YOUNG farmers are invited to attend a free event at Melbourne University's Dookie Campus early next month to listen to Sober in the Country founder, Shanna Whan, share an important message about booze in the bush.
The national charity's CEO and a 2022 Australian of the Year recipient spreads the life-saving message that it is always "OK to say no" to booze after almost losing her life to alcohol addiction in the "plain sight" of her rural community in 2015.
Whan will be a keynote speaker during the Melbourne University's student orientation week thanks to sponsorship from the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub (Vic Hub), which is supported by the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund.
Vic Hub director, Dr Sara Helly, said because of the importance of Whan's message, the free presentation is also open to all interested local young farmers around the Goulburn Valley, northern Victoria and southern New South Wales.
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KEY EVENT DETAILS
Date: Tuesday, 4 March 2025
Time: 9-10:30am
Location: Melbourne University's Dookie Campus
Cost: free
FOSTERING A SUPPORTIVE CULTURE
Sober in the Country is a national grassroots charity which aims to change "an ancient narrative across rural Australia" by ensuring mates know it's always #OK2SAYNO (to booze) in the bush. The charity creates social impact and change by encouraging social inclusion, connecting peers to each other and to further support, and through their trademark story-telling and lived-experience advocacy. Far from being anti-alcohol or prohibitionist in its approach, the charity instead openly discusses the link between rural mental health and alcohol harm using straight talk, humour, and the simple truth.
Whan said speaking to young adults is an increasingly strong focus for Sober in the Country, and highlighted the synergy between the charity and the Vic Hub.
"We are huge believers in addressing alcohol harm and the truth of our booze-soaked culture in rural Australia with practical education and awareness, and simply by being the leaders our future generations in ag need and deserve – something our generation never had access to," she said.
"What I love about the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub is that our goals and alignments are the same – they are all about preparedness and resilience," she said.
"We have said for over a decade now that all the conversations around sustainable agriculture don't count for much unless we focus first and foremost on sustainable people in agriculture."
Dr Hely reinforced the importance of the Vic Hub's sponsorship for the Dookie Campus event.
"Shanna's work on individual resilience aligns perfectly with our mission: we believe drought resilience is fundamentally about community resilience, which starts with resilient individuals," Hely said.
"The principles for building farming-community resilience and individual resilience are identical. Our role is to provide tools that help keep the wheels turning, especially during challenging times such as drought.
"When individuals feel supported and mentally well, they're better equipped to make good decisions, improve their business acumen and remain open to learning."
MORE INFORMATION
Farmers interested in Whan's presentation at Dookie Discovery Week can register online here.
