USE MY FARM
Big-hearted Gnarwarre hobby farmer Kara Taylor has opened her land and home to victims of the NSW drought:
A GNARWARRE hobby farmer is offering to help farmers hit by drought by caring for their animals for free.
Kara Taylor was so moved to see what farmers were going through in NSW, she has offered her land for stock and her home to their visiting owners.
She said a social media post from TV host Grant Denyer last week, showing the effect of the drought on his property, had sparked her into action.
“I was both shocked and devastated that I had absolutely no idea this was even happening in our own backyard, given Geelong was doing all right,” she said.
“I wanted to help someone save their animals — and themselves — so I put up a post on Facebook.
“Many parts of Victoria are totally fine, and I see paddock after paddock vacant with plenty of food and water.
“So why can’t the animals be on loan to Victoria for a bit? I’m happy to help save a life.
“We only have 17 acres (7ha), but it’s something. I’d even pay for transport and can offer free accommodation for when the farmers visit their animals and just have a rest.”
The post has received hun- dreds of responses, which she said had been mostly positive.
She said she was also close to reaching a deal with a northern NSW farmer that could see dozens of sheep or cattle homed on her property.
“There’s no other option, to put it bluntly,” Ms Taylor said.
“She (the farmer) is spending about $2000 just on hay to feed her farm for a week.
“Her animals are all standing in bare paddocks, basically starving.”
Ms Taylor did not care about the costs she would incur and said she was prepared to care for the animals “indefinitely”, even if that meant several years.
“While the government could, should and will likely eventually step in, I’m a big believer in leading by example and not doing things the hard way,” she said.
“If they see something that could work, they might reconsider their position. If they see other Australians lending a hand, then they too might think it’s time.”
She hopes her initiative may spark others to help too.
“If you do have a property that you are just sitting on, then put your hand up,” Ms Taylor said. “Something needs to be done rather than just not doing anything at all.”