Tell us a little about yourself:

We are on the Limestone Coast in the lower south east of South Australia. Together with my husband, Richard and our two adult children, we run a prime lamb operation with some cropping – broad beans, wheat, canola and barley – as well as trade cattle when the season allows.
 

Why did you join the Rabo Client Council?

When I first joined the Rabo Client Council in 2021, they were planning a Teacher Farm Experience program (Teacher FX) for around 20 Adelaide teachers to visit farms in the Riverland. As a teacher, this really piqued my interest to become involved. As well as the mental health opportunities that we get to provide support to.
 

What are some of the key initiatives your Rabo Client Council has been involved in:

There are so many but some of the education and mental health initiatives include:

The TeacherFX saw teachers from Adelaide spend two days in the Riverland to participate in a variety of hands-on learning experiences. At the end of the program, they brainstormed ways to integrate their knowledge into the classroom and have since developed an online resource for other teachers.

Last year, we supported the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Conference in Victor Harbour. The Rabo Client Councils support this two-day national event when it is held in their respective states. For specialist agricultural teachers, it is for those who are new to the field or not specifically trained in agriculture, to help build their knowledge and understanding of agriculture.

We also support Kick off ya Boots, a mental health initiative that started as a musical performance highlighting some of the challenges faced by farming families. It has since evolved into an evening event with dinner and a recorded viewing of the performance, as a way to help spark conversations around mental health.  

Another initiative we are involved with is Fat Farmers, a South Australian program to help get farmers off the farm and involved in physical activity. I think there are around 20 groups around the state, and they are all different. For example, it could be going to the gym and doing weights, or joining a walking or running group. It just depends on what the community has available and what the community is interested in. A big part of it as well, is having those mental health conversations around how people are going, are you ok?
 

What initiatives have had the most impact?

I think it has been the mental health initiatives, especially for people that are going through floods or drought – it is devastating watching your farm and stock deteriorate –that is hard. So just being able to help people in that situation. You can’t always give them money. But it is that support and knowing there is that support around you – and the awareness of what to look for – which is what Kick off ya Boots is doing. It is really just trying to see those little triggers that you can ask someone about.