Company

When you go to a stadium in Australia or even just a local footy match - singing, chanting and war cries are not uncommon. We’ve all been there - and experienced the power, that feeling, of people coming together and singing. 

In Britain is also the case for live orchestra events. But in Australia, this is unheard of. 

Enter Bourby Webster a pom from rural UK, who trained in classical live music at Oxford University and is now determined to change the zeitgeist around live orchestral performances in rural and regional Australia. 

When Bourby moved to Perth - it was for love. There was no thought, nor ambition to change the culture of music in Australia. 

But when her relationship failed…She looked around her and noticed a huge gaping hole in the culture of Australian orchestra. 

Her idea was to try and recreate the British model of touring a symphony orchestra to regional communities and so she created the Perth Symphony Orchestra; music for everyone, anywhere. 

People laughed. Asked if she was joking? ‘This is impossible, people won’t travel to come to an event like this’ They don’t need it, they don’t want it. There’s no doubt she’s been up against it. There’s a huge cultural ‘cringe’ to overcome.

To add - Western Australia already had a symphony orchestra, WASO which is longstanding, respected and well known. 

This is a Manson Podcast Network production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

From Ayr to Mt Isa to Melbourne to New York; entreprenuer Kim McDonnell's social enterprise, Thankful is an example of how to successfully outgrow your boots, and roots, in regional Australia.

Years ago Kim and her partner sold *everything* chasing a feeling of fulfilment in the creation of her social enterprise Thankful. When no-one in Australia would invest nor take her seriously, she uprooted her family - and a very comfortable life in Melbourne - and took them to a lesser life in New York.

We talk about 'ambition' and 'innovation' on this podcast and Kim is a shining example of what can be achieved if you are courageous enough to go for it, and keep going and going and going. Cliched I know. But Kim's persistence has seen her glean support and recognition from the United Nations, members of the Rockerfeller family and the Ford Motor Group family.

SafeFul App: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/saveful/id6460647948

Thankful Podcast

Thankful4Soil Film

Thankful4Farmers initiative

Sleep, Eat, Work, Rest, Play, Mess about, Sing, Read, Eat, Bath, Read, Sleep - Rinse and Repeat. This is the life of Channel 7’s Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew and also of you, and me and anyone with children. 

When it comes to Edwina, sure there are a few extra’s thrown in there like a nanny and invitations to fancy shows and opening nights - but ultimately she’s a mother, who’s very successful in her high profile job, but who also spends hours scrolling interiors on Instagram and naps during the days.

When I watch Edwina on Sunrise. I just wonder how she does it all? Like really, 3am alarms and two young children and a high profile and extra business ventures: it’s a lot.

But I also really admire the path that she has carved for herself as a self proclaimed ‘devotee’ to country life.  And we need people like Edwina in our corner - someone who’s happy to champion our causes, projects, challenges, the special people.

Today we talk about her TV presenter life, her daily routine and we get excited about her latest venture Saltash Farm at Carcoar near Orange in central west NSW.

This podcast is produced by Manson Podcasting Network in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Bec Bignell is a West Australian film maker on the road to big things, her biggest project to-date, her film HOMESPUN was picked up by streaming giant STAN last year after being acquired by ABC Commercial. 

Bec’s main mission in her film making is to challenge stereotypes everywhere. She’s pushing boundaries in her narratives, her characters and in the way she produces film.

In many ways this film is based on a lifetime of observation and for that Rural Australia is lucky to have her - because her perspective as someone who grew up in WA’s wheatbelt runs deep, drawing on her experiences and observations of childhood, community, stereotypes, expectations, hard times, good times - its endless. 

HOMESPUN was was financed in large part by Bec personally. It was shot in just two-weeks with locals - who had no acting experience - featured as many of the main characters. I’ve watched it a few times now and there are so many relatable moments, that hit deep in parts and just make you laugh in others. It’s refreshing to see how humorous and engaging these kind of characters can be on screen - because really, we’ve never seen rural Australia depicted in this way before. You have to make time to see this film. 

Here's the trailer - https://youtu.be/IGBMaGS3G_s

And here's the film on Stan - https://www.stan.com.au/watch/homespun-2021

Thank you to Rabobank for sponsoring this season of Company.

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Annabelle Hickson talks about the idea of feeling ideas running through her blood like some ind of addict.

But when it comes to her print magazine and modern media business Galah  Press - she IS an addict, a women possessed, to flip the narrative on life in rural Australia.

As an original outsider to rural Australia (she grew up in Sydney’s north shore) the mirror that she holds up to people and projects in the bush - is flattering -  and it reverberates light deep into the corners of our communities - into the lives of people that sometimes even we ignore - musicians, artists, creatives, artisans - painting a full, diverse and awesome picture of where we live; 

Don't be deterred if you think you have heard Annabelle's story before, today we discuss the behind the scenes business mentality of her venture.

How does Annabelle single-handedly manage and grow this business with no large scale advertisers, a 160,000 dollar printing bill three times a year and contract staff that need to be paid. 

Galah Press consists of a thrice annually print magazine, two newsletters, multiple events, a new hard cover book - and more things to come, like a podcast and a writers course.  

Explore it all at digital.galahpress.com

Company is Manson Podcasting Network’s flagship show alongside, Daily Routines, Women Behind Wool and Garden. 

We’re online at mansonpodcasting.com if you want to catch-up or share any of these shows.  

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This Season of Company is sponsored by Rabobank. We've been talking about its Client Councils and Community Fund today - if you have a community initiative that will help your community thrive the Rabobank team would love to know about it. rabobank.com.au

Growing up as one of four children on a sheep farm in southern New South Wales, I think I always knew that it would not be me that was coming home to work as the 'farmer'.

This was never implicity suggested, it was just a feeling. For females who've grown up on a farm, I'll bet many of you had the same feeling.

Today's guest Jess Howard certainly did. She grew up on a farm in western Queensland and a career or life in agriculture didn't quite feel 'right' to her - but with such a strong attachment to the land and place where she grew up, this has always been an uncomfortable feeling.

As she carved her path in jobs and vocations internationally, there was always a yearning to return home, to be able to 'contribute' to agriculture and her family's long held love of life on the land. Is this a feeling you've ever had? I most certainly had.

Here are my musings on this - Just because you don't want to be a 'farmer' does not mean you don't want to be a part of the life on the land, to help build up the industry at large, the communities that live there and do something with your talents that honour your family's values and business direction.

Up until now, it's been hard for families to recognise, support and celebrate the multitude of skills that could be put to good use in an agricultural operation.

Don't get me wrong - this is definitely changing now, but it's a quandary that's been felt by women all over, and at a very deep level. If you're not a 'farmer' then your not really involved.

I'm not sure if this is making sense, so I'll let you listen on this conversation with Jess Howard, editor of Bush Journal and one of the women of the Bush Collective - an instagram platform celebrating the beauty of bush life through incredible photography, seriously there's nothing second grade about this account.

You can pre-order the Beauty in the Bush Collective's hard cover book - Bush Life here.

There's no deny-ing it today's guest is infatuated with routines, systems and being organised.

Bridget Johns lives on a broad-acre cropping, sheep and goat farm on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia with her husband and two children She's a mother, organisational expert and a grants writer and founder of Be Simply Free.

Bridget teaches women to go from being time poor to time rich by decluttering their homes, phones, calendars and minds.

What I have found fascinating is that Bridget is also driven by data and as you will hear in this interview, many of the things she does in her life are formulated with reference to data - the time she get's up for example of 4.44am.

But please don't let this turn you off. It's true, I don't think I have ever met anyone so organised but I am very glad Bridget Johns has come into my life and I most certainly am taking heed from her approach to managing her farm household.

You can find Bridget and her courses at besimplyfree.com.au or @be.simplyfree on Instagram.

Today’s guest Sophie Weeding is rural girl born and bred making her make as a mark as super talent bed and breakfast creator in Tasmania.

Born of late nights scrolling on Pinterest while breastfeeding her babies – Soph realised she could channel her skills in design and branding in a venture recreating old homes near her farm in Tasmania. To-date she has three super gorgeous accommodation options under her belt, The Bruny Boathouse, Raffah House and a new addition - a beach shack on the east coast of Tasmania

Sophie is a full time mum, secretary of the local Agricultural Show and her love project is the renovation and management of these three Bed and Breakfasts.

Sophie lives in Oatlands in Tasmania with her husband Nick and her two children Willie and Archie

Soph actually great up in the lush landscape of Western Victoria, so I wondered how on earth she ended up in Tassie in the first place.

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Today we head to north, and then West, to the main street of Tambo in Queensland.

To meet the current co-owner of Tambo Teddies – a beautiful bush business born of adversity – as in when the price for wool was taking a pounding in 1992, over 40 years ago now.

“A brain storming session during a workshop developed the idea that Tambo could assist the wool industry, encourage tourists and create employment by making unique teddy bears from wool pelts and stuff them with wool.”

40 years later, Tambo Teddies remains. Its current owners are Tammy Johnson and Alison Shaw who I speak with today.

The first is The Suite Set, a business making and manufacturing hospital packing bags, and the second is Sally Branson Consulting, a crisis management advisory business.

She is a mum to two young kiddos aged four and five.

I feel a tad embarrassed to say I’ve never come across Sally before, but I should have as she’s a bit of a big deal, having previously been the State Director of the National Party, Senior Advisor to Federal Minster for Small Business and Press Sec to Prime Minister Tony Abbott.  

You can find out about the minute of Sally’s day-to-day routine on our Daily Routines podcast too.

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Thanks for tuning in – I’ll be back next week when we speak with wonderful bush business Tambo Teddies.