Father Land | Podcast Guru

Details

After nearly six years of sharing the stories of rural mums, national charity Motherland couldn't believe one had done the same for rural dads. Father Land is Australia’s first podcast dedicated to fathers on the land—a bold platform giving rural dads a voice. Hosted by award-winning entrepreneur, journalist, and rural mum Stephanie Trethewey, Father Land is a space for unfiltered conversations about fatherhood, identity, and mental health in the bush. Each episode dives into the messy, meaningful realities of life on the land—the wins, the losses, the laughs, and the moments that hit hard. With humour, heart, and honesty, we challenge outdated stoicism and celebrate the courage it takes to be honest. Because vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s part of being a bloody good dad.

Recent Episodes

Father Land S2E8: George Henderson on hiding depression for decades, reaching breaking point, & finding joy in fatherhood again

George Henderson is a farmer, husband and dad of three, raising his family on the same property where he grew up, near Yass in New South Wales. But behind the scenes, George had battled depression and anxiety since his teenage years. For decades, he kept his struggles largely to himself, until eventually, he reached breaking point. As the pressures of farming and fatherhood grew, George struggled to find joy in the life he loved. In this episode, George shares how his wife Lan, family, friend...

54 MIN

Father Land S2E7: Robert Mackenzie on Building a Beef Empire, Burnout and What Really Matters

Robert Mackenzie left school at 14. By 17, he was buying trucks and machinery. Today, he’s the man behind Maccas Australian Black Angus Beef, one of Australia’s most respected Angus beef enterprises. But behind the success is a story he’s never fully told, until now. Robert opens up about working 120-hour weeks, burnout, the breakdown of his 25-year marriage and losing his best mate to cancer. He also shares why he decided to walk away from his businesses and spend an entire year travelling A...

61 MIN

Father Land S2E6: Ag pioneer Terry McCosker on losing his son, going broke at 40 and rebuilding from the ground up

Many would describe Terry McCosker as one of Australia's most respected figures in agriculture. For more than 50 years, he's helped shape Australian farming through RCS, the organisation he co-founded in 1985, working with thousands of farming families to rethink the way they manage their land, their business and themselves. But this rare conversation isn't just about agriculture. Behind the success is a story of grit, heartbreak and resilience few people know. Terry opens up about losing his...

60 MIN

Father Land S2E5: Jack Kennedy on Muster Dogs, mental health and becoming a stay-at-home dad

Jack Kennedy is a livestock contractor in Western Victoria, a dad of two little girls, founder of a local Tough Guy Book Club chapter, and someone you may recognise from season three of Muster Dogs. But behind the TV cameras, Jack was navigating a much bigger adjustment. Becoming a dad changed everything. He was managing a busy farming operation, working 60-plus-hour weeks, trying to be a good partner and father, and beginning to understand firsthand the pressure that can come when farming an...

61 MIN

Father Land S2E4: Country singer Tom Curtain on the live export ban, losing everything & his extraordinary reinvention

Tom Curtain always dreamed of living and working in the Northern Territory. What he didn’t know was how much that dream would ask of him. After heading north, Tom built a thriving horse-training business across the Top End and discovered an unexpected talent for music. Then the 2011 live cattle export ban hit. Almost overnight, the work dried up. Under immense financial pressure, Tom did whatever he could to stay afloat, shoeing horses, working around the clock and singing at caravan parks fo...

54 MIN