Horsham carols contribution
Amass community donation to The Naked Farmer is set to help founder and Wimmera farmer Ben Brooksby provide the region greater access to mental-health talks and support.
Horsham Carols by Candlelight committee donated $5000 to Mr Brooksby last week, following its 2019 Christmas event where attendees were encouraged to donate to the cause.
Mr Brooksby, who also spoke at the Carols, said the donation was ‘incredible’ and testimony to the work of the committee and generosity of the community.
He said the money would be used by The Naked Farmer to further promote good mental health, particularly in the Wimmera.
He said this included free health talks to improve accessibility to information and spark conversations.
“Normally I charge a fee for speaking, just to cover my costs on the farm and that type of thing. But I am looking into doing a few more free speaking events around the area, just to promote what we’re doing and spark conversation, because that’s what The Naked Farmer is all about,” he said.
“Another thing I want to do in the near future is start a podcast, and that’s in the planning stages at the moment.
“It’s a great way for everyone to be connected, which is also a focus of The Naked Farmer.
“Having a podcast – an online community – is a great way to share stories and talk about the way that other people have dealt with their mental-health issues, because there is no perfect method.
“If we can have different stories out there of different issues such as post-natal depression and anorexia, it will snowball into more talking and brainstorming.”
Mr Brooksby said The Naked Farmer had grown rapidly since its creation in 2017.
He said this was likely because issues of mental health resonated with many people, particularly those living in rural and regional areas.
“I think everyone here is aware of the importance of mental health, which is probably why they have gotten behind us in this donation,” he said. “One way or another we all know somebody that is affected or has been, and everyone can be affected. So, we’ve got to be educated about it and understand the effects of poor mental health and the signs to look out for.”
Carols by Candlelight committee member Simon Dandy said the committee chose a different organisation or charity to support each year, combining money collected at its annual event with a contribution from the committee.
He said they always tried to donate money to an organisation that would, in turn, help Horsham district community.
He said in the past, this had included Horsham Chaplaincy, Horsham’s Christian Emergency Food Centre and Aussie Helpers.
“Mental health is a massive and ongoing issue that will never be fixed, but we still need to create awareness,” he said.
“That’s why we thought The Naked Farmer would be perfect to donate to this year, and we’re proud that we are able to do this for Ben.”