Brad Crane knew from the first moment he met Stacie Marmion that she was The One.
“I remember telling the producer, “I am going to marry that girl”, and he turned and said, “Not yet, we have another 10 shows to go first,” Brad says, laughing.
The couple, who met more than a decade ago, on the 2009 season of Farmer Wants A Wife, fell for each other within moments of meeting – and even moved in together while the series was still being filmed.
At the time Brad, 40, had been living in Lithgow, NSW with his parents, while Stacie, 37, was from nearby Bathurst.
When the show finished, the couple married and went on an 18,000km trip around Australia in 18 weeks, town-hunting as they went.
They fell in love with and bought a property, the 485-hectare Iona Downs near Gunnedah the following year.
Three gorgeous girls followed – Darcie, now aged six, Bobbie, four, and Frankie, two.
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Counting on each other in times of drought.
(Source: Bauer Syndication)Hard times ahead
And then so did the drought.
Like so many farmers, the couple has been hit hard and the past three years have been the worst of the lot.
At a property that usually sucks up 600mm of rain every year, the gauges have only recorded 190mm this year.
They were still hand feeding their cattle until March, when they sold the remaining short horns, despite doing everything in their power to hold on.
“We might get a shower but the cattle were weak – they would drop to the ground and you couldn’t get them up,” Brad says, who heartbreakingly had to put down a lot of his livestock.
“I honestly think I put down 40 cattle. They could have been worth $1500 each. That’s $60,000.
“One day I realised, “You have three cracking looking daughters and a gorgeous wife, it should not be this stressful. It was getting too stressful.”
The family are looking forward to watching the new series of Farmer Wants a Wife.
(Source: Bauer Syndication)Adds Stacie, “Our farm is basically sitting there, blowing away in the wind, and there is not much we can do about it.’
“I think we both sort of knew [it was time to sell the remaining cattle]. Brad is much more of an optimist than I am – I am a realist.
“Brad always thinks the best of every situation, which is a wonderful way to be. But I had to bring him back to reality. The mental drain, not just the physical drain, every time Brad had to go out to the paddock was too much.”
But the couple refuse to whinge. Far from it.
Instead, knowing rough days could be ahead, they decided to diversify.
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Using Brad’s handiwork skills, including his trade as an electrician, they kicked off a business a few years ago that does everything from farm work to building children’s playgrounds for councils.
They now have six full-time employees as well as Brad.
“When you sit down and think about it, we are supporting six other families,” says Brad.
“It’s a big job.”
But it is one they love. And it’s one that has allowed them to stay on the land, something they both treasure.
In fact, Stacie says the move away from both their families has only made their bond even stronger.
“We may not still be together if we stayed,” she says. “We do it all alone here and that made us pull together.”
Doing it for the kids
Doting mum Stacie says the kids have turned her into a “big wuss.”
(Source: Bauer Syndication)And as the kids continue to grow, they continue to inspire the couple to keep going.
Stacie says the overwhelming drive is to give them as good a life as they can.
Parenthood has certainly changed the couple. “I am such a big wuss now,” says Stacie.
“I used to think I was quite tough, but they only have to look at me and smile and I burst into tears – I cry at the drop of a hat.”
Brad adds, “We idolise our kids. They are the reason you keep doing everything you do. And I don’t think Bobbie will marry anyone – she can be a bit of hard work like her mother, so we need to keep the farm so she can take it over.”
The couple’s daughters, Bobbie, Frankie and Darcie.
(Source: Bauer Syndication)You can hear the love in their voices, as they giggle to themselves.
Brad has kept that country drawl and dry wit.
As for keeping their romance alive after 10 years, Stacie jokes that date nights are pretty much non-existent.
“Date night. What’s that?,” Stacie chortles through a big belly laugh.
“With three kids, it is more like date afternoon. And it’s spent driving around the paddock, looking for koalas, drinking beer and following the kids around
on their quad bikes.”
TV Flashback
Love at first sight. They moved in together while the show was being filmed.
(Source: Supplied)“We are happiest just enjoying each other’s company. Stacie is my best mate,” says Brad.
Stacie cheekily adds of their romance, “Sometimes we go to bed together and wake up and there are one, two or even three kids in bed with us, but it might spark up again.”
Their eldest, Darcie, has already sat down and watched their TV show.
Stacie says she even cried when she saw her father on the screen for the first time, “although she did say they were happy tears”.
“She asked us one day, just randomly, how we met. She also asked about where babies came from but we ignored that,” says Stacie.
“She loves The Bachelor, so I just said Mummy and Daddy met on a show like The Bachelor, although not as tacky.
“I got the old episodes out and we watched the whole thing together. She loved it.
“I am sure the questions will come from the other two soon too.”
“We are happiest just enjoying each other’s company. Stacie is my best mate.”
(Source: Supplied)As for the show’s reboot, Stacie says the whole family will watch it.
“We are reality TV suckers, we love it. We watch them all. So we will definitely be watching this series,” she says.
“And the kids have grown up watching reality TV, so I am sure they will love it, too.”
Reflecting on her time on Farmer Wants A Wife, Stacie says in comparison to the current reality romance series, they were lucky.
“I think that was the great thing about Farmer Wants A Wife, it was actually real.”
And reality TV means fame of some description. The Cranes say they used to be recognised often, although it has waned over the years.
“I remember this big Kiwi fella when we first travelled around Australia just ran up to us, yelled, “You guys are Brad and Stacie. I loved you guys” and then picked us both up. He was massive, lucky he liked us,” says Brad.
They didn’t feel any added pressure because their relationship began so publicly though, but there are some small regrets.
Words of advice
“All I would say is be yourself and don’t be afraid to fall in love.”
(Source:supplied)“Sometimes I wish we just met in the pub,” Stacie giggles. “It would be much easier these days.”
And as for any advice for the new stars of the show, Brad says, “All I would say is be yourself and don’t be afraid to fall in love.”
He adds, “What Stacie and I have achieved in the last 10 years makes me so excited to see what will happen in the next 10.”
To make a donation to help drought-stricken farming families, visit cwaofnsw.org.au,qcwa.org.au or cwaofvic.org.au
