“I grew up in inner-city Melbourne in a terrace house, but I often visited the bush as a kid and have always had an affinity with the Australian landscape,’ she tells New Idea.
“There was also this pretty incredible show, McLeod’s Daughters, that made me fall in love all over again!
The 47-year-old now lives on a farm in the Byron Bay Hinterland, with husband, Michael, and their two kids.
She reveals that her family has witnessed first-hand the effects of the current drought.
“As I drove into our property yesterday, I commented to my husband about how dry our paddocks are at the moment, wondering when we will next get rain,” she says.
“I can see that our dams are getting low, our paddocks are looking bare and feed prices are understandably sky-high.”
See also: New Idea's Dollars for Dust
While their farm is feeling the impact, Bridie adds there are people in other areas far worse off than them.
“At the moment, a huge amount of Australian farmers are doing it really tough,” she says.
“If food and shelter are our two basic human needs for survival, then the farmers of this country must be gods! They live connected to the land working seven days a week, their livelihoods determined by the fierce path of nature and a continued unpredictably of our weather patterns, particularly rainfall.”
She calls for the public to get behind the farmers and help in any way they can.
“I’m going to open my wallet today, I hope you can, offer something too,” she says.
“That’s what we do in this country — when things are down, we help each other.”
New Idea has teamed up with Drought Angels for our drought special, on sale now. 5 cents from every issue sold goes towards to the organisation, which provides support to farmers suffering in the droughts.
You can donate to the Drought Angels here.
