Liese Fearman- Secretary

Joined TWiA - Sometime in 2008

Location - Upper Scamander (northeast coast Tas)

Regional Group - Break O'Day

Occupation - Farmer, retired maths & science teacher, casual tour guide, researcher (I’m a woman – we do lots of things!)

How did you become involved in the Rural Industry? -

My journey to farming was indirect. After graduating as a Science Teacher in Canada, I signed up for 2 years teaching in PNG, at Minj High School, in the beautiful Wahgi Valley. There I met Paul, an Aussie living at Kagua, SHP, who had been in PNG for many years. After much travelling back and forth on PMV’s and motorbikes, we married.

    Like many migrant women, I followed my husband and his dream. Given a choice between Queensland and Tasmania, I opted for four seasons, and avoided Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen. Leaving Andrew with his doting Granny in Hamilton Vic, we hired a mini bus and went searching for our little piece of Paradise – a farm we could afford.

    Upper Scamander’s winter sunshine, rolling hills, and winding river, won our hearts. Woodspen had a surprisingly low price tag, though locals later said we paid way too much! Paul’s parents sold their house for the down payment and moved to the farm to be near their only son and grandchild. We leased the land out while working in PNG to pay it off.

    In 1983, we moved ‘home’ with three kids. Paul having lived and worked on farms pre-PNG, and my father’s family having been displaced from their small farm in Lithuania by WWII, could you say we had farming in our blood? I still marvel at the extent of knowledge so many multi-generational farming families have. We had no idea how much we didn’t know when we started!

    We had to beg the bank for a loan, at 15% interest to buy cull ewes and raise Merino X Polwarth for fat lamb mothers. Later we planted peaches and nectarines, then cherries. We learned through experience about changing prices, disposing of sheep not worth the cost of transport, how much possums love fruit trees, and how ingenious they are in overcoming barriers.

We also learned how supportive old farmers might be to a family newly arrived having a go. Our first cattle were 10 Angus ‘culls’ from a St Marys farmer, with no family. His bill was not on paper – “Pay when you have the money”. Whenever we offered it to him, he insisted that he didn’t need it just then. Their offspring are still in our herd, and we are still on the farm.

   Our journey had more to do with fate than with wisdom. When my father visited and walked the farm with us, he commented “If I had known this place existed, I would never have moved to Canada, I would have come here!” Living and farming in Tasmania is one thing we, and our family, will never regret.  Farming is certainly in our blood now. 

What do you love about being a member of TWIA? -

I enjoy the company of women with a wealth of farming knowledge and wonderful stories of their farming lives. My life as a young mum new to farming would have been less lonely if I had known people like them. Now that I’m a granny, my companions in TWiA inspire me. The experiences of rural women are so varied and interesting, I wish we could preserve their stories.

I love the gatherings!

TWiA has proud history, and strives to achieve admirable things for rural women. I am proud to be a part of it.