Rural resilience shines on despite pandemic pressure

Rebecca Barry has been nominated for this year’s Shine Awards which recognise the untold stories of regional and rural women.

Rebecca Barry with her family, Matthew McDonald and their kids Oliver (4) and Charlotte (2) on their Apsley sheep farm. Picture Jay Town

Rebecca Barry is one of thousands of farmers caught in the crosshairs of warring state premiers since the pandemic began.

In the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Victorian town of Apsley - more than 400km northwest of Melbourne - Barry and her partner Matthew McDonald farm sheep on a property 9km from the South Australian border.

Since the pandemic struck, they have been living under restrictions that left farmers unable to travel more than 40km across the border, with some shearers fined while working out in their own paddocks.

For Barry, border closures meant she was unable to travel to her second farm 500km away near Adelaide, or even get to work as the manager of the Naracoorte Livestock Exchange.

The restrictions wreaked havoc on her family’s day-to-day life, sometimes forcing her to make an almost impossible choice between caring for her children or tending to her livestock.

Last year, she posted a video to social media where she opened up about her family’s experience with the closures, demanding for farmers’ voices to be heard.

The video resonated with thousands of farmers facing similar barriers. Since then, Barry has been campaigning for the establishment of a national agricultural border permit to ease pressure for farmers across the country.

Her persistence and strength are why she has been nominated in this year’s annual Shine Awards, which put a spotlight on the untold stories of rural and regional women.

A partnership between Australia’s leading rural and regional masthead The Weekly Times and Harvey Norman, the fifth Shine Awards recognise hitherto unsung leaders and innovators who make a real difference to their communities. Over the next three months, NewsCorp Australia will be helping to amplify these tales of rural resilience, including women’s ­stories and achievements on and off farms, in rural towns, community groups, sporting clubs, local businesses and schools.

Her work as a mother of two under five, a partner, a farmer and the manager of the sale yard has taken a toll on Barry’s mental health but 18 months into the pandemic, she is still fighting. “With agriculture and farming, there just can’t be a one size fits all approach to these border permits,” she said.

“It’s such an important industry and we are classified as an essential worker … yet we can’t travel freely across the border. Everyone’s in a different situation and everyone’s got different needs.”

Readers are encouraged to nominate women whose stories deserve to be told, with winners to be announced in November. To nominate someone for the Shine Awards, go to shineawards.com.au