Grant Miskimmin is Rural Aid’s Farm and Community Event Manager. This is what’s been happening on the road with our Volunteer program this year:
Grant’s year has been busy with so many flood events happening in the last 18 months across 3 states. Grant along with his volunteers and Rural Aid staff have visited 6 towns; Kerang and Orbost in Victoria, Lismore, Eugowra and Singleton in NSW and Biggenden in Queensland. We had 155 Volunteers helping 38 farmers. We repaired and replaced fences, cleared paddocks of debris, fixed pumps, reinstated solar panels, painted houses, fixed and rebuilt cattle yards fixed and replace rain tanks and then some more fencing, just about anything the farm needed to get themselves back on track.
So that’s basically the stats for the year, but this doesn’t really tell the whole story. The life blood of what I do are the amazing volunteers I work with, the farmers we help and the connections we make with communities in these towns. Yes, the physical work we do is important but just being there on the farm helping with tasks that the farmers haven’t been able to get to or finish as they struggle to rebuild after natural disaster is so rewarding. We get through a mountain of work and the commitment from out volunteers is inspiring. I always tell them I think I have the easy job as all I have to do is look after them, oversee the work and make sure they are well fed. They are the ones that do all the physical work. I guess it’s very much a team effort. We all have our roles and I’m so privileged to work with these volunteers and farmers to make a difference in such positive ways. To see how appreciative farmers are of the work we do and the pride on the faces of the Volunteers is all the thanks I need. 🙏🙏💛
If you want to volunteer for upcoming farm recovery events, check out: https://www.ruralaid.org.au/volunteers/
To donate to help fund these projects and help rural communities, click here: https://www.ruralaid.org.au/donate
Story and Photos by Grant Miskimmin On the Road with Grant
