Women on the land told they're not alone - and there's a 'do' to prove it

They are the women who hold the land together. Sometimes with the flimsiest scraps of glue. But between being partners to farmers; mothers, also to farmers; friends, yes, to farmers; and farmers themselves, they are the women of the land who keep it all going.

In their spare time, they somehow manage to deal with all the stuff that falls through the cracks – how the different seasons affect life on the land, whether someone does not seem OK, how to do Year 11 maths and/or make a Library Week costume when it’s 10 pm and you live nowhere near a shop.

Today, these women have Motherland, a national charity that started in 2019 as a podcast by a woman who knew exactly how they felt – Stephanie Trethewey – and that simple podcast had a million downloads this year.

CEO and founder of Motherland, Ms Trethewey will be special guest in the region later this year when local farmer Kate Brow hosts the first Snowy Mountains fundraising event to celebrate International Rural Women’s Day and Perinatal Mental Health Week on Saturday 2 November at her home, Bibbenluke, in the heart of the Snowy Mountains.

Ms Trethewey, the 2024 Australian of the Year for Tasmania, took time out to speak to Region while en route to her family farm in Tasmania which was hit by wild weather earlier this week.

Ms Trethewey, who will emcee the November event, said she started the now multifaceted Motherland project because she knew, firsthand, what it was like to be a mum in the bush without an adequate support system.

“I surveyed lots of mothers,” she said, “most of whom don’t have access to mothers’ groups and started collecting data on them. That’s when we created Motherland Village, so they’d have the support they needed.

“From there, we had out first national conference and started fundraising.

“But what we do is advocate for rural women, the ones that hold everything together.”

Rural women, she said, had a tendency to always put themselves last. It is, she said, their unique way of “mothering”. “If we achieve anything from this event I would like to see women leave with new connections and that they know how they can be supported.

“Many of us have personally grappled with this sort of thing, often waiting to get near breaking point before asking for help. That’s why we try to encourage women to find their ‘village’ before it gets too bad.”

The challenges don’t end, she says, when the nappies do. Women still need to talk to others as their children and families grow.

“We also offer a number of scholarships with that money going back to the community where the issues are. So that’s where the money will go after our Snowys fundraising event.”

While Ms Trethewey will emcee the November event, she will be joined by a panel of speakers including the first female deputy leader of the NSW National Party Bronnie Taylor, founder of the Wool Shed and Le Sac, Sahra Dixon and finance officer at Growth Farms and farmer, Alana Platts. Also on the panel is Kate Brow, who runs in partnership with her husband, sheep and cattle on the Monaro, and is a mother of three girls. The event will be held on their property, Bibbenluke.

She joined Motherland in 2022, passionate about connecting rural mums and working towards better mental health outcomes for women in the bush.

“Rural mothers are the backbone of Australia’s agricultural industry,” she said. “We are raising the next generation of farmers, and we are often supporting the mental health of our farming husbands, or farming ourselves, while also trying to mother, and yet we are so rarely celebrated and often live our lives in isolation on remote or regional properties with a lack of support services and feeling alone,” she said.

“This fundraiser will celebrate rural mothers and their families, allowing them to connect with others.

“It will also raise awareness about the relevant support services accessible in the region and virtually so that parents know where to turn if they’re struggling with their mental health.”

All proceeds from the Motherland fundraiser will go directly to the charity.

Limited tickets are now available online.