Casella Wines Rural Women's Award
For more than 200 years, women have formed the backbone of Australia’s rural communities, often without much fanfare to highlight their contributions. Through their efforts, these champions of the bush foster strength, nurture progress and empower others amid difficult times.
Honouring Rural Women
The program run by Casella Wines is now in its third year. John Casella, Managing Director of Casella Wines designed the program to honour his mother, Maria Casella. He wanted to recognise women in regional areas of Australia who devote their lives to the well-being of their community in the same way that Maria has done in Griffith for her entire adult life.
The 2011 Awards are now closed
Casella Wines joined with the Australian Women’s Weekly and Rural Press to find Australia’s most outstanding female citizens from rural communities.
The 2011 program is now closed and the winners will be announced in October. First place is $10,000 and five runners-up will each receive $2,000.
A few words from our 2010 winner
“This award is a great opportunity to highlight the importance of regional women Australia-wide, to tell their stories and support them in what they do.”
Anne Finlayson lives 43kms east of Guyra, near Armidale in NSW. She was nominated by a friend for the volunteer work she does in isolated towns in Northern NSW. During the unprecedented drought from early 2000, Anne realised the effects of anxiety and depression on women and their families. She appealed to the church to fund a retreat for the ‘women of the west’, offering them a place to gather with like-minded women to reflect, share, pray and provide mutual support to each other.
One participant said of Anne’s retreats – “those weekends saved my life”, another said “they gave me the strength to keep going”.