Life on the Land

Graziher's Amie Shann revisits the amazing tale of Sophie Elliott in the first episode of our Life on the Land Summer Series. Sophie's story is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and stands as a poignant reminder that even in the face of formidable challenges, happiness can be found again.

A born and bred western Queensland girl, Sophie was working at The Blue Heeler Pub in Kynuna in her early twenties. It was here, that her life would change forever.

This is a love story, entwined with tragedy, and a new beginning. 

Mental health in the bush has long been a topic of conversation, and it seems we are becoming more aware of the particular challenges of the idea, but are things changing quickly enough and is enough being done in rural Australia to help those most at risk? Originally from the city of Adelaide in South Australia, Steph Schmidt has become a brilliant advocate for changing the narrative and redefining the picture of farming mental health. After overcoming her own setbacks when she moved to the country back in 2011.

Fiona Simson has become a household name in Australia, not least because of her role as the first ever female president of the National Farmers Federation, but for passion and grace while serving in the role. Fiona has orchestrated remarkable positive transformations for the Australian agricultural sector. Originally from a property just outside of Armadale in New South Wales, Fiona met her fourth generation husband Ed in Sydney, before settling at Gunnedah. The fertile black soil of the Liverpool Plains is where they raised their two children, Tom and Jemima, and continue to farm alongside Tom and his young family. Fiona's grounded in affable nature positions her seamlessly as an industry leader, allowing young women around the country to envision a viable career in rural Australia and the agricultural realm.

There’s not a lot that Avelina Tarrago isn’t a strong advocate for. As one of only two female indigenous barristers in Queensland, Avelina has forged an impressive professional path in conjunction with strong social and cultural commitments. In this episode, Avelina, a passionate Wangkamadla Traditional Owner speaks about the barriers for other members of her community to follow in her footsteps, her passion for Bush Heritage and the need for more frank, open conversations about fertility and birth in indigenous communities. Prior to being called to the bar in 2017, Avelina was a federal prosecutor with a Commonwealth director of public prosecutions.

Dalene Wray grew up in the small outback town of Birdsville, in far western Queensland, host of the famous Birdsville races and the Big Red Bash. With an idyllic childhood as one of six children in one of Australia’s most remote yet well-known areas, Dalene was soon curious about the wider world. Starting her career as a radiographer in regional Australian hospitals and then in the United Kingdom, Dalene is now at the helm of Australia’s oldest exporter of organic beef- OBE Organic. With a deep passion for people as well as delicious beef, Dalene drives innovative and progressive company policies and considers influencing government policy a necessity. 

Chances are, if you’re living in, or driving through regional and remote parts of Australia, you may have seen a blue tree in a paddock and wondered about it. That tree is one of over a thousand dotted across the countryside. The Blue Tree Project is a mental health charity that flourished from a grass roots movement in regional Western Australia. Kendall is the brains behind the initiative, which came from the tragic and unexpected loss of her brother Jayden to suicide in 2018. Hailing from small country town of Mukinbudin in the Central Wheatbelt in Western Australia, Kendall has achieved a lot in the space of rural mental health in the last four years and was crowed the 2022 WA Young Australian of the Year. 

Lori Pensini’s heart belongs to the Western Australian bush. From her Perth upbringing to following her new husband to the isolated expanse of a Kimberly cattle station and now championing regenerative farming in the State’s south- Lori’s devotion to the Australian landscape and it’s people is gorgeously depicted in her art. Her connection to the land runs deep, shaping not only her art, but also the very lens through which she views the world. You may recognise Lori’s name from the latest cover of Graziher. It’s our first ever illustrated cover, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have her work showcased in our magazine.  

Nikki Davey is the 2023 National Winner of the Agrifutures Rural Women’s Award. This award celebrates and acknowledges the critical role women play in rural and regional businesses, industries and communities and inspires the next generation.

Nikki is a co-founder of ‘Grown Not Flown', a digital platform that supports the slow flower movement by connecting flower consumers with local and sustainable producers.

The National Winner and Runner Up of the award was announced at a Gala Dinner at Parliament House in Canberra; a night where some of the most inspirational, courageous, innovative and hardworking women in the business, come together to celebrate all that the agricultural industry has to offer.

Applications for the 2024 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award are now open and will close on Wednesday, 25 October 2023 (Friday, 26 January 2024 for NT Applicants). See the AgriFutures website for more details.

Melissa Duniam is striving to ensure Australian workplaces are healthier and more productive through her design of facilitated equine workshops. The Tasmanian winner of the 2023 Agrifutures Rural Women’s Award was shocked by statistics released by Australian mental health support organisation, Beyond Blue that say one in five Australians have taken time off work for anxiety, depression and mental health challenges - while an astonishing 46 per cent consider their work place to be mentally unhealthy.

Melissa is a dairy farmer, business consultant and an Equine Assisted Learning facilitator - helping companies and their employees communicate better whilst learning to work alongside horses through her business, Leading Rein.

It’s a passion that Melissa never knew could be a career – and was sparked by a transformative crossroads moment in 2016, after suffering a devastating farm accident. 

Emma-Louise Gibbons is on a mission to reshape Australia’s pet treat market, with her use of insect protein and local Queensland veggies in her treat business, Huds & Toke. And while she’s at it, she’s going to take on the US pet food market too — worth an estimated $57 billion.

Born and raised on a beef cattle and cropping property, the winner of the 2023 Queensland AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award says growing up in the bush meant she learned to innovate early.