A photo of a New South Wales farmer among her drought devastated property has gone viral on Facebook in the hours after her sister shared in.
On Sunday, Sydney woman Catherine Hollow shared a photo of her twin sister beside her cattle.
“I took this photo in February 2018 of my sister at her property in Warialda NSW. At that time we were feeding the cattle some supplements to help them process the dry stalks of grass that were left on the ground,” she wrote on Facebook at the time.
“There’s been little to no rain since … today I sat in a cafe and listened to people whinge about the fact that the rain was ruining their Saturday plans (I thought netball being cancelled would be a bonus?) I think only people that have grown up on the land can completely understand the heartbreak and devastation that comes with watching the crops you’ve planted surface, wither and die and the cattle you’ve raised waste away to nothing.
“People are doing it tough, they aren’t whinging about it, they are just trying to get on with it. In some areas it’s the driest it’s been at this time of year in 200 years. So enjoy the puddles guys, get your hair wet, play netball in the rain, take the dog out (it’ll love it) and #thankafarmerforyournextmeal.”
The post has since been liked more than 4000 times and shared over 2000 times and came in the days before Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced farmers in drought-stricken communities can expect further government relief after a prime ministerial whistle-stop tour across outback Queensland and NSW.
Turnbull said he was struck during the three-day tour by the courage, resilience and enterprise of Australian farmers dealing with long spells of drought on the east coast.
“They continue to innovate and have the courage and a self-belief and determination to get on with it,” Mr Turnbull told reporters at Charleville in Queensland on Wednesday.