Motherland Australia

Sadie Chrestman was living a stones throw away from the famous Coca-Cola sign in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, living a very urban life, when she was set up on a blind date. Sadie, who had just turned 40, knew that she wanted to have kids and settle down, she also knew she wanted more space. And it turns out the man she was set up on a date with wanted the exact same thing. You might know Sadie’s name from the long-running SBS series Gourmet Farmer. The person she was set up with in 2007 was none other than chef turned food critic turned farmer Matthew Evans. The only problem was, when they met, Matthew was about to move to Tasmania to start a new life as a farmer. Sadie moved to Tasmania’s Huon Valley when she was 7 months pregnant and very quickly, she found herself learning how to be a mum, and a farmer in a new community, in a different state. Now, Sadie and Matthew run Fat Pig Farm and their son, Hedley, is 15. This is her story.A warning this episode touches on miscarriage. If you need support, head to Red Nose HERE. The Regional Tech Hub is shining a spotlight on ‘connectivity for education’, helping families navigate how best to connect your loved ones for school, university, TAFE and other online learning. Stay tuned for more detail in January 2025. The Regional Tech Hub is here to help us navigate the complex world of connectivity and the high demand for accessible and impartial advice on phone and internet solutions to support you and your family. Visit the RegionalTechHub.org.au to find out more about their FREE and independent service.https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

At 35, Kerry O’Sullivan was busy running her 90,000-acre cattle station near Clermont in QLD. On the surface life was great. Kerry had a successful business, lived next door to her 3 sisters and parents, all on neighbouring properties, and spent her weekends at campdrafts. But Kerry knew deep down that she really wanted to be a mum. The only problem was, she’d never met the right person. At 35, Kerry started the process of doing it on her own, but at a routine doctor's appointment, she was told that her body didn’t produce eggs. And while it was a devastating discovery, it didn’t stop her. Kerry began researching egg and sperm donors and IVF clinics. There was talk of embryos from America, but then COVID hit. Thankfully, she found a way to do it all, closer to home. Now Kerry is a mum to two little kids, Joe, who was born in 2022 and Dulcie who was born in 2023. Kerry sits down with me for a very honest conversation about her journey to motherhood, and what she’d tell people who find themselves in a similar situation to her. This is her story.The Regional Tech Hub has helped more than 300,000 people around rural Australia with free and independent advice on getting connected and staying connected to vital internet and voice services. The team can help answer all your connectivity questions. Visit the RegionalTechHub.org.au to find out more about their FREE and independent service.https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

Since 2018, Michelle Moriarty’s life has been split into two halves. Before the love of her life, Nathan died, and after. Michelle and Nathan were raising their family in regional WA after a romance, Michelle says was for the ages. Michelle was working as a social worker, Nathan and her were a team, and life was pretty good. But on the 10th of June 2018, everything changed. Michelle’s grief was all-consuming and isolating despite the village she had around her. She knew then that she didn’t want any other person to feel that way, so she founded Grief Connect - a Young Widowed Support group, and online hub where widowed men and women could come and have honest conversations about the realities of losing loved ones. And then, four years later after losing her father, she founded a similar group for widowers over 55 .Michelle is a remarkable woman and today she shares her grief, her joy, what it was like learning to love again, and how she’s mothered through it all. This is Michelle’s story. The Regional Tech Hub’s mission is simple: to equip anyone living or working in rural Australia with trusted connectivity advice to help unlock new technologies, boost innovation, and create a connected future.The team can help answer all your connectivity questions. Visit the https://regionaltechhub.org.au to find out more about their FREE and independent service. https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

This month, Motherland celebrates the positive impact our charity partner, the Isolated Children’s Parents Association, continues to make for families just like yours everyday. Their wonderful volunteers together have created branches throughout rural Australia - and their ‘relentless and always on’ advocacy continues to build and grow better educational outcomes for our kids. To bring this incredible work to life, today’s episode features one of their own, Steph Cowper. Steph wears many hats but her commitment to education and dedication to continuous learning shines through. Today you’ll hear about Steph’s own motherhood journey...from relocating from a coastal town to rural Queensland, losing her identity after her two kids were born and throwing herself into study, the realities of being married to a FIFO worker and her daughter’s early anxiety diagnosis. This is her story.If you’re a parent at any stage of the education journey and are keen to make a difference, join the ICPA community today. Head to icpa.com.au to sign up and support their important work and give our kids the opportunities they deserve.https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia