Our story
Our mission is to help farmers, farming families and communities survive through the tough times so they can thrive in the good.
We are led by our purpose, to help the heart of our country, and we are driven every day to ensure farmers know that help is just a phone call away. There is no waiting period when a farmer or a rural community needs us.
Aussie Helpers was built from the ground up to support farmers, their families and communities in need. We provide immediate help—wherever, whenever and however—farmers and farming communities need it, which makes us different to many other charities. Our team is guided by our values of compassion, respect, generosity, teamwork and reliability.
Thanks to Aussie Helpers, farmers are not alone.
Our legacy
Hailing from Dalby, Queensland, Brian and Nerida Egan were all too familiar with the extreme physical, emotional and financial challenges of life on the land. In May 2002, they founded Aussie Helpers with the simple idea that if there were farmers in need, Aussie Helpers would be there to help.
Respected and revered as some of Australia’s greatest unsung heroes, Brian and Nerida dedicated their lives to supporting farmers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for almost 20 years.
It is without doubt that, through their sacrifice and dedication, Brian and Nerida saved countless farmers’ lives, kept farming families together and fed thousands of starving animals. In 2020, both Brian and Nerida were awarded Order of Australia medals for their work to farming communities.
Brian passed away in early 2020, leaving behind a legacy of love in the form of the Aussie Helpers charity. Brian’s and Nerida’s daughter Tash continues to honour their legacy as Aussie Helpers CEO.
In 2022, Aussie Helpers responded to the urgent needs of farmers during the devastating Murwillumbah flood crisis.
48 Farmers Helped
The team visited 48 farmers over five days, provided essential financial and emotional support, and delivered necessities like food and hygiene hampers, animal food and hay.
$380,000 Invoices Paid
We paid $380,000 in supplier invoices for farmers from our $5K Aussie Helpers Fund.
$48,000 Support
We delivered $15,000 worth of hay, which continued for more than a year, and $33,000 in fuel vouchers, visa cards, and hampers and pet food.
The McDonald’s Story
Jennifer McDonald has worked with her father on their dairy farm in Murwillumbah her whole life. They thought Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the worst it could get until the 2022 floods hit.
777mm of rain fell over three days, which caused the river to rise six and a half metres. The McDonalds suffered significant damage and cattle losses— including important breeding stock. With no food for the cattle that survived, it was clear this was a disaster.
As soon as flood waters dropped and the roads reopened, Aussie Helpers sent a trailer full of high-quality hay to Jennifer and Patrick’s cattle. It came as soon as we could get it to them, without them even asking, because we knew they needed our support, kindness and fodder.
