Rachel Ward always sensed she would need to find her purpose outside of acting - for reasons she will explain in this conversation. But she never would have guessed that she’d find that purpose on a working cattle farm in rural Australia…

At MID, we like to call this time in our life the “third age” - it’s that post-work era where we’re redefining the shape of our days, our contributions, our passions and our purpose. And Rachel Ward has a LOT to say about this.

Rachel Ward is an iconic Australian actress who met Brian Brown on the set of the The Thorn Birds in 1982 and followed him to Australia, where they have lived together ever since, raising a family and working. More recently Rachel has directed films like Beautiful Kate and Palm Beach, and now, a documentary about her rural pivot.

As you’ll hear, in her third act Rachel Ward has became a farmer at 60. And not a hobby farmer, but a farmer-farmer - the real deal, inspecting her soil for dung beetles and worms.

You can follow Rachel Ward here.

And you can find out more about her documentary, Rachel’s Farm, here.

THE END BITS: 

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Mamamia's new podcast BIZ is rewriting the rules of work with no generic advice - just real strategies from women who've actually been there. Listen here.

CREDITS:

Host: Holly Wainwright

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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