ORGANISERS of an expo in Bendigo have thrust farmers’ health into the spotlight.
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Inspector Paul Gardiner encouraged members of the farming community to be mindful of their well-being, especially their mental health, and to seek help if something wasn’t right.
“I think we need to get to a point now that we can’t accept that these things just happen.” he said.
“We need to do something about it.”
Bendigo Health carer support services manager, Rose Miles, said farmers had done it pretty tough for an extended period of time.
“We know there have been some serious physical and mental health issues in farming communities, so we need to be out there supporting families and we want to be,” she said.
Bendigo Health will be among a number of organisations at the Farm Security and Farmers Health Expo in Bendigo this week.
Attendees will have opportunities to see presentations and to get free health checks – a popular feature at the inaugural event, last year.
“The staff who attended were really thrilled with the number of farming families that came and talked to them,” Ms Miles said.
The expo runs from 9am to 3pm on Thursday and Friday at Bendigo Stadium.