21 minute read
The Backbone Award
For a woman who is the backbone of the family business or place of employment. Recognising the valuable contributions of women – even if they aren’t the listed business owner, because without them the business would not run nor operate as smoothly.
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Proudly sponsored by: Judith Jordan Proudly sponsored by: Judith Jordan Family and Family and Collaborative Lawyer Collaborative Lawyer
THE BACKBONE AWARD
Making a difference
Jodie Hawkes was the winner of The Backbone Award in 2021. She is the CFO of Bowhill Engineering, an innovative structural steel engineering firm with specialist capability in large complex steel, known for some 15 bridges on the North-South Expressway and steelhulled ferries for the Murray River. Bowhill employs a stable workforce of 50+ highly specialised staff, this strengthens their community and provides the ability to deliver world class innovative solutions for their clients. The firm delivers some $12 million worth of landmark projects annually. They transform communities and their people, by optimising and building structures that matter. #TogetherWeThrive
This award is not only about an acknowledgement of me or my achievements. Winning this award, for me, is a wonderful tool, to leverage my position within our region. Showcasing that a female, from a small business, in regional Australia, in a male dominated industry, who is a mother of four, is capable of making a difference - to her business, to her region.
When Jodie Hawkes won The Backbone Award, she started her acceptance speech with this powerful acknowledgment of what it meant. Here we get the chance to discover what is happening at Bowhill and what wisdom Jodie has to pass on.
// It’s so special being able to recognise and celebrate the driving force of local businesses, and we loved being able to award you with The Backbone Award in 2021! Since that night, what have been most proud of at Bowhill Engineering in 2022?
Growth and consolidation. We’ve been working hard on developing 3 levels of leaders. Our Leadership team has 90 day goals that they are each rolling out to their own teams. The flow-on effect of multiple people working on our strategic plan – continuously – has seen us grow nearly 40% in the past 12 months.
Our 2IC has taken 10 weeks long service leave and the next generation of leaders have taken on the challenge, it’s exciting to see the whole team working together on common goals – “Together We Thrive”. // What advice would you give to any women who have their sights set on management roles? Particularly in industries that have been traditionally male-dominated.
It really isn’t about being a male or a female, it’s about how you approach your role and earning respect by knowing and doing your job well. It takes time, but it is certainly worth the effort.
Technical skills are only one aspect of the role, in our business, we tend to focus more on EQ over IQ. Being good on the workshop floor does not automatically equate to being a good leader, a totally different skill set is required. We have been focussing our training and development in how to be a good leader. These skills transpire into people’s home lives. We love seeing their growth and development both inside and outside the workplace. Personally, I work hard on just being my true authentic self, 'Just be me' is my mantra when I’m feeling inadequate or overwhelmed. I’ve learned from experience, that people relate quicker and better, and it’s so much easier than trying to be someone you are not!
// Looking ahead now – what are you excited about for your own career?
I’ve got so many balls in the air right now. We are implementing some new HR software, navigating our way through being a defence supplier, have a $2m capital upgrade on the books, building our teams depth with 3 levels of leadership and have some exciting new clients and projects to see us out to the end of the year. I’m also trying to balance this with just breathing and taking some time for myself. Having recently lost my step-dad to a 13 year battle with cancer, I know life is precious and short. I have 4 kids and my husband Jeremy and my mum Robyn – whom I want to do some more travelling with and make some more memories whilst we can.
With my role as Chair of Regional Development Australia Murraylands and Riverland (RDAMR) we have just finalised our Murraylands Riverland Plan (MR Plan) – this has been a process of listening and gathering information from our region's people to hear their opinions about better preparing for drought and other disruptions. We are about to embark on the Implementation stage of the plan, but because we want this to be an enduring plan, we need a group of the Coalition of the Willing (CoW) to help drive this alongside the RDAMR. We don’t know what this looks like yet, but it’s exciting to be part of something big and new.
To read Jodie's acceptance speech in full, follow this QR code.
Discover more about Bowhill Engineering at boweng.com.au
Tracey Gordon, JVS Bodyworks, was the People's Choice Winner of The Backbone Award in 2021. She was unable to attend the Awards night.
THE BACKBONE AWARD
2022 Finalists
SIMONE RIDGECOOKE, THRF GROUP - PARKINSON'S
I am proud as the Client and Community Engagement Manager and Art Therapist, to be a part of the team at The Hospital Research Foundation Group – Parkinson’s, who are focused on maximising choice, independence and wellbeing for people living with Parkinson’s and other movement and neurological conditions. I bring my experience and skillset to provide integrative and supportive therapies such as art therapy and social connection to our community, in collaboration with an exceptional team providing specialised support and education to enable our community affected by Parkinson’s to continue to live well.
To connect with Simone RidgeCooke and discover more about her, follow this QR code. What do you love most about being in your role? I love that my experience and my skill base can be brought to a community that truly relishes every support and service we are able to provide them. Being able to take my skills to individuals, for example I might have a client come to my art class stating, “I hate art, and I never thought I would consider trying this but I will give it a go because I got told I'm miserable and should find something to do”. To then turning around weeks later and telling me that the art class has become the most enjoyable part of their week, that they’ve found so much confidence and found a reason to wake up every day, and never thought art would be the therapy that they needed. That is so rewarding to me.
In 5 years from now, what would you love to be celebrating? Ideally I would love to be celebrating a cure for Parkinson's. But realistically I would love to be celebrating a vision succeeded, enabling integrative therapies to be seen as a valid and vital part of an individual's care plan. Often with illness or diagnosis, we tend to look at what medication can 'fix' us, or what physical supports we can implement to live well, but often our mental wellbeing can come secondary. I look forward to celebrating mental wellness and integrative supports such as art therapy becoming a part of a well balanced care and support plan for those living with chronic or life long conditions.
What has being involved in the 2022 SA Woman Awards brought to your life? For me, going through this awards process and focusing on my own impact and achievements - encouraged to look at my role and dreams - has been an eye opening experience in itself, and provided personal growth and clarity. It is well outside my comfort zone and I thank the SA Woman Awards for the opportunity to do some real internal self-exploration and be reminded of all that I have achieved. This has been such a serendipitous opportunity to do some self- reflection and acknowledgement of my achievements and value. I am thankful for the opportunity to reflect and be proud.
What do you love most about your work?
I love most seeing women realise they are more than they thought, or were led to believe. I value having a role where I am able to make a positive difference to the future lives of women and often their children too. I love being able to assist women to change the narrative of their lives and develop the skills to take control, to self-advocate for their rights and needs, to feel able to dream, set goals and develop the knowledge and skills on how to get there. I love how my role has enabled me to build and improve services, a safe community of women, where no-one is judged, all are welcomed, respected, admired for the determination and courage they show to keep going. I love being able to receive women just as they are, listen to their story and reflect back a genuine regard for their courage and strength.
Throughout the ups and downs, how have you stayed true to your vision?
Throughout my years at Catherine House there have been enormous challenges, particularly in securing and retaining funding for programs. In a service that provides not just accommodation and support, but hope for a better future for women, this weighed heavily on me. I knew first-hand the difference our support and the opportunities provided, made to women’s lives. They quite openly, emotionally tell us, “Catherine House saved my life.” When you hear this hundreds of times, it is easy to be focused, resolute and committed to the right of women to have a safe, women-only specialist response. For me it is easy to speak from the heart in a persuasive way, about our vision to assist women recover from trauma, violence, and homelessness, supporting them into safe, secure housing so they can work towards a life that is meaningful to them.
What is the biggest thing you have learnt from being in your role?
Time and time again, I experienced the value of remaining true to myself, because personal integrity is my most important value – it’s all that we have got when everything is stripped back. Authenticity, honesty, accountability, being brave and having courage in the face of challenges from others and systems, is what I have learned in my role. These qualities allow trusting relationships to develop both with the women we serve and with those who support us. This approach has allowed Catherine House to retain long-standing relationships with funders, donors, supporters and other stakeholders who are also inspired to work alongside us to help fulfil our vision and purpose.
DEIRDRE FLYNN, CATHERINE HOUSE
Catherine House accommodates 54 women a night and provides services to up to 100 women each day. Three accommodation sites provide 24/7 support, 365 days per year and includes an Intake Service with waitlist support, a Recovery Program, NDIS Service, Short-term Supported Accommodation with specialist onsite services and outreach support to clients for as long as required. A Women’s Centre delivers a range of health, wellbeing and education training courses each week. An Education and Employment Program is available to referred clients. Catherine House partners with, and is supported by valued volunteers, community, corporate, government and philanthropic donors and foundations.
To connect with Deirdre Flynn and discover more about Catherine House, follow this QR code.
THE BACKBONE AWARD What are the best pieces of advice you’ve received about being in business? Prior to 2019, I had never worked within the business or construction sector and at times, I've felt an incredible amount of impostor syndrome and insecurity within my new career. The two best pieces of advice I was given were: Turn up: it’s amazing how just being brave and turning up can start to build confidence. Turning up again and again in places and situations I didn’t feel I belonged - for example, in AP’s office talking to clients about their jobs, on-site at clients’ homes, and attending networking events. Say “Yes” to new opportunities: It's all too common for people who have impostor syndrome to turn down opportunities. When you're presented with a new opportunity, it's important to recognize that voice in your head saying you can't do it because you're not worthy, you’re not an expert, you’re just a kid from rural SA that has no idea what they’re doing. My inner impostor has wanted to turn down many an opportunity, including applying for the Backbone Award. By saying yes to these opportunities it has also helped me learn, grow, and they’ve advanced my career. What do you love most about business? As a wise woman once said, “You can’t be what you can’t see”, Carly Thompson-Barry, SA Woman Awards ceremony 2021. The thing I love most about being in business is that I believe my husband and I are providing positive role-models for our children. They are seeing first-hand what hard work
MEL SPEHR, and determination can do. That with love, strength and
ALUMINIUM PLUS determination you can build for yourself the life you want and a legacy to leave behind.
I’m Mel and I’m one half of the husband For my daughter, I believe that I am providing for her a rolemodel of a female leader succeeding in a male dominated and wife team that own Aluminium industry. As a child, although my mum told me I could grow up
Plus. At Aluminium Plus, we supply to be anything, what I saw and experienced was very different. and install high quality aluminium windows and doors to Adelaide and its As a child living in rural SA what I saw and experienced were generation after generation of women (on both sides of my family) who were stay-at-home wives and mothers who surrounding suburbs, whilst providing supported their husbands. Women whose lives and worlds, as excellent customer service. Aluminium fulfilling as they were, could be considered as small. My mother
Plus are experts in helping our clients renovate their homes, creating a set me on the right path of career success by telling me that I could be anything I wanted when I grow up. I believe I’m doing one better by showing my own daughter the embodiment of secure home for first home buyers and my mother’s words. supplying builders with house lots of Throughout the ups and downs, how have windows and doors. As manufacturers, you stayed true to your vision? all of AP’s products are made to measure As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, keeping by our qualified staff. All our products my mental health on the right track has proven challenging. are manufactured on site in our Salisbury South factory and use Australian-made materials. Being completely honest with myself about my thoughts helps me stay on track: Does this thought serve me? Does this thought serve others? Does it make my home life or work life better? How would I feel if I saw my kids saying, doing or thinking that? These simple questions have forced me to face some pretty
To connect with Mel Spehr and discover more about her business, follow this QR code. uncomfortable truths, but these answers are an important step in recognising and unlearning negative thought patterns that have seen my mental health come unstuck in the past.
To connect with Meredith Waterhouse and discover more about her, follow this QR code.
MEREDITH WATERHOUSE, DIGITAL MARKETING AOK
A passionate Digital Marketer by heart, Meredith is a Certified Practising Marketer with the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI), an Awards Judge, Mentor and the former Chair of the AMI in SA. A master connector and selfproclaimed Chief Happiness Officer, you can often find her at a networking event, living and breathing Digital Marketing AOK’s Seriously Social values. As Director of Marketing at Digital Marketing AOK, Meredith heads up the early conversations over coffee, building and nurturing connections with networks, stakeholders, clients and industry associations. Established in 2012, Digital Marketing AOK is a South Australian, female-owned, Awardwinning specialist Digital Marketing Agency.
What do you love most about being in your role? I've loved the feeling of recognition and appreciation that comes from helping others and knowing that you've made a positive impact on someone else's business and dream. At DMAOK, I'm constantly surrounded by a team of talented and ambitious people and it's truly inspiring to see what we can achieve when we work together. I look up to our fearless CEO with absolute appreciation that she trusts me and my knowledge to continue to build the business. Completing our 10th birthday celebrations and rebrand, along with new partnerships and the growth of our retainer client base have made a big difference to the agency and what motivates me in my role.
What obstacles and opportunities have you found from being a woman in your role? A challenge that comes with being a woman in my role is that I am often still outnumbered by men in similar positions and I often see speaking panels at events that are male dominant. I believe that by supporting other women and lifting each other up, we can overcome these obstacles and be a good example to the young women in the next generation to help them believe they are invincible. The best thing I like about being a female is the sense of community and support that exists among women in similar positions and in business in general. We are often quick to help each other out with advice, connections, or attending each other’s events. I believe this sisterhood is one of our biggest strengths, and it’s something that sets us apart from our male counterparts.
What has being involved in the 2022 SA Woman Awards brought to your life? The 2022 SA Woman Awards have allowed me to connect more with so many fantastic SA women and to learn about all the amazing things that women are doing in our community. It has also been a great opportunity for me to share more about the work that I do, connect more SA women to each other and celebrate with recognition from my peers. As an employee of a female-owned business, it has been wonderful to see the positive impact that this event has had on our team and company. I am so very grateful to be involved in such a wonderful event and an enriching experience.
THE BACKBONE AWARD What key moments led to being in your role?
STELLA FERREIRA, JUST LIVING
Just Living are a registered NDIS disability support services provider, passionate about helping their participants live their best lives. We pride ourselves on working with our participants to individualise their supports based on their goals and what is important to them. We have built an amazing team of employees who support and empower individuals living with a disability. Motivated by our values and passion to provide quality care and create meaningful connections, we are committed to supporting our participants to build and maintain their independence, to assist them in creating choice and control for their own life.
To connect with Stella Ferreira and discover more about her work, follow this QR code. I have spent what feels like forever trying to find my purpose and passion. I knew I wanted to find a way to help people but hadn’t found quite what I was looking for. I focused on learning as much as I could in all the opportunities that I came across with the hope that this would help me find my calling and give me the skills and experience to make a difference when I did. My partner was injured while in service to the Australian Defence Force and set up Just Living after his own experience with disability and mental health. After hearing about his experience and his vision to help others impacted by mental health, injury and living with a disability, I knew that this was my chance to make my mark. I soon realised that all my experience and everything I learned was exactly what Just Living needed to allow them to support and empower more people to live their best life.
What do you love most about being in your role? I love empowering others to live the life that they want, knowing that we have helped them on their journey and most importantly, seeing them continue to succeed on their terms. Success, progress, and happiness look different for each of our participants. For some participants success is learning to cook or catch public transport, making new friends and relationships, for others it is about feeling included and involved in the community and for many, it is about building the life that they want. Empowering and supporting our participants to achieve their goals and create a life where they feel confident in their abilities is incredibly rewarding. I am also incredibly lucky to be able to mentor employees on their journey, the growth our employees have had within their own professional and personal lives since joining Just Living is amazing to see.
What change do you want to see for women in your industry? There is a huge opportunity for organisations to partner up and create amazing programs alongside each other and together. I would love to see more women collaborating for better outcomes and sharing their experience with organisations that offer similar services and are working towards the same goals. There is so much we can learn from each other, and the final outcome would improve the quality of services and supports offered to so many people impacted by mental health, injury and living with a disability.
What do you love most about being in your role? I absolutely love bringing the workshops to Moonta and we offer such a huge variety to choose from including pot painting, macrame, wreath making and pottery, just to name a few. I love to see groups of ladies enjoying themselves, having fun and taking time out for themself. Showcasing other women in business and networking with other women makes me smile. We recently hosted a workshop through the Adelaide Business Hub for women in business, which was a huge success and a wonderful opportunity to network with other women in business. I was so proud to be able to bring this workshop to the Yorke Peninsula. I have connected with so many lovely people in the last few years on this crazy journey. I have certainly built some beautiful relationships and made some lifelong friends. I am very thankful. I am currently working on planning a fundraiser for Cancer and also a market night both to be at our shop, I am finding that lots of fun too.
What has been your biggest triumph in your business? Transforming our previous businesses, Mitre 10 and Moonta Building and Landscape Supplies, into Moonta Garden and Landscape Supplies is by far our biggest and most rewarding achievement to date. It has been a massive project which is still a work in progress. September will see us opening up a café in-store to further enhance our customers' shopping experience. We are so excited about this new venture. Our business makeover has included extensions to the shop, re-painting, renovating, rebranding, upskilling and venturing into a business completely new to us. We have hunted high and low sourcing vintage items, collectables, memorabilia, rustic furniture and relics. The task of educating ourselves and having to learn about plants and their requirements has been hugely challenging but so very rewarding. Researching and discovering so many new contacts, new suppliers and work shop hosts also has been a massive achievement.
To have my hard work recognised and being rewarded for how far we have come in our new business rebrand is wonderful. The positive response I received on social media when I was nominated for the award was overwhelming. I truly have never felt so loved and appreciated. To reach the finals has been amazing and already makes me a winner. So, no matter what the end result is I am happy, blessed and very thankful. The awards have bought me so much joy.
Twenty-five years ago, we purchased a landscape supply business with a nursery attached. In 2019, we were unable to find a tenant for the nursery. This was the start of us stocking a small supply of plants and seedlings. This grew and grew some more which then saw us decide to change things up, rebrand, get creative and work hard to build a beautiful new space. We now have a huge range of plants, pots, giftware, garden wares, potting mixes, irrigation landscaping supplies, all in a rustic, eclectic, vintage setting. We also run regular workshops which are extremely popular.
To connect with Leanne Hopkins and discover more about her business, follow this QR code.
