Ross Blanch has helped many farmers through tough times in his role as the inaugural telephone counsellor on the Farmer to Lifeline Farmer support line.
Ross is a dairy farmer at Lower Mount Walker, west of Brisbane, but he has also volunteered for 27 years with the Ipswich Lifeline Crisis Support Centre.
Out of this grew the Farmer to Lifeline Farmer service, which allows farmers to speak to another farmer when they want to talk to someone or need mental health support. Being a farmer himself, Ross understands many of the issues farmers face and can connect with them by speaking the farmer language.
In addition to telephone support, Ross also visits farmers and rural events to spread the word. Such is the demand for Ross’s time that more farmers have been added to the service.
Ross’s empathy, patience and understanding is bringing hope to those on the land when they need it the most.