Category: News

COULD COVID BE MAKING RURAL TOWNS BETTER FOR WOMEN

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Announced on International Rural Women’s Day (15 Oct 2020), two female leaders will be the final guests of the year on Rural Aid’s popular Community Builders webinar series

After 18 episodes Rural Aid’s popular Community Builders free and live webinar series, launched during the early weeks of covid lockdown, the final discussion in 2020 will feature two leading women and their views on the opportunities for rural women in the face of covid. 

The episode will air 4pm-5pm AEDT on Thursday 15 October.

This episode discusses how small towns and rural communities can best support and attract women.

CEO of Rural Aid, John Warlters, said he was pleased to announce two rural female leaders as the key speakers on this last episode on International Rural Women’s Day. 

“From the tiny town of The Rock, Jo Palmer has reshaped the way businesses think about, access and succeed with remote staff, particularly women on the land with families.  Jo is motivated by the social and economic benefits that remote work provides for rural Australia. She believes that your location, gender, physical ability or ethnicity should not determine the work you do,” Mr Warlters said.

Jo’s recognition includes 2019 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award National winner, 2018 Crow Awards Startup Superstar and Young Entrepreneur Awards, 2017 Soar Awards Regional Contribution winner and 2017 Finalist in the Regional Australia Institute’s Lightbulb Moments and Regional Online Heroes. 

“Kendall Galbraith heads up an organisation with 265,000 rural women as members. Living in the Margaret River in Western Australia, her work involves ensuring rural, regional and remote women are in a position to contribute to the economic and social well-being of their communities,” Mr Warlters said.

Kendall has published articles with the Australian Institute for International Affairs but these days her writing and research focuses on gender equality within the Australian context.

“Her own personal journey as a professional based in regional WA is a story of the potential that exists in our communities,” Mr Warlters said.

“We welcome anyone with a passion for small towns and rural communities to attend.”

To register to attend the Community Builders Series, visit: ruralaid.org.au/towns/webinars

The series has been sponsored by Bushells.

Week 4’s episode is held on 22 October at 4pm-5pm AEDT on the topic of attracting and supporting women in small towns.

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About Rural Aid

Rural Aid is one of Australia’s largest rural charities. Well known for the highly successful ‘Buy a Bale’ campaign, the charity also provides financial assistance, water and counselling to farmers in times of drought, flood or fire. Other initiatives support its vision that farming and rural communities are safeguarded to ensure their sustainability both during and after these natural disasters. Visit www.ruralaid.org.au for further information on these programs and other support for our rural communities.

Media: 0424 203 935 or 07 31534654 | media@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

Spokesperson: Rural Aid CEO John Warlters | 0409 618 641


Follow Rural Aid for updates on:

Rural Aid – FB: @ruralaidaustralia | IG: @ruralaid |IN: Rural Aid Ltd | TW: @ruralaidaust

Buy A Bale – FB: @buyabaleofhay | IG: @buyabale | TW: @buyabale

HOW COVID MIGHT CATAPULT RURAL TOURISM

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Webinar to discuss the opportunities for small towns in these strange times

Rural Aid’s popular Community Builders webinar series this week discusses the rural event and tourism opportunities that exist with international and interstate travel limitations, as a result of covid.

CEO of Rural Aid, John Warlters, said this week’s episode looks at ways rural and regional towns and organisations can benefit from the insatiable desire for travel in Australia, coupled with international flight restrictions.

“Australians love to travel, and for the foreseeable future there’s a great opportunity to experience their own backyard. Road trips and small town sojourns are part of the new normal,” Mr Warlters said.

The free webinars are open to anyone with an interest in the progress of small towns and regional communities.

This week’s guests include a recognised leader in rural and regional tourism Linda Tillma, and Josey Sangster from a town of less than 100 people that has an impressive tourism plan.

“We’re focusing on the opportunities for rural events and tourism during covid by virtually visiting the town of Harrow in western Victoria to see it’s vibrant and unique approach to tourism and speaking to a recognised expert in regional, rural and remote tourism development, Linda Tillman,”Mr Warlters said.

Josey Sangster will tell the story of historic Harrow’s tourism plan including local theatre performances and highlighting the town’s assets related to a famous cricket identity.

Linda Tillman, a former director on the Board of Australian Regional Tourism will provide professional insights on regional tourism.

To register to attend the Community Builders Series, visit: ruralaid.org.au/towns/webinars

  • Week 3: 15 October 4pm-5pm AEDT | Opportunities for events and tourism during covid
  • Week 4: 22 October 4pm-5pm AEDT | Attracting and supporting women in small towns

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About Rural Aid

Rural Aid is one of Australia’s largest rural charities. Well known for the highly successful ‘Buy a Bale’ campaign, the charity also provides financial assistance, water and counselling to farmers in times of drought, flood or fire. Other initiatives support its vision that farming and rural communities are safeguarded to ensure their sustainability both during and after these natural disasters. Visit www.ruralaid.org.au for further information on these programs and other support for our rural communities.

Media: 0424 203 935 or 07 31534654 | media@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

Spokesperson: Rural Aid CEO John Warlters | 0409 618 641


Follow Rural Aid for updates on:

Rural Aid – FB: @ruralaidaustralia | IG: @ruralaid |IN: Rural Aid Ltd | TW: @ruralaidaust

Buy A Bale – FB: @buyabaleofhay | IG: @buyabale | TW: @buyabale

RURAL AID’S OUR TOWNS MAKEOVER IS COMING TO CUNNAMULLA QLD

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Plans finalised and an army of Rural Aid volunteers are on their way to makeover Cunnamulla

With Queensland Mental Health Week kicking starting today, one rural town is set to receive a much needed boost.

Cunnamulla Queensland is ready for their town’s makeover, as Rural Aid Community and Farm volunteers head west tomorrow to assist.

Rural Aid and 33 Community and Farm Volunteers will arrive in town from 11 to 17 October armed with tools, an enthusiastic willingness to help and smiles ready, bringing Cunnamulla projects to fruition while also bringing a welcoming financial injection.

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said it has been a long road and wait since October last year when Cunnamulla was announced as one of the winners of the Our Towns makeovers.

“These long-term renewal projects have been made possible thanks to the generosity of our volunteers in giving their time and expertise for such a great cause; as well as the remarkable Cunnamulla community. Cunnamulla’s community has worked hard, coming up with ideas and forming those ideas into a plan for their vision of their future.”

Cunnamulla’s vision is “Continuing to be a progressive community in thought and action where all our people and organisations thrive.”

“Our thanks also go out to Ergon Energy Network for adding their generous support to the Our Towns initiative, with Cunnamulla our third town supported, following Gayndah and Monto, all in Queensland.

“Rural Aid Community Builders Series webinar sponsors, Bushells is also sponsoring town community meetings, such as Our Towns, and will be providing much needed cuppas in Cunnamulla.

The Our Towns Makeover initiative is Rural Aid’s way of supporting small rural communities.  

Cunnamulla Community Projects

The Cunnamulla community have identified the projects for the Farm and Community Volunteers to work on over the week to help give the town a much-needed start to their long-term renewal. 

  • Cunnamulla Showgrounds will have a general clean up, painting of multiple buildings, repairs and maintenance to the toilet blocks, replace the main boundary fence, tree planting to create shade areas, paint wrought iron main gates and landscaping around the entrance, water system for trees, install rainwater tanks, and repair and install gutters to capture rainwater for the tanks.
  • Undertake and general tidy up of the Pony Club.
  • Community Op shop – clean and tidy up the shopfront façade and assist with setting up local craft club.
  • Racecourse – clean and repaint amenities and ticket box. Paint and refresh Gun Club buildings, fences, the entrance and amenities as well as a general tidy up.
  • Cunnamulla Railway Theatre Project – building a set as a backdrop inside the new theatre building for their production “Cunnamulla All Aboard’
  • Three farms in the Cunnamulla area will also receive much needed makeovers.

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About Cunnamulla 

Situated on the banks of the Warrego River, Cunnamulla is approximately 780km west of Brisbane and 140km north of the New South Wales border and is the administrative centre of the Paroo Shire Council. Prior to European settlement, Cunnamulla and surrounding area was home to people of the Kunja Aboriginal language group. Cunnamulla was created by Cobb & Co in 1879. Farmers moved into the area and found the area perfect for sheep grazing. It was a lively place during sheep shearing with all the shearers in town. Today – Cunnamulla is known for its natural outback beauty and hospitality. The Warrego River is a great place to swim, fish and kayak as well as picnic on the banks.

Thing to see and do in and around Cunnamulla:¹

  • Cunnamulla Fella Centre, Art Gallery and Museum – is the Visitor Centre and houses the Artesian Time Tunnel, a local art gallery, the museum and the Cultural Theatre. 
  • Artesian Time Tunnel – transports visitors back 100 million years in time to the beginning of the Artesian Basin when dinosaurs roamed the planet. The beginnings of the Artesian Basin preceded opal formation and the Age of Mammals. The first Queensland flow from the Great Artesian Basin was near Cunnamulla in 1887. When you visit Cunnamulla you will be standing on the world’s largest underground river.
  • The Cunnamulla Fella Sculpture – the song, “The Cunnamulla Fella”, was written by Stan Coster and recorded by Slim Dusty. In 2005 a statue which was twice life size was created by sculptor Archie St Clair. The statue sits outside the Paroo Shire Hall in Jane Street and depicts a Cunnamulla Fella – a typical Aussie bushman with a wide-brimmed hat and a mug of tea.
  • Cunnamulla Bushlands – located off the Mitchell Highway, and clearly marked, this is an easy, flat 1.5 km walk which traverses Mulgalands, Gidgee and Wetlands.

About Out Towns initiative 

Over the next five years, each of the Our Towns will receive $100,000 in projects and support to renew their town. This includes $10,000 allocated for the community to workshop with community change and renewal experts on their ideas for their town’s long-term future and sustainability. The $90,000 will be spent, over five years, on materials for maintenance projects identified by the community, that fits within Rural Aid’s scope of work. If available, materials and trade expertise will be sourced locally to support local businesses.  

¹ Information sourced from: www.aussietowns.com.au/town/cunnamulla-qld

Media enquiries: Lyndsey Douglas 0424203935  | media@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

Media spokespersons: Rural Aid CEO John Warlters – 0409 618 641 

About Rural Aid

Rural Aid is one of Australia’s largest rural charities. Well known for the highly successful ‘Buy a Bale’ campaign, the charity also provides financial assistance, water and counselling to farmers in times of drought, flood or fire. Other initiatives support its vision that farming and rural communities are safeguarded to ensure their sustainability both during and after these natural disasters. Visit www.ruralaid.org.au for further information on these programs and other support for our rural communities.

Visit www.ruralaid.org.au/snapshots for Rural Aid’s latest assistance statistics.

Follow Rural Aid for updates on:

FB: @ruralaidaustralia | @buyabaleofhay

IN: Rural Aid Ltd

TW: @ruralaidaust | @buyabale

THREE ROAD TRAINS AND A CUPPA

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Primary producers and their families invited along for a cuppa

When three road trains full of fodder arrive in between Mitchell and Mungallala next week during Queensland Mental Health Week, farming families still experiencing the effects of drought will be invited to come together for a cuppa.

Sponsored by Bushells, the catch (Wednesday, 14 October) is hosted by Rural Aid as a way to bring neighbours and communities together, and celebrate the ladies on the land ahead of Rural Women’s Day (Thursday, 15 October).

CEO of Rural Aid, John Warlters, said that while many drought-stricken parts of Australia have received rain this year, this district has had a prolonged exposure to drought.

“Farms between Mitchell and Mungallala have had a spot of sporadic rain here and there, but make no mistake, they’re doing it tough in what is best described as a green drought,” Mr Warlters explained.

“It’s a region that has experienced prolonged drought conditions, and the longer they drag on, the more devastating the impact financially, socially, psychologically.

“A recovery from drought isn’t instantaneous, it’s gradual and it only begins once the drought breaks. And there’s the roll-on effect in agricultural communities experiencing drought on local businesses, schools and community infrastructure and social events.”

Farmers from Mitchell to Mungallala and in between are invited to a morning tea brought to them by Bushells.

Rural Aid will be completing a fodder drop between Mitchell and Mungallala on Wednesday 14 October at 10am  and farmers collecting hay as well as those in the broader region are welcome to enjoy a cuppa together.

The casual catch up will be a small celebration of the women who are crucial to agricultural enterprises and rural communities, with Rural Women’s Day the following day.

“No need to RSVP,  just turn up and enjoy each other’s company,” Mr Warlters said.

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About Rural Aid

Rural Aid is one of Australia’s largest rural charities. Well known for the highly successful ‘Buy a Bale’ campaign, the charity also provides financial assistance, water and counselling to farmers in times of drought, flood or fire. Other initiatives support its vision that farming and rural communities are safeguarded to ensure their sustainability both during and after these natural disasters. Visit www.ruralaid.org.au for further information on these programs and other support for our rural communities.

Media: 0424203935 | media@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

Spokesperson: Rural Aid CEO John Warlters | 0409 618 641

Follow Rural Aid for updates on:

Rural Aid – FB: @ruralaidaustralia | IG: @ruralaid |IN: Rural Aid Ltd | TW: @ruralaidaust

Buy A Bale – FB: @buyabaleofhay | IG: @buyabale | TW: @buyabale

RURAL AID CONGRATULATES WOLFF COFFEE ROASTERS ON PHILANTHROPIC AWARD

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Wolff Coffee Roasters supports our Aussie farmers

Rural Aid has congratulated Wolff Coffee Roasters on it recently being declared the small-medium enterprises Philanthropist of the Year winner as part of the Queensland Community Foundation’s Awards.

CEO John Warlters said Wolff Coffee Roasters was a great supporter of Rural Aid and it was through the generosity of leaders like Peter and Penny Wolff that Rural Aid was able to provide much needed assistance to primary producers, their families and the communities they called home.

 “CEO Penny Wolff is the driving force behind Wolff Coffee Roasters giving and at Rural Aid, we know that it takes the commitment of your team to bring that support to realisation,” John Warlters said. “The positive impact that has on individuals and communities in need is immeasurable.

“Our farmers are going through challenging times. They’ve been impacted by one of the longest droughts in living memory, followed by devastating bushfires that destroyed homes, fences and livestock. It may not be obvious to all, but for many farmers the impacts of drought and bushfire are still very real,” Mr Warlters said.

“Penny and Peter have been very generous in their support of Rural Aid. It is thanks to support of everyday Australians and businesses big and small that Rural Aid is able to continues its work.”

Wolff Coffee Roasters CEO Penny Wolff said that having grown up on the land and witnessing first-hand the many pressures her parents faced, due to droughts, rain, managing limited resources, financial stress, her heart goes out to our farming community, who are doing it tough.

“At Wolff Coffee Roasters we are proud to have built a brand that takes social responsibility seriously. Penny Wolff said. “Peter and I dearly value being able to support not only our farmers locally but our coffee farmers abroad also.  A culture of giving creates immeasurable impact and we are proud to be playing our part.”  

“At Rural Aid, we receive heartfelt thank you notes from farming families who have received financial assistance, fodder and/or water and Wolff Coffee Roasters is also part of our extended team giving back to our Aussie farmers and their communities,” John Warlters said.

Marriage and a new baby – a note of thanks from a farming family

We write to express our sincere thanks for the assistance offered from Rural Aid.

An exhaustive 2019 saw the drought climax with the worst bushfires we’ve seen on our property. In November, we were forced to evacuate our property due to immediate bushfire threat. When we returned home, we were lucky, we had a home but still spent the following days fighting fires. This firefighting exhausted our water supply, with local emergency services using our last stock watering hole to save our local community.

Despite the effect of drought and fire we remained resilient, we even got married on the weekend after the fires hit. The Rural Aid Christmas parcel and financial bill relief meant so much to us. With our livestock suffering depression with no feed and little water, this token reminded us we weren’t alone.

With 2020 bringing a change we were excited to see the rain begin. This too brought challenges as the rain caused local floods and further property damage with erosion. During this time, we were isolated on the farm due to flooding. This was a nervous time as we were expecting the birth of our first child any day! In February we welcomed our daughter, Ember on the day the creek subsided to allow us access to town. The Rural Aid visa card was another unexpected surprise that was invaluable for our young family.

With COVID outbreak our resilience was once again tested but the acts of support and kindness like that that Rural Aid provide will continue to see us succeed. So, we apologise for the delay in passing on our gratitude, as you can read, we were a little distracted!

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Media enquiries: 0447 116 757 | media@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

Media spokespersons: Rural Aid CEO John Warlters – 0409 618 641

About Rural Aid

Rural Aid is one of Australia’s largest rural charities. Well known for the highly successful ‘Buy a Bale’ campaign, the charity also provides financial assistance, water and counselling to farmers in times of drought, flood or fire. Other initiatives support its vision that farming and rural communities are safeguarded to ensure their sustainability both during and after these natural disasters. Visit www.ruralaid.org.au for further information on these programs and other support for our rural communities.

Visit www.ruralaid.org.au/snapshots for Rural Aid’s latest assistance statistics.

Follow Rural Aid for updates on:
FB: @ruralaidaustralia | @buyabaleofhay
IN: Rural Aid Ltd
TW: @ruralaidaust | @buyabale