Biography
Christine Smith started Midwest Optimal Health in 2010 at Geraldton, while she and her husband Kingsley were having a break from farming and recovering and building her health after 2 years of breast cancer treatment. She provides a service called NeurOptimal Neurofeedback which balances the central nervous system for improved human health, both physically and mentally. During her cancer treatment in Perth, Christine was supported by her brother, psychologist, John Thompson, who provided this service and in turn trained Christine to become a qualified provider.
A light bulb moment occurred for Christine when she attended a seminar at Dowerin in 2014, hosted by NutriSoil with Dr Maartin Stapper explaining biological farming systems, soil health and plant intelligence. This started her journey into exploring a pathway into sustainable and safe practises for their family farm. It was also where she met Rachelle and Justin Armstrong, formerly of NutriSoil and co-founders of Soil Restoration Farming.
Christine is now a member of the Soil Restoration Farming Coaching Community and is enjoying the support and learning curve to assist interested farmers in exploring whether they would like to change directions with their farming systems.
Christine grew up on the family farm at Wandering and loved following her father around the farm as he created stories of nature and animal behaviour. After finishing school Christine worked for the Pingelly Shire Council for 2 years before moving to Moora with employment at the Dalgety Agency. Her family had pioneered a seed cleaning business called Moora Seed Works to provide a service for the farmers developing new country in the region and establishing pastures. It was here Christine met Kingsley Smith and with support from Kingsley’s family, they had the opportunity to branch out farming a new land block at Dandaragan in 1978 where they still live today.
After surviving breast cancer in 2008, it left Christine questioning the agricultural pathway they had been following. She remembered, as a small child, asking her father why he had sold his farm in 1950 in the Riverina area of New South Wales and moved to Wandering in Western Australia away from family and friends. His reply, “To get away from floods, droughts, dust storms and plagues of mice and locusts.”
With the clearing of the landscape and conventional farming systems here in WA, history was starting to repeat itself with the above events her father had left behind in NSW. As a keen gardener, Christine has completed a number of horticultural courses and a series of permaculture workshops which she applied to her garden and she would wonder how these principals could be applied large scale to their farming operation.
Christine now spends the bulk of her time assisting the transition of their farm to biological farming practices and still provides neurofeedback training from rooms at the back of the St Anne’s church at Dandaragan.