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20/09/2022
“It puts a smile on my face,” Sonia Spurdle beams, referring to the contribution Rabobank is making to the vibrancy of agriculture and local communities across Northern Queensland.
As the recently elected Chair of the Northern Queensland/Northern Territory Rabo Client Council, Sonia is charged with overseeing this local, clientbased committee which provides feedback and advice on where Rabobank funds can best be utilised – and delivered directly into the heart of communities.
“It’s a unique opportunity we have on the Rabo Client Council,” Sonia said.
“We are the bank’s eyes and ears on the ground ensuring funding is spent exactly where it’s most needed, and it makes me so proud to be helping guide a bank that is so genuinely passionate about rural Australia.”
True to Rabobank’s cooperative values, the Rabo Client Council network develops meaningful grassroots initiatives to support key themes focusing on agri education, rural health, sustainability, adaption and bridging the rural/urban divide.
Financial Skills Workshops are one such initiative being rolled out in communities across Northern Queensland.
“These workshops help build strength and resilience into our local businesses, and in turn, our communities,” Sonia said.
Upskilling through Financial Skills Workshops
The interactive, one-day Financial Skills Workshops aim to provide attendees with an understanding of financial statements and banking requirements, and how to interpret financial reports.
Sonia, who attended the introductory workshop in Charters Towers, said she had already put her learnings into practice, despite having a good grasp on accounting prior.
“At the end of last year I used the bank’s formulas to run a comparison with the previous year, which is a tool I learnt from the workshop, and one that has been extremely insightful from a business point of view.”
Looking to further extend her knowledge when Module Two comes to Charters Towers, she said the commitment Rabobank has made in the continual rolling out of these workshops was an enormous benefit to the community.
“Each year these workshops capture a younger cohort of graziers coming through, strengthening not only their own farm business, but our industry and community. It’s heartening to know that these workshops are a long-term commitment, and that all young farmers returning to the region will have this same opportunity.”
The workshops which are free of charge and open to the whole community have been held across Northern Queensland in Blackall, Clermont, Julia Creek, Greenvale and Ingham, and over the coming months, Rabobank will host introductory Module One and more in-depth Module Two workshops in several more locations.
Running since 2018, the Financial Skills Workshops have already assisted 2,500 participants across Australia and New Zealand upskill their financial literacy.
“Many of our next-generation farmers are highly educated, or have extensive on-farm experience, but the nitty gritty of understanding financial reporting and banking requirements is not always easy to access, which is why these workshops are so valuable.”
Wendy Perry, who attended Module One in Clermont agreed, wishing only that she’d had this opportunity sooner.
“Having just expanded our property portfolio, I would have loved to have done this workshop prior to our latest acquisition, as it would have given me a much stronger understanding of exactly what was required,” she said.
Delivering directly into the community
Rabobank Client Council Manager Yvette Loyson said she was proud of the contribution the local Rabo Client Councils make, and that the aim is to benefit 5,000 people across rural Australia and New Zealand by 2025.
“As a bank focussed solely on agriculture, we are acutely aware of the importance of community – particularly in regions as vast as North Queensland.”
“These workshops are a wonderful example of a meaningful grassroots initiative, helping individual businesses and communities flourish, which is our core goal.”