Kyabram’s Renee Pichler, Girgarre’s Judes Gadzinski and Lancaster’s Michelle Taylor amongst the 2026 Fairley Leadership Program participants at their recent study tour in Canberra.
Photo by
Supplied
Three local leaders representing Kyabram, Girgarre and Lancaster have returned home with renewed purpose after taking the issues of Campaspe directly to the halls of power in Canberra.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
As part of the 2026 Fairley Leadership Program, the trio joined fellow emerging leaders from September 14 to 17 for an intensive study tour.
They toured Parliament House and its behind-the-scenes media area, attended Question Time and met with federal MPs to gain insight into governance, democracy and regional leadership.
For Kyabram’s Renee Pichler, the Canberra study tour brought her Fairley Leadership journey full circle.
Having started the program in March during the aftermath of the town’s flooding event, the experience reinforced her community advocacy.
“My whole journey through Fairley has been while navigating and advocating for drainage in my community,” Ms Pichler said.
During the trip, she networked with regional leaders facing similar challenges and questioned ministers on how to turn local drainage solutions into election promises.
“Realising they’re just people like us, it was encouraging to see anybody can step up and get involved with politics,” she said. “I’m just a mum advocating for the community.”
2026 Fairley Leadership Program participants at their recent study tour in Canberra.
Photo by
Supplied
Michelle Taylor drew on her passion for small business to bring the daily struggles of small business owners and the current economic hurdles they are facing to the foreground.
“I work with small businesses all the time, so I wanted to know what the government was going to do to help them at the moment,” Ms Taylor said.
“I grew up around a small family business, so I’m passionate about them — I don’t want to see them suffer,” she said. “I want to fight for the little man.”
For Girgarre’s Judes Gadzinski, returning to Parliament House as an adult leader provided a fresh perspective on driving change back home.
Reflecting on the tour and her broader time in the program, Ms Gadzinski said the journey taught her the value of persistence in community leadership.
“I’ve learnt regional issues aren't going to have quick fixes — it's a marathon, not a sprint,” she said.
“You just have to get out there, represent your community, and persist because your town ultimately benefits from it.”
Ms Pichler said the program provided her with direction for the road ahead, leaving her “more confident and more focused” on driving and delivering change, while Ms Taylor said the experience gave her the confidence she needed to ask the hard questions.
Ms Gadzinski said the journey left her with a sense of gratitude, confidence and readiness for what comes next.
With the program wrapping up on October 28, the trio now look ahead to putting their new skills into practice.
