Farm Rescue - what can I say? Amazing!!!

After being back in Melbourne for 6 days, and getting lots of things done (catching up with family and friends, appointments, car maintenance etc etc etc), we were on our way again on the Saturday after Easter.

This time we were heading to something a bit different.  

Late in 2017, we had signed up for a weeks’ volunteer work with an organisation called Farm Rescue  - http://www.farmrescue.com.au/farm-rescue  

We were to be posted to a farm in the Ballendella area of northern Victoria, near Rochester and although we’d been given our job list, we were still a bit in the dark about what was involved.

Farm Rescue is a branch of the Rural Aid charity which organises trips each year to areas where farmers/rural families are in need of help.  For one reason or another, these people are struggling and a team from Farm Rescue is organised to spend some time with them and hopefully get something achieved that will help them.

Our first week was spent on a dairy farm in Ballendella owned by M&S with their two boys B(17) and C(7).  We arrived on Saturday afternoon and set up camp in the paddock near the house.  We were going to be right at home.  There was 6 volunteers in our team that week and Charles, the CEO of Rural Aid, who co-ordinated the whole event.

Camped in the horse paddock

Things officially got underway on Sunday evening, when we all met for dinner and an introduction at the pub in Rochester.  There was a lot of chat around the table and we were all looking forward to the week ahead. 

Our main task for the week was to convert a 4mx5m shed in the garden into a bedroom for B.  The family live in a tiny, 2 bedroom house on their farm, and now with B doing some serious study, he needed some space.  It was a complete transformation, with a floor needed over the dirt, insulation, window and door put in, electrical work, sheeting, painting and carpeting.  It was a big week.

As there was limited room for everyone to work at the same time in the shed, there were other jobs that we got stuck in with also.  Doug, being the tree man, made quick work of tidying up some trees around the property, Rosie (one of the other volunteers) and I tidied up the garden and did a huge burn off and Doug and Neal did some work around the cattle yards to improve the fences.

As volunteers, we all stayed on the farm, all meals were catered for and we all formed a really tight little band.  We were lucky to have Rosie, act as camp cook for the week and she (with the help of S) turned out some fabulous meals.  Time was spent round the fire after dinner each night and a lot of the worlds problems were put to right, believe me.

Team Ballendella

By spending time with these people and hearing their stories, a whole new understanding opens up.  The milk crisis that hit a couple of years ago was just something we’d heard about in the media and we made the token effort to try and not buy the cheap milk offered in the supermarkets to try and support the farmers.  But to hear exactly how it had affected this family and still affects them was astonishing.  Such a beautiful family getting their world pulled out from under them, with absolutely nothing they could do about it.  

They were so happy for us to be with them, and so generous of their time.  We learned so much.  M was happy for me to visit the dairy one morning to help with the milking and S and I went out on the quad bike to feed the calves.  The world of dairy farming was patiently explained to us novices, and we loved hearing how much there is involved.  Never underestimate what’s involved in your litre of milk.

The dangers of milking!!

Our week quickly came to an end.  Saturday morning saw B playing in the local footy league at a home game, and we all trooped along to support him (much to his embarrassment, I’m thinking!!).  It was a great feeling to have that local connection at something as grass-roots as a country footy match. 

Cheering on B

We had only signed up for one weeks’ rescue, but Charles told us there was another one the following week at nearby Girgarre.  Although it had been a hard week, we decided that we’d benefitted so much from the experience, we would go on to the second one.  It was sad to say goodbye to our host family, but we were happy knowing that B now had a bedroom that was useable and we had made a difference.  We felt like we had gained great new friends, and were sure we’d see them again.  Well, it’s a given really, since we were all given a voucher (expiry date infinity and beyond) to return and visit any time!

B couldn't wait - the bed was moved in that day.

The little band of volunteers packed up, hugged everyone goodbye and moved on to another dairy farm, this time owned by S&C with their four children, G(9), C(8), T(6) and J(2).  The group was getting bigger this week too, with the addition of 3 more volunteers and Grant, the new project manager hired by Rural Aid.  The charity hopes to increase the number of rescues done each year, and as such, Charles needed someone on the ground to manage things, and Grant was the man! 

Cosy camp around the derelict house

Camp from the air

The work was a bit different this week.  There was some work to be done at the main farm house (moving some plumbing in the bathroom and a new vanity and lots of fencing), but what kept most of us busy for the week was the derelict house across the road.  This was part of the farm and the owners had had some bad luck with bad tenants in the past; the house was trashed.  With a bit of help from Farm Rescue, it was hoped that the house would be made available for a farm labourer to live in.  S worked the dairy farm himself, and had a much bigger herd than the farm the previous week (about 300 cows).  If he was to have any family life at all, he needed someone to help him on the farm.

Our week was spent cleaning, scrubbing, sanding, painting, fixing and generally doing a “Block” reno, with tools down being called on Friday afternoon.  The house looked amazing - so much different from the shambles we saw when we arrived.  Doug and Lee (another volunteer) spent most of the week over at the main farmhouse, Lee transforming the bathroom and Doug fencing off a large area and making a playground for the kids.  Now C had somewhere to let J play without worry.  And when all that was done, Lee and Doug set about erecting a colour bond fence across the front of the farmhouse to keep all the kids safe from the road.  This job wasn’t finished by the end of the week, however, its given S a great start.

Rosie and Allie in sync

Who's the nonna?

The playground taking shape

S and C and their children joined us for dinner each night at camp, which was lovely and Allie (volunteer) had the kids organised into a super-dooper washing up team.  It was lovely the share time with them and hear about what they’d been doing at school.  We had our celebration final evening on Friday and were so touched by the lovely cards and messages the kids had made for us.

Dinner for 22 each night!!

By the time the end of the fortnight came, there was 6 very, very tired people.  But there was also 6 people who had gained so much from our time together on the rescues.  We have made some great new friends, we have learned so much, we have gained an insight into the struggles of others and we have tried to help.  Would we do it again?  In a heart-beat.  In fact, we’ll be signing up for more as soon as we can.