It was an "amazing" moment for the town of Warren when Buy from the Bush founder and local farmer Grace Brennan delivered her inspiring Australia Day message on the national stage, community identities say.
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Warren mayor Milton Quigley praised the creator of the movement supporting drought-hit communities, which has attracted 400,000 followers on social media and generated millions of dollars of revenue for country stores.
Mrs Brennan became the first regional person invited to deliver the Australia Day address after the spectacular impact of Buy from the Bush since its launch in October.
Cr Quigley said it was a proud moment for the town when the Warren woman who grew up in Sydney stood at the podium.
"She did a wonderful job, and bringing her perspective of coming from the city and being certainly a little bit isolated, and things she could do," he said.
"And really reinventing the story of what farming families can do, and their resourcefulness, and the way they cope and the degree of expertise that a lot of people out here really do have that I think sometimes goes missing in getting in the media spotlight."
Business woman Laura Noonan has felt the benefits of Buy from the Bush.
The owner of The Beauty Room at Warren was one of the people Mrs Brennan talked to before launching her Buy from the Bush idea.
The store received a "huge boost" in the weeks after the movement started.
"I went from it being so quiet, to being inundated, I actually had Mum come in and help me," Ms Noonan said.
"As well as posting oodles and oodles of parcels.
"It was huge.
"It enabled me to buy more stock, I wasn't buying in any stock for Christmas, so I was just going to try to clear what I had.
"And I could order in quantities that I've actually never ordered before."
Ms Noonan was thrilled to see Mrs Brennan, who she's known for the best part of a decade, deliver her inspiring address.
"It was amazing, I can't even really explain it," she said.
"It was really special and so nice for our community.
"We were all so excited and it couldn't be a better person, Grace is really really special."
In the first six weeks of Buy from the Bush, $2.6 million of revenue was generated for businesses featured on its social pages, Mrs Brennan reported in her address.
In that period, 25 jobs were created in rural communities facing drought because of increased sales. More than $320,000 was spent at local Australia Post franchises benefitting small businesses in small towns, she said.
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
