want to get involved yourself? Then you can find out more about how to do it on the Australian Year Of The Farmer website.

Be Safe At Work And On The Farm: Download And Print Off These Two Handy Safety Guides 3rd November 2011: The Queensland State Government celebrated 2011 Safe Work Week from the 23rd to 29th October with famous footballer Mal Meninga as its spokesman (see poster at right) . The purpose of Safe Work Week was to raise awareness of safety in the workplace. And while its message this year was primarily targeted at urban areas, regional and rural Queenslanders weren't forgotten either. Workplace Health & Safety Queensland and Workcover have produced two informative PDF guides on issues that relate directly to on-farm safety: One about the explosive conditions that can develop when grinding, cutting or welding, and... Another about explosion hazards attached to cutting up fuel drums and empty containers. These are both common on-farm activities. And when it comes to work safety you really can't know too much or be too prepared, can you? So if you work on a farm or know someone who undertakes either (or both) of these activities, we think you might find it useful to download, print off and paste these safety guides up in a prominent place. Stay safe!

Do You Have Ethnic Connections? Then Get Listed In The 2012 Multicultural Resources Directory 1st November 2011: The Queensland Department Of Communities have just released the latest edition of their Multicultural Resources Directory, which provides a comprehensive listing of more than 1500 key organisations with an ethnic community focus. These include ethnic media outlets and schools; community, non-government & government organisations and agencies; consuls; migrant service organisations; bilateral business associations; and interstate multicultural offices. The directory can be searched online and copies of it are also available for download in PDF and rich text format. The Department is now also taking listings and/or updates for the 2012 edition. Getting listed in the directory is 100% free, but the closing date for inclusion in the next edition is Monday 5 December 2011. You can access the Multicultural Resources Directory by clicking here

Celebrate Grandparents Day On Sunday 6th November 31st October 2011: The Office of Women is encouraging Queenslanders to get involved in Grandparents Day on Sunday 6 November to celebrate the positive difference that grandparents make to our lives and to our communities. To help schools and community groups organise Grandparents Day celebrations, they've developed an event organiser's toolkit with lots of tips and resources, along with an online calendar where event organisers can register local events. Grandparents Day is also an opportunity to thank grandparents for their love and support, so the Office of Women have made it easy for everyone to show their appreciation with online e-cards and certificates of recognition which are available on their website too. And you can obtain access to all of these resources by clicking this link.

Enjoy A Great Morning Tea And A Spring Fashion Parade In Brisbane On October 20th 6th October 2011: If you enjoy fashion parades and are in Brisbane (or can get there), mark Thursday October 20th on your calendar now! The National Council of Women of Queensland will be holding a special Morning Tea and Spring Fashion Parade at the Tattersall's Club at 215 Queen Street in Brisbane's CBD at 9:45am that morning. For just $35 per head you can get to share the company of other like-minded women; enjoy a first-rate morning tea; and take in a range of great Spring fashions from the Cosmopolitan Boutique at Alderley. Only one proviso, though: in order to help the NCWQ plan the catering you'll need to RSVP and pay for your tickets by Monday 10th October. You can get a flyer and a booking form in PDF format by clicking here or if you prefer, a booking form in MS Word format by clicking here.

Are You Aged 18 To 35? Then Improve Your Skills And Strengthen Your Networks With The NRWC 5th October 2011: Are you aged 18 to 35? Do you work in a primary industry? And would you like to learn how to improve your leadership skills and strengthen your social networks for free? Then you should apply for the NRWC's up-coming E-Learning and Leadership Program. The NRWC (National Rural Women's Coalition) is a peak body for Australia's rural and regional women and represents around 250,000 Australian women living in rural and regional communities. Its patron is the Governor-General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC. And between November 2011 and March 2012 the NRWC will be running a special online training program for selected applicants who meet the program's criteria (you can obtain a PDF outlining the program by clicking here and read the Governor-General's endorsement of it by clicking here). The full program consists of three one-hour webinars; 10 hours of online sessions; and one project which is expected to take between 10 and 20 hours to complete. All participants will also need access to a computer and the Internet. And at the end of the program participants will receive a certificate of participation. Interested? Then register online today on the National Rural Women's Coalition website.