Welcome to FRRR’s Tackling Tough Times Together podcast – about how people in remote, rural and regional Australia helped one another pull through the harshest droughts in living memory.
In this episode, we find out how the Royal Flying Doctors Service and Contact Incorporated gave people in hardship hope after 10 years of relentless drought.
We chat to community leaders about the challenges they faced, how they responded, what impact their project had and the legacy it left. They share their stories and lessons learnt, as we all learn how to cope with an increasingly dry climate.
A decade of drought had brought far west New South Wales to its knees. For those on the front line, social gatherings had been few and far between as people pulled together what little resources they had left just to get by.
That’s why the RFDS and CONTACT Inc. came together to deliver Rural Connect. With FRRR funding, these organisations brought relief to small towns with fun family activities that took the local community away from the realities of drought, for even a short while.
With activities for the adults including yoga, first aid, welding, hat making and furniture restoration, and play-based therapy programs for the kids, the Family Fun Day collaborations brought smiles to Wanaaring, Tilpa and Louth.
CEO of Contact Incorporated, Sue Kingwill, and play therapist Lesley Harvey, from the Royal Flying Doctor Service, together ensured that even the worst weather events and road closures would not stop their programs from rolling out hope to some of the most isolated communities in the state.
This project was funded by FRRR – the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal– thanks to partnerships with philanthropy, government and business, and the generosity of individuals, all of whom share the vision of a vibrant, resilient, sustainable and empowered rural Australia.
FRRR acknowledges the Dja Dja Wurrung people as the Traditional Custodians of Jaara country at Bendigo, where the organisation is headquartered. We also acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations around this vast country, and pay respect to their Elders past and present, and to the continuation of the custodial, cultural and educational practices of Australia’s First Peoples.
GET IN TOUCH
The Tackling Tough Times Together podcast was produced for FRRR, the only charity focussed on building the social and economic strength of remote, rural and regional Australia. It was funded in partnership with the Australian government.
For further information on anything shared in this podcast, or if you have a project and would like to apply for funding, or you would like to support these kinds of projects, head to www.frrr.org.au or call 1800 170 020.
CREDITS
Host: Nance Haxton
Production Assistance: Michael Adams
Interviewees: Sue Kingwill, CEO of Contact Incorporated and Lesley Harvey mental health specialist from the Royal Flying Doctor Service
RESOURCES
FRRR – www.frrr.org.au
Royal Flying Doctor’s Service – www.flyingdoctor.org.au
Contact Incorporated – www.contactinc.org/