Ten years ago, in the tiny Riverina community of Mangoplah in NSW, former Tasmanian country kid and agribusiness professional Ginny Stevens rolled out a few exercise mats with the simple aim: “To do her bit“.
What began as a couple of weekly fitness classes for locals has since grown into Active Farmers, a nationwide movement helping rural Australians boost their physical health, mental wellbeing and social connectedness.
Raised mostly on a farm in northern Tasmania, Ginny grew up immersed in agriculture, sport and the powerful pull of small communities.
“I grew up in a small town and attended a small school where you really need everyone in the community to pitch in and do their bit,” she says.
That philosophy followed her through a jillaroo stint in the Northern Territory, an agricultural science degree and a business banking career with Rabobank in Wagga Wagga.
It was there she met her husband, a Mangoplah farmer, and moved to the community that would shape her next chapter.
Working in agribusiness exposed Ginny to the mental health challenges facing rural people.
“I have always been really concerned about the high level of mental health issues,” she says.
“There are so many things outside of our control, droughts, floods, fires, financial stress, limited access to health services, that stoic nature of farmers.
“I started thinking about what is in our control and it is how we look after ourselves and our communities.”
Her solution was simple: use exercise to mimic the “team sport effect” in towns where organised sport often only runs seasonally.
“The idea was to get people off the farm and out of their homes to do a couple of classes a week, get the heart rate up and, importantly, catch up with community members,” she says. “That’s where the magic happens.”
It wasn’t long before the neighbouring town Uranquinty asked for its own program.
By 2017, the movement had grown so rapidly that Ginny left her full-time banking job and partnered with Delta Agribusiness, sparking even more expansion.
Trainers, sponsors, volunteers and board members rallied, helping Active Farmers spread across the country, including through southern and central Queensland.
Surveys conducted internally and with the Regional Australia Institute have found participants aren’t just fitter, they feel more resilient, more positive, more energetic and more connected.
But it was one phrase that resonated deeply with Ginny: the “strengthening of social fabric“.
“I hadn’t realised when I first started that the social interaction would be the most powerful thing,” she says.
Classes welcome everyone, not just farmers.
“All different walks of life make up a small rural community,” Ginny says.
Sessions are time-based and designed to cater to all abilities, ages and fitness levels.
A decade on, Ginny’s small-town idea continues to change lives – one squat, sprint and shared laugh at a time – proving that when rural communities move together, they grow stronger together.
