I’m still in shock. Mid-week I received a call from the office of the Minister for Western NSW, the Hon. Kevin Humphries, MP (Barwon electorate) based in Moree. I was asked if I could come into town on friday to discuss my work with him and that it was in regard to the 2012 NSW Women of the Year Awards. Having received a shiny invitation to attend the presentation at Parliament House in Sydney last wednesday (and thinking I had somehow got on Pru Goward’s-NSW Minister for Women-database by mistake) I said:

‘Wow, you know I actually got an invitation to go to that.’

The response:

‘That’s because you were a NSW Women of the Year Awards Nominee.’

You know that saying about being knocked over with a feather? Well that was me. I was stunned! Afterwards I figured someone calling  from Pru Goward’s office – when I live out the back of Boomi in north-western NSW – probably wasn’t on the list of priorities with everything that’s going on at a state and federal level in politics.

But it doesn’t end there. I was thrilled to be nominated, but then I arrive in Moree yesterday to be awarded the Barwon Woman of the Year 2012 for:

 ‘literary talent and promoting Outback Australia and providing a strong female role model for rural professionals.’

The Barwon electorate is a vast north-west rural electorate of 221,570 square kilometres and is NSW’s second largest electorate, covering 27.7% of the state. It stretches from Moree, Narrabri and Coonabarabran in the east to Cobar and Bourke in the west, with other major centres including Walgett, Brewarrina, Warren, Coonamble and Gilgandra. The electorate derives its name from the Barwon River. What an honour!

I arrived home and then realised I hadn’t brought any champers to celebrate. Not to worry. I had a bottle stashed away from Christmas time when I decided I wasn’t going to take it out through the floodwater on the jetski. Cheers!

The top gong (NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year Award) went to Fran Rowe who was recognised for her advocacy for farmers, and her work to establish one of the first rural financial counselling services for farming families facing financial difficulties. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Edith Weisberg OAM for her advocacy for women’s health around the world, with over forty years of dedicated work in reproductive and sexual health issues.

You can see why I’m so stunned at being included in this… and it was a big reminder that it doesn’t matter what you do or where you live, isolation is no barrier to promoting the industry you’re involved in and for me that’s the bush and writing.