It's goodbye but it's not goodbye.

It's come to the end of an era for The Village Leaders.

We've all got busy with lots of different projects in our own businesses and can't get to do everything we want. Then we realised we can still collaborate together on big protects, without maintaining The Village Leaders as an extra organisation.

So it's goodbye but it's not goodbye.

We'll still be here with our individual work, you'll still see us around and you can still ask any of us for help.

Thank you everyone who has worked with and supported us over the last few years. We've loved it and hope you got as much value from the work we did together as we did.

Dr Anne Butcher www.drannebutcher.com

Jennifer Emmett www.jenniferemmett.com.au

Deb Rae www.debrae.com.au

 

We believe that skilled, supported and connected people make better communities.  We help you to be the best you can be to create this for your community. You are the people in senior roles, you are the frontline workers, you are the volunteers.  You are the ones who support us with our health, our wellbeing, our learning, our cultural awareness and diversity, our sport, our hobbies, our finances, our daily living needs and our social connections. You are the ones who care for the animals, and you are the ones who show us how to respect our natural environment.

We know how important you and your organisations are in your community. Your commitment and skills help to increase your community's prosperity and each individual's wellbeing.

That is why we offer our skills, knowledge and experience to the community services sector and government agencies who work with the community services sector.    

Services we offer:

  • Planning and Management

    • Governance

    • Grant writing

    • Community engagement

  • Individual Development

    • Leadership coaching

    • Professional mentoring

    • Personal development

  • Team and Organisational Development

    • Upskilling

    • Organisational development

    • Strategic planning

    • Change management

Learn more
 

Yuwi People

The Yuwi people, who are the traditional custodians of country in the Mackay Region, have lived here for thousands of years, while Europeans arrived only 160 years ago. These Europeans displayed no understanding or respect for the existing people, their social structures, or how they sustained their livelihood. The Europeans forcibly stole the land and stopped the Yuwi people from having access to their country and their food sources.  In desperation, due to starvation, the Yuwi people rebelled, and the Europeans massacred them, destroying a society that had existed for thousands of years. This forced many of the remaining Yuwi people off country and left them disconnected from their culture and everything that sustained them. We cannot change what our forebearers did, but we can at least acknowledge that it happened. For this reason, we acknowledge the Yuwi people, the traditional custodians of this land, and we pay our respects to the elders, past, present and emerging. We also recognise the resilience displayed in the face of such extreme challenges and the right of the Yuwi people to determine their own economic, social and cultural development.

 

 The Village Leaders is a collaboration between three experienced community leaders to provide people and organisational solutions for better communities. We have a passion for supporting communities and over 75 years of combined experience working with individuals, organisations and government.

 
 
 

  • "As an experienced family therapist and educator, I was more than happy to co-facilitate (with Deb) - working with Deb was a joy as she is organised, knowledgeable, realistic, sensitive and kind. Feedback confirmed that this group was well-timed, much needed and extremely therapeutic. I look forward to working with Deb again."

    Maxine Giles, Family and Relationship Counsellor, Centacare, Mackay Qld

  • "I would like to thank you again Deb for agreeing to build and present a Motivational Interviewing training session for my team. The training was excellent. You provided a solid overview of Motivational Interviewing and how to put it in practice not only in our work environment but our personal lives as well. The presentation was both interesting and engaging with a good balance of group talk and interaction. It was exactly what I was looking for."

    Rebecca Adamson, Manager, Ozcare Mens Hostel, Mackay, Qld

  • "Anne is a woman whose determination to reach her goals, despite some perceived obstacles in life, is inspiring! Anne's experiences and honesty provide refreshing examples of how with a little help, hard work and the power of determination you are able to build the life you want."

    Dr Amanda Nickson, James Cook University

  • "So many people, particularly young people, are seeking examples to dispel the seeds of doubt that naysayers can instil when obstacles arise. Anne is a shining light in this respect as she candidly shares her experiences as a young person and her subsequent journey in a relatable way that engenders hope and inspiration.”

    Ass Prof Heather Lovatt, CQUniversity

  • "Jen you are an exceptional leader and mentor and I feel fortunate to have worked with you these last 4 years. Thank you for your time and patience guiding me in this new position and for creating so many opportunities for our team."

    Toni Hamilton, Regional Operations Manager, Connect Housing Group

  • “I have known and worked with Jennifer Emmett over the past ten years. Jennifer is one of the great role models and inspiring leaders in our community. Jennifer always thrives on empowering the people around her to aim high and reach out to be the very best they can. Jennifer’s participative leadership style enables her and her team to achieve not only the organisation goals but also their personal goals. Jennifer’s leadership skill set is very valuable to delivering on the company goals.”

    Cr Karen May, Deputy Mayor, Mackay Regional Council

  • "It was super helpful especially the policy side of things."

    Governance Workshop Participant
    Facilitated by Anne and Jen November 2022

  • "It was an excellent presentation with incredible knowledge."

    Governance Workshop Participant
    Facilitated by Anne and Jen November 2022

  • "Very happy with workshop, probably best I have ever attended."

    Organisation Committee Member
    Strategic Planning Session Facilitated by Jennifer Emmett November 2022

  • "It was so so perfect. I am eternally grateful for this time I am grateful for sharing our experiences and I’m grateful for the team leaders for sharing their wisdom and imparting their knowledge. I am grateful for the fresh, clean food that was offered 🙏🏻

    Pamper Retreat Participant

  • "This has been invaluable, I will be forever grateful 🙏"

    Pamper Retreat Participant

  • "I achieved my goal of feeling thoroughly Refreshed in a surprisingly short space of time - each activity was not only enjoyable but nurturing. There was also just enough downtime to thoroughly relax - Anne , Jen and Deb compliment each other so well with each bringing something unique and uplifting -it was a fabulous weekend ladies , I feel a little bit sad for anyone who missed it . Thank you 🙏🏻"

    Pamper Retreat Participant

  • "Loved the location! Loved the hosts!"

    Pamper Retreat Participant

  • "Great and very productive training session."

    Team Development Workshop

    Facilitated by Deb Rae

Check out examples of our work

  • Books

  • Documents

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