#116 Restoration on Mt Romance

Louise O’Neill on holistic health, farming & change

Louise O’Neill is a British-born holistic health professional and farmer. She met husband Warren as a backpacker, and now with their two sons, they’ve embarked on a gutsy, vivid and transformative journey.

The O’Neills were farmers in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, but reached a point where the tribulations and toxicity of that life were literally hitting them in the face. When a tractor breakdown prompted personal breakdown, they picked up and moved south, took courses in regenerative agriculture, and started to turn their new farm’s fortunes around. And out of all this, Louise began to expand her passion and enterprise for helping to improve the health of regional families across the country.

The entrance to Mt Romance farm (pic: Olivia Cheng).

“Even if they come and they say ‘I want to get fitter or I want to get stronger’, I think that’s great, but let’s strip it back and work out why. Because there is always a reason. And until you strip that back, and until you work through that, you’re never going to accomplish what you want to accomplish. And it doesn’t have to be about physical stuff, it can be financial freedom, it can be freedom on the farm, or anything like that. But you have to strip it back.”

— Louise O'Neill

When we returned south from the Kimberley late last year, we had earmarked some time south in the new year with Tanya Massy and her partner Kris, near Denmark in Western Australia (that story features in the previous episode). With Tanya just setting up her place, Louise and Warren reached out to welcome us to their home. And as we got to know each other a little, I was struck again by the gutsy transformations being negotiated in people’s lives everywhere.

This was another brilliant and moving story of regeneration. And again, with an invitation to others to explore the abundant opportunities with them.

Update: Soon after this was recorded, Louise was named a finalist in the WA AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award. A week later, she was declared the winner. She now goes into the mix for the national award.

This conversation was recorded in the dappled shade by the creek at Mt Romance farm on 28 January 2022.

Click on the photos below for full view, and hover over them for descriptions where they’ve been added (all pics by Anthony James).