Drought Angel Finds Love In The Big Dry

Nicki spreads goodwill and cheer to struggling farmers, but she never expected to land a partner on one of her mercy missions

- Jenny Brown

Love was the last thing Nicki Blackwell expected to find in the drought-stricken outback as she delivered Christmas cheer to battling farm families.

But Santa had a big surprise in store for the tomboy charity worker when she broke her dusty 1000km round trip at a welcoming pub in the back blocks of Queensland.

Her surf’n’turf was excellent, but even better was her chat with Paul Neilsen, landlord of Winton’s landmark Tattersalls Hotel. Paul persuaded her to linger in town and have dinner with him the following night.

“It was almost love at first sight, we got on that well,” says Nicki, 41, co-founder of the Chinchilla-based Drought Angels farm relief charity.

“We just clicked from the moment we met. I don’t know what it was but we talked and talked, and the rest is history.”