Outback Women Profile featuring Dean

Durrie Station is located 100km east of Birdsville. Nadine (Dean) Lorenz lives there with her husband Darren and their three children, Matthew (13), Eboni (9) and Jesse (8). Matthew is currently away at boarding school in Warwick. Eboni and Jesse complete their schooling at Durrie through Mt Isa School of Distance Education.

Deon's Lookout, Betoota (Kate McDonald)

 

Dean loves being a mother and a wife for her family. However, living on a station requires Dean to undertake many other roles as well. She is a cook, a counsellor, a nurse a cleaner a bookkeeper and an active member of her community. Dean is a passionate member of the local rodeo club and the social club. Last year Dean under took a massive fundraising effort and took part in Shave for a Cure raising much needed funds for Leukemia Research.

 

Dean and Darren's Wedding (Outback Pics Longreach)

 

Dean has lived in the Channel Country since 1998. Her first impression upon arriving was “why would anyone live out here?”

Despite her hesitant first impression, Dean has grown to completely love the area, can answer her own question and completely understands why people fall in love with living in the outback and never want to leave! Dean’s thinks that the people in the outback are just wonderful and so supportive and make living there worthwhile. She feels it is a great place to raise you kids and living remotely you really learn how strong you are as a person. Not everyone likes the lifestyle, but everyone should come at least once and check it out.

Dean has many favourite memories of living in the outback but the most special was when she got married to her husband Darren on the 19^th of May 2012 in Birdsville. Not only was it a special event for Dean and Darren but a community event! All of their family travelled out to Birdsville to share their special day with them, and from the photos the whole town and surrounding areas of Birdsville was there too! It was even featured in the OUTBACK magazine.

 

Road to Birdsville (Kate McDonald)

 

Family is a big part of Dean’s life and has shaped who she is today. Her role models are her mother and father and she would be lost without them as well as her brothers and her sister.

Dean wishes that her Poppy was alive so her could come out and experience what life is like at Durrie. Although he passed away when Dean was young, he is a very special man in her life. Dean would love to have him sit at the dinner table so she could share with him what she’s done in her life, the good and the bad, and show him what she’s achieved so far. She would love him to be able to meet his 3 great-grandchildren as well. Dean thinks this would be the best dinner that she could ever and would ever want.

Outback Women Profile featuring Emily

Emily McCullagh decided to take a gap year and go and work in the outback. One year has turned into two years and Emily hasn’t looked back.

 

Mt Leonard Station (Emily McCullagh)

 

Emily lives and works on Mt Leonard Station, a cattle station 170km east of Birdsville. She is the governess on the station which means she is in the schoolroom from Monday to Friday. This year Emily only has one child in the schoolroom – Jacob who is in grade 4. Last year she had two children, Jacob who was in grade 3 and Leah who was in grade 7. This year Leah moved to boarding school and the schoolroom has certainly changed with only the one child now. As the governess Emily’s main job is to teach the kids through Mt Isa School of the Air. They often try to finish our work early so they are able to go fishing, play sport or do art. However, their favourite thing to do is get outside and help the men with cattle work. As if this doesn’t keep Emily busy enough, she has recently joined the Channel Country Ladies Day Committee.

Cattle work (Emily McCullagh)

 

Leah, Emily and Jacob (Lorraine Kath)

 

This is Emily’s second year living in the outback. She graduated from high school in 2012 and moved out at the start of 2013 for a gap year. Emily has returned to continue her adventure. She couldn’t stand leaving this part of the world and the lifestyle just yet!

View from Mt Leonard Hill (Lorraine Kath)

Emily loves living in the outback because of all the things you can do and see out here that you don’t get the chance to in the city. The amazing landscapes and big skies are indescribable. She had grown up in the city and the country’s laid back lifestyle is something that really stands out along with the huge open spaces. There are so many people out here and one of Emily’s favourite things to do is just sit and have a yarn with someone and hear their story. By taking the time to listen to people you learn so much and everywhere you go there is someone else’s story to be heard. Since moving out here Emily has learnt to ride horses, motorbikes, help with cattle work, and so much more – all which she absolutely loves. She loves the small community feel where everyone knows everyone (mind you sometimes this isn’t always good! It’s amazing how fast the bush telegraph works!) and how they all come together when there is an event. It is amazing how much station kids know and how much you learn from them. Emily has have often thought that she would have loved to grow up on a station – She am so glad she am experiencing it now though!   

Learning a new skill (Emily McCullagh)

Betoota Gymkhana was Emily’s first outback event and it was ‘their’ event because it is in Mt Leonard’s “backyard”. This is one of her favourite memories because it was the first time she saw the community come together and enjoy a weekend of fun which was amazing and she loved being a part of that. She had such a good time and it made her fall in love with all the events out here – now Emily hates missing out on them when they are on! Emily loves attending the different events (especially rodeos!) out here when there’s music and everyone is having a night at the bar at the event grounds. Ladies Day last year was amazing also! It was great to see all the women of the country come together for a weekend of fun. Learning to ride a horse was also awesome. There are just too many favourite memories!

Emily has never really considered herself to have a role model but if she had to say someone she looks up to it would be her older sister Georgia. Georgia is such an outgoing and strong person. She has never cared what people think of her and has always followed her heart and done her own thing. When Emily was trying to decide if she should take the leap and come out to the outback not knowing anything, with no experience and so young, Georgia was the one who she talked to and she reassured her that it would be a great experience and worth it. She was certainly right! She has always been there to talk things through and if she wasn’t there Emily’s not sure if she would have had the guts to do many of the things I have. Emily is so thankful to have her; she is her rock.    

Emily and Georgia at Jundah jump up (Emily McCullagh)

 

If given the opportunity to share her outback experience over dinner with anyone, Emily would invite her Ninnie and Pa (her grandparents). Unfortunately Emily has very little memories left of her Ninnie and Pa. Her Pa died when she was 6 and soon after that Ninnie was diagnosed with dementia and since then her condition has deteriorated quite severely. Emily would have so loved to show them where she living and what she is doing and introduce them to this incredible part of the world.

 

Big sky country (Emily McCullagh)

 

Old signs (Lorraine Kath)