Rural Ambassador Alumni Story: Heidi Gooden

• Showgirl + Ambassador ⦁ Third Generation Show Volunteer ⦁ Community leader ⦁

Heidi Gooden has always loved the Junee Show. Her family has long been involved in the show and they were enormously proud when she represented it and Zone 7 in Sydney for both the Showgirl competition in 1995 and then the Rural Ambassador program the very next year.

“My uncle, who is 92 now, has been a member of the Junee Show for 74 years and my dad has been a member for 60 years. My family’s involvement in the local show is rarely in the limelight. We tend to be the jacks of all trades who help out where they are needed to make sure the shows run successfully every year,” Mrs Gooden said.

“I was still studying at uni when I entered the Showgirl competition, I loved every minute of it. I had the privilege of enjoying the show at a whole new level. It was a fantastic experience.”

“I believe that the opportunities for life development are very underrated. I like to tell new entrants that their participation at the local level can often be the hardest. Once you reach competition at zone level, the fun really starts and if you’re lucky enough to compete in Sydney, this is where development and engagement opportunities are immense,” she said.

The next year, Mrs Gooden was the perfect candidate for the 1996 RAS Rural Ambassador program - a young rural leaders program developed to highlight and progress future rural high Ambassadors.

“When I went to Sydney, it was like stepping into a different world. Here I was from a small rural town and all of a sudden

I was being introduced and involved with some very esteemed contacts and exposed to opportunities that would be hard to match in any other way. We were certainly welcomed into the inner sanctum of the RAS.”

“I firmly believe the Rural Ambassador program bridges the gap between generations with the older members of the ASC and RAS and this can motivate and really lift the younger generation,” Mrs Gooden said.

This single experience has really galvanised Heidi’s love for her community and her motivation to stay involved and to continue investing her time in her now local community of Lockhart.

“I snapped a photo a couple of years ago and it shows my three passions, cricket, community and combines just as a header was stripping in a paddock behind a community cricket game,” Mrs Gooden laughed.

She might joke about it but Mrs Gooden has more than served her community dues after 10 years as a director on the Board of Lockhart & District Community Bank. Mrs Gooden also continues to work tirelessly for her local Osborne cricket and football clubs as well as playing a part in supporting the local schools surrounding her family’s education.

“I loved every second of my experience as a Rural Ambassador, including my more recent involvement in the Agrivision Careers Expo - it was and continues to be such an important way to share agricultural career options and life opportunities with students. This was a really important project for me,” Mrs Gooden added.