The Country 10/10/25: Hugh Jackson talks to Hamish McKay

For today’s Mental Health Awareness Week interview, the 2025 FMG Young Farmer of the Year reflects on being “haunted by the black dog” in 2020, and how he helps keep it at bay.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Looking out for our farmers on the country with Federated
Farmers proud supporters of Mental Health Awareness Week. Well, you're
down the king Country today doing a bit of sort
of you know, little a little bit of taking some
new information on board. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Yeah, I happen to look around a few farms down
here who doing some pretty impressive all finishing and techno
system sort of set ups and looking for going to
implement some of that home there in ti Ako. So
you're just trying to figure out what the best way
to do that is and seeing what other people are
doing and trying to learn from them.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Innovation, Hey, tapping into the resources fantastic Mental Health Awareness Week.
Everybody just will look at you and go a young,
shining star guy with the future and great future, which
is the truth. But you've had your own journey. Yeah,
would you like to you know, I'd like it if
you'd share that with us to the benefit of others.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, yeah, no, no worries Hawless. Obviously everyone goes through TUSP.
I was in life whatever whatever that may be, and
it looks different for everyone. But I had a few
challenges back in twenty twenty twenty one, for sure. I
was and at my last points, the pressed on medication

(01:17):
I used to telepram is the stuff I was taking
and definitely never envisions getting there, but it's just just
how it all sort of turned out and panned out.
On reflection, I've done a lot of learning since then,
and it's helped me to stay fit and well most

(01:39):
of the time since then, but I've still had periods,
especially going into winter and that where I get times
where I feel like I've got less energy and things
are tougher than they they should be. But upon reflecting,
what really got me into some trouble was really my
own internal battle and expectations putting them on myself there

(02:02):
are probably too high and until we all our own
worst critic at times, and I was beeding myself up,
and I could only see the negatives really and as
as humans were geared, only to see the negatives a
lot stronger than the positives due to back in the
day when we were running around and the predators would

(02:26):
you know, in fact skirts or whatever, and there's predators
out there that would would eat us if we weren't
good that way. So learning about all that was was
really really key for me. But it doesn't doesn't discriminate,
and even though it was fit and healthy at the time,
still still definitely was haunted by the black Dog and

(02:49):
felt like I didn't really have any reason to be depressed,
but but I did. And I vividly remember I was
working with their inst at the time and they were
great support. If you support networking, got counseling, and they
vividly remember driving back from Spread into christ It's just
thinking what would happen if I ran into the oncoming truck,
you know, because and I could see why people do

(03:13):
take their lives and the suicide is a real thing
and it really happens.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Okay, yeah, I'm going to get yep. I want to
ask you what age were you when this when when
the black dog you referred to said in what age
were you?

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Twenty one twenty two?

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Yep? So what were you like through later years of
primary school, high school?

Speaker 2 (03:32):
What were your moods like?

Speaker 1 (03:33):
What we what were there any telltale signs that would
I have ever pointed out to you that you were
going to end up in that space.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
I didn't really experience anything like it until entering the workforce.
To be honest, it's been pretty energetic and keen to
get unto things and give everything my all. And it
was probably the fact, you know, at Yuni, I was
working hard at Yuni doing my uniw work, and then
I'd go away on holidays and work hard on the
farms and that I was working on, and you'd have

(04:04):
that break. I guess it was kind of like a
forced break. But then you head to the workforce and
it's a bit of a different beast really. It's you
start on Monday, finish on Friday, if you're in a
seven day a five day a week job, and farming
a different beasts all together as well in your hands
on and on the tool. So just probably the fact

(04:24):
that yeah, burn out to the little thing and you've
got to look after yourself and do that. But for me,
the keys getting out of it was a lot of education.
John Kerwin's book was massive. Nathan Nelson from Baron Zad
really helped me there by giving me that book, and
related to that a lot came Brisco as well as
a huge yeah, really cool book as well, and yeah,

(04:47):
just learning learning about how the brain works and all
that sort of it was massive.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
I love it. I love Cane story, just going in
and hammering the bags. You know, I just felt, you know,
in the evening and suddenly things started to change, physiologically, psychologically, everything,
just by just going in there at night and just
hitting the bags, you know, Like, so, what can you
give me? I know you do a lot of reading
and you can do all that, but what's what's one
or two things you put into your day to make

(05:14):
sure the black dog doesn't start backing reel out again?

Speaker 2 (05:18):
I guess just the basics. First, eating, sleeping well is key,
and looking after yourself, sitting yourself up for success with
that good foundation, and then talking talking to people and
when you're having those challenges and struggles and making a
plan when the pressure comes on, and writing things down,

(05:39):
prioritizing and realizing and sort of asking yourself, what's the
least or the minimum I have to do today when
you were in those pressure cooker environments, to sort of
try and focus on what needs doing and what can
wait to another day.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
Checks and balances right here, checks and balances. Always keeping
an eye on yourself.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
Yeah, yeah, sure, And obviously you need to keep yourself
physically fed as well and all that too, But yeah,
talking with others and making a plan and keeping yourself
on check is yeah, one hundred percent the way.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
To go, young Farmer of the Year, a man who's
beaten off the depression. And you had those horrible thoughts
while you're driving on the road there, which and we
know you're not the lone ranger there. You Thank you
very much for sharing your story. I'll let you get
back to starting those bull beef systems down there in
the king Country. Much appreciated, all right.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
Sanmuch so. A good weekend.