Held at the Cressy District High School Oval, the free event also included a lunch and information session on the aims of the organisation.

Locally-based fitness instructor Margie Heard, who will run the bi-weekly programs, was pleased with the turnout.

“We had about 40 adults come from the Cressy town and surrounding area, and probably about 15 to 20 children as well – so it was a nice family affair,” she said.

“We all did some group exercise together and then had a brunch and a bit of information about what active farmers is and it’s background.”

The organisation, Active Farmers, is a not for profit which has been running in NSW since 2015 and now spreads to over 23 different communities in eastern Australia.

“We have one in Hagley, in Tasmania, that’s been running since November last year,”  Ms Heard said.

“Myself and another girl have been running that.

“I actually live in Cressy, and I thought that Cressy would be a great little community that would really benefit from some access to fitness or exercise for people of all different levels of capacity.”

Supported by Delta Agribusiness, the program was developed by Ginny Stevens in Mangoplah.

Classes are designed to suit all levels of fitness and ability – providing a fun and welcoming environment that encourages both participation and socialisation. 

Ms Heard added that the program’s aims extend far beyond simply exercise, too.

“We’re trying to get people a bit more involved and socialising, and building those social networks I guess,” she said.

“Helping to battle mental health issues and other health-related issues that can arise from living a fair way from health services, and living in rural communities.

“Also, within farming, technology means that farms are bigger and people don’t see each other as much.”

Ms Stevens hopes Cressy is not the last community the organisation can get active in.

“We believe that to have a positive impact on mental health improvement, we need as many towns as possible to be involved,” she said.

“We look forward to welcoming more many more towns to the network in the future.”

The group will meet twice each week at the Cressy District High School oval.

One session will be held on Tuesdays at 6.15am, the second will take place at 6pm on Thursdays.

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