Since it formed near the beginning of the new millennium the Australian farming charity organisation Aussie Helpers has gone from strength to strength providing support for thousands of families on the land annually.
A former farmer himself, Aussie Helpers co-founders Brian Egan and his wife Nerida went through some tough times on-farm in the mid 1990’s.
Brian’s ability to cope and continue dwindled and he soon lost his will and his way; but with the support of his wife and family he emerged on the recovery path from his diagnosed depression.
It was as a result of a reaction to a counsellor’s passing quip that he should “find someone whose worse off than him and help them”, to assist his recovery that the idea for what has become one of the most highly regarded non profit charity organisations in the nation took shape.
The Egan’s commenced operations with the business in 2002 by conducting work around Dalby when the region was in severe drought.
“We found straight away that farmers there excepted whatever aid we could provide them with open arms,” Brian said.
“Since that time our method of operation hasn’t changed we just work on a much larger scale now,” he said.
Brian said a lot of people think Aussie Helpers only organise for road trains of hay to be delivered to farmers, and while that is part of what they do, there are many more aspects involved in the support they deliver.
“We provide counselling services, help cover everyday on-property expenses, aid in the paying of school fees and assist in covering the cost of funeral services to name just a few of the ways we help farming families out.”
Last year alone Brian said Aussie Helpers volunteers visited close to 1100 properties in Queensland and New South Wales alone assisting farmers in whatever way they can.
He said over the last decade there has been a big decline in suicides in the bush.
“I hope the services Aussie Helpers provides has played a part in improving those statistics.”
He said because farmers see and hear about the practical assistance Aussie Helpers on the ground helping those in need, the organisation has garnered the respect of the people.
“By securing that level of trust with the people we’re trying to help means they aren’t afraid to come and ask us for support for themselves or others in times of need.”
Brian said although the charity had been doing solid work and the profile of Aussie Helpers had been growing well since it was formed, it was in 2007 when they were featured on the ABC’s Australian Story program that things really took off.
“For the next three to four weeks after the episode aired we were flooded with donations that amounted to approximately $8m.”
He said since the organisation commenced operations they’ve had at least five 4WD vehicles and a prime mover donated to them by businesses who see the value of the work they do.
“When people see you are putting your words into action they respond.”
Just recently Aussie Helpers was the recipient of a $1m cheque that Brian personally collected from Dick Smith .
“I thought I was just going to meet him to have a chat about various ideas he might be able to help us with, so it blew me away when he showed me the cheque.”
He said much of the money will go towards operating costs which amount to around $500,000 annually.
“We’ll also be using some of the money to help repair infrastructure like cattle grids and fences on properties so that when the weather does turn around the farmers we help will be in a better position to be able to get back on top of things as quickly as possible.”
Besides Brian and Nerida another 40 volunteers help out at Aussie Helpers including 10 people on the road at any time visiting farmers all over Australia.
“You never know what situation you’re going to walk into when you’re visiting someone, but I can say we’ve never been turned away.
“We’re very grateful for all our volunteers, some of them have been giving up their time and providing their expertise for nearly a decade to people they’ve never met before .
“People look forward to our visits, it really is the face-to-face human contact that is the most crucial part of what we do.
“Having someone that they know cares about their situation take the time to come and listen to whatever is causing them stress is what they really want.”
Brian spoke to the North Queensland Register about a new initiative that is in the the works which is being supported by the Lions Club of Townsville.
“We’ll be holding several morning tea events each month around the region where farming families can come and have a cup of tea and have a chat to a psychologist while they’re there.
“We believe it’s by taking these preventative steps that we can look for signs of trouble early and help these people out before the there situation gets out of hand.”
Brian said his heart goes out to farming families.
“You’ve got to feel for these people. Agriculture was the foundation upon which Australia was built and we’ve let it go.
“We need to keep these multi-generational farming enterprises going because in my opinion Australia is not in a position to lose all that farming knowledge.
“Unfortunately a lot of operations are going to have to close up shop but we’re going to help as many of these people as we can because they simply aren’t replaceable.”
He said Aussie Helpers is also working with Wilmar Bio Ethanol who’s supplying the organisation with 20,000 litre tanks filled with supla base (liquid stock feed) free of charge.
“We’ll be strategically positioning the tanks and pumps at self-service bays around the region so farmers can come and fill up with the amount they require when they need it.”
Brian said even though the work is demanding, if he could go back in time he’d follow the same path again.
“I do a seven day week, it never stops, but the last 14 years have been the best of my life.
“Sometimes I have to pinch myself to soak in what we’ve accomplished since we started on this path.”
People wishing to assist as volunteers or wanting to donate can go to the website admin@aussiehelpers.org.au for more information.
