In February 2020, just when farmers thought things couldn't possibly get any worse; that the livestock wouldn't survive another day and that it would never rain again – the storm clouds loomed, and the rain belted down after the long years of drought-stricken grief.

This is the message that the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program want to shell out in their forthcoming book 'My Drought Story;' that there always is a light at the end of every tunnel – no matter how dark and gloomy.

The 'My Drought Story' Book is currently open for submissions, and the team are inviting anyone who has a story to tell to submit their photos and examples of how they coped during the tumultuous time.

"We want to hear not just from primary producers but also from the local business owners that had to shut their business down, or the local family that had to bring their kids home from boarding school. Maybe you had to pull out of Uni because you had to work or you were a contractor who lost their job; anyone that was impacted by drought has a relevant story to tell," said Project Lead, Kate Arndell.

"People are humble so they say 'oh well my stories are no more interesting than anyone else's,' but every story during that time was amazing in its own right," she said.

The team currently have over 50 entries that showcase the strength and resilience of rural communities, but they're looking for more.

"The disbelief that things could get so bad was a common thread that we've been finding in the stories, but the turnaround of that proves that things do always change and that there is always a way out of bad situations," said Kate, "which is exactly what we're looking for in these submissions."

Jason Owen on his trip through Central QLD during 2019

Jason Owen's story was a perfect example of the positives that can be created from a negative situation. In 2019, he and his wife were travelling through central Queensland where they had the opportunity to stop along the road and speak with droving families who had been on the road for months.

"To see the livestock in paddocks with no feed and no water was awful but add the starving wildlife and road that was carpeted in dead roos for miles and miles was just horrific," said Jason.

"When we got home, we knew we had to do something to help the farming families out," he said.

That was the birth of his charity 'Doin it for Rural Aussie Kids,' a charity that has so far assisted over 1600 children and families in the past three years with Christmas gifts and motivational talks in small rural schools.

Just one of the horrific scenes captured during the 2019 drought by Jason Owen as part of his submission towards the 'My Drought Story Book.

Kate says that stories like Jason's show the true spirit of country people and have the capacity to inspire hope in others.

"Short stories or paragraphs accompanied by photos showing the 'before' and 'after' effects of drought will help showcase the resilience of rural communities and their families," said Kate

Submissions for the My Drought Story book will close on the 18th of September, and $50 Thomas Cook gift vouchers are up for grabs for the best entries each week.

Those wishing to share their experience for the My Drought Story project, can do so via the project website.