NEWS ALERT: MP praises bush Mum as one of Australias 100 most influential women Hard-working Federal Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry has paid tribute to a Clarke Creek mother who has been named amongst the nations top 100 women of influence for 2014. Lynise Conaghan of Barmount Station, near Clarke Creek, 215km north-west of Rockhampton, was announced as a winner in The Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards. Ms Landry said Mrs Conaghan was recognised for her work to advance access to childrens education and digital services for remote families in the bush. Country women, such as Lynise, are the pillar of our communities as she plays a key role in influencing better outcomes for remote Clarke Creek, Ms Landry said. Mrs Conaghan led a campaign for better access to digital coverage in the Clarke Creek area, which Ms Landry had labelled a place worse than Africa when it came to mobile phone service. Lynise has also been the driving force behind improvements to education for all rural children in Queensland in the past decade. Ms Landry said. Her early influence for change in remote areas started when her children started play group and it became apparent that early childhood resources and access to early childhood activities were limited in remote areas. Lynise lobbied and changed this for her local community. When teacher to student ratios became an issue for small bush schools, Lynise lobbied to change staffing allocations in rural Queensland schools. Where there used to be one teacher per 26 students, there is now one teacher per 21 students, with another 0.5 FTE allocated to the school. This is thanks to Lynise. Ms Landry praised the efforts of all women who work in small business, mining, agriculture, education, health and service industries and other key sectors for their contribution to Central Queensland communities and the economy. The 100 Women of Influence Awards covered 10 categories including: Board/Management, Public Policy, Young Leader, Social Enterprise and Not-for-profit, Philanthropy, Global Influence, Innovation, Local/Regional Community, Diversity and Business Enterprise. Entrants were recognised based on their outstanding ability to demonstrate vision, leadership, innovation and action in and beyond their fields. Gail Kelly, Westpac Group Chief Executive Officer said: “The breadth and calibre of our 100 Women of Influence for 2014 was remarkable. Mrs Conaghan attended an awards dinner in Sydney this week.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 07:54:05 +0000
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