Almost instinctively, Naomi says there is like an itch she cannot scratch in a pull back to the farm.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Naomi is sixth-generation on her family sheep farm in Beaufort, drawing on traditional and innovative methods in the work they do.
She said conservation was a vital part of their future in caring for their land.
This was why Naomi has been keen to share her voice in the ABC's Heywire program, a platform to develop and promote young regional Australians, their stories and the issues that matter most to them.
Naomi had been taking part in a Youthrive Victoria leadership program and a storytelling workshop with the national broadcaster had her thinking more about her connection to the farm. She was encouraged to submit the piece to the Heywire program.
"From what I wrote in that small session, someone has seen value in it," Naomi said.
As one of 35 Heywire participants, Naomi has had the chance to have her story produced and recorded by the ABC and will have the chance to meet other Heywire winners.
READ MORE:
Naomi said there were so many amazing people doing amazing things.
Her parents have never pressured Naomi or her siblings to stay on the farm and instead encouraged them to pursue their passions.
Naomi, who graduated from Beaufort Secondary College, is halfway through a primary teaching degree with Australian Catholic University in Ballarat.
While Naomi has been enjoying the course, she loved helping out and going home to work on the farm whenever she could.
"I love chasing sheep, marking lambs, drafting, crutching and shearing," Naomi wrote for Heywire. "I love our family working together on the farm and coming home to mum's cooking, especially our own roast lamb."
While sheep grazing and crop rotation has been the base work of the farm for more than a century, Naomi said her family had an increasing strong focus on land management and species conservation.
The family has been working to preserve the habitat of the endangered golden sun moth for about six years. The species typically only appears for two to five days each year.
There are also many rare plant species on the farm, including small milkwort, and native woodlands with the family is managing and protecting from pests and weeds.
"We've had to adapt our farming when we found we had moths. We had to adapt to make sure they're protected - they've been on our farmlands for hundreds of years," Naomi said.
"Why we do it is because the land is so special...Having other people relate to it and understanding the work we're doing is to protect and look after the land we're on is important."
Explore Naomi's Heywire submission here.
