Prioritising mental health in small business

Running a small business with long hours and financial pressures can be very stressful, and farmers are among those affected - sometimes with tragic consequences.

Jodi and her son Billy Browning own Narramine Station in rural NSW. Source: Supplied

Narramine Station is an award-winning broad acre and irrigation farm in Central New South Wales.

Jodi and Glenn Browning worked hard for nearly 20 years to improve 3000-hectares and turn a profit growing wheat, canola and chickpeas.

Their eldest of four, Billy, says the success of the farm is a testament to his father’s hard-working ethic and “nothing he couldn’t do” attitude.

But in 2012 their lives changed forever.

The family had successfully battled the drought and shored up their finances when Billy found his dad’s body at the family home.

“Seeing that image is probably something I’ll never lose,” Billy says.

“The next thing was probably the worst – I had to call my mum to tell her about dad.”

“The first thing [I said] was, ‘what do you mean, ‘he’s dead’? And he said, ‘he’s dead’,” mum Jodi says.

Glenn Browning was only 46 when he died. (Jodi Browning) Source: Browning family

“You just kind of immediately think, ‘oh geez, did I miss something?’”

The family had just returned from their first holiday abroad, when tragedy struck. With no diagnosis of mental health issues or signs of depression, Glenn's death came as a complete surprise.

“Why didn’t Dad just say he was struggling internally?” Billy says.

“We could’ve done something about it."

“You just wonder why...that’s pretty much it - a three letter word.”

“Why didn’t Dad just say he was struggling internally?”

Suicide is a leading cause of premature death in Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and small business owners are among those at risk.

A Suncorp survey in June 2017 revealed more than two-thirds of small business owners reported work-related stress.

The Rural Adversity Mental Health Program’s Camilla Kenny says a lack of funding and limited access to mental health care compound risk factors for farmers.

The regional outreach worker encounters stories similar to the Brownings' far too often.

“The most recent data we have shows suicide is twice as likely in rural communities as our metro counterparts,” she says.

Camilla Kenny is a regional outreach worker at the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program. (Supplied) Source: Supplied

Camilla points out that mental health issues are just as important as occupational health and safety for small businesses.

“If you’re not concentrating when you’re driving a $500,000 tractor, that’s where things can get a bit hairy physically and economically," Camilla says.

“Down the road, you might not make good business decisions.”

Like many illnesses, early communication is key in treating mental health problems.

Camilla says it's important just to listen.

“You can use ‘I’ve noticed’ statements, which prompt people to reflect,” she says.

“And if the person wants to open up, there’s an avenue to support them, but if not it’s important to be persistent and follow it up in a week, or maybe in a month, but we need to be realistic too.”

Billy believes a suicide can have a domino effect on a community.

A family photo of the Brownings. (Jodi Browning) Source: Jodi Browning

Camilla adds that for farmers even admitting to problems can be hard.

"Farmers are very proud people and often don’t like to admit if things aren’t going fabulously because you never want to be the bloke doing the worst,” she says.

“I think this stigma is probably the biggest adversity… but telling personal stories is the best way of breaking it down.”

“If someone else stands up and tells their struggle and how they overcame it, it’s helping.”

“If someone else stands up and tells their struggle and how they overcame it, it’s helping.”

For the Browning family, the hardest part is still not knowing what led to Glenn's death.

“I can ask all the questions but won’t ever get the answers - no note or diary entry,” Billy says.

For Jodi, there’s no quick fix, but she's passionate about beating mental illness and the stigma attached to it.

“I’m really conscious of people’s feelings and just really listening to whether there’s a problem or picking up on a gut feeling now,” Jodi says.

With a succession plan for her two boys farming the land, she’s sure she can protect the next generation and continue Glenn’s legacy.

“If I had an inkling they’re here for the wrong reason, then I’d dong it on the head and say, ‘it’s not worth it, you’ve got to be passionate about it’,” she said.

Part of Billy’s healing is working with Lifeline to help other families at risk.

In a video raising awareness about suicide prevention, Billy says: “I definitely miss my dad, I miss him a lot, but what he did actually saved so many people.”

“We don’t want to see other people suffer or go through what we had to go through.”

And he’s certain farming and wellness can go hand in hand.

“We’ve kept the pace and kept having a crack and he’d be very, very proud.”