Voice it

In this episode I’m introducing you to the SA finalists of the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award. An award that acknowledges the essential role women play in rural industries, business and communities.It’s a big deal.The finalists were required to present a project, idea, or initiative that benefits rural South Australia in some way. The state winner will receive a $15,000 bursary to bring their project to life, with the winner announced on April 8th, 2025.Big welcome and congratulations to:Emma Gilbert from Clarendon Farm and Incubate ProThe Chicken Lady who's produced a hatching app that could transform the poultry industry.Kelly Johnson from SPhiker, who's recycling all the food waste in the world.Marie Ellul from Artlab Solutions has invented a new pregnancy device to reduce the need for rectal examinations in cows.and me....Annabelle Homer from Voice it. I want to provide more people across regional SA with the skills to communicate confidently and authentically through subsidised face-to-face programs. Be it on stage at conferences, on podcasts or in community - its for everyone! We all sat down at Emma's kitchen table at Clarendon Farm to chinwag about our backgrounds, our projects, and our experiences as RWA finalists. We hope you enjoy!Links:AgriFutures Rural Women's Award: https://agrifutures.com.au/opportunities/rural-womens-award/Sphiker: https://www.facebook.com/sphikerhttps://www.sphiker.com.au/http://www.instagram.com/sphiker.com.auhttp://www.tiktok.com/sphikerfoodhttps://au.linkedin.com/in/kelly-johnson-92400153Clarendon Farm & Uncubate Pro:https://www.thefarmclarendon.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/TheFarmClarendon/https://www.incubatepro.com.au/https://www.instagram.com/thefarmclarendon/⁠Artlab Solutions:https://www.artlabsolutions.com/https://au.linkedin.com/in/marie-ellul-01912b78Voice ithttps://voiceit.me/https://au.linkedin.com/in/annabelle-ottens-51573b1a7https://www.instagram.com/voiceitsa/https://www.facebook.com/voiceitsa/

It's an end of an era for this man. Peter Shearer. After 22 years at St Joseph's School in Clare, Peter has decided to step down from the top job at the end of 2024. Peter has touched the lives of many people across the regional South Australia working in Catholic schools in Jamestown, Yorketown, Loxton and finally Clare. Peter speaks of the absolute joy of his career - what has kept him in the job all these years - but also the heartbreaking challenges he's experienced along the way.

In this episode you’re going to meet Kate Mensforth. We all call her Miss Kate, she’s the woman that's built a soaring business providing children across the Clare Valley and mid north of South Australia access to the world of dance. Kate is the brains behind the Clare Valley School of Dance offering all modes of dance ballet, jazz, ACRO, contemporary, hip hop and even ninja kids, appealing to dancers on a recreational level but also giving them the chance to compete on the statewide stage. https://www.clarevalleydance.au/

This episode is about a man who had a entrepreneurial seizure. David Heinjus. What was a one-man-show in agribusiness consulting, now is the Chairperson of a multi-national company called Pinion Advisory. A leading-edge national agribusiness, water and environment consulting firm with tentacles reaching across Australia and into America.It all started in South Australia's Clare Valley. Before Pinion, Dave Heinjus founded Rural Directions in 1997 in the Clare Valley. One of the first agribusiness consultancies in the state. It started with just him and now he manages over 100 people on his team.After 23 years, he led the merger integrating Rural Directions with three other Australian companies to form Pinion. In this podcast, you'll hear his journey from his early days working as a contractor with the Department of Ag, branching into self-employment with Rural Directions, the late nights, the ongoing study, balancing all that with a young family to then chairing a global company. But let's start with Dave's early days, growing up on the family farm on the western edge of the Barossa near Freeling, a farm that he still manages today.Enjoy the journey with Dave Heinjus, a journey he reflects back on and can't believe he is where he is today. https://www.pinionadvisory.com/

Welcome back to the second instalment featuring George Millington. In the last episode you heard about George’s rise in the business world – from his early stock broking days, to transforming a humble coffee business into a successful sought after coffee brand Monjava, which was swiftly bought by San Remo. To then moving into logistics, APD Parcel Delivery. In this episode, you’re going to hear all about the rise and rise of his rural livestock empire. Since he was a young boy, George's dream was always to run a farm. He loved the land since he was a boy.He is now the bloke behind Collinsville Stud Merinos, one of the country's most well respected and prominent sheep studs in Australia. To find out how all that came to be, enjoy the rest of George's story. https://collinsville.com.au/

Today you will hear the absolute success story of George Millington. He is the man behind Collinsville Stud Merinos – one of the most prominent and well respected sheep-studs in Australia located in the mid north of South Australia. George's success story begins with his venture into the coffee industry where he established Monjava. His his excellent business sense and a stroke of luck made him a millionaire by his early 30s. He then ventured into logistics which then led him to buy Collinsville Stud Merinos. This is a 2 part series on George and this episode is just the beginning of his rollercoaster career ride. Enjoy! https://collinsville.com.au/ https://monjava.com.au/ https://apdparcel.com.au/

Meet the super vivacious Ali Cooper, the owner of the 'The Park' in Jamestown. In this case Ali hasn’t started from scratch, but probably feels like she has. She's transformed the local caravan park in Jamestown into a boutique accomodation space for travellers. Ali is also involved in the family farming business with husband, Seth Cooper, has 3 children and is an extremely active community volunteer. https://www.theparkjamestown.com/

Meet Kelly Morgan, the woman behind Kelly Kelly Legal, a successful law firm in Jamestown. Kelly grew up on a farm near Yongala, the coldest place in South Australia. She describes herself as an ‘accidental lawyer’, she initially wanted to be school teacher or an architect, but it was her father that ignited the idea of law. When Kelly graduated she had this big idea to head to Sydney and work for the big law firms but her life took an unexpected turn when her father passed away suddenly, which led her to come home and help her mum.It was then she started working in a local law firm for 10 years and then starting her own practice. She talks about what's involved in running a law firm in the country, the rapid growth it underwent as soon as she opened the doors, her frustrations when people perceive country law firms as inferior to city ones and her passion to train and nurture law graduates to encourage them to undertake a country posting. But her life has also been quite a roller coaster ride.We delve into how she navigated life after her father's suicide, becoming pregnant with twins four months after starting her own practice and then losing one. And then getting pregnant with twins five years later, with Max being diagnosed at birth with cystic fibrosis. I love Kelly's motto, which comes from her father; "Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere. " I guess this has got her through the tough times, but also has helped her build such a successful business. This is Kelly's story. https://kellykellylegal.com.au/

This is a delightful story about Sophie Whitehead which I played on the Clare Valley Podcast a few months ago and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with my Voice it listeners. Sophie Whitehead's first job job out of college was cooking for royalty. In this episode, you'll hear how she came to be cooking for the Queen Mother, and the experiences she had with not just her, but many members of the Royal family. She ended up in Australia, cooking for the rich and famous on super yachts and in Sydney North Shore mansions. She's now left the the glitz and glamour behind and moved to the Clare Valley with her husband, David. It was a spontaneous move while caravanning around Australia where they came across the Curly Goose by chance, bought it and transformed it into a gin space. This is a delightful story. https://www.thecurlygoose.com.au/ https://www.sawmillgin.com/

In this episode, you'll meet Brian McInerney, one of the founding fathers of one of the top insurance brokerages in Australia. He’s the 'M' in MGA insurance. We will, of course , talk about MGA’s astronomical growth from humble beginnings back in 1975 to now over 65 thousand clients and a branch network across Australia and one in Cambodia. But we’ll also find out more about the Brian’s background, his humble beginnings growing up in Melrose with his family, his love for footy and tennis, a high school stint at Sacred Heart College at Glenelg, and then doing an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner working for BHP at Iron Knob and Iron Baron near Whyalla. So, how does a fitter and turner end up in insurance, to then running one of the biggest insurance brokerages in Australia?Well, you'll have to listen. It's an inspirational tale, a rags to riches story. He's now 80 years old and retired from MGA, but he still sits on the board.Enjoy the journey with Brian McInerney. https://www.mga.com/

Today you’ll get to meet the youngest Chief Flying Instructor in Australia. George Seppelt. Well one of the youngest, another bloke is about to cut his lunch apparently! At the prime age of 15, before he could even drive independently, he had his restricted pilot’s licence. By the time he was 22, he was a fully-fledged flying instructor in the mid north of South Australia.George always had a goal of getting his commercial pilot’s licence and being a Flying Doctor, but he’s had few speed bumps and obstacles along the way. You'll hear about the chance encounter with the current Australian aerobatic champion who ignited his flying passion, George's health scare that literally grounded him for eight months, and how his flying mentor became paralysed after crashing his plane but amazingly learnt to walk again. You'll hear about his mid-air challenging moments, but also the wins with teaching people how to fly.His big love these days is electric aeroplanes, and being one of 12 people in Australia that knows how to fly one. This guy keeps on kicking goals, and I'm excited to see what he does next. Enjoy this inspirational journey with George.

Today, you'll hear about the life of an Outback Film Caterer. Steve Marcus is the man behind Marcus Film Catering. He’s been preparing meals from outback locations for 32 years. He’s traveled in is catering blue bus to remote locations such as Broken Hill, Coober Pedy, Kalgoorlie, you name it, he’s been there. He also catered on the 4 outback cattle drives. He’s rubbed shoulders with big movies stars, Australian A listers and cooked private dinners for Hollywood directors. The stories Steve shares of his outback adventures and the people he's met along the way are pretty amazing. Who gets to go on a morning stroll with Mick Jagger? Steve does.He's from Adelaide, one of six kids who grew up in Unley Park. His outback adventures began after school when he tried his hand at jackarooing, from there he got into hospitality and he's never looked back.Steve has now retired and has handed the business over to his daughter Rachael, but he still gets the odd catering gig on the blue bus. Enjoy this unique story with Steve Marcus.

In this episode I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing a former Olympian who calls the Clare Valley her home. Anna McVann is the youngest of 6 kids who grew up in the Adelaide suburbs - but she wasn’t just any kid. At the age of 15 she represented Australia at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.There she made 4 finals, an amazing result which put this teenage girl in the spotlight as a up- and-coming Australian swimmer to watch. In this episode, you’ll hear about the gruelling training regimes, the diet, the international swimming comps, the Olympic experience, the comeback, Crystal Palace, and 'physioing' for the Olympic diving team.This woman has done so much. I just can't wait for you to hear it all. I've never met anyone with so much discipline and determination.Who else would rock up to swimming training in a wheelchair with a leg in plaster and still want to train? This is just one of the many stories you'll hear. After the dizzying heights of swimming stardom and international travel, Anna initially saw her life to be in Paris or London or even New York. But on a trip back to Australia, she was swept off her feet by a farmer from the Clare Valley, Tom Hawker. She settled down, had four children and set up her own successful physiotherapy business. Strap in, this is Anna's story.

In this episode you will meet country copper and local Clare businessman, Mark Hill. He has served as the local police officer in Clare for 25 years as well as running a driving school business for the past 17 years. In this episode, you’ll hear Mark’s journey from being a young copper chasing stolen cars in the northern suburbs, going undercover in Adelaide brothels to then leaving the excitement behind to become a country cop. Though he says, Clare is a region where there’s little crime, he still faced many challenges being a cop in a close-knit community. After 25 years and at the age of 52, Mark's ready for a change and about to embark on being a police prosecutor.Enjoy the journey with senior constable, first class, Mark Hill.

Today you’ll meet Edward McArdle– everyone knows him as Eddie. Eddie is the man behind the early beginnings of Agfert, one of the state’s successful fertiliser distribution and trucking companies. Eddie talks of his humble beginnings at Avon, a small town in the lower north, his desire to quit school and start working for his father at 16 years old. This desire and determination led him to build up his father’s business at Avon where he sold and delivered bagged bulk fertiliser. He then moved it to Balaklava, expanding it to a 400-tonne capacity storage facility, importing fertiliser and expanding his transport fleet to travel interstate. The company now boasts a storage capacity of 40,000 tonnes with a blending plant and two outloading facilities. But like most successful businesses, it comes with some serious challenges.Along the way, Eddie was faced with some serious financial troubles, a significant amount of money was lost, and he had to sell much of the business' assets to stay afloat and literally start again. Also, he reflects on losing his youngest son, Matt, in a truck rollover near Clare in 2016 at the age of 24. Today, Eddie runs McArdle Pty Ltd, focusing on transport and cement mixing and has handed over the reins of Agfert to his daughter, Meghan, and husband, Grant.Eddie has had 51 years in business, and at the age of 67, there's no signs of retirement. So despite the lawnmower, the whipper snipper and the numerous phone call interruptions, enjoy the next 30 minutes with Eddie McArdle. https://www.agfert.com.au/ http://www.mcardlepl.com.au/

Today you’ll meet Mim Ward. Most people in the tourism/ hospitality space in regional South Australia would know Mim. She’s a larger-than-life character, who has done an exceptional job looking after all things tourism in the Clare Valley, however Mim's career began in the outback. Mim’s early beginnings in hospitality and eventing began at the famous Prairie Hotel in the Flinders Ranges. She then started her own events business called Outback Events and was one of the major players behind The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive during the year of the Outback.She's also managed hotels with her husband Bruce in Victoria, as well as the iconic William Creek Hotel in the far north of South Australia, and she's about to embark on a new adventure to Coober Pedy. Why Coober Pedy? Well, her husband Bruce is now the Outback Mail Man, and Mim's about to join him.Doing the mail run? Not so much, but is excited to see what Coober Pedy has in store for her. But before we embark on her next chapter in life, let's hear more about Mim's past.And let's just say she's lived a full life, so strap on your seatbelt, you're in for a ride.

Listen up followers! Episode 20 of the Voice it podcast is now available for your listening pleasure. FEATURING GIEDRE BUDRIUS Giedre is the creative director at Honeycomb Design, a web and graphic design business in the South Australia's Clare Valley. This local business is also celebrating 15 years in business this year. WELL DONE!!! This woman has quite a story. In this episode, not only will you hear about career, but also her early life in Lithuania, what led her to travel and permanently settle on the other side of the world, the struggles she faced living in Australia initially, her move Clare, and then coming out as a gay woman. This is quite a journey. She's packed a lot into her 38 years, including two children, her pride and joy.Enjoy the journey with Giedre Budrius. https://honeycomb.design/

Mr Dave Willson has been described as the quintessential Aussie bloke, a true character, who absolutely loves a chat. You may know him as the bloke who runs Clare Valley Tours, but he has lived quite a full life before transporting tourists around. He’s been a wool classer, excavation contractor, the resident grave digger, and a private wool buyer. In this episode you'll learn all about a 'Mungindi shandy', his recreational flying escapades, and the time he accidentally dug the grave in the in the wrong spot.But it's also quite insightful, especially when he reflects on his wool buying days and his relationships with farmers and his vision for Clare Valley tourism. Enjoy the journey with Mr. Dave Willson.

I didn’t know ANYTHING about the Tech industry before I approached my next Voice it guest. To be honest, I was a little bit intimidated because she is so accomplished in her field and such an influential player in the global tech industry, I didn’t want to come across as an absolute fool. I don’t know about you, but when I think about tech, I think of lots of really smart people sitting behind computers typing really complex algorithms ferociously onto a black screen. How wrong am I!! Jo Stewart-Rattray describes herself as a tech nerd and has since the age of four. She's now one of the most influential people in the tech world with 25 years of knowledge in physical and cybersecurity information technology. Jo lives in the back streets of Auburn in South Australia's Clare Valley and runs a consulting practice in technology and security, advising organisations globally.Her qualifications and experience in technology is so impressive, but she's also instrumental in getting more women involved in a male dominated tech industry and has made some major inroads with the She Leads Tech program. Plus she's represented Australia at the United Nations.She's focused, articulate and a very professional leader with a passion for motivating and teaching others. This woman has an amazing story to tell and I can't wait for you to hear it. So without further ado, enjoy the journey with Jo Stewart- Rattray.

"It's better to try and fail, than to fail not trying". In the first instalment you heard about Tim’s family's mission to escape the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, their trek through the jungles of Cambodia to the Thai Border and the horrors they faced during that 2 year experience. Then you followed their life in Australia and the challenges they faced surrounding poverty, racism, and bullying. But through sheer determination and hard work and support from their local church, Tim and his siblings were granted a good education, giving them a chance to get out of poverty and experience a better life. In this episode, you'll hear how Tim embarked on a career in pharmacy and how he built this empire of chemists across the mid north and what drives him to keep growing the business. Also, we get an insight into his personal life and meeting his partner Megs and how his family has grounded him. We then head back to Cambodia, where Tim has for the past 12 years been giving back to the country that was torn to bits all those years ago through his work with New Hope Cambodia.Enjoy the second part of the journey with Tim Siv