Robbie Sefton pays tribute to Leith Boully, a fearless advocate for rural and regional Australia whose legacy in water policy and leadership will continue to shape the sector for years to come.
17 July 2025
Insight from: Robbie Sefton
“A fearless warrior, a very kind person and a sharp and smart leader.” There are few people you could use these words about, which means when you meet someone that embodies these qualities and attributes, you value and respect them all the more. I was fortunate to know such a woman for many years, and took something away from every interaction we had in that time. Leith Boully was someone I was proud to call a friend and her passing in the last month has affected many and left an enormous gap in the rural and regional advocacy space, particularly focussing on water policy.
Zoe Routh is a leadership futurist, podcaster, and multiple award-winning author, who “works with leaders and teams to navigate future horizons”. In a moving tribute to Leith last month, Zoe described her as a mentor, colleague and friend, to whom she dedicated one of her first books. Zoe said, “Leith was an incredible human: farmer, advocate, educator, leader. She was a dedicated leader in water management and an astute leadership facilitator and mentor. She was the primary driving force behind the leadership programs at the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust.”
“She was fierce. There is irony in her last name, 'Boully'. You were never left wondering what Leith thought. She was a straight shooter, never pulled punches. But she was never a bully. She was a warrior.”
I met Leith a couple of decades ago when I was fortunate to be part of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, a life-changing program offered through the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, aimed at building the leadership capacity of rural and regional Australia. I was a participant in Course 6, and Leith was an earlier graduate of the Program. I knew then what so many others already knew, and so many more would later learn when they encountered Leith in their professional and personal lives: an innovative thinker with natural leadership qualities who could bring out the best in those around her.
For the past three years, I have had the privilege of working alongside Leith as a board member of Watertrust Australia. As a founding director of Watertrust Australia, Leith emphasized community voices in water policy, consistently advocating for fairness and long-term sustainability . Her leadership was characterized by a deep commitment to community engagement and rigorous inquiry.
With so many challenges, and so much uncertainty, Australia, and agriculture industry, need the leadership and advocacy Leith embodied more than ever. She leaves an enormous hole, but her massive contribution to agriculture, rural and regional Australia, and particularly water policy in this country, will endure. She paved the way for so much change and reform, and now it’s up to us to carry that legacy forward.
