International Day of Rural Women, Celebrating Lou
Lou, a dedicated nurse and farmer’s wife, shares her inspiring story of overcoming personal and environmental challenges while empowering rural women. From battling natural disasters to raising two confident daughters, Lou’s love for the land and her family continues to grow despite adversity.
How long have you been in Rural Australia?
About 26 years ago I fell in love with a farmer and have been by his side from his work in Gippsland, NSW Riverina, North Queensland and now in the Upper Murray. My great grandmother; Rebecca Ewart, was a tenacious, independent and hard working farming woman from Leneva, Victoria – I think I inherited much of her strength, love for animals and dogged work ethic.

Can you share a moment or experience that highlights the strength and resilience you’ve shown as a woman in rural Australia, and how it has shaped your role in your community or on your farm?
I am a trained Registered Nurse, Midwife and more recently Maternal Child Health Nurse – in all my nursing work I have cared for rural and remote people in some of the most far flung areas of our country. Over my career I have travelled many thousands of kilometres to meet with women and be their advocate. I am truly devoted and hooked on empowering rural and remote women especially farming women in their everyday life.
Presently I work with women during their personal and private journey of firstly becoming then growing into being a mother. Through my work in assessing children’s health and development from the age of 0-5years I hope to improve the outcomes of children for my rural community; as it has one of the lowest rates of tertiary education in the state.
From a tiny person I have always loved horses and animals of any kind and that passion fits in well with being married to a farmer. I once played Polocrosse and now enjoy the slower pace of Team Penning and Horse Sports.
The hard work that goes with farming is so very challenging. At first I relished those challenges and thought I was strong and invincible however as I am getting older I do find it hard to go from little strength and fitness to 200% capability when helping in the shearing shed or other farm tasks. Maybe it’s from my injuries in the past whilst riding, working in the yards or shearing shed that slow me or make me more wary – such as concussion, fractured wrist and ribs, a hernia etc. Our farms and homes have all required much renovation and hard work and we did it all ourselves from scratch, the hours of labour is indescribable.
We have lived through some life changing natural disasters that directly impacted our farms and animals in simply awful ways such as drought, Cyclone Yasi, the 2020 Bushfires and recent floods. These disasters; especially the fires had a massive impact on our lives however so too did my diagnosis and recovery from bowel cancer, burn out and depression.
I believe my farmer and I have three marvellous achievements through all the adversity and challenges of rural life and that is two vibrant, strong, confident, courageous daughters who are studying a long way from home in their own chosen careers. Love, great education and farm life has shaped them in every way.
The farmer and my third achievement is the endearing strength of our love, mateship and infinite understanding of each other through such inexplicable and unrelenting hard times that we have faced as a couple.
Any other important messages you may want to convey?
My favourite saying that I picked up many years ago from somewhere is
“you must be challenged to grow” and that is farming in a nutshell isn’t it!!