Leadership Great South Coast

15/06/2026

🎉CONGRATULATIONS🎉 to our Alumni Libby Swayn on being appointed Dairy Australia's Regional Manager for Western Victoria! Libby completed the Community Leadership Program last year with a scholarship from the Gardiner Foundation and reflected on how much the program has helped built her confidence. Well done, Libby! 👏

Expressions of Interest for this year's program have been EXTENDED until 24th June, so if you are thinking about it, there is still time.
Please reach out if you would like to participate, but are worried about the cost. We have scholarships available to reduce financial barriers.

For more information or to express your interest, head to our website:

👉 https://www.lgsc.org.au/stepping-up-into-community-leadership

10/06/2026

Last week, a group of incredible women gathered at The Stables in Koroit for the first workshop of Rural Women LEAD 2026. The Superpowers of You with Dr Jodie Fleming crated the space for real conversations, engaging activities and through Jodie's unique strengths-based approach, participants spent the day discovering the superpowers they already carry within them.

The Koroit Stables provided a beautiful backdrop for a day of connection, growth, and more than a few 'aha' moments.

Thank you to the wonderful Dr Jodie Fleming for holding such a warm and powerful space, and to every woman who showed up for herself yesterday. We can’t wait to see you all again for Workshop #2.

05/06/2026

"We want the quality of our programs to be elite, not the access."

Alex, LGSC's new Program & Impact Lead, is someone who knows firsthand what community means when you need it most.

Originally from Germany, Alex moved permanently to the South West in 2010 and fell in love with the region, the country, and the people who showed up for her. After completing LGSC's community leadership program herself in 2025, she's now stepping up to lead the next chapter of our programs, and she's on a mission to make sure more people can access them.

The Warrnambool Standard sat down with Alex to hear her story, and it's a good one: https://loom.ly/OnorsPI

👉 Expressions of interest are now open for Stepping Up into Community Leadership and our upcoming short programs in project management, public speaking, governance, people management and wellbeing. Head to lgsc.org.au to find out more.

'Community is even more important for me now.'

03/06/2026

This week is National Reconciliation Week. The theme for 2026 - All In - is a reminder that reconciliation isn't the responsibility of First Nations peoples. It belongs to all of us.

At LGSC, reconciliation has long been woven into the way we approach leadership development. We believe that strong leadership begins with listening, with understanding the Country you're standing on, the history that shaped it, and the communities and cultures that have called it home for tens of thousands of years.

Over the years, our participants have learnt directly from Traditional Owners and cultural knowledge holders through On Country days. They've partnered with First Nations communities on projects that celebrate and share culture, story and knowledge with the broader community - from the Ngatanwarr Mural and the Heywood Water Tower Mural, to the Six Seasons Indigenous Art Project and the Wata Waetnanda strategic plan.

Reconciliation is not a destination, but an ongoing journey that asks us to listen, unlearn, build relationships, and take meaningful action, not just this week, but every week.

What does being All In look like for you?

📖 Read our full reflection on why National Reconciliation Week matters for leaders in the Great South Coast: https://loom.ly/DtPniqg

27/05/2026

What if the thing that makes you an extraordinary leader is already inside you?

Dr Jodie Fleming, clinical & health psychologist, positive psychology practitioner, is the brilliant mind behind the first workshop of Rural Women LEAD 2026: 'The Superpowers of You'.

Jodie is not your average psychologist. As a Clinical & Health Psychologist, Positive Psychology Practitioner, Meditation Teacher, and Run Walk Talk Practitioner, Jodie has spent her career replacing the traditional deficits focus of psychology with something far more powerful: a strengths-based approach that helps women discover what’s already within them.

Her workshop on 5 June at The Stables in Koroit is designed to help you unlock your invisible superpowers - emotional intelligence, self-compassion, and the kind of confidence that doesn’t come from doing more, but from embracing who you already are.

Expect real conversations, practical strategies, beautiful surroundings, and more than a few ‘aha’ moments. And a bit of fun, too.

Unleash your superpowers. Lead with confidence. Flourish.

The Superpowers of You with Dr. Jodie Fleming | 5 June 2026 | The Stables, Koroit | 10am–2pm.

To register: events.humanitix.com/rural-women-lead-2026

26/05/2026

Leadership looks different for everyone. But the one thing every great leader has in common? They never stop learning. 🌊

Whether you’re stepping into a room you’ve never been in before, learning to listen before you lead, or finally backing yourself to speak up, 2026 is your year.

Tell us in the comments: What leadership skill are you building in 2026?

There’s no wrong answer. Swipe through for some inspiration, and maybe you’ll see your own answer reflected back at you.

22/05/2026

Please join us in welcoming Alex Mellert to the Leadership Great South Coast team as our new Program & Impact Lead.

Alex brings with her a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit sector in the South West across a range of sectors, and a genuine passion for the region and the people who call it home.

In this role, Alex will be the driving force behind the design, delivery and continuous improvement of LGSC's Community Leadership Programs. But what makes this role - and this appointment - particularly exciting is the emphasis on impact. Alex will be focused not just on delivering exceptional program experiences, but on measuring and telling the story of what those programs actually achieve for our participants, our alumni, and our region.

In Alex's own words: "Having worked with many different segments of our community, I am excited to be part of LGSC's next chapter and continue the important work with and for community."

We are so glad to have you with us, Alex. Welcome to the LGSC family. 🌊

19/05/2026

This National Volunteer Week, we're shining a light on those within our organisation and wider community who show up because they believe in something bigger than themselves. 💙

Meet Barbara Moll, LGSC Board Member and Leadership Program Manager, and one of the many volunteers who give their time, expertise, and energy to ensure Leadership Great South Coast continues to grow, evolve, and deliver programs that genuinely move our region forward.

In Barbara's own words: "Being able to be part of those conversations is really rewarding. It feels satisfying to me that that's my role in the community."

To Barbara, and to every board member, program facilitator, mentor, and community volunteer who contributes to the LGSC mission - thank you. What you give cannot be measured in hours, but shows up in the confidence of a new leader stepping into a room for the first time, and in the ripple effect that reaches towns and communities across the Great South Coast.

This week and every week, we are grateful. 🌊

13/05/2026

The 2026 Federal Budget has landed, and as an organisation committed to building resilient regional leaders, we felt it was important to translate Canberra's decisions into what they actually mean for the Great South Coast.

✅ Fuel excise halved - immediate relief at the bowser for regional families and businesses
✅ $1.75B in rail freight investment - good news for our food and fibre producers
✅ Climate-Smart Agriculture grants - helping our producers build sustainable, resilient businesses
✅ Apprentice incentives refocused on SMEs - keeping federal support local, where it belongs
✅ Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee extended - helping keep young families in our region
⚠️ The GP shortage gap remains - the aged care stewardship model is a step forward, but our communities need more

Following Andrew Jeffers' insights on Regional Resilience at our recent AGM, we've broken down the wins, the gaps, and what it all means practically for our paddocks, health hubs, and main streets.

📖 Read the full LGSC analysis: https://loom.ly/99NPRIw

A summary of the 2026/27 budget and what it means for the Great South Coast Region.