South West NRM expand Community Resilience Network offering workshops targeting financial services

Though the wet weather has arrived with a vengeance in the South West, the preceding intense dry period is expected to become a regular occurrence in the face of the climate crisis.

To prepare for the increase of drought events, South West Natural Resource Management have been hosting a range of workshops for farmers aiming to build resilience as part of their Community Resilience Network.

The workshops are held online at CRCs in Boyup Brook, Bridgetown, Donnybrook, Brunswick and Manjimup, with the most recent workshop running on June 14 at 12pm.

The workshop will focus on raising awareness of the financial support services available to farmers as well as identifying a more proactive approach to farm business planning, guest speaker Dean Bavich said.

Mr Bavich said there was an important distinction to be made between “mental health problems” and “situational distress”.

“When someone is under immense stress, their rationality is often clouded,” he said.

“It’s not that they have mental health problems, it’s the situation they find themselves in that is the problem.

“I’ve seen people who are right down into the trough but once we sort out a way forward and they are able to take back control of their finances, they spring back 100 per cent.”

The workshop will also have Farmanco management consultant Mike Monaghan as a guest speaker exploring business planning.

To register or to find out more, contact NRM’s Peter Clifton on 0409 680 900 or pclifton@southwestnrm.org.au.