Barb Madden

Who are you?

I live in a small community called Proston, 300 km northwest of Brisbane. I am the co-owner and accountant of Smithfield Feedlot, a 20,000 head intensive beef production enterprise. I am also the parttime Chief Finance Officer for the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council.

In 2009 I received the Queensland’s Rural Woman of the Year, along with National Runner Up - Rural Woman of the Year. This was awarded for my work in creating national partnerships between indigenous beef producers and the supply chain sectors, and the development of a commercially sustainable cattle feeding and training business model.

I am involved in voluntary community work which, along with my regional work assisting economic development in the Burnett, builds connections and community capacity. Communities are all about people and it is the people who drive the economic development.

How has the ARLP helped you evolve and perform as a leader?

It gave me greater self awareness and improved strategic planning, self confi dence and the skills to pursue projects on a regional and national scale. I have adopted a more structured approach to my community development work and have established the Proston Community Development Committee. Through this group we are addressing strategic planning issues such as building and designing a town website, establishing a Visitor Information Centre, and promoting culture and fi ne arts in Proston.