Gail Thornton is a Rural Aid community counsellor and social worker for farmers throughout regional northern NSW and parts of southern Queensland who visited Armidale this week to talk to farmers doing it tough because of the drought.
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"This week I have seven face-to-face appointments booked around Arimidale," Gail said
"But it's not just Armidale. We now have nine counsellors in NSW and Queensland, and two at our head office at Acacia Ridge head office in Brisbane who do telephone counselling."
Gail thought the Rural Aid number 1300 327 624 was an important one for farmers to have.
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"I spoke to one farmer in this area a couple of months ago on the phone and he said I wouldn't believe the smell around his place. He said he'd lost 60 cattle and his neighbour across the road was the same so, they were burning them two at a time," she said.
Gail said she was counselling another farmer further to the south in NSW a couple of months ago who was in a very dire situation
"There was talk about suicide and all sorts of things," she said.
"When I looked up the council website and on the community website, there was nothing. Because they're so remote. And the biggest thing is isolation, whether it's isolation just on their property because they don't have the money for fuel. And I've got farmers telling me that when someone does give them food they are giving it to their animals.
"Some of these people forget their identity. They can't say they're farmers now, some of them have lost their farms because of financial reasons."
People are crying.
- Gail Thornton
"I ring a farmer and I say 'Are you out in the paddock?' because i can hear the wind and their sheep or cattle, and they'll say yes.
"Initially they'll say they are fine and that there are people who are worse off. But once I start listening and talking to them gently and coaxing them to open up, the'll just start crying.
"We can help them look at the positives and encourage them in different directions."
Rural Aid was born in 2015 from Buy A Bale, which was formed by Charles and Tracy Alder in 2013 and has become Australia's most recognised fodder assistance program. Rural Aid now has 6000 plus volunteers and continually works to improve the lives of farmers and rural communities nationally.
"We've got the biggest hay run in Australia's history on the second week in December in Tamworth. That's going to be huge, and I'll be going there with our CEO and general manager," Gail said.
If you need to speak to Gail you can contact her on 0436 035 188 or direct on 07 3153 4623.