Three years ago Maggie MacKellar, daughter of a former Federal Cabinet Minister, was living on the family farm in NSW trying to reassemble the pieces of her life.

A writer and Sydney Uni academic, Ms MacKellar was left widowed and pregnant in particularly harrowing circumstances. She seemed resolved to raise her daughter and son alone, on her own terms in the country.

When her story was aired on Australian Story in February 2011, it drew a big viewer response. Among the emails was a message from a stranger – a divorced 49 year old sheep farmer in Tasmania.

What happened next was as unexpected as it was heart warming...