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Agriculture is front page news
 Jane was intrigued to be in Washington DC and pick up a copy of The Washington Post to read a front page story about the impact of a decade of drought on agriculture along Australia’s Murray River. Agriculture rarely makes front-page news in Australia, although The Australian has significantly boosted its coverage of farm issues during the past year. In the Washington Post December 9 edition, writer Blaine Harden was reporting from Australia in a well-researched article that said farmers refuse to buy into climate change. Perhaps it is a matter of semantics because dealing with climate variability has always been a part of Australian farming. Australia farmers don’t deny that. View article - A lingering pool of disbelief (Washington Post).
 Snow and lights in Montreal
Canada is experiencing record cold weather this winter but that did not detract from the joy of catching up with my eldest son Casey who is doing a year of his electrical engineering degree at Montreal’s McGill University. With my other children, Lily and Max, we enjoyed exploring the sights while the snow came down around us. Most memorable were the Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montreal in Old Montreal and Parc-Mont-Royal. There was not much of the high school French in memory, but fortunately the locals are friendly and bilingual with we English speakers.
Jane a life member of Rural Press Club
 It is an honour to have been granted life membership of the Rural Press Club of Queensland, and very satisfying to see the club continue to thrive and innovate under the leadership of Gen McAulay as president. In nominating Jane, Gordon Collie said:
“Jane was a dynamic leader who has left a lasting legacy, putting the Rural Press Club on an excellent footing to continue into the future. She was valued for her “can-do” attitude and her creative ideas which she then put into action. Her pizzazz helped attract headline speakers which in turn raised the club profile. Under Jane’s stewardship, the club member and financial base was strengthened, paving the way for the appointment of a paid part time administration officer. This has revolutionized the professional way we do business.”
 Social media - a happening thing
There are exciting opportunities with social media and Web 2.0 technology which are changing the way we receive and communicate information. Jane recently attended the Media 140 conference in Sydney with web expert Genevieve Robey. Using social media to link consumers to the origins of food is a future opportunity Jane plans to cultivate.
Australian Rural Leadership Program Course 16
Jane won the Rural Press Open Scholarship to participate in the Australian Rural Leadership Program, which commenced with a 12-day experiential learning opportunity in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.
It is a privilege to be part of this personal and professional development program which involves 60 days of learning across a 16-month period in various parts of Australia and in India. 1st photo:Jane’s Kimberley team, the Spiritual Travellers, included from left: Anthony Shelly, Mike Mooney, Keelen Mailman, Dallas King and Andrew Mencshelyi.
2nd photo: Jane with Major General Michael Jeffery, Australian Rural Leadership Foundation patron.
Banana industry remains strong
 Despite a policy decision technically paving the way for banana imports from the Philippines, the quarantine bar has been set very high and no import application has been made. The industry was in a buoyant mood at the Eighth Australian Banana Industry Congress at the Gold Coast, which is the biennial gathering of banana growers, researchers, transporters and others. Jane spent time with Australian Banana Growers’ Council president Nicky Singh, left, and ABGC imports committee chairman Len Collins.
 Social impacts of drought report
Former AgForce president Peter Kenny, right, is wearing a number of hats since vacating the presidency in September 2008, including a national role as chair of the social impacts of drought panel which conducted a national review on behalf of Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke. The report was released at a special breakfast at Parliament House Canberra, which Jane chaired in her capacity as secretary of the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists, and subsequently we all took tea in the Prime Minister’s Kevin Rudd’s office.
Lee Kernaghan advocates for the bush
 2008 Australian of the Year Lee Kernaghan donated a day of his time to record the new Every Family Needs A Farmer campaign segment for farm group AgForce as part of his dedicated advocacy for rural Australia.
Jane Milburn doesn’t sing that well but this is a great photo for the collection anyway, as is the snap with another articulate bush advocate and all-round good bloke Shane Webcke at the Leyburn Pub.
(Photos - Above: Jane Milburn and Lee Kernaghan at the microphone. Right: Jane and Shane Webcke at the Leyburn Pub).
 Thanks for the good times Rural Press Club
After eight years in executive roles with the Rural Press Club, Jane completed her final year as president in September confident the club is in excellent shape with a fabulous new committee and plenty of money in the bank. The final event on Jane’s watch was Liberal National Party leader Lawrence Springborg, who earned a rare second appearance at the club (the first being in 2003) after successfully steering the coalition parties to a position of unity. Jane is going national as the new secretary of the federal rural media body, the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists.
Above photo: The three past presidents of the Rural Press Club are Gordon Collie (left), with Jane Milburn and Peter Lewis.
 A
blast from the past
An
enjoyable reunion was had by all who attended The University
of Queensland agricultural science graduates (1974-1978
et al) get together at former dean of the faculty Barry
Norton’s home at Mt Glorious. Jane Milburn (right), a 1979
graduate, caught up with Carol Watson (left) now from Ruby
Hills, Walcha, New South Wales, and Brian Keating (centre),
head of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems in Brisbane.
Jane
celebrates years in business
The Every Family Needs a Farmer gala dinner at
Tattersalls provided a great opportunity for Jane to celebrate
five years as a media consultant and communications strategist.
It
was great to be among friends including Primary Industries
Minister Tim Mulherin, the ABC Country Hour team, Queensland
Country Life editor Mark Phelps.
 From
message sticks to sticky messages
Cause-related
marketing, virtual worlds, Web 3, social media, corporate
blogs and viral campaigning were amongst the plethora of
ideas, inspiration and information available at the recent
8th National Public Affairs Convention run by The Walkley
Foundation and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
 Jane
enjoyed the fantastic speakers and catching up with colleagues
in Sydney.
Photos:
MEAA federal secretary Christopher Warren, above left, with
Jane Milburn and 7.30 Report presenter Kerry O’Brien.
Jane
Milburn and Laurelle Pacey, right, began their careers as
ABC rural reporters and both now run communication consultancies.
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