Farm charities are helping landholders in need

But there’s one thing farmers facing tough times can count on: the support of the rural community.

That good old-fashioned spirit of helping your mates is alive and well across Australia, with a record number of charities popping up — created either by farmers or for farmers.

Many deliver fodder, some — like BlazeAid — help with fencing. Then there are other charities, dedicated to assisting those in financial stress, or with mental health problems in agricultural communities.

For a decade, Graham Cockerell has been delivering hay and fodder to farmers hit by fire, flood and drought across rural Victoria.

Through his Need for Feed campaign, which he started by himself out of the Pakenham Lions Club in 2006, he has (“conservatively”) donated more than $1 million worth of fodder, with $300,000 in cash donations and now has an army of about 100 volunteers to call on.

The 60-year-old, who has an 8ha hobby farm at Upper Beaconsfield, has lost count of the number of farmers he has helped.

Yet, despite those impressive figures, it was perhaps this year’s most recent delivery — of 47 vehiclescarrying more than 1000 bales of hay to Scotsburn near Ballarat — that hit home how much of a difference he’s making.

“I was at the head of the convoy going into Scotsburn and I looked in the rear vision mirror and saw all these vehicles behind me,” recalls Graham of his Australia Day delivery into the bushfire-damaged town.

“We had a police escort and people had lined the streets waving to us. The closer we got there were people crying.

“I was pretty emotional myself.”

Graham, who runs a motor mechanic shop in Upper Beaconsfield, says the number of farm charities are increasing as the amount of support from government and farm industry groups decreases.

“I think the need is greater now,” Graham says. “I know these things go round in cycles but the fire season in recent years seems earlier and more houses seem to be lost because people are encouraged to evacuate.”

Graham first delivered a truck load of hay in December 2006 to the Cowwarr area of Gippsland, which had been hit by bushfire.

“I felt for those people burnt out at Christmas at the height of the drought,” he says. “I also lost my father to farm-related suicide when I was 11 years old and it was coming up to the 40th anniversary of his death and I think the two issues came together for me.”

He didn’t know it then, but that first delivery was not to be his last.

Since then, he has aimed to support every major disaster to hit Victorian farmers, including the Kerang floods, Tatura dairy farmers who lost their water allocation in 2008, Black Saturday survivors and fires from Barnawatha to Heyfield, as well as holding an annual Australia Day delivery.

While fodder has been the main focus (and he adds he’s always in need of donated supplies), increasingly donations are flooding in for other animals, including food for working dogs, chicken feed and even horse riding gear.

Darraweit Guim Merino farmer Tom McDonell was one of the recipients of Graham’s generosity when 2225ha of his 2700ha property was burnt out two years ago in the Kilmore-Mickleham fire.

“We were badly smashed but the support of people like Graham and BlazeAid was mind-boggling,” says Tom, who has since been a public speaker on the issue of fire recovery.

“Friends arrived with the first truck load of hay within 24 hours of the fire. “The fact people just care is really important to recovery, that they’re standing behind you and prepared to help.

“To me the true heroes are the likes of Graham. The level of support is unbelievable.”

So moved was Tom by the support that this year he loaded up two semis with straw and drove to Scotsburn to be part of the fodder convoy.

“It’s just something I’m really passionate about now.

“People forget that there’s the immediate impact and you run on adrenaline for three to six months, but after that you deal with the aftermath for months and years.

“On this farm I lost 25 years of breeding.”

PITCH IN AND HELP OUT

Whether you’re interested in donating, volunteering, or need help yourself, here are just a few of the farm charities operating in Victoria, and further afield:

Burrumbuttock Hay Runners

The Runners’ mission is to help farmers who are facing real hardship in the face of severe drought. Donations are made to the Rotary Club of Sydney “as we are not an organisation, just a bunch of blokes trying to help out a fellow Aussie in times of hardship”. So far the Runners have completed nine successful hay runs.

Shout A Mate

Bendigo’s Anita Donlon started Shout A Mate in 2011, educating about rural issues through its online radio show (shoutamate.com), as well as campaigns such as the current Grains for Tassie Farmers, which aims to buy 10 container loads of grain, at $10,000 per container, to send to drought-affected Tasmanian farmers. The campaign is crowd-funding through OzCrowd but will also see a series of music events which included their first at the Bush Pig Inn in Bendigo on Easter Saturday.

Buy A Bale

In June 2013, Buy A Bale’s founders read about the plight of Australian and predominantly Queensland farmers forced to destroy their cattle and others being forced off their land. They decided the best thing to do was to ask Australians to Buy a Bale of Hay and the feed would be delivered where it was most needed. Now some hay is donated, some is bought; some truckies donate their time and diesel, some loads the campaign is paying for; while donations towards the campaign’s “Farmers card” inject cash into rural towns.

Aussie Helpers

Brian Egan and his wife, Nerida — formerly farmers themselves — started Aussie Helpers about 15 years ago “No one wants to admit things are tough, and farmers are some of the proudest people in Australia. But sometimes they need our help, especially before it’s too late,” Brian says. Aussie Helpers contacts farming families discreetly with all details kept in confidence, staying in touch to ensure their wellbeing and survival through good and bad times.

BlazeAid

Volunteers work with property owners and communities after natural disasters, such as fires and floods, to rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed.

Originally published as Mateship thrives in the bush