00:00You try to hold yourself together, but sometimes you just can't.
00:11Sleepless nights agonising over decisions to sell more livestock have become the norm for Louise Smith.
00:17Her herd of 350 cattle has been reduced to just 24.
00:22We don't have a continuous cash flow coming in, like we'd probably be better off going on the dole
00:26and knowing you've got a cheque coming in every, well, money coming in every two weeks.
00:31Rainfall is below half the annual average. Crops have failed for three years.
00:36Just the perception of when it rains, oh, it rains everywhere, everyone's happy.
00:40No, it doesn't quite happen that way. And, yeah, that farmers are all rich, it's, yeah, no way.
00:46Most of us are struggling.
00:48I think we are going to see a lot more suicides.
00:53I think it's frightening how far it is with farming.
00:59Workshops are being offered to help farmers cope.
01:02We actually all have mental health, like we all have physical health.
01:07And so, you know, if you're not physically fit, it doesn't necessarily mean you're disabled.
01:12And again, if you're not mentally fit, it doesn't necessarily mean you've got a mental illness.
01:17Susie Evans knows how important it is to be supported after losing her son to suicide.
01:23It's not a competition. We're all in it together.
01:26It's for the betterment of our community and for our farming families and for moving forward.
01:31The drought is continuing to take a toll on farming communities.
01:35And it's often women who are stepping up to help.
01:37While some are offering mental health support, others are creating art to raise awareness.
01:42My other side of my photography, which is about families and motherhood,
01:45I love capturing all the emotions, not just the happy, wonderful parts.
01:49So I really like to share the real elements of what we're going through with the drought.
01:54Kyara Fisher is witnessing the burden of the drought from her fifth generation family farm
02:00and sharing the reality on social media.
02:02Most farmers will say that their neighbours have done more for them this season than the government ever will.
02:08And that just breaks my heart. And that's what we're trying to drive change for.
02:14The state government has promised $73 million in drought assistance.
02:18But many farmers say they'll continue to face heartbreaking choices.
02:22It's going to be a solid two to three years to try to recover.
02:26Just one step at a time, little bits, and yeah, pull through.
02:31A long road ahead come rain or shine.
02:34A long road ahead come rain or shine.
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