Trish Hammond - July // 2026 Mental Health Calendar

From city nurse to West Gippsland dairy farmer, Trish Hammond’s story is one of grit, and glass-half-full living. Fifteen years ago, with a toddler and a 10-day-old baby, Trish and husband Mark leapt into share-farming 524 cows. Today they lease two farms milking over 1,100 cows, employ 17 staff, and juggle three busy teenagers (13, 15 & 17) – Trish jokes she’s an Uber driver in gumboots.

Trish calls Labertouche “God’s country” – an hour to the beach, the snow, or the city, with rich pastures that feed the nation. She and Mark are the perfect team: he’s the hands-on herd and feed man, she brings nursing-honed governance, payroll, and people skills. Together they’ve built workplace mentoring and systems into their business so that the next generation of farmers can learn, and “there’s no such thing as silly questions.”

Through drought, the 2019 Bunyip fires that scorched their paddocks, and sleepless nights applying for their dream 800-cow lease while the dairy broke down, Trish learned to “take one bite of the elephant at a time.” Community arrived with water, food, and helping hands when they needed it most.

Her small joy? Watching her three kids walk side-by-side to the bus as good friends - her kids are her pride & joy.

Her message to every Gippsland farmer:

“Always be glass half full. Even on the toughest days, there’s something to be grateful for.”