THERE was never any doubt that Megan Easton would forge out a life on the land.
As a fourth-generation grazier on Cameray Downs, an 11,000 hectare station near the remote north west Queensland town of Maxwelton between Richmond and Julia Creek, her passion for agriculture is literally in the blood.
Mrs Easton's great grandmother first took up residency at the property decades ago and now Mrs Easton is raising her own children Olivia, 12, Breanna, 9 and Jacob, 6, there with husband Gerald.
"We have been here a long time. My grandmother's mother won a ballot way back so she took up residency on the land and we've been here ever since. My children are fifth generation in the area so I feel a bit vintage," Mrs Easton said.
"I've gone away to boarding school and travelled overseas but I've definitely made the choice to come back to this industry and I'm proud to be here. It was an easy choice for me."
Mrs Easton said it was only natural to raise her children on the land.
"I am proud of what we do, it's not just a job. I like having our family out here, I like working beside my husband and being able to take our children with us," she said.
"Agriculture lives in you or it doesn't. I like the land, I like the fundamentals that go with it, I like producing something I am proud of.
"We are proud to be producing some of the best protein in the world, looking after the land and being in a wonderful environment and existing in a great community.
"Sometimes I don't feel like I have enough degrees, it's like being a jack of all trades and a master of none. You need to be a nutritionist and an economist and everything else.
"It is harsh but we do love it."
The harsh realities of life on the land were more apparent than ever early last year, when a monsoonal deluge delivered a metre of rain and wiped out half of their herd.
Half of their paddocks were covered in water up to a metre deep, the family's homestead was only nearly spared and freezing conditions killed not only livestock but kangaroos, centipedes and thousands of other native animals.
Despite the trying conditions, the days of uncertainty and the pressure the weather event put on their business, there was never an option to leave.
"There were a few days where we were wondering if we would have any livestock left. That was the way it was looking. It was really close for us," Mrs Easton recalls said.
"The first inch and a half of rain was great, we were hysterical, there was a lot of crazy dancing, but by about day three we realised it wasn't all fun.
By about day six I had rum on my weetbix and I told the kids it was to conserve some milk for them.
- Megan Easton
After a few days playing in the flood water in their house yard, the children were sent to town in a chopper while their parents dealt with the aftermath.
Despite the nationally recognised disaster event the Eastons knew they owed it to the land, their animals, their family and the region to do what it took to recover.
They accessed a Restocking, Replanting and On-farm Infrastructure co-contribution grant to begin restocking almost immediately.
Mrs Easton said the restocking grant was able to be drawn down when seasons permitted, which meant they could buy cattle when their land had recovered.
"We accessed some of the funds almost immediately because we had to keep trading and keep doing business. If you're doing business, you keep the entire economy and the local business operating. If I'm buying cattle, truck drivers are driving and sale yards are processing cattle," she said.
"The more business can roll, the better it is for the whole district. We have some of the grant funding left to use and when the season permits, we look forward to using that.
"It's peace of mind to know that money is there. At the end of the day there will always be a loss but to know it's half as overwhelming, you're halfway back.
"All we were thinking about was getting back up and starting to trade again, but you have to do that in a way we make sure the country recovers from what it just suffered through."
She said the grant gave them the ability to replace cattle when they and their land were ready.
"We had to look after our other asset, our grass," she said.
"By accessing the grants, it's not only improved our own business resilience but also the larger community.
"For us it makes good business sense to access the grants."
Mrs Easton said it was important for other producers to inquire about their eligibility for assistance and play their part in helping the whole industry recover.
"When we came to applying for the restocking grant, it was a relatively simple process.
"A penny saved is a penny earned so you can use what's saved to buy lick, pay wages or fix a fence. At least you have money to get the cattle started again.
"When you know you have a plan, you know your next step, you have a destination and you're making way, it's very rewarding.
"Other producers need to apply for assistance because Australia wants them. They need to keep running family agricultural businesses out here, it's important."
Across their property, scattered dead cattle prove a harsh reminder for what their business had endured, but Cameray Downs is now largely business as usual.
"They're a bit like shipwrecks at low tide," Mrs Easton said.
"There are still the reminders around, but you get on with business and life. You get on your horse and keep going.
"It will be one of those events that stay with me forever because fundamentally our job is to care for our animals and our land."
- North Queensland Restocking, Replanting and On-Farm Infrastructure co-contribution grants of up to $400,000 are available for primary producers to restock, replant and repair after flooding. QRIDA administers North Queensland Restocking, Replanting and On-Farm Infrastructure co-contribution grants on behalf of the Australian Government. For more information visit www.qrida.qld.gov.au or Freecall 1800 623 946.
