Help Aussie Helpers- Keep the Spirit of the Bush Alive

The story so far...

As a farmer in outback Queensland, Brian Egan lost everything to the drought. Developing post-traumatic stress from his early years in the navy, in his 50s Brian found himself in the grip of a dark depression - something he calls ‘The Beast.' A wise doctor changed his life by urging him to help others worse off than himself, and in 2002 Aussie Helpers was born.

Six years later, Brian and his small band of volunteers based at Charleville have helped thousands of farmers - they simply turn up at lonely, isolated farms with groceries and personal items and hand them over, no questions asked. They also have a chat, sharing experiences and giving a bit of encouragement. Somebody to talk to is often the best thing they can give.

Aussie Helpers runs on the smell of an oily rag - nobody gets paid, not even Brian. Over a year ago, we at DCM ‘adopted' Aussie Helpers as a group we should support as it represents the real spirit of Australia. Since then, our readers have donated more than $10,000 in cash.

An update from Brian Egan...

Brian: "Over the past couple of months, Aussie Helpers has been concentrating its efforts in the Midlands region of Tasmania where there is an unprecedented drought. Tasmania is not known for a lack of rain - more so the opposite - so the current situation places many sheep farmers where they have never been before. The main problems are lack of feed to keep stock alive and, of course, lack of water. The water bit is out of our control, but we have been able to help with the stock feed situation."

"On arrival in Tasmania, we decided we would try to raise about 100 tonnes of fodder to give away. We were told that would be impossible, but I guess that's where our ingenuity came into play. We raised over 300 tonnes of fodder and helped over 70 farming families not just with stock fodder but with lick blocks and groceries. On the whole, we gave away about $80,000 worth of drought assistance."

"I am now on my way home to Charleville to get ready for the next big hurdle I have to overcome - a brain tumour. I will be operated on at Brisbane's Mater Hospital on July 29, and you know me, I just don't know how to give up. Two words I don't use are ‘no' and ‘never' and I'm not suffering any anxiety over the operation."

"Please pass on my thanks to all at DCM."

To learn more about Aussie Helpers please visit their website here.

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• Ross Symonds Admires Village Life at Beauty Point
• Neville Passmore Goes Fishing
• John Wood - Ambassador for Living Choice
• Jeanne Little