Category: News

RURAL AID BUILDS ON 2020 WEBINAR SUCCESS

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Australia’s leading rural charity is helping strengthen country towns through another round of free Community Builders webinars.  

Off the back of last year’s popular sessions, this year’s series features more community leaders who’ve gone above and beyond to ensure their beloved town is put back on the map- for tourists and residents alike.  

The free webinars will run for eight weeks, under the theme ‘The Reinvention of Small Towns’. Norseman in Western Australia is the first town to be featured, starting off the series on February 11 at 4pm AEDT. 

Local leaders in in this town have worked hard to make sure their patch has a big impact on passers-by making a powerful and positive first impression on travellers. The communities have then transformed that awe and interest, into generous numbers of returned visitors.  

Hailing from the north of WA, Peter Fitchat CEO of The Shire of Dundas in the town of Norseman will kickstart the series, sharing his insights on being part of a community that punches above its weight. 

CEO of Rural Aid, John Warlters, said the webinars are an integral part of the Stronger Futures program. 

“Rural Aid is heavily invested in strengthening rural communities through the sharing of ideas and experience. Connecting locals with a dream, to those with the means, can result in the transformation of entire districts,” Mr Warlters said. 

Peter Kenyon from the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. fearlessly leads the webinars, freely sharing his immense knowledge on revitalizing regional centres. He’s urged anyone interested in breathing new life into their community to tune in. 

“Each webinar is bursting with insider knowledge. Experienced community leaders generously offer their success stories on how to turn a town around,” Mr Kenyon said.  

The series will feature towns who’ve used innovative methods to renew their community, such as: 

  • Positive First Impressions 
  • Indigenous Culture and Heritage 
  • Murals and Public Art 
  • Ignoring the Remote Label with Enterprise 
  • Local Power/Energy Initiatives 
  • Revitalisation of the Country Show 
  • Making the most of the assets in your town  
  • Entrepreneurial Value adding Local Agricultural Products 

To register for the webinars, visit https://my.demio.com/ref/RUGroFy8QM6JQC4d  

For more information, contact Rural Aid media on 0447 116 757 or media@ruralaid.org.au  

2021- Rural Aid’s year of renewal

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Australia’s best known rural charity, Rural Aid, has proclaimed 2021 as the “year of renewal”. 

Improving seasonal conditions across large parts of Australia have brought fresh hope for farmers, many of whom, are now experiencing their first year in recent memory without drought crippling their operations.  

CEO of Rural Aid, John Warlters, said it has been wonderful to see the transformation from debilitating drought to much of the country now resembling a sea of green. With it has come renewed hope for the year ahead. 

“For those farmers that have enjoyed a break in the season the focus is slowly switching from survival to recovery. The slow rebuild of herds and balance sheets is underway. It will take time and more than one good year but recovery and renewal are increasingly the focus,” Mr Warlters said. 

“For others who haven’t been as fortunate, especially in drought declared Queensland shires, we hope their break isn’t far away.” 

This year, Rural Aid will help lift spirits even higher, through its Our Towns community makeover projects, and via the continued financial and fodder assistance it provides to registered farmers and their families, and with a new round of the Community Builders program.  

The free Community Builders webinar series features community leaders who’ve cracked the code of reinventing their small town through a new attraction, bright idea, or maximizing an untapped resource. 

Mr Warlters said: “The weekly webinars are a must for anyone looking for the best way to catapult their country town into its next chapter.” 

Community Builders kicks off on February 11 featuring real-life stories of success from Norseman in Western Australia. 

The webinars are an integral part of the Stronger Futures program, which helps support and strengthen rural communities.  

More information can be found at www.ruralaid.org.au. 

Additional programs in Rural Aid’s Year of Renewal vision will be highlighted over coming weeks.  

For interviews or information, contact Rural Aid Media on 0447 116 757 | media@ruralaid.org.au 

NATIONAL CONCERT FOR FARMERS TOMORROW

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https://youtu.be/qLM9xLSxhBg

Rural Aid’s unofficial spokesperson, The Ringer, provides 4 key rules for dressing like a farmer.

One of Australia’s largest rural charities, Rural Aid, is asking all Australians to dress like a farmer for the national “Good Onya Mate” fundraising concert tomorrow night, 28 November.

Rural Aid’s unofficial spokesperson for the event, known as The Ringer, held a press conference today to advise Australians three key rules to dressing like farmers at their local Good Onya Mate gatherings. 

“Rules one: don’t chew straw, it’s not Little House on the Prairie,” The Ringer says from his paddock in central Queensland.

“Rule two: ya don’t have to listen to country music but it might pay to know who Slim, Lee and Kasey are.”

“Rule three: keep your belt buckle smaller than a dinner plate, unless you’ve won a national rodeo.”

“And finally, rule four: not every sentence has to end in ‘yee haa’.”

The charity encourages Australians to post a photo of their outfits with the hashtag #goodonyamate as a message of solidarity to farmers across the country.

CEO of Rural Aid John Warlters says the funds raised from the concert will go towards the charity’s new Stronger Futures program, dedicated to helping farmers develop strong and sustainable futures for their families and local communities.

“Drought, bushfire and flood are regular and devastating realities for Australian farmers. These challenges create financial, emotional and practical hurdles for this crucial sector of our community and economy; the people who put food on our tables and clothes on our back.”

“In addition, covid created new pressures for farmers. Domestic border closures impacted the supply chain for farmers, and international border closures impacted the workforce resulting in insufficient numbers of shearers and fruit pickers to handle farming responsibilities.”

“This concert will provide pivotal support to the farmers who feed our nation and the world,” Mr Warlters concluded.

To help Australians authentically dress like a farmer for the Good Onya Mate concert, Rural Aid has appointed The Ringer from Queensland to explain how it’s done. He held a press conference today on how to speak like a farmer.
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Official spokesperson, CEO John Warlters 0409618641
Unofficial spokesperson, The Ringer 0407652149
Media contact, Lyndsey Douglas 0424203935 media@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

Rural Aid to benefit from investment platform’s charity day

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Each year, nabtrade, an award-winning investment platform for online trading, cash and international trading donates a day’s brokerage to support an organisation that’s making a real difference in the community.

Rural Aid CEO John Walters says the rural charity organisation is delighted to announce it is the 2020 charity of choice for nabtrade’s charity trading day, which is today: 26 November 2020. 

80% of nabtrade’s brokerage will support Rural Aid’s Young Minds program, which helps improve mental wellness for rural youth. The remaining 20% will be donated to the ASX Refinitiv Charity Foundation which has partnered with ten Australian charities that provide support and financial assistance to children, disability and medical research.

Rural Aid was established in 2015 to provide holistic support to rural Australia, and is now one of the largest rural charities in the country.

“Our Young Minds program will launch in 2021 to increase mental wellness and education in rural areas by reducing the stigma amongst school age children. The program will include presentations, workbooks, journals, peer support and counselling for participating schools in selected regions of New South Wales and Queensland,” Mr Warlters explained. 

Last year, nabtrade supported the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners, in 2018 they partnered with the Alannah & Madeline Foundation whose mission was to protect children from violence, and the year prior The Luke Batty Foundation was the beneficiary of the initiative.

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Spokesperson: CEO John Warlters 0409618641
Media contact: Lyndsey Douglas 0424203935 media@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

Celebs film a shout out for farmers

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Rural Aid’s annual fundraising concert is 48 hours away, and a swathe of celebrities have been sending messages of solidarity, calling on Australians to get behind the event. 

CEO John Warlters said singers through to sporting stars have been voicing their support for the importance of farming and raising awareness for the challenges farmers face on the land. 

“It’s been quite humbling to see the reverence these leaders and populars personalities have for rural Australia. We hope the nation will get behind this great lineup of singers and musicians and help us raise funds for farmers in need and communities that deserve stronger futures,” Mr Warlters said.

“Everyone from Jimmy Barnes to Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Vera Blue, Kate Ceberano, Natalie Bassingthwiate, Dami Im, Casey Donovan, Isaiah Firebrace, Chris Sebastian and many more have been so passionate about supporting farmers after a year of floods, bushfires and devastating ongoing drought,” Mr Warlters said.

Australian professional beach volleyball player and Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook OAM sent a video to all Australians this week.

“Farmers and those on the land who grow our food have had to deal with fire, drought, flood over the past few years, and of course now covid 19. And whilst they’ve battled to stay the course to get food to our plates, it’s been tough… I invite you to join me in supporting Rural Aid and our farmers so we can keep getting food to our plates,” she said.

Former Wallaby Tim Horan sent a message of support saying, “As we all know many of the farmers and families in rural and regional Australia who grow our food have endured some pretty tough times with drought and more recently Covid. Rural Aid will be raising funds with their concert and all funds raised on this national television event will go towards assisting our farmers into the future…”.

Channel Nine’s Allison Langon, who will host the concert, shared her experiences as a child on the land.

“I grew up on a farm and I know the feeling when the dams are empty and paddocks are brown, that’s why Rural Aid is there. I mean, last year $28 million is what they spent helping farmers… and more than 15,000 of them. Whether farmers need counselling, water, hay, whatever farmers need they’re there. And they need your support,” she said.

The concert airs 7.30pm Saturday night on Channel Nine. You can donate at goodonyamate.org.au
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