Nominations closed in the search for South Australia’s rural superhero

The Advertiser’s Rural Superhero Competition has been cancelled.

Clinical psychologist and farmer Stephanie Schmidt with the youngest of her three sons, Darcy. Picture: Supplied

They’re the champions of the country and the beating heart of the bush who keep South Australia moving.

To celebrate the farmers, community stalwarts and the backbones of our regional towns we’re searching for the state’s rural superheroes.

Entries closed for The Advertiser’s Rural Superhero Competition on Tuesday, July 30 but unfortunately there were not enough nominations to put it to a vote and the competition has been cancelled.

We were looking for superheroes like the warm, intelligent and engaging Steph Schmidt who featured in our recent list of SA’s unsung heroes.

She is a woman who wears many hats: clinical psychologist, farmer, wife, mum and fierce mental health advocate with a focus on the wellbeing of farmers and rural Australians.

Mrs Schmidt grew up in inner-suburban Prospect but now runs a livestock and mixed grains property at Worlds End, near Burra, in the Mid North with husband Simon and their three young sons.

The ACT for Ag founder recently launched a “Farm Life Psych” podcast aimed to play a part in “changing the picture of farmer mental health”.

“Farming can be incredibly tough … we manage unpredictability, uncertainty, weather, financial and job pressures,” she says.

“When you run a farm, a family and a business together, there are always multiple hats being worn and a constant juggle of multiple responsibilities.

“But I believe we can all take small steps every day to care for our wellbeing so that we can thrive even during times of adversity.”

Each week Mrs Schmidt pulls apart a different aspect of mental health with an agriculture lens and includes an ‘Ask Steph’ section where she answers anonymous questions on the challenges of rural living.

She said the podcast “was needed now more than ever” amid the live sheep export phase-out announcement, dry seasonal conditions, and increasing input costs.

“Farm life is my everyday reality – I know first-hand how much farmers are struggling at the

moment,” she said.

“Who knows how many people my podcast will reach, but if I reach one person at a time when they truly need it, that’s enough for me.

“I want to hear what’s causing stress, what is something you’re unsure of, or that burning question you just don’t know where else to ask or that you might be finding tricky to bring up in a public space.

“I’ll do my best to unpack the topic, and offer some evidence-backed insight about how to tackle the problem going forward.”