This month we talk to Dr Cathy Tischler who leads research for the Future Regions Research Centre – Horsham Research Hub, which aims to help regional and rural communities achieve innovation and collaboration, with a focus on economic development, effective service delivery and a strong sense of wellbeing.
Tell us about yourself, background and what drives you?
I grew up on a farm in the West Wimmera. I’ve always been interested in people and politics and what makes rural people different. I lived in and worked in Melbourne for a number of years, but came home after getting married to be closer to family, and try and give my own children experiences of growing up in a rural area too.
What key things did you learn completing your PhD?
I did my PhD locally here at Horsham – a few years ago now – I was really keen to understand why change can be challenging, why certain ideas become the ‘right way’ to think about things, and what we can do to advocate for this region when everything feels like a competition with other regions, states and even countries.
When doing this research I felt that we needed to find space to do more place-based research work as rural communities have great people but not every problem can get the attention it needs be solved by the businesses and organisations that are here. Everyone is busy and has limited time. I thought that building local research capability could help with that.
What other topics have become PhDs for other local students?
I like to see us focus on research in areas where we need more knowledge and more resources to understand problems and build solutions that work for rural areas.
I am supervising two students at the moment, professionals with careers in industry, who are building specialised knowledge:
Yvonne Wrigglesworth (PhD candidate) – Crossing Boundaries: The power and challenge of duality in rural health care workers to transform primary care.
Nadine Jankowski (Masters Candidate) – Youth group near-peer mentoring in the transition from school to work or study in rural and regional areas in Victoria.
We also provide a space for PhD students who are doing projects in other disciplines at Horsham too.
I’m always happy to talk to anyone who wants to do further research locally, and has a particular idea they want to explore.
What other research do you do?
The Horsham team work on a range of research projects, supporting economic development and addressing disadvantage.
In the last four years, our team has worked on a number of projects including: rural childcare and workforce access, farmers and mental health, education and training, small business, digital communications and family violence. We also partner on larger national projects too, and bring some of that focus (and resources) to our part of Australia.
How has this work made a different to service gaps, disadvantage and economic development?
Our work builds knowledge around what information gaps we have, and what assumptions we might be making about a problem when we are preparing to advocate for something. I often give over the research to others to use for advocacy and change.
Who inspires you?
I’m most inspired by the students I work with, who do research juggling children and work because they’re really passionate about knowing more, or fixing a problem. I’m inspired by some of the students I see in the Uni’s TAFE courses who want to upskill at various ages and stages of life, and do what they do because they want to do rewarding work here, run world class businesses and fill service gaps.
What is the key change or improvement you would like to see in the WSM?
A lot of my job is about listening to people, and hearing what they say about what is important to them. A lot of the time I hear people talk about what they know, and be very sure that their way is the best way, whether they are in business, agriculture, service sectors, retired or working as employees.
I’d love people to know that there are lots of ways to solve problems and that while we should never undervalue ourselves and our abilities, we can also learn a lot by being curious about the way in which other people around us get things done too.