In the vast, open spaces of North Queensland, Jaime Best is helping rural women find a simple and safe way to say, ’I’m not okay’.
The Charters Towers local is co-founder of Rural Women Unite, a grassroots mental health movement that has just been named a finalist in the 2026 AgriFutures Australia Queensland Rural Women’s Award.
For Ms Best, while the recognition is humbling, the real reward, she says, has always been the quiet words of gratitude that happen far from the spotlight.
“Co-founder Sally Bradford and I are literally just a couple of country kids who didn’t know where to start (to launch a charity),” she laughs.
“So we thought, ’well, we’ll start with a lunch’.”
That “lunch” has since grown into one of regional Queensland’s most anticipated community events, attracting 500 women annually and raising $230,000 since 2018.
The funds go directly towards providing free, anonymous mental health support for women living in rural and remote Australia, support that is often out of reach due to distance, cost or stigma.
Ms Best’s own journey into advocacy was unplanned. Born and raised in Mudgee, NSW she grew up riding and competing horses at state and national level, her life firmly anchored in the bush.
That world shifted dramatically after a serious car accident in 2011 left her hospitalised for months and nearly cost her a leg.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve made a full recovery,” she admits. “My body just doesn’t work the way it used to.”
The physical limitations were only part of the challenge. The lifestyle she loved — cattle stations, horses, wide horizons — suddenly felt distant.
Yet, what struck her most was not the injury itself, but the silence surrounding emotional wellbeing among the people she cared about.
“We’d sit down and have a rum at the pub and talk about the weather and the cows and the horses,” she recalls. “But we never, ever talked about how we were actually doing.”
It was a realisation shared by her closest friend, Sally Bradford. The pair met years earlier on a remote cattle station near Mount Coolon and formed an unbreakable bond.
As life carried them in different directions — marriage, motherhood, recovery and relocation — they both recognised a glaring gap: rural women had strength and resilience in abundance, but very few avenues for honest mental health conversations.
So, they created one.
Formed in 2018 and now based in Charters Towers, Rural Women Unite focuses on providing practical, stigma-free support rather than simply raising awareness.
One of its most innovative initiatives is a virtual, text-based psychologist service, a lifeline designed specifically for the realities of bush living.
“In the middle of nowhere, you might not have internet or phone reception,” Ms Best explains. “But, usually, you can stand somewhere and get one bar and send a text that says, ‘Hey, I’m not okay’.”
Qualified psychologists and social workers receive that message and sessions can continue via text, email, phone or video call, allowing men, women and children to seek help in whatever way feels safest and most accessible.
The service is fully anonymous and entirely free, funded through the organisation’s fundraising efforts and carefully restricted by postcode to ensure rural and remote communities benefit directly.
To date, the program has supported more than 2000 mental health conversations, numbers that Ms Best says represent real lives, not statistics.
The annual Rural Women Unite luncheon remains the heart of the initiative.
Meticulously planned by Ms Best and Ms Bradford, the event transforms what some might dismiss as “just a bush lunch” into a vibrant celebration of community.
Local florists, decorators, caterers and small business owners are prioritised, keeping economic benefits within the region.
Trade stalls showcase handmade goods and rural enterprises, raffles feature donated items ranging from artwork to truckloads of hay and sponsorships help maximise funds directed to mental health services.
Yet, the most powerful moments often happen quietly, away from the stage.
“Every year, women pull us aside,” Ms Best says, her voice softening. “Last year, a lady who is one of the toughest women I’ve ever met told me the service had saved her life.”
Those encounters, she admits, are emotional — and deeply motivating. They also ripple outward, changing the way friendships function in rural communities. Conversations that once skirted around feelings are becoming more direct, more honest.
“I’m not scared now to say, ‘Are you actually okay’?” Ms Best says. “And if they brush it off, I’ll go, ‘Nah, I don’t think you are’.”
Despite its rapid growth, Rural Women Unite remains grounded in its original spirit: two best friends determined to make sure no woman feels alone simply because of where she lives.
While the annual luncheon has reached capacity – and future expansion plans are quietly brewing – Best is clear that awards and recognition are not the end goal.
“To be a finalist is a huge honour,” she says. “But what I really hope is that it shines a light on the real issue — that bush communities currently do not have timely, stigma-free mental-health support.”
In towns where the nearest GP may be hours away and phone service comes and goes with the wind, that light matters.
And, thanks to the determination of two country women who refused to accept silence as the norm, thousands more voices are now being heard … one message, one lunch and one courageous conversation at a time.
* Rural/remote women can connect with qualified professionals by sending a text or WhatsApp message to 0488 807 266.
