Peak Hill's Molly Wright looking forward to inspiring more young country women

From feeding sheep through one of the toughest droughts in history, to claiming the title of the Land Sydney Royal AgShows NSW Young Woman of the Year, Molly Wright believes staying true to herself was all it took.

It's something that she wants to impart to other young rural people – that "you are enough just the way you are."

For Molly, entering into her local competition at Peak Hill was something that she owed to the encouragement of her community. 

"It was something that everyone around me said to have a go at, but I didn’t guess at the time that I would go as far as I have."

Molly works as a livestock manager on her family farm and has completed her wool classing certificate, Certificate 4 in Agriculture and a Diploma in Agribusiness Management. She says that the Young Woman competition was "eye-opening" and "inspiring" to meet so many accomplished people who turned out to be just like her. 

"It was incredible to meet so many people who actually thought I was really cool and that what I was doing was inspiring, and what's more, they actually wanted to help me and see me do well."

Molly's success was no fluke, however, as the Young Woman competition sees over 500 women each year compete for the title in their local shows, with only 15 of these chosen to represent their zone area at the Sydney Royal. 

The women are celebrated for their ambitious, warm and outgoing personalities, with the judges observing their involvement within local communities, their skills and careers to determine the most suitable ambassador for agricultural shows. 

Molly is a member of the Peak Hill PA&H Show Society along with the NSW Young Farmers Association, Landcare, Angus Youth Australia and the local RFS and VFFA.

She has been the recipient of two consecutive RASF Rural Scholarships and is a keen sportswoman. Her passion for agricultural shows was cemented throughout her time showing cattle for the 'Hollywood Angus' stud of Peak Hill, in which she was hugely involved at local, regional and royal shows. 

Molly believes that "being involved in the community is something that we all benefit from – you don't realise how much of a difference you're making to other people by just being there or giving a helping hand."

Molly is excited for the year ahead, announcing that she will be stopping in to visit the locals in as many agricultural shows as she can – including the Brisbane Ekka. 

"I'll be judging a few young woman competitions and opening some shows over the coming year, which will be a great opportunity to meet even more inspiring people and hopefully encourage some other young people to give it a go."

"We need to be getting more youth involved in local shows – and to do that we need people giving them a push or inspiring them – and that's what I'll be setting out to do."

Between managing the livestock on her family's 20,000 acre property, and attending shows nearly every weekend, Molly knows she's in for a busy year, but that hasn't dampened her spirits.

"If you want something bad enough you'll make time for it – like they say – if you want something done, just ask a busy person. They'll usually find a way!"

For any young woman considering entering the competition, Molly says that "I've grown a lot both personally and professionally and the opportunities that have been coming my way are insane – so don't hesitate – you don't know what you're going to get out of it until you try." 

It is inspiring to see the talent that small communities are capable of producing and we all wish Molly the best of luck during her term as the The Land Sydney Royal AgShows NSW Young Woman for 2022.