Facebook has its fair share of critics and many of the accusations leveled at it and the people using it are possibly justified, especially when it comes to bullying, grooming of children and inappropriate language, photos etc.
But there is a whole other side to this social networking site and it has been proven when the Australian Government banned the live export of cattle to Indonesia earlier this year. Much has been written about how the rural and remote people of Australian banded together and very quickly learnt how to use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to put forward their arguments in favour of and support for the Live Export Industry.
Much has been written about this already but it has now grown far beyond just supporting those involved in the Live Export industry and beyond, it has become a tool of support, comfort, friendship, laughter and mateship, proving that once again Australians in the bush won’t be beaten by the tyranny of distance.
One such FB group I have become involved with since the Live Export debate is a group for Australia’s rural and remote women, started by a lady who saw an opportunity to bring together a diverse group of women from right across the country whose link is that they are all connected in some way to the rural and remote areas of Australia.
As one by one women joined they shared some basic info with the group if they chose –no pressure. You didn’t have to state if you were Ms, Miss, or Mrs, didn’t matter if you were Torres Strait Islander, Aboriginal or European. In this group it didn’t matter if your house was messy if you rode horses and wore an Akubra or not, if you mustered cattle or worked from home on the computer –it was all irrelevant because we found we still have so much in common.
We all care about the land/area we live in/on, we all want the best for our families and/or children, we all want a Government that will take the time and effort to listen to the people it is meant to be working for, we all have problems and issues, good times and bad and we all need someone to gripe to occasionally.
The topics covered on our FB page range from the serious to the seriously ridiculous. If laughter is good for the soul then this group has single handedly saved many souls. We talk of planning road trips and holidays to catch up/meet each other. It probably won’t happen for all of us but it is fun planning. An online FB trivia night and a Secret Santa by mail, is being organized whilst others are sharing solutions to problems relating to topics as varied as ants, guinea fowl, husbands, giving up smoking, meal ideas, photography tips and more. Of course it is important that we also keep up with the latest in the ‘sexiest man’ debate.
So whilst the method may have changed and distances become greater, contact between Australia’s rural and remote women is as strong as ever.
