Brendan’s story of Holding on to Hope through drought, rural isolation and depression

Everyone knows that rural depression is an issue. But few have considered the issues that cause it.

Farmer Brendan Cullen reached such a dark place he regularly sat in his car shouting at himself or on his bed sobbing.

Today, it’s hard to believe the cheerful sheep station manager from Broken Hill found himself in such pain until he lists the many factors that caused it  - isolation, being on duty 24/7, feeling reluctant to ask for help during drought, dealing with so much animal death he felt numb, constant pressure of new technology, being responsible for “the heartbeats of 10,000 sheep”, and burdening himself with unnecessary pressures. 

His new goals are… well unexpected but a range of initiatives from baking cakes to getting up at 4.30 am to go swimming at his local pool a 120 km return drive are all in his self-help toolkit.