Category: News

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

RURAL AID ROAD TRAINS TRAVEL TO COOMA NSW TO DELIVER HAY THIS WEEK

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WHERE & TIME WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER:

  • 10am Cooma Saleyards -12 Saleyards Road, Cooma NSW
  • 1pm Willow Glen farm (John Teschke) – 150 Browns Camp Rd, Delegate NSW – 6 farmers
  • 2.30pm Woodborough farm (Ron Reed) – 981 Corrowong Rd Delegate NSW – 6 farmers

WHERE & TIME THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER:

  • 1pm Undowah farm (Andy Murdoch) – 54 Poddy Hut Rd, Bibbenluke NSW trucks arrive, and farmers arrive at 2.30pm to pick up the hay – 8 farmers.

WHO TO:

  • 6 local farmers at each of the Delegate drops on Wednesday
  • 8 local farmers at the Bibbenluke drop on Thursday

CONTACT: Rural Aid Media – 0447 116 757 | media@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

ON-SITE CONTACT: Rural Aid Counsellor Gary Bentley | 0499 527 327

Rural Aid will make five drops to deliver 425 large bales of hay on the back of 10 trailers to 32 drought affected farming families in the Cooma NSW area, on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September 2020.

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said this generous donation of 277 tonnes of hay, made possible thanks to Bushells and our everyday Aussie donors, will go a long way to help make life a little easier for the farmers and their families struggling to feed livestock in this disaster impacted area. 

“Our farmers are going through challenging times,” John said. “They’ve been impacted by one of the longest droughts in recent history, followed by fires and in some areas, floods, that devasted the land, people, livestock and homes. Now they are dealing with the impact of current restrictions. It may not be obvious to all but for many NSW farmers affected by natural disasters, the impact is very real.

“In some areas, rain has been welcomed but will only make a tangible difference short term. For others, a lack of rain has meant that restocking or planting a crop isn’t an option and, that stock feed is in short supply across winter months.

“To further assist our Aussie farmers, Rural Aid Counsellor Gary Bentley will be on hand to catch up with our farmers.”

Located in the Snowy Mountain region, Cooma is about 114 kilometres south of the nation’s capital. It was once the hub of construction for the Snowy Mountains Scheme and is now the gateway to the Snowy Mountains snow fields. The Cooma area is also known for its cattle and sheep farms, that have also been impacted by drought, fires and floods

“Transport continues to be an essential service during these current restrictions, by leveraging Rural Aid’s proven delivery model we are able to continue to support farmers to feed their livestock, thanks to the generosity of our donors,” John Warlters said.

The five drops on Wednesday, 16 September and the Thursday, 17 September include Bombala, Cooma, Bibbenluke and two at Delegate. On Monday, 14 September 2020, Rural Aid delivered 168 bales of hay in Cooma area to 14 farmers in Lochiel, Nimmitabel and Bodalla of NSW.

Assisting farmers and their communities

John Warlters also added that just like any other business through this COVID period, Rural Aid is pivoting and finding ways to navigate restrictions so the charity can deliver on the ground for farmers.  

“Obviously, under slightly reduced capacity but thanks to our drivers and operations team, we’re continuing to deliver for our farmers,” John Warlters said.  

“Week in week out, hay is on the agenda as we help farmers manage through drought and restock after bushfires and floods. 

“We are also recognising a greater need for our services than ever before and as we add international trade repercussions to the mix, we expect that need to grow. 

“We’ve also found unique ways to stay connected with farmers and rural communities through our counsellors – Gary Bentley’s column published fortnightly in regional and rural newspapers. 

“We are also continuing to support our farmers with financial assistance.”

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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.

Spokespeople: 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

FARMERS DISCUSS REPAIRING FIGURATIVE FENCES

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Rural Aid webinar series addresses the importance of boundaries

Rural Aid has today announced the September theme for its regular primary producer webinar, where skilled counsellors present on timely topics affecting farmers and rural communities.

‘On The Couch with Rural Aid Counsellors’ is a webinar series tackling key topics and themes related to farmer welfare and life on the land.

This month, Darling Downs based counsellor Jane McCollum will host a session at 6pm AEST on Wednesday 16 September on the importance of having healthy boundaries.

The theme of the session is “Healthy boundaries are like solid fences – how are your fences?”.

This session is held for primary producers, country families and rural counsellors, Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said.

“Most farmers are very invested in the quality of their fencing; and prioritise rebuilding or replacing boundary fences that are in need of attention. We want to discuss the other boundaries farmers need to look after, the ones that relate to responsibility, relationships, communication, work and the people in their lives,” Mr Warlters said.

“Quality fencing and boundaries on the farm are crucial for keeping threats like wild animals out – to an extent – and protecting livestock. We’d suggest that personal boundaries are just as important.”

John Warlters said primary producers, farming families and rural counsellors are encouraged to register for the 60 minute live sessions at https://www.ruralaid.org.au/counselling/

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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