Nagambie’s guest speaker at the Australia Day celebrations had a Kiwi accent and a map of New Zealand tattooed on her foot.
But author and photographer Alice Mabin left her audience with no doubt of her love for rural Australia.
A self-described “rural creative”, she talked with affection about rural Australia after having fallen in love with the treeless plains of the Riverina.
“I have been car-less, jobless, book-less, money-less and homeless, but I have never been hopeless,” Alice said.
One of her goals is to improve the narrative of Australian agriculture through the power of storytelling.
She has identified a gap between perception and reality in Australian agriculture.
“A few years back when I was commissioned to produce a book on Australia, I realised I had been brainwashed by the media,” Alice said.
“Animal activists have done a fantastic job of creating a narrative to suit their agenda.
“Free-range (poultry) systems are popular in consumer culture because of how they look. But no-one talks about the devastation that often results from foxes, feral cats or hawks and eagles.
“No-one talks about the airborne diseases that are a threat to them, or the fact that breeding and laying cycles can be affected by sudden changes in the weather.
“So-called factory farms have the ability to more accurately handle things like food safety, animal welfare, sustainability and disease prevention.
“And all of this is done to improve operations, but also for the care and welfare of the livestock.”
Alice has travelled extensively through the outback to record visually stunning images of rural life, resulting in the publication of five coffee table books.
She told a story of the success of a farming immigrant who developed a unique business selling mushrooms in Sydney, and a third generation of farmers running Australia’s oldest Angus stud.
Alice advocated the opportunity to exercise curiosity.
“We are all part of the story of Australia,” she said.
“All of our colourful and diverse stories matter.”
She urged Australians not to dismiss the people who put food onto our plates, from the multi-generational farmers to the tourist visa backpackers who pick the fruit and vegetables.