Alison Francis was recently announced the winner of the fourth annual JB Fairfax Award for Rural Journalism.  Born in the small Central Queensland town of Monto, Alison grew up on a cattle property called Cania Homestead. She is currently enrolled in her third year of a Bachelor of Communications/Journalism at the University of Queensland and hopes to pursue a career devoted to bringing the bush back to life. She says she is 'determined to use her degree as a way to bridge the divide between city and country,by highlighting the stories of rural and regional Australia'.