Community connectiveness in rural and regional Australia is vital to the ongoing success of our agricultural industry, and no one appreciates that more than 2023 Rural Community Leader of the Year award winner, Jackie Elliott.

Jackie is the founder of Rural Women's Day, a not-for-profit initiative aimed at connecting rural and regional women through community, collaboration and celebration. Jackie developed the initiative after moving to Byaduk, in the Western District of Victoria. Jackie found it difficult to meet other women in the region, where social events predominantly revolved around country sports.

"Feeling a sense of belonging and connection is such an important part of rural living, and when I moved to Byaduk, I really struggled to build those networks," Jackie said.

"I joined the Dunkeld and District Country Women's Association in 2018 and it was here that I realised my story wasn't unique, and there were many women in the region who felt the same. Some who were new to the area and some who had lived there for their entire lives.

"This is where the idea was sown for Rural Women's Day - an opportunity not only to come together and share a positive and joyful day, but to foster relationships and friendships to support women and their families every day thereafter."

The inaugural Rural Women's Day was held during 2019 and welcomed 170 attendees to Dunkeld, Victoria, to celebrate the United Nations International Day of Rural Women.

Since that first event and with Jackie's boundless enthusiasm, the event has amassed a passionate virtual community that now exceeds 10,000 followers. This virtual community became more significant as the world was impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Following many cancelled events during the pandemic, Jackie was finally able to host a Rural Women's Day in October 2022, welcoming 200 state, interstate and international guests to a weekend for connection and celebration. The events reach extended to Days hosted in Nagambie, Victoria, and Dubbo and Young, New South Wales.

Jackie's initiative had met a need and was building momentum. In the year's impacted by the pandemic, Jackie didn't stop with her quest to strengthen her spirited Rural Women's Day community. Jackie designed and published a collaborative keepsake magazine that was distributed across Australia and New Zealand. She also developed gift parcels supporting more than 30 rural businesses throughout 2021.

In October this year, more than ten Rural Women's Day events will be hosted across the country - engaging rural and regional communities in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.

These events will welcome more than 1000 attendees collectively. The Rural Women's Day event hosts, who are all volunteers, will be supported and mentored by Jackie to ensure they are successful and sustainable to continue well into the future.

"The importance of connection and community is not unique to my region of Victoria - it is something felt by women in rural and regional areas across the country," Jackie said.

"It makes me incredibly proud to know we will help other women who felt like I did - to build friendships and networks, so they feel more confident and happier.

"Because farming isn't just about what gets planted or nurtured, harvested or sold to market. It's also about community spirit, family wellbeing and mental resilience, and if we can support that through Rural Women's Day, then that is a legacy I'll be honoured to be part of."