HEAVE SENT

Queensland farmers Matt and Hayley Watson have survived drought, plague and fire with the support of Farm Angels. They're sharing their story to back a movement that shows Aussie farmers they're not alone, while raising funds in the process.

- GENEVIEVE GANNON

Southeast Queensland was roasting through an unprecedented dry spell in 2019 when Hayley Watson first phoned Farm Angels.

Each day, she and her husband, Matt, had to make decisions about how to use the precious little water they had. Their boys came first. Cooper was two, Charlie was a few months old, and Hayley was trying to keep them clean with baby wipes, reserving as much water as she could for the chickens, which the egg-farming family relied on for their livelihood.

"That year was just recklessly awful," says Hayley. "The lead-up to it, 2018, wasn't awesome for us either." Matt grew up in Tasmania and Hayley's family lived on the coast. "So, we were abundantly unprepared," she says. "There were large periods of time choosing between watering the chooks and watering the house and the chooks always won. I think the longest stint was about six weeks where water didn't flow in the house."

Farmers aren't used to asking for help, she says, but they had to do something for their boys. "The first call I had with Farm Angels, I was on the phone for an hour and a half, and we went through everything from mental health to how our kids were handling it, what our finances looked like. Being able to talk to someone was a game changer. That was as big a help as the money." Farm Angels is a charity that reaches out to farmers in trouble with both practical help and emotional support. Every August, it calls on people across Australia to wear a “Flanno for a Farmer” as a way to raise funds for its vital work and as a symbol to farmers that they’re not alone. To date, more than $23 million has been raised through the efforts of people who buy the flannos, host fundraisers or donate money. As a result Farm Angels has helped 1488 Australian communities.