HOGGY HEADS TO DOWERIN WITH FARMER MATES MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

Australian cricketing great Brad Hogg will be at the Dowerin Machinery Field Days this week, taking Grain Producers Australia’s (GPA) Farmer Mates Mental Health Initiative to growers across the Western Australian Wheatbelt.

Mr Hogg, the initiative’s National Ambassador, will be joined on 26 August by GPA Western Region Director and WA grain producer Barry Large, catching up with growers, families and others from across the supply chain and encouraging people to check in with their mates.

Since launching in 2022 with the support of major partner Nufarm Australia, Farmer Mates has taken mental health awareness, suicide prevention messages and practical support directly into farming communities, growing from a handful of events to around 50 across 2023 and 2024.

GPA Western Region Director Barry Large and Farmer Mates Mental Health initiative National Ambassador and Aussie cricketing great Brad Hogg are preparing to attend the Dowerin field days this week.

GPA Chair and Moree grain producer Matthew Madden said Dowerin was a fitting place for those conversations.

“Farmer Mates has always been about making mental health part of the everyday conversation focus on looking after ourselves, our families and the people we work alongside,” Mr Madden said.

“Farming is rewarding, but seasonal conditions, financial pressures and isolation all take a toll. We thank Nufarm and our partners for helping us take that message into the regions.”

Mr Hogg, who grew up on a sheep and grain property at Williams, said Dowerin was a chance to reconnect with people from across the Wheatbelt.

“Dowerin is a great chance to get away from the farm, catch up and have a yarn about how the season and life are tracking,” Mr Hogg said.

“You don’t need to have all the answers to help a mate. It can start with noticing something isn’t right, asking the question and taking the time to listen.”

Nufarm’s Peter O’Keeffe said the company was proud of what the initiative had achieved.

“Farmer Mates has done something valuable. It has got people talking in sheds, at field days and around kitchen tables, and in plenty of cases that has made all the difference,” Mr O’Keeffe said.

“We’re proud of what has been built with GPA and Brad, and just as interested in where the thinking goes next. There is real opportunity in reaching further into farming families and starting these conversations earlier in life.”

Farmer Mates is delivered by GPA with the major support of Nufarm Australia and assistance from Rural Aid, Lifeline and the GRDC.

The eight-part Mates Mental Health Toolbox podcast series is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and the GPA website HERE

Mental health support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Rural Aid’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Team can be contacted on 1300 175 594.

ENDS

Further information:

GPA Western Region Director Barry Large: 0427 549 023 

For Brad Hogg interviews contact GPA Executive Officer Rachael Oxborrow: 0416 705 193