In launching its major annual fundraising campaign, Rural Aid has announced former Australian netball captain and Commonwealth Games medallist, Laura Geitz, as the ambassador of this year's Mates Day, which will be held on 20 March. 

After spending an ‘incredible childhood' on her family's 607-hectare cattle and grain property at Allora, in Queensland, Geitz said she is very grateful to come on board as the official ambassador. 

"I've had a connection with Rural Aid in the past and love what they stand for and what they do," she said. 

"Supporting farmers in crisis, whether it be through droughts, floods, bushfires or anything else that happens in the world of agriculture is wonderful and wholesome work to be involved in.

"There are extremes that farmers are constantly battling with, and we speak so much about raising awareness of what our farmers do for us. And for me, this is a perfect way of raising that awareness."

As part of this year's theme "Every plate tells a story" farmers will share the often challenging and unseen journey behind their produce, in the lead up to the Mates Day celebrations. 

Geitz said her family, including husband Mark and their four children, have started discussing the story behind the food on their dinner plates when they share a meal and is urging others to have these conversations.  

"I was thinking the other day, wouldn't it be amazing to actually sit down and look at your food on your plate and ask where do you think that came from? " she said. 

"Let's start having the conversation around that because none of us do that.

"We take it completely for granted that we can zip down to the shops, grab what we want, get home, dish it out, or we call Uber Eats, it arrives and we eat these beautiful meals, but let's strip it back a bit.

"We really need to be asking where does that food come from? It comes from these farmers that are absolutely bending over backwards, battling with market prices, battling with the elements to actually dish that up on our plates. 

"The majority of us have absolutely no concept of what they're going through to allow us to sit down and eat a meal." 

AN IMPORTANT TIME TO CELEBRATE FARMERS

Rural Aid's Chief Executive Officer, John Warlters, said it is an important time to celebrate Australian farmers.

"We should celebrate Australian farmers for many reasons," he said.

"Firstly, because they're the best in the world, secondly because they feed us and thirdly because of the amazing food and produce that comes through their energies and efforts.

"Every plate tells a story because the food on it speaks to us about the freshness, the trust and confidence we can have that the food on our plates is nutritious and healthy - it's the world's best."

However, Warlters said the story about what's not on the plate also needs to be considered.

"Lettuce suddenly becomes a $12 lettuce, or we can't get those potato chips on our plate because our potato crops have been wiped out, or the cost of a lamb chop goes up through the cost-of-living crisis. We then see another story told on our plate." he said.

"But at the end of the day, food is our lifeline. It's what nourishes us. And it's our farmers who do that incredible work for us."

INCREASED DEMAND FOR RURAL AID SUPPORT 

The nature and frequency of requests for support from Rural Aid is changing rapidly, with many farmers across Australia now facing impacts from multiple natural disaster events. 

Warlters said the mental health issue is one of the big challenges confronting rural and regional Australia, which Rural Aid helps to provide support a range of ways.

"When we deliver fodder to families to help them feed their livestock, it's also the mental wellbeing piece that gets addressed through that process as well. People understand that someone else cares for them and wants to make a difference." He said. 

"When it becomes a more acute conversation, we're also there to play that role to have an ongoing relationship with people to help them through their challenges. 

"And where we can't provide the support that people need, we have some clearly defined referral paths to connect them with another organisation that might have a greater skill set in that particular area."

Having grown up on a farm Geitz is acutely aware of the challenges farmers face every day and recognises the lifeline Rural Aid offers to farmers and rural communities wasn't always there.

"Rural Aid is just about helping the farmer, and that's what I love most about them - they're there for a farmer when they need them," she said.

"I feel like there's an opportunity to put your hand up and say we need some help, and they're more than happy to be there to help, whether that's through drought, bushfires, flooding or just having someone to talk to. 

"Rural Aid's Mates Day is a great opportunity to support Aussie farmers and to stop and realise exactly what they do for us.

"If you've got ties to agriculture, that's great. But if you don't, I think it's just this opportunity to be able to donate and help our mates in the bush and thank them for what they do for us.

"Because they do something for us every single day by putting food on the table."

MORE INFORMATION 

To support Rural Aid's Mates Day Campaign or to make a donation, visit matesday.ruralaid.org.au