As harvest begins across Western Australia, the Fiona Wood Foundation is pleased to launch the Farming Collective, a Horizon Campaign initiative developed in partnership with growers and regional communities. People and families living and working across regional and rural WA make up a significant proportion of those treated by the Burns Service of WA, and access to timely, high-quality care across a state as large as ours remains essential.
The impact of a burn injury extends beyond the person who is injured and their immediate family. In regional and remote areas, the effects can be felt across whole communities, including local workplaces, volunteer emergency services, schools, sporting clubs and farming networks. Long distances travelled for specialist treatment can mean time away from the farm during critical periods, financial pressure, and increased reliance on neighbours and community members who step in to support. Strengthening burn prevention, response and care therefore supports the resilience of the entire region.
Through the Horizon Campaign, the Farming Collective gives growers an opportunity to contribute to advancing research, care and treatment for people who experience burn injury, regardless of where they live or how far they may need to travel for specialist support. By connecting communities across WA’s agricultural regions, the initiative helps ensure that evolving knowledge, treatment pathways and prevention strategies are accessible in rural and remote settings.
Tim Haslam, Chair of the FWF Agribusiness Taskforce, is leading the initiative. Informed by his own experience of recovery following serious burn injury, Tim is a strong advocate for the Farming Collective. His leadership reflects the values at the heart of the initiative, including community, connection and a shared commitment to improving burn care across Western Australia.
The campaign was officially launched in Narrogin, where Professor Fiona Wood AO and Di Lim joined Tim for a community gathering alongside the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The event brought together growers, emergency services and local families, highlighting the close links between burn care, prevention and community strength. The gathering reinforced that when a burn injury affects one person, its impacts can extend widely, and that collective action plays an important role in building safer, more resilient communities across Western Australia.