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Remembering Matilda

Raising funds for a TRAIL Emerging Leaders Scholarship.

Donate now to invest in the next generation of rural changemakers. 

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$13,450 raised

$13,450 raised

Honouring a remarkable spirit

For Matilda Ferguson, there was no greater calling than the remote communities and landscapes she came from, lived for, and was called back to. In 2024 Matilda lost her life in an accident while working in the rugged environs she was so passionate about. While making sense of her passing is impossible, creating meaning from her life is what those who loved her are striving to do.  

Together with her inspiring mum, Chris Ferguson, her partner Lachie, her brother Will and stepdad Greg, the ARLF are pleased to launch an appeal to raise funds for a scholarship in Matilda’s memory that will support a young leader to participate in the TRAIL Emerging Leaders Program.

TRAIL is a cross-sector, challenge-based seven-day national leadership program for Australia’s emerging leaders. This scholarship will support a rural woman by providing an opportunity for them to develop their leadership; expand their horizons; gain exposure to role models and connect with a supportive network of peers. 

Champion future rural voices

Help ensure young rural voices are heard where decisions are made. Your support gives them a seat at the table and the skills to lead change.

Support leadership for rural women

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Your contribution helps a young woman from rural Australia access the opportunity to amplifying their voice, vision, and power to create change.

Carry Matilda’s legacy forward

Honour Matilda’s legacy by making leadership possible, regardless of people's postcodes. Your donation helps unlock potential across rural Australia.

About Matilda Ferguson

Tenacious. Compassionate. Determined.

Matilda Ferguson grew up as tough as the land that shaped her. The red dirt of outback New South Wales wasn’t just beneath her feet it was in her bones. And whenever she was away from home in the state's Far North West, she carried particles of those striking rangelands with her in a locket that rested close to her heart.

She understood firsthand the challenges of isolation, access, and opportunity that often define life outside the city. But she also knew the strength, resilience, and resourcefulness that come from growing up in such environments. Matilda channelled that determination into a life of purpose and service.

Matilda believed leadership should be within reach for everyone regardless of postcode, background, or resources. Her family, friends, community and colleagues at the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation  remember her for her kindness, courage, and unwavering belief in others. She was especially passionate about making sure young people in rural Australia had a seat at the table.

Tragically, Matilda’s life was cut short in early 2024. But her vision lives on. Her family are raising funds to support a rural woman to take part in the TRAIL Emerging Leaders Program - a week-long, immersive leadership experience that equips emerging leaders with the skills, networks, and confidence to create change in their communities.

This initiative honours Matilda’s legacy by backing the kind of leadership she believed in: grounded in community, driven by purpose, and open to everyone no matter their postcode. With your support, we can carry Matilda’s spirit forward and open the door for others to walk through.

Donate Now

"I certainly hope that I’m not the last of our line to venture down this path, for maybe I have a daughter one day and maybe I don’t. But the future is not where the promise lies; it is in what we have now, in our scarred and weather-beaten hands that have unintentionally led each other to where we are at this moment in time".

– Matilda Ferguson 

About the TRAIL Emerging Leaders Program

Sewing seeds for the future of rural leadership

The TRAIL Emerging Leaders Program is a dynamic, hands-on leadership experience designed for people in the early stages of their leadership journey across rural, regional and remote Australia. Over seven days, participants are immersed in experiential learning that challenges them to grow outside of their comfort zone. The program blends practical skills, self-awareness, and collaboration - equipping emerging leaders with the confidence to influence change in their communities, industries and beyond.

Through outdoor leadership challenges, workshops, and engagement with policymakers and industry leaders, participants learn to navigate complexity, lead with purpose, and build networks that last a lifetime. TRAIL fosters a diverse and inclusive learning environment where participants gain insight into their own leadership style while learning from others. It’s a program for those who want to grow as leaders and uplift others as they go.

Find out more

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Lands where we meet, work, and live. We recognise the enduring spiritual connection, and we honour the sacredness of the land. We pay our respects to the Elders past, present, and future and the deep-seated wisdom they hold. We solemnly remind ourselves that this Land has always been, and will always be, Aboriginal Land.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recording or printed material.