At the 2009 AGM the Board and Fellows confirmed the nomination of three Honorary Fellowships for services to and support of the Foundation. This was a history-making event for the Foundation and its first three Honorary Fellows are Mike Beckingham, John Quantrill, and Anne Dunn. For many Fellows, these are well-known figures. For those who are newer to the Foundation, here is a brief introduction.

Every person accepted into the Australian Rural Leadership Program has already done a fair bit of living, learning and leading because that is part of the selection criteria.

But the recent Kimberley trip was the ultimate leveller at the beginning of the 15-month experiential learning journey for the 34 rural leaders involved in Course 16 of ARLP.

There is a cone of silence over details, but the Kimberley opening gambit is designed to take a bunch of capable and competent individuals out of their comfort zone by challenging them in the name of learning.

That sense of the unknown is preserved to heighten personal learning opportunities and build teams where there is a high level of trust.

Under the direction of training and development group AusWorks, participants undertake a physical, intellectual, cultural and spiritual journey with their allocated team.