Category: Uncategorized

Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale is back!

Posted on by Accounts Department

Born out of the 2015-2020 Australian drought, the nationally recognised Buy a Bale campaign was launched to support Aussie farmers as they faced some of the most severe conditions on record.

The entire country came together to raise critical funds, and the emergency fodder deliveries provided by the team that would go on to become Rural Aid saved the lives of countless starving animals.

In 2022, as Australia was repeatedly battered by unprecedented and unrelenting flooding events, Rural Aid once again stepped into the national consciousness, bringing back Buy a Bale to deliver fodder, financial, volunteer, and counselling assistance to Aussie farmers facing total devastation. Standing shoulder to shoulder with our mates in the bush, Rural Aid supporters demonstrated their unwavering commitment to our rural communities.

But less than a year later—having had barely any time to recover—our farmers now brace for the slow and destructive progression of what is promising to be a hugely challenging drought season.

The signs are already there—the dry ground, the dying grass, the empty tanks, the deteriorating livestock. And with climatic phenomenon El Niño officially declared and a blistering summer on the horizon, there’s only more hardship and heartbreak to come.

“This Christmas, as we prepare to celebrate the festive season with our loved ones, let’s take a moment to remember those who have worked tirelessly to provide the food on our table. The very same farmers and rural people now facing the harsh and relentless realities of living through severe drought,” said Rural Aid CEO, John Warlters.

“We have already seen a huge increase in the number of farmers seeking various forms of assistance, and as conditions worsen, these requests will become more frequent and more urgent. It’s Rural Aid’s intention to make Buy a Bale a central and ongoing part of our fundraising and support program to help get our farmers critical assistance through this drought season, and the challenges that will come in the future,” he said.

If you want to show your support to Aussie farmers in need, donate TODAY… because EVERY dollar makes a difference!

Support Aussie farmers facing hard, dry times this Christmas. Buy a Bale… for our mates in the bush.

On the Road with Myf Pitcher

Posted on by Accounts Department

Myf is our Mental Health & Wellbeing Manager. Here is her story from her time in the Kimberleys from 11-20 August 2023 for the Flood Recovery Support.

From 11th to 20th August, several Rural Aid Counsellors and I had the opportunity to explore the Kimberley region, and it reinforced its reputation as a vast and spectacular part of our country. The people we met were warm, friendly and always happy to chat. Their self-reliance and resilience were striking. The areas we visited showcased a wide range of landscapes and environments, from recovering from devasting floods to others enduring the harsh effects of drought.


(L-R) Myfanwy Pitcher (Rural Aid Mental Health & Wellbeing Manager), Roger Hitchcock (Rural Aid Counsellor WA) and Nicole Galvin (Rural Aid Counsellor QLD)

Derby 12- 14 August 2023

Our journey began in Derby, where we attended community events and visited local businesses.

Derby Rodeo
Nicole and I attended the Derby Rodeo over two days to connect with local farmers and community members. The locals came out in full force, with young ringers showcasing their skills and proving themselves as station hands- almost a rite of passage in some parts of this country.


https://kimberleyrcc.com.au/derby/

During our time there, we had several great conversations with Amy McKeown. Amy and her mum, Robyn, were running a coffee and food van at the Rodeo. Amy and her husband run Larrawa station, approximately 140kms northeast of Fitzroy Crossing, and they are deeply committed about producing high-quality beef. It was refreshing to speak with such an enthusiastic young landholder who has a bright vision for the future of Australian farming through diverse thinking.


Nicole with Amy McKeown and her mum Robyn.

Norval Gallery
As we left Derby, we stopped at a local art gallery, where we met Mark Norval, the owner, artist, and operator (alongside his wife Mary). Mark is a Derby local and has worked with the local indigenous peoples for many years, supporting them in expressing their culture and life experiences through art. The gallery itself showcases some of Mark’s work, as well as that of many other Indigenous artists from the Kimberley region.


https://www.facebook.com/NorvalGalleryDerby/

Mark is also responsible for the stunning iron sculptures that line the pathway across the mudflats to the wharf.

Lakeside Minerals Livestock


https://www.lakesideminerals.com.au/

After visiting the Derby Rodeo, Nicole, Roger and I attended an event hosted by Lakeside Minerals. Lakeside Minerals is a family-run business supplying minerals to the WA region, collaborating with farmers to achieve optimal soil health naturally, sustainably and cost-effectively. Regan and Melita Grant, the owners, hosted a BBQ and sundowner at their facility in Broome. The event was attended by 20 station employees from nearby Kimberley stations, including Liberinga Station, Fossil Downs Station, and Fitzroy Crossing locals.

In conversation with the ringers and jillaroos from the stations, they spoke of the significant stock losses resulting from the January floods. The true extent of the losses may not be known for up to five years because many livestock drifted downstream to other stations or perished in the floodwaters. Both stations reported they are now accessible by road, but extensive damage has been done to fencing that will require repair work.

FITZROY CROSSING 15-17 August
Fitzroy Crossing Recovery Hub

We headed to Fitzroy Crossing on Tuesday afternoon and met with Grant Pilgrimand and the Department of Communities team, along with other agencies in the Hub. Some of these included FESA, Colleen the Shire of Derby West Kimberley Community Recovery Officer, Amy Shire of Derby West Kimberley Hub Recovery Coordinator. We had the opportunity to meet with Renee Flaxman, who serves as the District Emergency Services Officer.
Amy expressed concerns about a rise in suicide ideation in the community as a collective response to the ongoing challenges they face.The devastation caused by the January floods was still evident everywhere we went.

Broome 18-19 August
Broome Rodeo

Our journey in the Kimberley region finished with a visit to Broome, where we attended the Broome Rodeo before heading back home to Queensland.
As detailed above, the areas we visited presented a stark contrast in terms of landscape and environment. Derby was very dry, a topic frequently discussed with locals. In contrast, Fitzroy Crossing is still heavily impacted by the ravaging floods from January and the impact and loss is still keenly felt. Given the vast differences in environment, climate and landscape, it is clear that farmers and communities across the Kimberley region require ongoing assistance with the numerous challenges they face caused by disaster events and the profound effects on mental health and wellbeing.

To find your local Mental Health and Wellbeing team member to have a yarn with, check out our counsellors

Go to our Counsellors Page

With A Little Help From Your Friends

Posted on by goodonyaadmin

Anyone who’s lived rurally knows that even the best laid plans can go to waste in the face of the relentless and unpredictable challenges of bush life.

East Gippsland farmer, Leanne Jennings, took over her family’s Bairnsdale property as her father’s health declined. With a five-year retirement plan firmly in place, she set about restoring the property with the view to making farming her full-time pursuit as soon as her financial planning allowed.

But then came drought.

As the rivers and dams ran dry, so too did Leanne’s finances and farmhand support, leaving her with no choice but to continue working off-farm to generate enough income to survive, while single-handedly managing the upkeep of the property.

Leanne’s story is not rare. Between the unprecedented series of fires, floods, and plagues in recent years, and with international and domestic travel stifled thanks to the pandemic, labour demand is outstripping supply by a staggering amount, and farmers like Leanne face insurmountable workloads in isolation, and sometimes completely alone.

It was at this critical moment Leanne registered on Rural Aid’s Farm Army platform, and a serendipitous connection aligned. Melbourne-based volunteers Garth and Amy had recently completed another job in the area when they answered Leanne’s call for help. A four-day stay turned into ten… and then some. Having fallen in love with the Bairnsdale area, Garth and Amy put their hand up again to house-sit a local property, returning weekly to continue helping Leanne manage the long list of big and small tasks still to be accomplished.

“Having arrived at Leanne’s and getting to know her and the sort of things that she would like to have done around the farm… there are so many more jobs that people living in suburbia would have no problem in meeting,” said Garth.

“This is a great opportunity for people from the city to come and experience farm life,” said Leanne.

“It’s just a good feeling to know that you’re doing something, and that it’s appreciated,” said Garth.

How You Can Help

Together, We Are Just Enough.

Posted on by goodonyaadmin

“If we act as individuals, it’ll be too little. But if we act as communities, it’s going to be just enough.”

So were the words of Rural Aid Community Builders Ballingup Representative, Wendy Trow, and never has a truer statement been made to sum up both the challenges of isolation and the importance of connection in the bush. From disaster response and healthcare access to financial security and employment—remoteness impacts rural Australian’s lives in every way.

At a community level, small rural pockets continuously challenged by disasters—not to mention the numerous economic and social impacts that follow—can face rapid disconnection and decline… some can even face ruin.

Community clubs and events—sporting meets, service clubs, country fairs and the like— have long been a mainstay of rural life in Australia. In fact, many of the country’s annual festivals and regional shows are a highlight in the calendar of local community members, and a common interest to and in which they all contribute and avidly participate.

Connection is and has always been key, not only in the sense of coming together to belong, but also in the pursuit of moving a community forward. Whether that means recovering from a significant hardship like a natural disaster, or simply working towards a shared goal of community advancement. Acting as individuals is too little, acting as communities is just enough.

Rural Aid recognises the importance of connection, shared knowledge and resources, and is committed to forging stronger community ties not only in times of celebration, but in times of hardship.

Rural Aid’s Our Towns program was initiated to provide support to communities impacted by drought, committing funds and resources over an extended period to help chosen townships develop and action long-term sustainability planning.

Where the Our Towns program has towns looking and planning introspectively, the Rural Aid Community Builders program seeks to turn the view outward, establishing a grassroots leadership program that supports and empowers local community champions within a defined geographical cluster. Together, these leaders can connect, share knowledge and resources, and build their region’s broader community and economy.

“The Community Builders program is about wrapping around a region, building a great, strong peer network, and strengthening up those ties between a region,” said Jen Curnow-Trotter of Rural Aid.

“Rural Aid recognised that there’s a strong connection between our farmers and the communities. So when the communities are strong, the farmers are strong, and vice versa.”

“At the completion of the program, with another 39-odd people cheering them on from their corner, they’ll walk away with a renewed sense of optimism for their communities and their town, and they’ll be able to face some issues of their region together,” said Ms Curnow-Trotter.

How You Can Help

On A Wing And A Prayer…

Posted on by goodonyaadmin

A declining global honeybee population isn’t new headline fodder. A ubiquitous and credible threat has been identified in recent years in the form of the varroa mite, or varroa destructor as it is more ominously known.

Only able to reproduce within honeybee colonies, the parasite attaches to a bee’s body, feeding on its fat stores and affecting its host’s ability to fly, feed, produce honey, and ultimately, to sustain life.

Thanks to its robust biosecurity laws, Australia is the only major honey-producing nation to hold the varroa mite at bay—until now. Since the mite was detected in the port of Newcastle back in June 2022, a major outbreak has been swiftly and devastatingly unfolding and Australia’s commercial beekeeping, honey, and pollination industry (worth an estimated $264M annually*) teeters on the brink of devastation. Honeybees are not only essential to supporting this major driver of Australia’s GDP, they are vital to the pollination and growth of around 70% of Australia’s fresh produce*, and intrinsic to the continuation of human and animal life.

Since June, Australian Beekeepers have been exterminating honeybees in droves, with approximately 18 million destroyed so far.

Like many of the harsh realities of bush life, the loss of animals, crops, resources and equipment to outbreaks such as that of varroa mite – or natural disasters like bushfires and floods – can have a severe and long-lasting impact on the recovery efforts and outlook for farmers. In response to this, Rural Aid re-launched it’s HiveAid initiative – a dedicated extension of its financial assistance service – to specifically support affected primary producing beekeepers. HiveAid was created during the Black Summer bushfires in partnership with Australian Honey Bee Industry Council and Hive + Wellness, the nation’s largest honey packer.

Eligible farmers like Rob Porteous were able to access financial support in the form of a $500 prepaid Visa card. Rob lost around 100 hives earlier this year and was in urgent need of financial assistance to keep his property and business afloat.

“When we first found out [about varroa mite], it just bought the industry to a halt… my initial reaction was devastation,” Rob said.

“The financial impact on my business has cost around $30,000… Because I can’t move the bees, I can’t make an income out of them.”

Rob thanked Rural Aid for providing a little bit of hope in a confusing and upsetting time.

“It kind of feels like someone has your back and people do care. The money that Rural Aid has given me has helped me out a lot. So thank you very much,” Rob said.

In addition to providing financial assistance via Hive Aid, Rural Aid’s Mates Day on 23 November is hoping to raise more funds to support farmers and rural communities, in preparation for the next unexpected challenge.

“Our beekeepers are the cornerstone of Australia’s agricultural industry, playing a vital role in pollinating food crops for both humans and livestock, and producing world-class honey. It’s imperative we help them in this ongoing fight against the varroa mite,” said John Warlters of Rural Aid.

How You Can Help