Rural health revolution begins in Gunbower

Organiser Mel Taylor said the event grew from her own experiences with mental health, which resulted in her being hospitalised when she was younger.

“It has taken me almost 20 years to get to this point, but here we are today and it has been amazing,” Ms Taylor said.

“We have received so much community support and we are also very grateful for the support from all of our sponsors.”

Ms Taylor said the aim was to make it easier for people to prioritise their own health.

The event provided free skin, hearing and general health checks, with demand seeing 35 skin check appointments booked out and 40 general health checks booked before the event, alongside walk-in appointments.

Beyond the health checks, attendees had the chance to hear from guest speakers and join conversations on mental health, farm succession planning and financial wellbeing.

A succession planning and wealth management panel brought together a financial planner, accountant and lawyer, while a separate panel focused on mental health.

Guest speaker Warren Davies, known as the Unbreakable Farmer, shared his own experience with mental health and the circumstances that ultimately led him to walk away from farming.

“As a farmer you keep pushing through and then one day you wake up and you are running on nothing but dust,” Mr Davies said.

He also touched on the strain that mental health struggles could place on relationships, and the particular barriers many men encountered when trying to seek help or open up about personal difficulties.

Mr Davies said events such as Harvesting Health provided an opportunity for people to share experiences, build connections and strengthen resilience.

The event was made possible through sponsorships and donations from local businesses, along with funding from a Look Over the Farm Gate community grant.

The Gunbower Development Group also volunteered its time, helping prepare food, serve morning tea and clean up after the event.

Ms Taylor contributed her time as a volunteer, with the cause holding personal significance for her.

“We thought we would combine it all in one free community event, and here we are today,” she said.

“Our free skin checks booked out in two weeks and the health checks were also very popular.”

The strong response has prompted organisers to look beyond Gunbower, with plans to make Harvesting Health an annual event that moves between different rural communities.

Potential locations include communities across the Murray River and towards Kyabram.

“Harvesting Health isn’t just for the farming community, it’s for everyone in a rural community and it’s about looking after your health and starting a conversation,” Ms Taylor said.

Organisers are also working to formally incorporate Harvesting Health as a registered organisation, laying the groundwork to grow and sustain the initiative well into the future.

“So this is only the beginning,” Ms Taylor said.