Women in Dairy Ladies Lunch - Wise Words

All Women in Dairy across Gippsland, you are invited to our annual ladies lunch!

This event has been organised by the Women in Dairy Working Committee to provide Gippsland women with an opportunityto meet and network with like-minded individuals.

At the lunch,we will celebrate the success of the Gippsland Dairy Industry by hearing from a panel of local dairy farming ladies:

Lyn Hornby - Lyn was born in Ellinbank and started her career working in a local supermarket. In 1997, with Lyn and her husband Les in their late forties, they took an opportunity to lease neighbouring land at Mountain View, marking their transition into dairy farming.

They have sharefarmed on numerous farms in South Gippsland are now leasing near Lang Lang, milking 600 cows. Through hard work and determination, Lyn and Les have built a successful farming career.

Lyn remains hands-on, raising calves and managing the bookkeeping, while their strong partnership and people focus keeps them passionate about what they do.

Thelma Hutchison - Born in Toora, Thelma started her career as a Kinder teacher before entering the dairy industry in 1977 as a sharefarmer, the same year she married John. Five years later, she purchased her in-laws' farm and continued dairying until 2009.

After stepping back from farming, Thelma dedicated herself to mentoring young people in the dairy industry, helping them navigate their TAFE studies. This role became her passion, and she cherishes the connections she made while guiding the next generation.

Chris Anderson - Chris grew up in Heyfield and studied in Melbourne, working as a computer programmer and systems analyst in the late 60s when computers were enormous. After marrying Graeme in 1973, she returned to the dairy farm where her father, with an engineering background, built one of the first 28-unit rotary dairies with a steel deck in 1974 on their farm.

Passionate about technology, Chris appreciates the advancements available to farmers today and how much more knowledge we have than ever before in making informed management decisions.