Bush Summit 2021: Mental health priority for regions ‘doing it tough’

As we look to the future after strict lockdowns and rebuild after the bushfires and floods, experts say mental health must continue to be a focus in the regions.

As we look to the future after strict lockdowns and rebuild after the bushfires and floods, experts say mental health must continue to be a focus in the regions, with a full recovery “far from over”.

“Our farmers are still doing it really tough. Some of them are replacing stock killed in the fires and others are still rebuilding fences,” Bega Valley-based Rural Aid counsellor Liz Bellette-Stubbs said.

“The recovery is far from over. That combined with Covid has been a tipping point for quite a few. Adults who have never sought help are reaching out for the first time in their lives.”

Conjola farmer Gary McGuire suffered after the bushfires, feeling extremely lonely and needing to reach out to his family for support.

Ms Bellette-Stubbs said mental health services were not as good as they were in the city, with some people waiting up to nine months for a psychology appointment.

As one of two Rural Aid counsellors employed to meet the increasing demand for services in NSW, she said her clients mainly dealt with trauma, anxiety and depression and were of an older demographic.

But she said these people were the “tip of the iceberg”, with many country people too proud to ask for help, as a recent survey found.

Surviving the Black Summer bushfires strengthened Rural Aid counsellor Liz Bellette-Stubbs’ resolve to address gaps in regional healthcare.

The survey of more than 3000 Australian adults, conducted by YouGov and Telstra in September, showed people in the bush were less likely to reach out for help than city dwellers.

And it comes as no surprise that researchers found Covid exacerbated mental health issues, with a third of respondents saying they had never felt as lonely as they had during lockdown, and half of those not speaking up when they did.

Abigail Ferris (in mask) plays with friends at a temporary evacuation centre in Bega on December 31, 2020. Picture: Sean Davey.

Conjola cattle farmer Gary McGuire said farmers were already isolated, with lockdown adding to that strain.

Mr McGuire has had to deal with his own mental health issues, suffering flashbacks after fighting to save his home during the surreal Black Summer bushfires.

By the end of January 2020, more than 30 people had been killed, 3000 homes lost, and around 12 million hectares of land burned from the blazes.

People camped at Bega Showgrounds on the south coast of NSW at on January 5, 2020. Picture: Sean Davey

The semi-retired father-of-three said at one point he thought he was going to die as a fire tore through his town.

He has relied on his family for support in the aftermath, and said talking about the experience helped him to process it, but he has not sought professional help.

“It’s still as clear as day in my mind. But at the end of the day, we’re the lucky ones. Other people lost their homes, pets and their lives,” Mr McGuire said.

“I’d hate to not have family or friends and to go through what we went through here. You would without a doubt be suicidal.

“To me, loneliness is being by yourself in a crisis.”