On a recent trip out to my old home town of Nyngan in the Bogan Shire in outback NSW to bury Chris 'Fox' Elder, one of the towns true legends, I took the opportunity to head back out to a neighbours property and spend a couple of days with the mob I grew up with as they battle what is shaping up to be one of the nastiest droughts the region has seen. It's good to catch up with old friends and re-live old times, the lessons learnt and long since forgotten.

The creek which ran through the property I grew up on in the fifty years since the Burrendong Dam was built hadn't gone dry, is now dry. Kangaroos and emus and other native animals are also feeling the effects of the drought. With the roos too poor to be bothered to hop away and the emus simply perishing. For our farmers it is a constant battle to keep livestock fed.

No-one leaves the house without closing the doors and windows as duststorms are now an almost weekly occurrence and coming home to a house full of dust isn't fun cause who in their right mind likes cleaning. As one farmer said, 'we should be sponsored by a vaccum company - we're putting their product to the test daily and some have been found wanting!

Tom grew up on a farm in far western NSW and knew at a young age his shooting was best done with a camera. With a journalism, media adviser, CEO and now  with his new job working on a plan to release the carp herpes virus into Australia's waterways, photography is part of Tom's everyday work. Outside Australia's capital cities is where Tom does most of his shooting and wandering around regional and rural Australia is home to his 'happy place'. Tom usually has a camera on him and can be followed via Twitter @tomchesson01