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Star attraction Dave was just like a "Big Brother"
18 April 2007 Goondiwindi Argus
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BIG Brother celebrity and Dancing with the Stars contestant David Graham was one of the big attractions at this year's Goondiwindi Picnic Races. The Moonie farmer who "outed" himself on the national television program Big Brother last year was a special guest and was swamped by fans throughout the day, and night. "There's only one thing better than the Goondiwindi Picnics," he said during the judging of the Fashion-of-the Fields and that's the annual Moonie Yabbie Races which uses the event as a community charity fundraiser. The Picnics attracted more than 1850 race-goers, 250 more than last year's previous record. It had organisers sipping champagne long into the night. Goondiwindi Picnic Race Club President John Woods said the crowds came early and stayed until late with everyone having a sensational time. "The Picnic Races keeps getting bigger and better each year. We had 250 more people than last years record crowd, with visitors coming from throughout Queensland and interstate," he said. At one stage bar staff estimated patrons were consuming at least two cartons of Gold beer every 10 minutes. |
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 Dancing with the Stars celebrity and Moonie farmer David Graham with the girl in red (And yellow). Pictured from left are Emma Lloyd and Carly Hicks.
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And then there was the champagne, the Vodka Cuisers and other spirits.
Despite the festivities no-one was picked up for drink-driving after the event.
However, commonsense had worn off by Sunday night when Police charged a number of drink-drivers, one of them twice.
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OK Magazine Spread 11 - June 2007 - See below for text version
FAMOUS FARMER DAVID TALKS TO OK! ABOUT THEHARSH REALITY OF DROUGHT AND LOOKING FOR LOVE...
Welcome to Moonie ? a small town an hour's drive north of Goondiwindi, Queensland.
Drought stricken, the land around here is parched, animals have no food, and dingoes and foxes have come from their usual haunts to the farms, where they eat the starving sheep. Farmers are forced to spend thousands of dollars to bring hay and food in for their stock, animals are dying, crops are failing and people are struggling to stay on their properties. As you drive down the highway, the land stretches out on both sides for miles and miles, each mile as dusty and lifeless as the next. The drought is devastating here, as it is elsewhere, and for David Graham, the former Big Brother housemate and Dancing with the Stars contestant, it's destroying his livelihood and breaking his heart. David's a Moonie boy through and through, and his parents, Lucille and Max, have a huge homestead here. David's passionate about his property and his animals, and while many of us consider him a local celeb after watching him 'come out' on national TV and dance his way into our hearts on Dancing with the Stares, he is a farmer first. In fact, the reason David appeared on Dancing was so he could make enough money to feed his sheep and help rural communities survive. Now he's been forced to leave the farm he loves so much and move to the city, to make some money that he will again send home to support his animals. So, what's next for `Farmer Dave'? OK! went to find
People may have thought you were just another Big Brother hopeful wanting fame, but farming is really where your heart is, isn't it?
I went on Big Brother just to raise awareness that there were gay people in the country. I wasn't 'out' to my dad, I had hardly been open with my family and I was not 'out' in the community. And it worked. I think you can use reality TV to raise awareness and to do good. You don't have to just do it to get a new career or a car or anything. You can use your profile to do good, so why squander it to get a free drink or a shag or whatever?
That was the best thing about Dancing with the Stars ? when I got eliminated I managed to get the message out that [the drought has affected us badly], and it will affect you soon...
It must be heartbreaking to see the land like this, and your animals dying...
Yeah, and there is a misconception ? people see and think we don't think of them with affection, but each animal is just as precious as our dog or our best mate. One dies and you put on a brave face, but it touches you as much as if your dog dies.
So when you're sifting out on your veranda are you thinking about what on earth you can do?
Definitely, right up to when I fall asleep, it's what the hell am I going to do tomorrow, next week - if it doesn't rain in the next month, next six months ? what am I going to do with my stock? I think about keeping them alive and financially being able to keep the farm going. It's ongoing, but if you get depressed about it you'll be done. And it will rain. It will rain!
So after Big Brother you were back here dealing with the drought...
Yeah. When I went [on] Big Brother I'd just got myself really heavily into debt to start farming. I'd saved up for 10 years to take on the lease and buy all the sheep and the grain and the whole time I was in there it was getting worse. All I was thinking was, 'I want to go home and farm!' It felt wrong that I was living this rock star life when I should have been at home worrying about my sheep and whether they had feed.
And then after that you got offered Dancing with the Stars?
Well yes, then the drought continued on and week ? if it doesn't rain on and it got to a point where I couldn't get a loan or borrow more money from my family ? and I couldn't get any government assistance because I hadn't been farming for more than two years. The only option then was to ask people to sponsor my sheep and I got thousands of letters and was able to buy hay and it helped in raising awareness of the drought itself. Then that came to an end and then Dancing came along ? it was great timing!
It was one opportunity after another...
Exactly! I'm so extraordinarily fortunate that opportunities keep being thrown my way.
I seem to be one of those lucky people who when I trip over I'm not falling in mud!
And now you're back on the farm - but you're going to have to leave for a while, aren't you?
Yeah. That is something I'm not alone in ? [other farmers also have] to make this decision. And because we're so far from town I can't just go and get a job in there. Most people my age who are farming have gone to get jobs in the mines and that is how they're supporting their farm and buying feed for their stock.
Have you had any negative feedback from farmers for speaking out about how bad it is out here?
Yeah, I have. So many people have said, 'What is this guy doing?' There is such a pride thing within the community ? this is the traditional culture of Australia, whereby you don't ask for a hand. This country was built on people who came here because they didn't want a hand out, they wanted to start a new life. And 200 years later it's still ingrained in people. They're totally self-resourceful. Even myself - I didn't want photos taken of skinny stock until now, because it's got to a point where people need to know what is going on. There's just that thing within rural people that it's our problem and we've got to put food on the table for the country. It's one of those weird things about country people: when things are good we're all smiling, when things are bad we're all smiling. You know? We're all having a joke even about a terrible situation. But the stars are terrible - every four days a farmer commits suicide. Farmers are the last people to ask for help
But you're doing what you can to help, through drought relief and speaking out about gay issues...
The pain that we all go through, with others and it doesn't matter if you're a drought stricken farmer or a self-hating gay person, you can get through things by hearing other people's stories and that's what I'm trying to do, to create an openness. The really sad thing about our culture is that we're told we don't talk; we don't share stories, especially men... especially rural men.
And in between all of this, do you have anyone special at the moment to share your life with?
No, the tragedy of being someone who is committed to what you're doing is that you don't have time for a personal life. Out here, obviously, there is no chance of meeting anyone and then when I was on Dancing with the Stars, despite what Todd said, I was giving my all to the show and didn't have a chance to meet anyone then either. I hope it happens again. My dream is to live on a farm with a husband and live happily ever after, but you can't hurry it. You've just got to trust - it will happen when it happens.
INTERVIEW BY CLAIRE ISAAC
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRAD GERHARD