One hundred women travelled from across Western NSW to Narromine late last month for an afternoon filled with storytelling, laughter, honest conversations and connection at the Western Rural Connect/Rural Women’s Day Long Lunch.

Hosted by the non-profit, volunteer-led Western Rural Connect (WRC) in collaboration with Rural Women’s Day (RWD) founder Jackie Elliott for the third consecutive year, the event on Saturday, September 26, was all about helping rural and regional women to connect away from the everyday demands of farms, families, businesses and community roles.

The ongoing partnership between WRC and RWD recognises the importance of creating opportunities for rural and regional women to build meaningful connections, share experiences and feel supported within their communities.

WRC Co-Chair Brooke Watts reinforced why events like Rural Women’s Day continue to matter.

“Rural women spend so much of their time doing for others, whether that is in their families, businesses, farms, workplaces or communities,” she said.

“This event was about creating a space where they could come together, have meaningful conversations, hear from other women and simply enjoy an afternoon surrounded by people who understand rural life.”

Brooke said seeing 100 women connecting with old friends and making new ones was incredibly special.

“These are the connections we hope continue well beyond the event itself,” she said.

The event program featured four women whose experiences reflected the diversity, resilience and creativity found across rural and regional communities.

Journalist and keynote speaker Jennifer McCutcheon, from Gilgandra, shared a deeply personal reflection on returning to regional life after more than a decade covering national sport, to navigate drought, dust storms, mouse plagues and floods while raising her two daughters and learning to run a farm following the sudden death of her husband, Andrew.

Her reflections on grief, succession and the realities facing farming families brought an honest and deeply personal perspective to the afternoon.

The panel discussion that followed brought together Central West photographer and writer Xan MacAlpine, Yeoval physiotherapist and business owner Rachel Kerin, and beef cattle farmer and rural advocate Katie O’Brien.

Living on a sheep grazing property, Xan MacAlpine built The Social Herd, a creative studio dedicated to telling rural stories through photography, film and writing, and spoke about creativity, identity and recognising the value in the everyday experiences of rural life.

Rachel Kerin shared her experiences as founder of Kerin Health, leading a team of 33 women delivering allied health services across NSW, and explored rural healthcare, entrepreneurship and the importance of ensuring regional communities can access quality care regardless of postcode.

Katie O’Brien shared more than 25 years of experience in agriculture, including farming through drought, biosecurity shutdowns, business loss and rebuilding from scratch, and explored mental health, identity and adversity, including the pressures rural women can carry behind the scenes.

Connection and community spirit extended beyond the conversations in the room, with attendees raising $1500 for the “Dollar for Dusty” Little Wings’ fundraising campaign.

The Long Lunch demonstrated the value of creating dedicated spaces for rural women to connect, share experiences and strengthen relationships across communities.

“Western Rural Connect exists because we know how valuable connection can be in regional communities,” Brooke said.

“We hope every woman who walked through the doors left with a new connection, a meaningful conversation or simply the feeling that she is part of a much bigger community.”