“Bloom where you are planted’ was a saying Cathy heard often in her years growing up on a farm in North east Victoria. Her parents knew the value of persistence, of patience and acceptance of forces outside of one’s control.

It is a motto Cathy has made her own. With this desire for personal growth and fullfilment, she now works to help others achieve their potential – regardless of (and sometimes despite) circumstances and background.

Cathy has a vision for rural Australia where everyone is able to ‘bloom where they are planted’ a vibrant and caring rural Australia alive with opportunities. To this end she is the managing director of a consulting company which specialises in building capacity in individuals and communities in rural Australia.

Her major current work is with horticultural industries, where she is responsible for a national program to encourage and support leadership within horticultural. She is also interested in agri politics. Among recent activities, she has been on a government advisory committee on the World Trade Organisation, chair of the Regional Women’s Advisory Council offering policy advice to the Deputy Prime Minister and his department, and president of the national organisation, Australian Women in Agriculture.