When the Shoalhaven River broke its banks at Nowra in the 1974 floods, a young Fiona Phillips was only four years old.
It is one of her earliest childhood memories of growing up on a dairy farm at Terara on the NSW South Coast.
And an early lesson in resilience.
Fiona's family, except for her father and brother, were evacuated in the back of a large truck and taken to higher ground. They were given overnight accommodation and sandwiches for dinner.
At the time, the NSW MP confessed, she thought it was one big adventure.
Moments like these brought into stark reality the fickle nature of farming, having to take the good with the bad, and the importance of hard work.
It was also the beginning of Fiona's enduring passion for helping farmers and the people that rely on the land.
"I remember once my father was pretty distressed in the middle of the night saying he wanted to sell the farm as things were tough," she said.
"As a teenager, that left a big imprint on me. I decided I wanted to help people like Mum and Dad one day."
A 'simple life' growing up on the dairy
Fiona's parents, Richard and Evon Boyd (nee Strong) grew up on dairy farms at Terara and Jaspers Brush, NSW, with dairy farming origins dating back to 1856 at Broughton Vale, near Berry, NSW.
She was the youngest of four siblings and the only girl.
"Dad used to drive around the farming community and stop and talk to everyone," she said.
"As a young girl, I found it a bit frustrating because it took so long to get anywhere, but as an adult, I can see he cared deeply for people and his community.
"As an MP, I find myself doing what Dad did. Listening to constituents, mobile offices, and just being on the ground is key to learning what's happening and how you can help people and make a difference."
As well as the trials and tribulations, Fiona remembers fondly her childhood growing up on a dairy.
"Dad worked pretty much all of the time," she said.
"Luckily, I got to experience that too, often going out late at night to change the irrigator or to help a cow calving.
"My grandparents lived at one end of the farm, and I often stayed with them during the school holidays.
"Nan and pop had a large orchard, chooks, and vegetable garden. They had a cupboard full of preserved fruit. Nan made her bread, butter, etc.; of course, there was always fresh milk from the farm.
"They would set the table the night before for breakfast - I felt full just thinking about it. Looking back, it was the best and freshest food you could find."
Life was relatively simple by today's standards.
As with large families, hand-me-down clothes were the norm, which Fiona loved receiving. However, her mum would sew her a dress or an outfit for special occasions.
Likewise, their food was simple - and farm fresh.
"We always seemed to have a large sack of potatoes, vegetables from local market gardeners, and a deep freezer full of meat (sausages and mince, some steak)," Fiona said.
"Coming home from school was a family affair packing the meat into the freezer.
"Mum and Dad also owned a piggery, Dana Farm at Terara, with 1000 pigs, silos, milling feed, and the most interesting building, where years ago, local barn dances were held upstairs.
"We lived on meat and three veg. Sometimes the simple things in life are the best."
The makings of a politician
As with many public figures, Fiona finds people hold general misconceptions about her.
"Some people underestimate me - mostly my political opponents," she said.
"Perhaps they think I don't have a lot of experience. However, nothing could be further from the truth."
Fiona attended the nearby Terara Public School and Nowra High School before embarking on her tertiary education at the University of Newcastle, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Economics.
"My mum was a stickler for a good public education, which I never really understood why until I was older," Fiona said.
"Mum trained at TAFE in dressmaking and millinery. She worked in a local shop but was put off when she was married.
"She wanted all her children to have a good education and work opportunities regardless of their circumstances.
"I'm particularly proud that I went to a small public primary school as I want to show young people that they can achieve whatever they want to do."
They should never underestimate the will and determination of a country girl.
- Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips
As a mature-aged student with four young children (four children in five years) and while working as the business operations manager/strategic workforce planner for the Navy Aviation Systems Program Office at HMAS Albatross, a then 39-year-old Fiona completed a Masters of Business through the Australian Defence Force Academy/University of NSW.
Fiona was also a TAFE teacher for more than a decade working in outreach and pre-vocational programs, particularly helping women and young people along a pathway to further training and employment.
During this time, she saw people's struggles and wanted to help them; again, it fed her desire to enter politics.
Her advice to young people contemplating a career in politics is to do the same.
"Get life experience away from politics first," she said.
"Always enjoy what you do, as our parliament should consist of MPs with diverse experience. There is no set path into politics.
"My dad said he didn't know how people went into politics without life experience.
"He's not alive now, but I think he'd be pretty happy that I waited until I had life experience."
Entering the political scene
During the 2016 federal election, Fiona stood as Labor's candidate for Gilmore, a seat nobody expected her to win; she missed out by 1503 votes.
However, she claimed victory in 2019, winning the seat by 5627 votes and, in doing so, secured the seat for Labor for the first time in 23 years.
And in May 2022, she retained the seat by the narrowest margin of 373 votes.
"Both in 2019 and 2022, the Liberal Party threw their captain's picks of high-profile candidates at me," she said.
"But they should never underestimate the will and determination of a country girl."
Since her election, Fiona has led her community through one disaster after another - drought, the Black Summer Bushfires, multiple disaster declared floods, and the pandemic, followed by more floods.
"While it has been a horrific time for individuals, families, businesses, farmers and organisations, on the flip-side was the opportunity to help so many people," she said.
"They might not be the stories you hear in the news, but they make a real difference in people's lives.
"Seeing so much pain also brought an opportunity to identify and facilitate disaster preparedness projects which will leave a lasting legacy for our communities."
These include initiatives such as the Eurobodalla Emergency Management Centre and the construction of fireproof power poles for the Mount Wanderer Transmission Station.
Fiona believes this term will be very different for the Gilmore electorate led by an incumbent Labor government.
"Already, we have seen great change for the better on both the national and international stage," she said.
"Rebuilding relationships, a positive tone in leadership and tackling significant issues such as the rising cost of living and climate change are critical.
"I am looking forward to parliament returning, where a much more diverse parliament will better reflect our society - it really will be historic."
One of the most significant community issues Fiona wants to tackle is the housing affordability crisis, which is being felt nationwide as households come under increasing financial pressure.
"I want our young people and people of all ages to be able to live locally," she said.
Fiona also wants improved access to general practitioners and health services in rural regions.
"If you don't have your health, it's hard to live a quality life. My parents have taught me that," she said.
"There's a lot to do in this space."
Fiona says while she never thought women were treated differently by the media, experience has altered her perspective, which was particularly evident to her during the 2016 federal election.
"Media reported on the electoral margin in Gilmore at five points something, which was completely incorrect," she said.
"The seat had a margin of 2.6 and was marginal and winnable.
"As a result, there wasn't a focus on Gilmore until there was no result on election night, and then the rest of the country was suddenly very interested in Gilmore, which became ultra-marginal."
Fast forward to 2019, when Fiona was up against Liberal candidate Anthony Mundine and The Nat's Katrina Hodkinson, and all eyes were on Gilmore.
Fiona said, "nobody got the margin wrong" then.
"All the national focus was on the high-profile candidates," she said.
"As frustrating as that was, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to do what I had been doing all along, supporting local people and organisations, something that could not be easily captured in the national media."
Fiona believes women in politics have to work far harder to get results.
"Unconsciously, women are still treated differently - there's definitely room for improvement there," she said.
"I am fortunate to have many wonderful female caucus role models.
"There's so much talent and diversity - both female and male- and there's no shortage of role models I can turn to for inspiration."
A mother, wife and MP
Fiona has been married to her husband, Glenn, for 25 years.
They met at high school, just as her parents did.
It is a busy home, with three of their children still living there.
Henry, 23, is in the army and lives away. Sophie, 21, is at university working towards a career in clinical psychologist and works on the same dairy farm Fiona grew up on, which her brother now operates.
Bart, 20, works in construction and maintenance locally, and Hugh, 17, is in year 12 at Nowra High School and also works on the family dairy farm.
"I've been really lucky that all four children have been able to work on the dairy farm from a young age," Fiona said.
"I think it has taught them a lot. It certainly gives an appreciation for working outside and importantly knowing where milk and food come from."
The family lives at Callala Beach, only about 15 minutes from where Fiona grew up and is rounded out by the family dog, Milli, a German Wirehaired Pointer, who's grown up with the children over the past 11 years, and Kelpie pup, Jip.
Jip joined the clan while Henry worked on a South Australian sheep station. Jip plied his trade on sheep. However, now he goes to work with Sophie on the dairy, so he's proven his versatility by switching to working dairy calves.
Glenn is a carpenter and runs his own business; Fiona refers to him as her "human political barometer".
"On the rare occasion he arks up about something political, I know it must be a hot-button issue," she said.
"He's always busy with work, and I'm usually doing his accounts on Sunday nights.
"People ask me how we manage everything, but we just do. We're a pretty average family.
"The washing is a nightmare - everyone now just does their own. Pairs of socks are hard to find."
Like all parents, Fiona understands the battle for children to achieve life balance against the backdrop of an increasingly digital world.
"I think one of the hardest challenges as a parent has been the increase in technology and the potential impact on children," she said.
"I'm lucky my kids are out working a lot or busy, but spending too much time on technology is a real challenge for parents today.
"While social media is an important aspect of my job, as a parent, I do worry for my children.
"I find it's my daughter giving me sound advice on how to respond, and she has taught me a lot.
"I have a rule on social media - if your daughter or granddaughter were reading your comments in the future, would they be proud of what you said? If not, don't say it. That's the rule I live by.
"I haven't learnt that overnight, but over the years. I aim to be a good role model, not only for my children but for people across the electorate."
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