Dubbo woman Carol Mudford has been named winner of the 2025 NSW/ACT AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award last night at a ceremony held in Sydney.
Member for the Dubbo electorate, Dugald Saunders, commended Carol on the honour, recognising her dedication to helping others through challenging times.
Carol is the founder of sHedway, a community led initiative providing mental health and suicide prevention support in the shearing industry.
“With experience as a roustabout, shearer, and registered nurse specialising in mental health, Carol has a well-developed understanding of the challenges faced in both the mental health sector and the shearing industry and this recognition goes to show the impact Carol’s contribution is making to others in her industry” Mr Saunders said.
Tragically, having experienced the grief of losing people to suicide, and with a foot in both worlds, her inspiration to help people began as a Facebook page and quickly grew into a registered not-for-profit organisation providing hands on practical support in the sheds. Whilst running sHedway voluntarily, Carol is working in the sheds herself.
It is inspiring to see the work that Carol does, the significant contributions she makes to regional and rural NSW, and the lives she continues to impact.
Congratulations Carol on your wonderful achievement.