Drought Forum for Frontline Supporters
31 October 2006
Western District Health Service is holding a Forum for workers and businesses who play a key role in the lives of our farming families on Monday November 6, to see how frontline contacts can help the farming communities get through the drought.
The aim of the forum is to share the knowledge, skills and information available across the key frontline networks, to enhance support and use of services by the farming community, according to WDHS Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jim Fletcher.
“All networks will need to work together to help as many farming families as possible to survive the drought, so that when the rains come and conditions improve, the farming community is in the best position possible to take advantage of improved conditions”.
“If farming families are physically and mentally exhausted and feel unsupported through these difficult times, then any recovery resulting from improved conditions will be longer, and potential opportunities may be lost,” he said.
Ms Sue Brumby, WDHS Director of Community Services and Principal investigator of Sustainable Farm Families (SFF), a national research project into farm family health, said some of the messages coming through loud and clear from farming families attending SFF workshops was knowing what help was available, where to go for it, and how to access it.
“Just knowing that there was some support and understanding of the issues that confront farming families during hard times was of major importance to these families,” she said.
“We also know from our experience with the SSF that maintaining good physical and mental health is important to the success of any farming business” she said.
Mr Fletcher said the forum was open to anyone who had contact with farming families including stock and station agents, agribusiness, merchandise, vets, hairdressers, publicans, health and family services, Department of Primary Industries, Local Government, fire authorities and schools.
“We will have speakers from the Department of Primary Industries, Hamilton Stock and Station Agents, Australian Veterinary Association, Centrelink, and WDHS Frances Hewett Centre,” he added.
“I encourage anyone who has contact with farming communities to attend, as I trust that this will put some positive balance back into the discussion which currently has an understandable air of gloom and doom about it,” Mr. Fletcher said.
The forum will be held on Monday November 6 from 5.45pm to 8pm at the Hamilton Base Hospital Education Centre. Anyone attending is requested to advise the Centre by November 3 on 55518343. For further information contact Sue Brumby at the Frances Hewett Community Centre on 55518460.
Working Together to Survive the Drought Flyer (pdf, 83kb)