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Locals needed to advance Central West Queensland’s future

Posted on 4 October 20234 October 2023

Dedicated Central West Queensland locals have been invited to better their region’s future, as part of Rural Aid’s Community Builders program.

Community Builders is a grassroots leadership initiative that helps rural towns work with their regional neighbours to identify the areas’ strengths and weaknesses.

The program encompasses multiple towns in the Central West Queensland region. It kicks off with a workshop in Ilfracombe on 10 October, 2023.

Workshops will then occur every four weeks in a different Central West Queensland town.

The towns of Barcaldine, Jericho, Blackall, Aramac, Muttaburra, Ilfracombe, Isisford, and Clermont are represented in the Community Builders program.

Rural Aid’s Community Programs Manager Jen Curnow-Trotter said the program can be ‘life-changing’.

“Community Builders helps towns beat the trend of dwindling populations, failing economies and fading hope,” Ms Curnow-Trotter said.

“In workshops run by both locals and small-town experts, the participants define their desires for their region; whether it be improving tourism, upgrading the main street or keeping the local pub running.”

“The workshop captures the ideas and enthusiasm of locals who are determined to improve their town, and channels them into a powerful Community Action Plan,” Ms Curnow-Trotter said.

“The Community Action Plan then guides the region through the steps they need to take to achieve the goals they agreed on with expert Peter Kenyon from Bank of I.D.E.A.S.”

Locals are being encouraged to take part in the formation of their region’s future.

The Central West Queensland Community Builders is the first time Rural Aid has run the program in Queensland.

“The chance to influence your town’s prospects is a really special opportunity,” Ms Curnow-Trotter said.

“The workshops are an electric atmosphere and they really do ignite the region’s community spirit and motivation.”

Locals are invited to take part in the revitalisation of their region by heading along to Ilfracombe Sports Centre at 9am.

For more information on the Community Builders program, visit: https://www.ruralaid.org.au/community-development/community-builders/

About Rural Aid
Rural Aid is Australia’s most trusted rural charity. We stand with our farmers when they need us most. Rural Aid provides critical support to farmers affected by natural disaster through financial, wellbeing and fodder assistance. Rural Aid’s community programs help create more sustainable communities by building stronger futures for all Australian farmers. Find out more at www.ruralaid.org.au

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

Biggenden farmers receive hay, volunteer help from Rural Aid

Posted on 28 September 202328 September 2023

Australia’s most trusted rural charity has helped North Burnett farmers with an army of volunteers and large hay delivery.
35 volunteers have worked across six farms in Biggenden, helping to repair flood affected properties.

Local cattle farmer Norm Schonrock went through two floods in a year that took out multiple fences.

“We had a fair bit of fencing down, so the volunteers came and picked up all the old wire that was twisted around posts or lying down because we had cattle getting caught in that,” Norm said.

“All those jobs that we always mean to get done but that don’t take priority, we’re getting a lot of those done now, so it’s really helpful.”

The Rural Aid volunteers completed dozens of jobs as part of the Farm Recovery Event, including repairing fences, building ramps and constructing shade sails.  

Rural Aid also distributed 112 tonnes of hay between a dozen farmers at the start of the week.

Rural Aid Farm and Community Coordinator Grant Miskimmin noted the area was feeling the dry already, and that the 203 bales would help tide locals over.

“It’s pretty dry around here at the moment, and the farmers are all a bit nervous about what’s ahead of them so it’s a great time to be here and to help them out,” he said.  

“Farmers find it very difficult to deal with some of these natural disasters,” Grant said.

Biggenden farmers were also gifted lickblocks and Multikraft Probiotic Solutions throughout the week.

The volunteers stayed at the Biggenden showgrounds and worked on properties between Monday September 25 and Friday September 29, inclusive.

Rural Aid encourages farmer registrations as El Nino is declared

Posted on 19 September 202318 October 2023

Australia’s most trusted rural charity is encouraging farmers to reach out for assistance as the Bureau of Meteorology officially declares an El Nino event.

The El Nino weather pattern means hot, dry seasons that trend towards drought.

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said the Bureau’s announcement confirmed many producers’ fears.
“Today’s announcement of the El Nino weather pattern will bring a lot of unwelcome memories to the surface for our farmers, who’ve been anxiously watching land and waterways dry up,” Mr Warlters said.
“Thousands of farmers are already managing their land with a view to drought, but today’s announcement makes that approach all the more important.”

“The past drought was regarded as the worst in living memory for the majority of the country, and it’s understandable that many farmers are scared of going through that again,” Mr Warlters said.
“We’re encouraging farmers to reach out and register with Rural Aid now.”

Rural Aid offers primary producers a range of assistance measures including financial, hay, drinking water, counselling and volunteer assistance.

“We’ve already seen a huge increase in requests for emergency hay and household drinking water from farmers right across the country,” Mr Warlters said.

“In the past four months, requests to Rural Aid for emergency drinking water have increased by 240 per cent, and our free water tank offer was exhausted in just four hours with more than 95 applications. We’re aiming to deliver another 50 water tanks by the end of this year to meet demand.”

“Rural Aid helps farmers with hay, drinking water, financial assistance, counselling and volunteers; all at no cost to our primary producers, thanks to the generosity of the Australian public and our corporate partners.”

“This El Nino declaration is a particularly upsetting moment for our farmers. It means conditions are likely to get worse before they get better,” Mr Warlters said.

“I’m encouraging farmers who are finding themselves overwhelmed to give our rurally-based counselling team a call for a free chat, to make sure they’re in the best possible position they can be to take on the upcoming seasons,” Mr Warlters finished.

Primary producers are urged to register online at www.ruralaid.org.au or by calling 1300 327 624.
Rural Aid’s counsellors can be reached at 1300 175 594.

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Rural Aid offers relief to varroa-affected beekeepers

Posted on 12 September 202312 September 2023

Australia’s most trusted rural charity has restated its support of commercial beekeepers as concern mounts over the continuing spread of the invasive varroa mite and its devastating impact on the nation’s honeybees.

More than 260 outbreaks of varroa mite have now been detected since June 2022, when the alarm was first raised at the Port of Newcastle.

“Like everyone involved in agriculture, Rural Aid is enormously concerned for our beekeepers and our ‘littlest livestock’,” Chief Executive Officer John Warlters said.

“Rural Aid is supporting beekeepers with an offer of $1500 of financial assistance and rural counsellors on standby to provide emotional support.”

The detection of varroa mite in hives in the Sunraysia region of southern New South Wales – one of the most heavily bee dependent regions for the pollination of crops – had further heightened concerns for the industry.

NSW DPI said Sunraysia was currently hosting the largest concentration of managed European honeybee hives in Australia to provide pollination services for almond orchards.

Rural Aid has provided more than $500,000 to beekeepers since 2015 and is ready to again provide a ‘hand up’ to producers when it was needed most.

“Our thoughts are with beekeepers and their families at this time. It must be soul destroying to see precious hives euthanised on top of the significant financial impact,” Mr Warlters.

“Rural Aid has experienced an increase in calls from distressed beekeepers who are understandably upset that their livelihoods and livestock are in jeopardy.

“Our counselling team is specially trained to help primary producers navigate crisis. We thank the NSW DPI for their trust in encouraging apiarists to reach out to Rural Aid,” Mr Warlters said.

“We are urging affected beekeepers to get in touch with Rural Aid at this distressing time.”

Varroa-mite affected beekeepers can apply for assistance at www.ruralaid.org.au/services-provided/
Donations can be made at https://varroamite.ruralaid.org.au/

Emergency drinking water requests from Australian farmers up 250%

Posted on 21 August 20239 October 2023

Australia’s most trusted rural charity has experienced a drastic increase in the number of drinking water requests from Australian farmers.

Rural Aid has been delivering water tank refills to registered primary producing families for a number of years.

In the past year, drinking water requests have increased by 250%.

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said dry times have hit early and hit hard.

“Farmers around the country have been unsettled by how quickly the rain ‘tap’ has been turned off,” Mr Warlters said.

“In June last year, Rural Aid received 6 requests for a water tank refill. In June this year, Rural Aid received 21 requests for a water tank refill.”

“It’s a huge increase and shows that the pain of low rainfall is already being felt in the bush.”

“Rural Aid believes no Australian farmer should live without access to clean drinking water,” Mr Warlters said.

In addition to paying for water carters to deliver fresh drinking water to farmers, Rural Aid also runs a tank delivery program.

In the past year alone, Rural Aid has delivered 163 water tanks to primary producing households across Australia.

 Victorian dairy farmer Mark Laity said the water tank he received from Rural Aid was a huge boost.

In the past five years, he’s faced severe drought, life-threatening bushfires and floods on his East Gippsland property.

Mark and his family ran out of drinking water in the drought.

“There was no water left here at all, not even a drop in any of the dams, they were all bone dry. The creek stopped running; the whole lot,” Mark said.

He thanked Rural Aid for his tank, which provided much needed water security.

“You didn’t realise how much you relied on it [water] and how much you actually did go through.”

As the annual World Water Week (20-24 August) takes place, Rural Aid is asking for the public’s help to top up the tanks.

“It’s our aim to deliver 500 full water tanks to Australian farmers and rural communities before 2025 to equip them for survival during future disaster events,” Mr Warlters said.

“Rural Aid is calling for Water Heroes in these dry times,” Mr Warlters finished.

For more information on Rural Aid’s Water Hero campaign, visit https://waterhero.ruralaid.org.au/

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