urallivingcanbe
idyllic.However,at
times,it canbea
challenge to cope.
As a young mum,
living miles from friends and
parents, and with the weight
of the family’s wellbeing on
her shoulders, Fiona Gower
was in a pretty dark place.
“I shifted from a
community where I had
known everybody to one
where I knew no-one,” Fiona
explains. “I was stuck at
home on the farm with two
young children. It was too
far for me to go to work
and there were no day-care
facilities. I struggled through
some awfully dark times.
“All of a sudden, you find
yourself without the support
you are used to. You don’t
earn your own money any
more. You feel as though you
have lost your identity. It
can be very challenging.”
She followed her mother
and grandmother into Rural
Women New Zealand andis nowpresidentofthe
organisation.
Statistically,Kiwisliving
in rural areas are more likely
to kill themselves than those
living in cities. Between 2007
and 2015, there were 185
farm-related suicides, while
figures from the Ministry of
Justice reveal 20 farmers took
their own lives in the year
ending June 30, 2018.
While most were men,
increasing numbers of rural
women are struggling with
the challenges. Isolation is
one, but financial worries,
severe weather events,
disease outbreaks and
difficulty accessing health
services are all issues
contributing to farming’s
suicide statistics.
And they are all reasons
why Fiona and others within
the sector are desperately
seeking to raise awareness
of the mental wellbeing of
their rural sisters.
“Suicide has a massive
ripple effect – on the partners,family, friends and their
communities,” she asserts.
“We are trying to be the fence
at the top of the cliff, helping
prevent people taking their
own lives, rather than picking
up the pieces afterwards.”
She notes that much of
the focus of rural mental
health initiatives has been
in supporting men.
“We need to look after
everyone’s mental health,”
says Fiona, who lives on a
Port Waikato property with
husband Terry and kids Emily,
15, and Anthony, 12. “There
are women farming on their
own and in partnerships. They
are farmers, or own and run
a variety of rural businesses,
plus they are often managing
the books, caring for the
animals, the children, the
household and taking on
community work. They need
more support as well.
“Women are traditionally
good at putting themselves
down the list of priorities. We
think about our partners, thena’s empowering
Ewecandoit!
Themum-of-two
struggled until she
joined Rural Women
New Zealand, which
taught her the
skills to cope.
LAND G
derpaid &
ural living can be is now president of theBREAKIN
36 Woman’s Day