One woman's struggling rural community is another woman's goldmine for improvement and growth.
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At least that's the case with Castlemaine's Kerry Anderson. And it's something she's had an eye for since she was young.
"When you live in a rural town - and Castlemaine was a small rural town when I was growing up - in a small business family, you see that community and business go hand-in-hand," she said.
"You volunteer, you're involved in sporting clubs. I was on my first committee at the age of 17, which I didn't think was special at the time.
"And I also had the wonderful experience of working with the Loddon Murray Community Leadership program which took me out into the region."
It was during this experience Kerry's small-town spirit really kicked into gear, when she spotted an advertisement calling for executive officers at LEAD Loddon Murray Community Leadership.
It was an advertisement she wasn't letting go to waste and a role that focused her interest in the towns around her and what she could do to help better them.
"I'd mainly done work around my own shire and Bendigo, and I thought this role looked fabulous," she said.
"It made me wonder why some rural towns were doing well and how they do it with so few resources.
"And obviously with the businesses and mindsets of people making it all so important."
It was a pivotal moment for me
- Kerry Anderson
As executive officer, Kerry was able to run the leadership program and work with communities in other parts of Victoria.
"It gave me the chance to get out into those areas and talk to people," she said.
"Some of the best leadership discussions I have had are with dairy farmers and we were able to have those real grass-roots conversations that brought a wealth of information."
At the same time, Kerry has involved herself in a number of other organisations around Castlemaine including the town's Cemetery Trust, Rotary Club, she even took on deputy chair to the Castlemaine Health board.
She has also produced a number of publications such as Australian Rural Entrepreneurs: Redefining the Future and Entrepreneurship: It's Everybody's Business.
Kerry said a lot of her work ethic and passion for these communities stemmed from her family.
"I'm incredibly proud of my family's contributions to business and community and it all comes back to 'if it has to be, it's up to me'," she said.
"I think you start leading with yourself and the one thing I found most rewarding is to just shine a light on all these wonderful community leaders and business people."
It is this work ethic and dedication to serving those around her that has lead to her receiving an Order of Australia medal on January 26.
After a brief moment of disbelief, Kerry said she had no idea the medal was set to be hers.
"I still don't know where the nomination came from and I was a bit embarrassed because there are so many people worthy of this honour," she said.
"And then I got excited because I thought when I nominate people for awards like this, they believe they don't deserve it.
"I tell them this is an opportunity to showcase the people you work with and the work you're doing, so I had to get myself into that mindset as well."
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