Farmer’s Long Afternoon at Hampton

A long afternoon will be held at the Hampton Halfway Hotel Motel on Saturday 23 November. Starting at 4pm this is a chance for drought effected local farmers and residents of the region to get together. Following the huge success of the Capertee Long Lunch in October this event is sure to please the whole family.

The long afternoon is one of a series of drought relief social and community events organised collaboratively by Lithgow City Council and Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP).

Colin Seis, a fourth-generation farmer and recipient of several awards including the Bob Hawke Landcare award will be presenting his “Pasture Cropping Technique” which he pioneered in 1983 with Daryl Cluff.  Since that time, Colin has fine–tuned and improved the technique on his property Winona at Gulgong. Colin is passionate about improving farming techniques in order to move our communities forward into a sustainable future. To find out more about Colin visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ERLbOzqsbE .

“Colin is a wealth of information and is very well regarded in drought effected and farming communities” said Mayor Ray Thompson.  “Come along and enjoy a fully catered dinner at the Hampton Halfway House, free activities for the family, a series of speakers and information on farming, health, coping with the drought and taking care of ourselves.   There will be lucky door prizes and treats for the whole family including a band so we can dance into the night”.

“Whenever we get together as community or a group, we should use it as an opportunity to check in with each other. This is especially important in times of hardship, farm families don’t often see stress as a health problem, but as a farm problem which means we are less likely to seek professional help. We should see these events as a chance to look after our mates and ourselves, to ask the question “how are you going?” and to really listen to the response, said and unsaid” says RAMHP coordinator Sonia Cox.

This program is funded through the Commonwealth Government Drought Communities Program with the aim of addressing the impact of the drought on the community.  The program focuses on the economic impact of the drought and the structural factors that contribute to mental health and well-being in the Lithgow LGA.

For more information on the Lithgow Local Government Area Drought Communities Program visit https://www.drought-communities.lithgow.com/