Day 5
Today we set off from Injune and stopped on the outskirts of Roma for a tour of Meadowbank Museum. Meadowbank is also a farm and the museum features old machinery, memorabilia and horse-drawn vehicles. After the tour, we continued onto Chinchilla where we arrived in time for dinner and some service learning chats before heading to bed to prepare for a long day 6.
Day 6
This was our final day of projects and we certainly kept ourselves busy. We gardened at Southern Cross Care, the Country Women's Association and the Chinchilla Historical Museum. We spent time at Vinnies and the Men's shed helping out with any tasks they needed. We supported a local resident, Glynis, with some gardening and jobs around the house and also helped a local farmer tidying out their shed. Today, we also got the chance to hang out with some country kids at NCC Early Learners, the Chinchilla Early Learning Centre and by helping run a camera program at Chinchilla Library. One of the other organisations that we assisted with was Drought Angels, which Francis will tell you more about below!
After the projects, we left for Cameby Hall to have dinner with some members of the community and listen to speakers on a variety of topics concerning Country Life. It was great to hear about regional and rural life and some of the issues being faced from locals' perspectives.
We wrapped up our last night together, by spending some quality time around the fire, reflecting on the last week spent together.
After the projects, we left for Cameby Hall to have dinner with some members of the community and listen to speakers on a variety of topics concerning Country Life. It was great to hear about regional and rural life and some of the issues being faced from locals' perspectives.
We wrapped up our last night together, by spending some quality time around the fire, reflecting on the last week spent together.
"One of my most memorable experiences during the Trip was on the way back to Brisbane at Chinchilla where I worked alongside Ella and Kira at the Drought Angels centre – a non-for-profit organisation that focuses on helping farmers in need. We helped with them stock take at the warehouse by organising incoming crates into their allocated shelves and reorganise the upstairs main building. It was a concerted effort and took several hours to complete but one of the most eye-opening experiences was having conversations with the Volunteers as they were regulars that understood the current devastating situation regarding the severe drought that has damaged their properties and in turn effected their mental health.
The more I investigated Drought Angels, the non-for-profit organisation, there were indeed a veritable wonderland for farmers and for the rural communities in need. Despite the ongoing drought crisis that has affected thousands of widespread farmers, one of the most silent and unexpected causes of death was loneliness, and in response, the organisation has made a strong effort of connecting farmers with catch-ups so that in times of adversity, they are able to work cohesively and collaboratively to continue to conduct their activities." - Francis Nguyen
