Mr John Allwright AO, was a man of vision, determination and courage. He was one of the founders of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and President of the National Farmers’ Federation. He was also a fighter who strongly believed in the future of agriculture and in its ability to play an even greater role in the national economy.Wendy McCarthy AO runs her own corporate advisory practice McCarthy Management specialising in providing mentors to major corporations and the public sector, assisting these organisations with issues around diversity, leadership and work life balance. She has published many articles and is the author of five books, she enjoys public speaking and is an experienced speaker and facilitator.
Thank you for that warm welcome Paul. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land here in Canberra, the Ngunnawal people and put on the record how much I learned when Chancellor of University of Canberra of their importance to their local community. Without their leadership and advocacy we wouldn't have a Ngunnawal Centre which helps us ensure that we graduate instead of just recruiting Indigenous students.
Let me also acknowledge John Allwright and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. When I read his story I thought what an iconic piece of writing it was about one person deciding to make changes. And perhaps many of you would not know that the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation was the model for the Australian Indigenous Leadership Program (AILP). I was responsible for raising the financial support from Citibank for AILP whose objective was and is to produce the next generation of Indigenous leaders in Australia. One of the Rural Foundation graduates, Russell Taylor, was one of the driving forces in establishing the Indigenous Leadership program. John Allwright may have been surprised to know how far his influence spread.
Tonight I am going to talk about social inclusion and leadership in communities. Leadership comes in all ways if communities make it possible. I will begin with a story of leadership denied. It is a precious story connected to this building we now call Old Parliament House.