Brought up on the farm, Alana was the first and only child of five in her family to go to university, largely because her mother and grandmother had lived isolated farm lives of limited choices, and didn’t want the same fate for Alana.
But Alana told the group, she was lucky that when she was in year 12; the Whitlam government was elected, and brought in free education.
Eventually she majored in sociology at La Trobe University and then went on to do a bachelor of social work degree.
“We (other enlightened, university trained women) went back to the country but not to live the life our mothers did. And there was a real sense the people we partnered with had to accept that things were going to change.
“Before that so many farm women had been fundamental to farm operations but were never considered farmers,” she said.
In the early 1980s, Alana and then teacher Cathy McGowan, approached Victorian Farmers Federation president Peter Walsh, to have women allowed a vote in VFF affairs, where previously only a male farmer vote was available.
“Peter took it on and was instrumental in changing the rules and Victoria became the first state to automatically have two votes available from every member’s farm,” she said.
“Significantly too, and at a similar time, Beth Randell and Liz Chapman were heading up Forum in Benalla. They were instrumental in staging the first Women on Farms day in Victoria in 1983 or 1984. About 150 women attended and it has been an annual event since, most recently at Port Fairy,” Alana said.
Also about the same time, the Victorian Labor government listened to the needs of farm women – Alana was undoubtedly one voicing those needs - and set up a rural women’s unit in the Department of Agriculture.
More recently, Alana was the founding president of Voices for Indi, which initiated the renowned democracy project in the electorate.
The next Stock and Land, on Tuesday May 4 at 10am, will feature Molyullah’s Carla Gardner talking about permaculture and the history and genetic importance of heritage poultry
David Palmer