Debbie Dowden arrived in Australia by boat when she was just 3 years old. Her family were ‘10 pound poms’ in search of a sunnier life in Australia. Little did she know that life would see her raising 4 children 600kms from Perth in Outback Western Australia. Debbie was working as a theory instructor at a flight school when she decided that she actually wanted to fly the planes, not just teach people about them. It was here that she met her husband Ash- and she approached her relationship with Ash the same way she did with learning to fly, getting out of her comfort zone. As a young single mum at the time, all of Debbie’s family lived in Perth. But when she met Ash Dowden, the owner of Challa Station in the Southern Rangelands of WA, she knew she needed to go bush. And bush she went. She packed up her life, her daughter and quit her job and arrived at Challa with limited experience. Fast forward to 2025 and she’s now running it alongside her husband. This is a story.

Our Autumn sponsor Telstra continues to support communities with free calls from public phones to all standard national and mobile numbers, plus free Wi-Fi at over 4,000 sites. These phones are vital in emergencies, natural disasters, or when your mobile is out of battery, credit, or reach - A true lifeline, especially in rural and regional areas. To learn more about Telstra Public Phones including a new initiative underway to heritage list three public phones, and how you can share your own payphone story - CLICK HERE

We are so excited to introduce Heritage 365 by our incredible partner, CABLE. This Woolmark-certified knitwear collection celebrates Australia’s iconic Merino wool with timeless pieces like cardigans, jumpers, singlets, beanies, and gloves—available year-round in Cable stores and online 365 days a year. To explore the new Heritage 365 collection CLICK HERE

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Ingrid Matthews and her husband manage 4 beef cattle stations in Northwestern Queensland. They also have 4 kids, aged 12, 10, 7 and 6. But Ingrid and her youngest daughter Olivia have spent 6 weeks maximum at home over the last 15 months. Olivia is living with a chronic condition she was born with that impacts her stomach and her blood sugars. When she was just 8 days old she was rushed into surgery. And there were many more after that. These surgeries take place some 700kms away from their home and often see Ingrid away from her older children for weeks and months on end. When Olivia was 10 months old, Ingrid left for what she thought would be a 2 week stay in hospital. But they didn’t return for 10 months, and during that time she only saw her older kids 4 times. Now at 6 years old, Ingrid never knows when Olivia is going to need to go to hospital. During this interview Ingrid had to stop and check her blood sugars to make sure that they were stable enough. The mental load on Ingrid’s shoulders is huge but her strength shines through. Despite immense challenges, she somehow still manages to meet her family's needs. But, not always her own. This is her story.

Thanks to our Autumn sponsor Telstra, cyber support is available to regional small businesses for free. Cyber Wardens is a cyber security program run by the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia (COSBOA) with the support of Telstra. It helps regional small business owners and their teams learn how to protect themselves from cyber threats. To learn more about Telstra's work with the Cyber Warden's Program CLICK HERE.

We are so excited to introduce Heritage 365 by our incredible partner, CABLE. This Woolmark-certified knitwear collection celebrates Australia’s iconic Merino wool with timeless pieces like cardigans, jumpers, singlets, beanies, and gloves—available year-round in Cable stores and online 365 days a year. To explore the new Heritage 365 collection CLICK HERE

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Dr Rebecca West grew up in England—far from red dirt, heatwaves, and the howls of wild animals echoing through desert nights. She never imagined that by 40, she’d be raising three young children on one of the most remote properties in New South Wales, 450 kilometres from the nearest supermarket and hospital. But since 2017, Rebecca and her husband Reece—both ecologists—have called the edge of the Strzelecki Desert home. Together, they manage an ambitious conservation project on 86,000 acres in Sturt National Park, rewilding a former sheep station and reintroducing native species like bilbies, pushing back against Australia’s extinction crisis. It’s ground breaking work. But it’s also life lived at the edge—where parenting and working without childcare centres, isolation, and the wild beauty of the land all collide. So what is it like being the most remote family in New South Wales whilst raising kids in the desert and trying to bring our endangered animals back from the brink? This is Rebecca West’s story.

Our Autumn sponsor Telstra proudly partners with the ICPA to advocate for education equity by continually working on improved connectivity and communication for students and their families in rural and remote areas, particularly focusing on those relying on fixed land lines. To learn more about Telstra’s work with the ICPA and ‘RRed day’ CLICK HERE

The Country Women’s Association (CWA) of NSW is the largest women’s organisation in Australia, supporting NSW and ACT rural, remote and regional communities for more than 100 years – and they'd love you to JOIN THEM! Contact your local branch for more information, CLICK HERE to become a member today.

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Nicky Prosser lives on a station in the middle of South Australia that spans 1.2 million acres. She’s spent a lot of her life travelling around the state working in remote areas as a teacher and a principal. When Nicky was living in Maree, she met her property manager husband Nathan. They underwent one round of IVF to have their now 18-year old son, Ned. But now, at 50, Nicky is looking down the barrel of a possible heart and lung transplant due to a condition she was born with. But when you have a lung transplant, it’s often the case that the lungs don’t last longer than 10 years, and as Nicky says, she’s not quite ready to tap out of her life at 60. So she quit her job, moved away from her son and joined her husband in the middle of the outback with three dogs and 30,000 sheep. Because when the time comes for her to get new lungs, she’ll need to be living in Adelaide. Nicky has a great outlook on life, and her story is full of hope and a lot of love. This is her story.

Our Autumn sponsor Telstra delivers some amazing programs through the Telstra Foundation. Telstra Foundation with the support of its Youth Advisory Council, partners with for-purpose organisations to deliver “tech and youth” focussed programs and resources in regional and remote areas. To learn more, head to: https://telstrafoundation.com

Sign-up to the The Country Women’s Association (CWA) of NSW in April for a reduced rate on membership. Contact your local branch for more information, or CLICK HERE to become a member today.

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Steph is a farmer, psychologist, and mum of three little boys who lives on a property in Worlds End, in South Australia. And right now, it kind of looks like the Worlds End is near because the state is in the midst of a horrific drought. Two weeks ago we released a bonus episode about the floods in central Queensland - today, I’m sharing a story from the other end of the spectrum. Steph and her husband and their three little boys are feeding their sheep daily. They are in desperate need for rain across their properties and are starting to feel the impact of no rain, not only financially but also on their mental health. And on the days her kids want to tap out of farming, she has to remind them of the realities of a drought. Steph and I had a wide ranging conversation about drought, mental health and more specifically maternal mental health - because as we can all acknowledge, there is a lot of pressure on rural families right now. But we also talk about her experience with postnatal depression, rage, ADHD, parenting three little boys and the importance of looking after yourself as a mother. This is her story.

Lifeline 13 11 144

Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

PANDA 1300 726 306

Our Autumn sponsor Telstra are clear on their purpose for connecting regional, rural and remote Australian families just like yours. Do you think you know Telstra? To learn more CLICK HERE

Sign-up to the The Country Women’s Association (CWA) of NSW in April for a reduced rate on membership. Contact your local branch for more information, or CLICK HERE to become a member today.

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When I say the name Liz Ellis, you probably think one of three things:

• One of the greatest Netballers our country has ever seen
• A very funny media commentator
• The winner of I’m A Celebrity Get Me out of here a few years ago.

What you probably don’t think of is Liz Ellis the farmer. Liz, her husband of 25 years, Matthew, and their two children live on a farm in between Lismore, Ballina and Byron Bay growing beef cattle. Liz and Matthew bought the land 14 years ago when their professional sporting careers came to an end, Matthew as a former Waratahs rugby union player, and Liz as the captain of the Australian Netball team the Diamonds. Liz’s road to motherhood wasn’t as simple as she had initially thought. After falling pregnant easily with her daughter, Liz thought she’d be able to fall pregnant again with her second child. But after 3 miscarriages and IVF treatment, Liz and Matthew were ready to give up. But then, along came her son, in his own time. On this episode, Liz and I chat about it all - including farming, fertility, motherhood, and menopause.

We look forward to sharing more from our autumn sponsor Telstra and their initiatives, programs, helpful tools and changes in regional technology impacting the lives of rural Australian families. Do you think you know Telstra? To learn more head to: https://www.telstra.com.au/coverage-networks/telstra-regional-australia

The Country Women’s Association of NSW has been supporting regional, rural and remote women, children and their communities for over 100 years and they want to keep that voice and diversity of membership strong into the future. Sign-up in April for a reduced rate on membership. Contact your local branch or head to: https://www.cwaofnsw.org.au/join to become a member today.

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Outback Queensland is in crisis. An area more than double the size of Victoria has been hit by devastating floods not seen in 50 years. Properties have been inundated, More than 150,000 livestock have perished, with the death toll rising. Farmers are scrambling to save cattle, feed cattle, and salvage what they can. Behind the headlines, are the true stories of this unfolding crisis- the rural families at breaking point because of the emotional toll - the financial one is not something they’re even able to comprehend yet. And through it all- mothers continue to mother. Because they have no choice.

Shona Underwood is a rural mum who is right in the thick of this catastrophe- she lives on a station between Quilpie and Windorah. The deluge came without warning in the night, as her and her husband scrambled to evacuate with two of their young children. Not only are you going to hear the incredible story of one of the most extraordinary rural mums I’ve ever spoken to, you're also going to hear some of the key issues affecting rural families in the floods right now. The things you don’t hear on the news.

This is Shona’s story.

Lifeline 13 11 144

Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

1300 MH CALL (1300 642 255)

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

PANDA 1300 726 306

1800 4 WOMEN (1800 496 636)

Rural Aid 1300 175 594

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Em Armstrong is a glass half full kind of person. She’s one of those people who oozes positivity, you can see it on her socials, and hear it in her voice. Growing up in New South Wales’ Riverina district on a sheep grazing property, Em has always loved the bush. And she’s always been connected to it. Em has worked on stations in the Northern Territory, and lived in Sydney for five years. But it’s when she returned to the Riverina to move in with her now husband Hamish that she really found her calling. In 2018 she completed her yoga teacher training, and she started Saltbush Stretch, a yoga and pilates studio in Hay NSW, and an online fitness hub. And while building her business, Em and Hamish decided to start trying for a family. But that part hasn’t been as simple. After two years of trying to fall pregnant, they booked in to see a fertility specialist. But the week Em was meant to have an operation, she found out she was pregnant… with twins. However after the 12 week scan, Em tragically lost one of her babies. But thankfully, one of them survived - their son Ted. Now, three years on, Em and Hamish are trying to expand their family, but it hasn’t been without trials. At just 31, Em has the egg count of someone in perimenopause. But, there’s still hope. Her fertility journey, while heartbreaking, is also full of perhaps the most positive attitude I’ve ever encountered. Despite everything, she’s not giving up hope. This is Em Armstrong’s story.

A final thank you to our seasonal partner nbn for an incredible summer podcast season. nbn is committed to bridging the digital divide by ensuring that, no matter where we live in regional, rural and remote Australia, we are connected. To learn more about their commitment to regional and remote Australia in 2025 - click here to read this report

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