Libby O’Brien of Beaudesert was one of three young women who took out the Country to Canberra Essay competition which is a national initiative empowering rural girls to reach their leadership potential.
As part of the award, Libby and the other winners spent last week in Canberra attending a luncheon and meeting with several Government ministers including Foreign Affairs Minister, The Hon. Julie Bishop.
Federal Member for Wright, Scott Buchholz was on hand to show Miss O’Brien around Parliament House and was proud to have one of the three winners coming from his electorate.
“I took great pride in introducing Libby to my colleagues in Canberra and showing her around Parliament House. She was very enthusiastic about one day ending up here herself”,
“It is a wonderful achievement for the area to have one of our local residents chosen from thousands of entrants for such a competitive and prestigious accolade” Mr Buchholz said.
Mr Buchholz also highlighted the importance of the Country to Canberra National Essay competition.
“This is a hugely important initiative which aims to combat the geographical barriers as well as the gender barriers rural women face. I feel particularly passionate about this scheme as a father to a daughter who has grown up in predominately rural communities”,
“It is really about opening doors to young rural women and allowing them to dream big and reach their potential; this is sometimes not possible due to isolation and lack of resources in our rural communities” said Mr Buchholz.
The Country to Canberra Essay Competition will be open again next year and is open to rural women in year 11.
