Cattle drive through outback Queensland helps those facing food insecurity

Australia Broadcast Center

19-05-2025

After a long day on horseback, nine-year-old Mason Prow can access a steady internet connection in the classroom.
The distance education student is learning from the "long paddock" while his parents Billy Prow and Amanda Howard guide 1,670 head of cattle from Longreach to Roma.
They are the lead drovers for the Great Australian Charity Cattle Drive (GACCD), a charity event to raise awareness of food insecurity and funds for Foodbank Australia.
Mason is learning from the best, how to "work the cattle, stay behind them, and push them to the lead".
"Mum says it's a bit hard to get me into the schoolroom," he admitted.
The journey will take the team nearly three months, travelling 770 kilometres along Queensland's historic stock route.
The sight of dust on the horizon, kicked up by hundreds of hooves, was years in the making for GACCD chairman Anthony "Bim" Struss.
He said food insecurity was an issue many Australians faced, but not enough knew about.
"People don't really realise that there's one in five people that suffer some sort of deprivation of food each week," Mr Struss said.
Mr Struss is also chair of food charity BeefBank, which sends beef to Foodbank Australia to make meal parcels for those in need.
"There are people who do it really, really hard," he said.
In the last 12 months, Foodbank has had an 11 per cent increase in community groups seeking food assistance.
Head drover Billy Prow said drovers had been leading cattle along Queensland's stock route since the first pastoralists arrived.
"I'm glad to be doing this job here to let people know the stock routes are still there and they need maintenance all the time," he said.
Mr Prow said there would be a lot of early mornings and long days ahead, but it was continuing the practice of stockmen and women.
"Them older fellas they would have had it a lot harder … but I take my hat off to them," he said.
While recent flooding has caused damage in parts of outback Queensland, the rain has left green pastures across much of the west.
For those relying on tourism in the outback, it has been an agonisingly slow start to the season, with many cancelling their visits due to the flooding.
Local councils, tourism operators and businesses have rallied to draw as many people out west as possible.
Barcaldine Regional Council Mayor Rob Chandler said the cattle drive was just the start.
"The dollars that this ride is going to generate in our small communities and small businesses is absolutely precious at this time of the year," he said.
Queensland Governor Jeanette Young lent her support to the cause, spending a week in the outback and officially launching the cattle drive.
"This rain has caused havoc but now it is spectacular."
Sarah Westaway is one of several producers who have loaned cattle for the drive.
"I think the connection between where beef comes from and how it all happens is … really important for people who are consuming it," she said.
"There's a lot of history behind it.
"It's something we should capture for other people to understand and listen to in the future."