Rhiley Murphy
- Amanda Egan, 43, Pakenham, Vic and her family are on a mission to help kids going through a tough time
- Together with her husband Chris she runs, Karinya Farm, a sanctuary in nature for neurodivergent and at-risk kids and youth
- She is thrilled to help so many young people after suffering from childhood trauma herself
Here Amanda shares her story in her own words.
‘Here you go, girl,’ I said to the beautiful white horse as I gently patted her.
It was the beginning of 2022, and I was on my farm where I worked as an equine behaviourist.
For the past four years I’d trained horses and helped their owners to understand their animals’ body language.
Later that day, I was chatting with my work mate, Bec, when she made a suggestion – ‘You’re so good with horses, and I know you’d be able to help troubled children too.’
I’d experienced my own trauma as a kid, which I’d confided in Bec about, and I was passionate about helping others.
It sounded like a great idea and, the more I thought about it, the more excited I got.
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Back at home that night, I told my husband, Chris, then 38, about my vision – a sanctuary in nature for neurodivergent and at-risk kids and youth.
‘You’d be great, love,’ he encouraged.
So after doing some research, I decided to take the plunge and go for it.
I began re-training as a counsellor and found a bigger farm to rent, where I’d run the unique sessions. It would also be our new home.
‘We’re moving!’ I told the kids, Ethan, then 18, Dylan, 14, Kaeleb, 11, and Riley, eight.
The boys were super excited about our plans.
By May we had officially moved in.
I wanted to incorporate animal counselling into the sessions.
From working with horses I knew their healing powers, so decided to rescue animals from neglected backgrounds.
‘We’ve got some rescue horses, male sheep and baby calves,’ I grinned at Chris, when our new residents arrived.
‘Great, darl,’ he beamed.
After passing all of the relevant checks, by the beginning of 2023, I started counselling kids at the farm under the supervision of a qualified counsellor.
They’d all experienced different troubles, ranging from domestic violence to sexual abuse and neglect.
My approach was totally different from a clinical counselling setting, which can sometimes be unrelatable for kids.
I’d get them to play with the sheep or brush a pony, while telling the children about the trauma or neglect that the animals had been through.
It led to the kids opening up to me about their own difficulties and trauma.
As one girl stroked a guinea pig, she felt calmer and was able to open up to me about what was happening at home.
‘You can talk about anything here and leave it at the farm. You don’t need to take it with you,’ I’d tell the children.
As the months went on, we started helping out more local kids. There was a whole heap of different issues they’d faced, including bullying, suicide, and drug addiction.
It was heartbreaking to hear what these children had been through, but seeing their mental health slowly improve was so rewarding.
Chris worked as a construction manager, but having had all of his safety checks too, on weekends he’d also help out.
A lot of the kids didn’t have a male role model, so he took that on, teaching them how to ride a bike or deal with their emotions.
We also ran cooking classes, teaching them how to make yummy dishes such as pizza, cakes and pumpkin risotto.
Chris loved it so much that he started studying for a diploma in counselling.
It was incredible how the combination of nature, animals and learning made a real difference to kids.
‘It’s okay to feel how you’re feeling, but it doesn’t define who you are,’ I’d tell a child as they confided in me about their past trauma.
I balanced my horse job with the farm counselling, but in July 2023 I shattered my wrist at work.
The injury meant I could no longer work with horses, so I quit and threw my all into the farm.
I was thrilled when I became a qualified counsellor in January 2024.
Chris and the boys had fallen in love with our new life as much as I had.
And in June 2024, we relocated to a bigger place, Karinya Farm – a beautiful 30-acre property in Pakenham South, Vic.
‘This is perfect,’ I beamed.
By August, Chris had got his diploma and quit his job to join me full-time.
As more kids came through our doors, we encountered heaps of tough things they’d been through.
I found it particularly hard to hear about vulnerable girls who were being taken advantage of by older men online.
I helped them with their self-esteem, encouraging them to set boundaries.
‘There’s no prince on a white horse coming to rescue you. You’ve got to get your own white horse,’ I’d tell them.
I’m determined to keep helping as many kids as possible.
Our farm truly helps to heal hearts.
This year we launched NextGen Youth Seminars, where Chris and I go into schools to help empower the next generation.
Ethan, now 22, has moved away but often pops by for a visit.
Our other lovely boys, Dylan, 17, Kaeleb, 15, and Riley, 11, are all vital to our work.
They play basketball with the kids, and Dylan is currently working on a community certificate so he can help out with cooking classes and bike riding as well.
‘I’m going to be a counsellor like you,’ Riley says to me.
I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved and can’t wait to see where our mission takes us next.
