How a farm could help a host of people

An idea for agriculture to educate

❝know I don’t of any school camp locations that are farms... — Amanda Adams

AMANDA Adams has a dream.

But to achieve this dream, she will need some help.

The Barcaldine relief teacher wants to secure funding to purchase a farm, which will operate foremost as a haven for school children, teenagers studying distance education and homeless people looking to get back on their feet.

The former agriculture teacher said she has seen the positive impact learning farm skills can have on young lives.

“Not all kids learn well in a classroom. I have had students who hate the classroom, but enjoy the practical or hands-on parts of agriculture,” she said.

“But then, when they go back to the classroom, the hands-on side of it can help them with their written work.

“They have something to draw on and they start to really enjoy it.

“I want it to be an educational place where school kids can come and camp too. I don’t know of any school camp locations that are on farms.”

With friends working in rural industries, Amanda believes the property could also be a place where students struggling to cope with the pressure of moving to boarding school, after being home schooled through distance education, could resettle.

“I would want the place to have a sense of home to them,” she said.

For homeless people, she feels farm work would help get them “on their feet again” and could assist with reskilling and acquiring machinery tickets.

Amanda is aware her plan may seem far fetched, but she feels it would make a huge difference to people’s lives.

Ideally she would like the property to be in southern NSW or northern Victoria.

“At the moment it’s just an idea and me doing it on my own,” she said.

“I am not sure who would come on board, maybe Elders, Westfarmers… or Gina Rinehart is buying up all the properties. And this would be a good thing for agriculture.”