Esperance, WA → Bourke & Lightning Ridge, NSW
January 2014

Farmers Across Borders began with a simple idea: if we’ve had a good season, we should help those who haven’t.

In 2014, Esperance farmers Samantha (Sam) Starcevich and Anne Bell saw heartbreaking stories of farmers in New South Wales battling one of the worst droughts in years. With hay to spare, they decided to act.

Together with a group of generous WA farmers and truck drivers, they rallied support and organised 16 road trains of donated hay to head east. In partnership with Burrumbuttock Hay Runners, they delivered much-needed feed to farmers in Bourke and Lightning Ridge, NSW.

But it wasn’t just hay they delivered. It was hope. Friendship. A reminder that someone cared.

“If it was us in that position, we’d want someone to do the same.”

That hay run laid the foundations for what would become Farmers Across Borders — a grassroots movement built on mateship, generosity, and action.

And it wasn’t the end.

Since that first trip, we’ve delivered over 15,000 bales of hay across NSW, QLD and WA, supporting farming families through some of their toughest times.

Because out here, helping your neighbour isn’t just a kind gesture.
It’s a way of life.