What does it mean to be a good man in the bush? For Matthew Tonkin, the answer has transformed over time. Growing up the youngest of five on his family’s farm near the NSW–Queensland border, Matthew believed a man’s worth was in hard work and providing for his family. But as farm debt and expectations mounted, he equated strength with silence—a silence that led to drinking, despair, and darkness. Seven years sober, Matthew now speaks openly about vulnerability, self-respect, and caring for yourself so you can care for others. As a father of four, grandfather, and leader in agriculture, he’s found a new kind of strength rooted in compassion, discipline, and connection. This episode explores masculinity, resilience, and hope—how one man remade his life, and what his journey reveals about the men raising families and running farms across rural Australia.

• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Sober in the Country

Father Land is proudly sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions. Get unmatched market access, expertise and results for your livestock and wool. Talk to your local team today:

www.nutrienagsolutions.com.au/livestock
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12 years ago, Piers Dumaresq walked away from the high-flying world of Sydney wealth management, to return home to the family farm in Tasmania with his future wife. On paper, it looked like a tree-change success story: a 200-year-old family farm, marriage, two children, and a future firmly rooted in the soil. But behind the original stone buildings of Mount Ireh, life wasn’t as simple on the family front. Piers’s marriage ended when his children were still little, and in the aftermath he found himself confronting not just the realities of co-parenting and running a farm, but the deeper question of who he was as a man and a father. He hit rock bottom, then rebuilt—choosing to put his kids first, reshaping the family business, and doing the hard personal work to heal. Today, Piers opens up about life on the land, fatherhood, the reason he believes so many marriages fail, and what it means to rebuild after loss while carrying a very big family legacy forward. This is his story.

Get in touch with Pier's via https://divorce-recovery-guide.com/

Nutrien has teamed up with the VFF to help farmers facing record-breaking dry conditions by connecting them with drought relief grants, practical resources, and vital mental health support. Nutrien is also helping farmers prepare for tomorrow, with sustainability services that measure and manage environmental impacts like soil health and greenhouse gas emissions.

• https://www.nutrienagsolutions.com.au/sustainability
• https://www.nutrienagsolutions.com.au/vff-and-nutrien-ag-solutions-team-help-drought-hit-victorian-farmers

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Tick Everett is a man who never imagined he’d be the face of a national movement. For decades, he worked the land, raised his daughters, and built a life around family and farming. But in January 2018, that life changed forever. At just 14, Tick’s youngest daughter, Dolly, died by suicide after an extended period of bullying and cyberbullying. Soon after, Tick and his wife Kate launched Dolly’s Dream. Today's episode isn’t the story you’ve heard before. With honesty and vulnerability, he opens up in ways he never has before about love, loss, and what it means to keep going when your world has fallen apart. He reflects on resilience, fatherhood, the importance of men speaking up about their mental health, and why even the smallest acts of kindness can matter more than we’ll ever know. This is his story.

Since teaming up with Dolly’s Dream in 2022, Nutrien’s people and communities have turned blue each year, raising over $600,000 to help end bullying and improve mental health for young people in rural Australia.. And that’s just part of more than $2.8m invested in projects that strengthen and support regional communities right across the country. Learn more: www.nutrienagsolutions.com.au/supporting-communities

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