Sharing the Farmstrong message

Module Overview

Talking about your own personal wellbeing journey to a roomful of strangers may seem like a daunting prospect to a lot of people, but not for Cambridge dairy farmer and Farmstrong Supporter Marc Gascoigne.

Marc (pictured above) recently gave a talk at the iconic New Zealand Shearing Championships, which were held over three days in March in Te Kuiti and attracted some of the best shearers from around the country and world.

Marc, who has previously spoken on behalf of Farmstrong at several rural events, gave his wellbeing journey talk at a special evening event on day two of the annual shearing competition.

He says sharing his own experience of depression and anxiety, how he got through and what he does to keep well, resonated well with the crowd.

Giving back rewarding for Marc

Marc says he got some really good feedback after his talk.

“I love doing these talks because it helps me personally to be giving back and to also know that I may be helping someone else who is going through a tough time,” Marc says.

“Giving back” is one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, and something that Marc says has helped him hugely.

He hopes that people reach out for help if they need it.

“There’s no point being miserable like I was for years because it robs you of your life. Farming is a great industry to be in, but you need to make sure you look after yourself mentally and physically.”

Marc says he thoroughly enjoyed being part of the event and was blown away by how great it was.

“I watched some of the shearing competitions and just to see it in real life was incredible. The athleticism of the men and women was mind blowing.”

Honesty about struggles refreshing

Stacie Fagan, who is the vice-chairperson and treasurer of the New Zealand Shearing Championships Committee, says having Marc talk so openly about his wellbeing was amazing.

“Marc was great… he was very open about his struggles, and I think everybody who was listening took something positive away from it,” Stacie says.

She says people don’t tend to talk too much about their struggles, particularly men, so it was refreshing to hear Marc being so open and honest about it and how he got through.

Stacie’s husband, Neil, had an on-farm accident three years ago and suffered a brain injury, so Marc’s talk hit close to home, she says.

“For me, the number one thing Marc mentioned was each day talking about three positive things that happened to help him change to a positive mindset.”

Stacie says this is something she and her family now do at the end of each day.

“There’s still a long way to go with people talking about what they are going through, but if Marc’s story and openness helps just one person, then it’s completely worth it.”

Spreading Marc’s message

Waikato sheep and beef farmer Ant Peacocke attended the shearing champs and was also impressed with Marc’s talk.

“It was a really good talk, and it was really brave of him to open up about what he’d been through,” Ant says.

“He gave a couple of examples of things he does to make sure he’s focusing on the positive things and not dwelling on the negative.

“It was really good advice, regardless of how you’re feeling, and something that you can do yourself and share with team members back on the farm.”