Last month, I posted about a day spent at the Tamar Valley wineries and the sculpture exhibition, Artentwine. At Iron Pot Bay Vineyard, there was a memorable installation in the garden, this is what I wrote,

‘The man in blue, poised in the garden, sported an outfit knitted with baling twine. My sister and I had been at Deloraine Craft Fair the previous weekend where we had seen numerous knitters eagerly creating something with the blue baling twine. It seems artist, Grietje van Randen, has enlisted volunteers to help complete a double life size Blue Farmer to be sited on a local farm to raise awareness of those living with depression and as a reminder for us all to be looking out for each other.’

The project is now complete and the full size blue farmer stands proudly at Deloraine. This is a wonderful interview with Grietje van Randen

Photo courtesy of the ABC

Our property here in northwest Tasmania is surrounded by agricultural farmland, we can attest to the long hours our neighbours toil. Morning, noon and sometimes all night, seven days a week and at the mercy of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. Without these incredible people, we would have nothing on the table to serve our families each day. How easy it is to pick produce from the grocers shelf without a thought for those whose livelihood depends on what we are willing to pay.

Here is a great news story of the completion and final placement of the blue farmer

Photo courtesy of the ABC