Lynne Strong
Lynne and her husband Michael and son Nick operate Clover Hill Dairies at Jamberoo on the NSW South Coast. Lynne is passionate about affordable, nutritious and sustainable food production. She recognises a pressing need for primary producers to reconnect with consumers to share stories and improve understanding of modern food production principles. She initiated Art4Agriculture and is now Chair of and mentor for our group. Lynne is the runner up in the 2011 Rabobank Farm Industry Leader of the Year, a Eureka Prize finalist and one of 26 rural women whose stories are told as part of the Daring to Dream series.
Erin Lake
Erin studied environmental science at University of Wollongong. Erin feels that strong and empowered communities are the key to successful natural resource management. She knows science and facts only tell half the story and best practice natural resource management relies on both science and people skills. Her honours thesis focused on relationships between people and the natural environment. She graduated with a Double Degree in Science-Arts with honours in 2009.
Erin is currently Project Officer for the Confidence to Grow initiative. She is a qualified bush regenerator and has worked on many projects, including dairy farms and reserves in the Illawarra in a range of environments such as wetlands, rainforests and heath lands. Erin is a regular member of Landcare and is a member of three active working groups undertaking restoration of coastal ecosystems. Erin is also the bush regeneration project manager for the Tangalla Community Stream and Rainforest land care group. Erin coordinates Art4Agriculture landcare projects for schools and helps coordinate our Art4Agriculture events and activities. She acts as an in school mentor for the Archibull Prize.
Emma Visser
Emma Visser is secretary/ treasurer of Art4Agriculture. Emma is the Operations Manager at Clover Hill Dairies. Emma is a townie and was introduced to dairying after participating in Cows Create Careers. After meeting Lynne Strong in her role as a Cows Create Careers mentor Emma took up a work experience opportunity at Clover Hill Dairies. It wasn’t long before she became a valued staff member combining weekends working at the farm with her Higher School Certificate. Emma now works fulltime at Clover Hill Dairies and is also studying a Bachelor of Agriculture Business Management at Charles Sturt University on an RASNSW Foundation Scholarship. In 2009 Emma won a Landcare Heroes of the Catchment Education award for the web based farming stories known as the “Jet and Emma Farm Management Series for K to 12”. Emma is a 2011 Heywire winner
Siannon Parice Smith
Siannon Parice is official photographer for Art4Agriculture. She is a natural light photographer and shoots mainly on location. She loves to experiment, learn, and live as much as she can. Head over to her website and see just how talented Siannon is
Wendy Taylor
Wendy Taylor B.Arch (Hons) studied Architecture at the University of Technology, Sydney, graduating in 1996 with honours. She has worked within the profession since 1989, collaborating with a number of architectural practices and on a variety of building types including the Sydney Olympic Stadium.
- Wendy and Craig Taylor
Wendy established an architectural and design business with her husband, red blue architecture + design. They have designed several residential and commercial buildings, corporate displays, provided graphic design services and have been the designers of the Central District Exhibit* (See below) at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for the last 22 years. During this time the Central Districts Display has won both Best Display and the People’s Choice Award multiple times.
Wendy has worked as a mentor and judge in the Art4Agriculture successful high school educational program, the ‘Archibull Prize’ assisting teachers and students to understand how art and design can educate and inform, whilst opening the students to new levels of enthusiasm for learning and comprehending curriculum.
*The District Exhibit Displays are an iconic element of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The displays are the culmination of the Agriculture competition of the Show. They are spectacular constructions of vegetables, fruit and other produce elements. These giant displays are a cooperative work by primary producers that reflect the diversity and excellence of their regional produce. Each display consists of more than 10,000 pieces of fresh produce from five agricultural districts throughout New South Wales and South East Queensland.
- Archibull Prize Launch
The Sydney Royal Easter Show attracts more than 900,000 visitors every year and is often seen as the vehicle for ‘bringing the country to the city’. The District Exhibit displays provide a canvas upon which the rural sector is able to promote and educate the population whilst bringing about a greater awareness of the importance of primary production.
- Bridging the Rural Urban Divide
The District Exhibit Displays are a 12 month exercise. The enormous array of produce that is exhibited on the displays is sourced from local competitions and from farmers within the District. Due to seasonal growing, the sourcing of produce is a constant effort. The design of the exhibit often begins before the previous show has finished. The actual work on the display can begin 6 months before the Easter Show opens. Months and months of work are required to produce the exhibits with up to 100 people being involved in its production. Often working bees are held in regional areas with up to 30 locals coming along for a weekend of hard work.
- Bridging the Rural Urban Divide
Kirsty John Art4Agriculture Event Director
- Loran Blades (Left) and Kirsty John (Right) with Art4Agriculture Team
Ann Burbrook
Ann has studied at Australia’s two most prestigious performing arts training institutions – The Australian Ballet School and NIDA, and performed on stage, film, television and radio.
- Ann Burbrook down on the farm
Since her graduation from the NIDA acting course she has performed with some of Australian’s leading theatre companies including The Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company and the Ensemble Theatre, as well as many independent theatre companies. She has also appeared extensively on television including taking leading roles in Blue Heelers, Snobs, Mercury, House Calls to the Rescue and The Sun on the Stubble, worked in a handful of short and feature films, and is in demand as a voice over artist.
In 1997 Ann went back to NIDA and graduated from the NIDA playwright’s course.
Since moving to the Illawarra in 1998 she has worked as Artistic Director and Company Manager of Theatre South, General Manager and Project officer for Circus Monoxide, Director of Viva La Gong and is the female voice of WIN television. She has taught dance and drama extensively in schools and for a number of youth projects, teaches communications and media at TAFE, worked as a motivational speaker, written an award winning short play and private coaching and mentoring for Art4Agriculture Young Farming Champions
- Loran Blades – just adorable
