Lumen Winter 2013 - Flipbook - Page 15
story by Connie Dutton
Raising a glass
to Mary
Since spending her childhood on her family’s fruit block in South
Australia’s Riverland, third-generation viticulturist Mary Retallack
has become one of the most in昀氀uential women in the wine industry,
and has even rubbed shoulders with royalty.
M
ary, who earned three of her
five tertiary qualifications from
the University of Adelaide
and is currently a PhD student at the
Waite Campus, says that viticulture
came naturally to her after spending her
childhood years doing all of the practical
jobs on the vineyard.
After leaving the family home at age 16
to study to become a park ranger, she
eventually fell back into the wine industry
just as it was taking off in the mid-1990s.
At age 21, Mary helped start the
viticulture and wine studies program at
the Onkaparinga Institute of TAFE. This
involved teaching people how to grow
wine grapes and prune and train vines.
Mary’s career has seen her work
in a range of vineyard management,
technical, consultancy, research, training
and extension roles across Australia and
overseas over the past 18 years.
She gained national recognition for her
hard work and dedication to her craft
when she was named the 2012 RIRDC
Rural Woman of the Year, an experience
Mary describes as “empowering”.
“The award is a fantastic platform to
celebrate the contribution women make
to rural industries throughout Australia,”
she said.
“I am constantly amazed by the
opportunities the award presents and the
doors it opens. I was recently invited to
present the keynote opening address at
the National Rural Women’s Conference in
Canberra in front of 400 influential women;
this was a real highlight.”
The award has given Mary the oncein-a-lifetime opportunity – while at a
Primary Industries and Regions SA
(PIRSA) function held to showcase
South Australia’s best produce – to meet
Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla,
Duchess of Cornwall, during their visit
to Australia.
“It has been quite an experience for
someone who is most at home getting
their boots dirty in a vineyard,” she said.
Mary currently splits her time running
her own viticulture consulting business,
studying towards her PhD, volunteering
her time in industry, and helping to
raise awareness of the Rural Industries
Research and Development Corporation
(RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award. She is an
inaugural member of the steering group
that established the University of Adelaide
Wine Alumni Network and continues to
play an active role.
“I have been working towards
formalising some of our existing informal
networks and bringing rural and regional
wine industry women together. I am in
the process of developing a not-for-profit
association and one of the first offerings
will be a central meeting place and
information sharing hub, in the form of a
website. This is a great way to overcome
the tyranny of distance.”
Mary is passionate about encouraging
more women to enter agricultural
industries in a range of roles, especially
the non-traditional ones.
“It is important that we ensure rural
women are supported and encouraged to
‘put their hands up’ for opportunities, so
they reach their full potential.
“My studies have shaped my life by
providing the opportunities to excel at
something I love doing, allowing me to
adapt and remain up to date with the
latest knowledge and to forge lifelong
friendships. It has been my ticket to
discover the world, reach my full potential
and share this knowledge with others.”
Left: Mary Retallack
Photo by Robb Shaw-Valzen
www.bygeorge.com.au
The University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 13
