Pharmacist and regional community star Anna Barwick was announced as the winner of the NSW Minerals Council Regional Woman of the Year Award at the NSW Women of the Year Awards held in Sydney on Wednesday.
The NSW Women of the Year Awards are an important moment to recognise the exceptional women driving some incredible initiatives to improve the lives of people and communities across the state.
Anna, who lives in the regional town of Walcha, at the south-eastern edge of the Northern Tablelands, is a PhD student with a focus on rural and women’s health.
After taking home her category award, Anna then went on to win the coveted NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year Award for her hard work and commitment to helping people across NSW through her business, PharmOnline.
PharmOnline was established to connect every household in Australia with pharmacy services, particularly those in regional areas where healthcare access is harder to obtain.
The company provides telehealth services for new parents, patients with disabilities and/or chronic diseases and people in geographically isolated areas who require assistance to manage safe medication use.
NSW Minerals Council Director Policy, Claire Doherty presented the NSW Minerals Council Regional Woman of the Year Award in front of hundreds of guests at the International Convention Centre (ICC), in Darling Harbour, Sydney.
"We are so pleased for the award winner Anna Barwick, who was also named the Premier's NSW Woman of the Year. Her PharmOnline initiative, which connects every household in Australia to a pharmacist online, will make a significant difference, especially for rural and regional communities," she said.
Ms Doherty praised the high quality of finalists and the importance of joining together at the NSW Women of the Year Awards, particularly following a number of difficulties faced by regional communities over the past two years.
"The standard of finalists in the NSW Minerals Council Regional Woman of the Year Award was exceptional. It was great to come together and celebrate the achievements of these women in regional NSW who have to cope with significant challenges, including drought, poor technology and even a mouse plague,” Claire said.
“All of the finalists showed enormous commitment and dedication in reaching out to help others in the community and make a real difference to their lives."
The NSW mining industry is continuously looking for ways to improve gender diversity and increase the pool of exceptional females working across a variety of roles in our sector.
NSW Minerals Council is proud to sponsor the NSW Minerals Council Regional Woman of the Year Award at the NSW Women of the Year Awards to demonstrate our support for the valuable contribution women make to our industry and the wider community.