Category: News

Scone Thoroughbreds Junior Rugby League the first sporting club to jump on board Rural Aid’s Buy A Bale campaign

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 COMMUNITY SPIRIT: Scone Thoroughbreds Junior Rugby League’s Cooper, Lochie and BJ and junior league president Jason Croucher are looking forward to Saturday’s game.
 

IT’S going to be a tough winter for local farmers as they move into the second consecutive cold season with little rain having hit the paddocks. 

But, in a unique partnership and show of community spirit, the Scone Thoroughbreds Junior Rugby League Club is putting its best foot forward and jumping on board Rural Aid’s Buy A Bale campaign in the Upper Hunter. 

They are donating all funds raised from raffle sales and donations at their Group 21 Gala Day on Saturday until the next home round on July 21 to the non-for-profit organisation, which delivers hay and supplies to drought-stricken farmers. 

Junior league president Jason Croucher said​ the idea came from club member Yvonne Clerk, who helps run the canteen. 

“We thought it was a good opportunity with all the clubs around Group 21 coming into Scone for the weekend to raise a little bit of money,” he said. 

The committee then decided it would be more worthwhile to extend the raffle until July 21 in the hope they can generate more funds and buy a few more bales to help the farmers out.

“Just to see how dry everything is and the amount of hay that needs to be given to the animals to feed them –  it’s unbelievable,” Croucher said. 

It’s the first time a sporting club has come on board with Buy A Bale, according to Rural Aid’s Tracy Alder.

“We have delivered more than 3500 bales of hay to the Scone area in recent times which we are sourcing from near the Victorian border,” she said.

“It is by far the area where the most help has been provided in our history.

“It’s really nice to see a sporting club come on board, particularly with the kids and creating awareness.”

With about 300 registered kids in Group 21 from under-6s to under-11s as well as under-13s, under-15s and under-16s from Scone, Aberdeen, Denman, Muswellbrook, Singleton and Merriwa, the club is anticipating in excess of 1000 people on Saturday. 

Raffle item donations are still coming in but so far include a barbeque and meat vouchers from Luck’s Premium Cuts, a load of timber for firewood, a hamper donated from Pat Gleeson Real Estate and a hamper from MacCallum Inglis.

“Any sort of donation or prize would be awesome,” Croucher said.

“Big or small it’s going to go a long way to helping everyone out. 

“We are pretty fortunate that we have few of the older age groups playing on Saturday so that means a few more parents not just from Scone but in and around the Hunter.

“So it will be great if we can get as many people here particularly from the clubs from Group 21.​”

Games will take place at both Scone Park and Murray Bain Oval with the first match at 8.30am and the day finishing 3pm.

A helping hand for those who need

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HELPING hands came from an unexpected place for a local farmer this week, with city-slickers ditching their suits and office chairs for a pair of gloves and wire cutters.

Nine workers from global software company IRESS made the journey from their CBD offices to John Bertram’s Mt Sylvia farm on Wednesday as part of Rural Aid’s Farm Rescue program.

The group helped erect 150m of fencing and remove debris from the farm’s main driveway.

One of the volunteers, Tracey Kinsella, said it was an eye-opening experience.

“In Brisbane you read the paper and hear about it on the news, but it’s not until you actually get out here and see it that you realise just how much it’s affecting people,” Ms Kinsella said.

The group attended the farm as part of Rural Aid’s Farm Rescue program that teams businesses and community groups that want to lend a hand up with farmers doing it tough.

Workers from IRESS with John and Dianne Bertram after a hard day's work on the couple's farm.
Workers from IRESS with John and Dianne Bertram after a hard day’s work on the couple’s farm.

Rural Aid General Manager Wayne Thomson said the program provided more than just help around the farm.

“It’s also the mental impact and the reinforcement that someone cares – they give a damn,” Mr Thomson said.

“Here we have a group of office works from Brisbane City, the heart of the CBD, and they want to show they care for these guys by giving up their day to be here, and have a bit of a sweat and get a few blisters, to help with the needs that the farmers have.”

John Bertram said it was heartening to know there were people out there that cared for the plight of farmers.

“This is really great to see that others can appreciate the difficulties we face in the rural communities,” Mr Bertram said.

“They’ve recognised that the region has been damaged and that they’d like to make a contribution towards doing bits and pieces to repairing some of that.”

Member for Lockyer Jim McDonald attended and spoke to the IRESS volunteers about the impact of giving up their time.

“It’s really touching and warms your heart to see people want to give back and want to come and help – it gives you a lot of faith in humanity,” Mr McDonald said.

Mr Thomson said anyone who wished to volunteer their time, or farmers wishing to host volunteers, should contact Rural Aid on 1300 327 624.

Newcastle Jockey Club’s Buy A Bale Hunter race day hay delivered to drought-stricken farmers

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Money raised at Newcastle Jockey Club’s Buy A Bale Hunter race day has transformed into loads of hay for struggling drought-stricken farmers.

The first truck load was delivered to Martindale, west of Denman, on Thursday afternoon. 

The race day, which was held in March, raised $20,000 for the Buy A Bale Hunter campaign – a partnership between the Mercury, Newcastle Herald, Dungog Chronicle, Scone Advocate, Hunter Valley News and charity Rural Aid. 

The campaign has given Hunter farmers more than $560,000 worth of help with hay, water, groceries and freight. Many farmers still need help to survive.

For more information about Buy A Bale, or to donate, visit buyabale.com.au/Hunter

Buy a Bale Hunter campaign looking for truck drivers

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The call has gone out to truck drivers amid a huge donated hay relief operation. 

The Buy A Bale Hunter campaign – a partnership between the Mercury, Newcastle Herald, Dungog Chronicle, Scone Advocate, Hunter Valley News and charity Rural Aid is looking for more truck drivers to help transport hay to Upper Hunter farmers experiencing the worst drought in living memory.

There are 100 loads of hay planned over the next three to four weeks and while there are some truck drivers on board, more are needed. 

Read more: Everybody’s looking for rain 

Read more:Massive hay drop in the Upper Hunter underway

HUNTER DROUGHT: 33 per cent of the region is in drought, 39 per cent is at the onset of drought and 28 per cent is borderline and could slip into drought or recover. Source: NSW Department of Primary Industries

 HUNTER DROUGHT: 33 per cent of the region is in drought, 39 per cent is at the onset of drought and 28 per cent is borderline and could slip into drought or recover. Source: NSW Department of Primary Industries

 

Five truck loads of hay will arrive in the Upper Hunter this week alone. 

Truck drivers will be paid to transport the hay from the NSW/Victorian border to the Hunter. 

Truck drivers are busy people and we’re trying to get some more trucks on the road – we picked up another driver this morning, so if there are more drivers out there who can help please get in touch,

Rural Aid CEO Charles Alder said.

Contact Charles on 0410 714 379 or via email charles@admin.media.ruralaid.org.au

NSW CWA president Annette Turner calls for more drought support

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The Country Women’s Association has long fought the battle for a fair go.

And with the latest statistics showing more of the state is dipping into drought the group has called on the NSW government to act quickly to protect the food bowl. 

NSW CWA president Annette Turner put forward an emergency motion at their state conference in Armidale on Wednesday which called on the government to offer a broader range of drought-support measures and significantly increase the drought funding available to farmers. 

It also urged the government to review the requirements needed to access support and an overhaul of the way drought areas are identified and classified.

Her motion came after CWA groups from across the state, including the Hunter’s 18 branches, raised concerns about the severity of the drought and its impact on farmers, their animals and their communities. 

It was met with overwhelming support.

CALL FOR HELP: NSW CWA president Annette Turner.

 CALL FOR HELP: NSW CWA president Annette Turner.

 

Read more: How you can help farmers battle the drought

Read more: Farming family growing cattle feed in the laundry

Read more:Green drought, it’s a thing and it’s bad news

Mrs Turner noted farmers and their animals were not the only ones who suffered during drought. 

It’s getting more desperate by the day and the NSW Government needs to act now if we’re to avert a major crisis. More support measures are urgently needed and the ones that are in place need to be reviewed, particularly when it comes to an often ambiguous and complex application process,

 NSW CWA president Annette Turner

“The communities in which they live are also feeling the pain, such as the small businesses in these areas that rely on the support of our farm families. There really is a knock-on effect.”

The motion comes as the NSW Combined Drought Indicator – the government’s latest way to identify areas in drought – reveals worrying data.

Here it is in a nutshell:

  • 40 per cent of the Hunter is in drought
  • 44 per cent is at the onset of drought
  • 16 per cent could dip into drought or recover
  • In the past two months the amount of Hunter land at the onset of drought has more than doubled
HUNTER DROUGHT: A map of the Hunter shows 40 per cent of the Hunter is in drought, 44 per cent is at the onset of drought and 16 per cent could dip into drought or recover. In the past two months the amount of Hunter land at the onset of drought has more than doubled. Source: Combined Drought Indicator.

 HUNTER DROUGHT: A map of the Hunter shows 40 per cent of the Hunter is in drought, 44 per cent is at the onset of drought and 16 per cent could dip into drought or recover. In the past two months the amount of Hunter land at the onset of drought has more than doubled. Source: Combined Drought Indicator.

 

Across NSW it’s a similar story with almost 39 per cent of the state in drought or at the onset of drought, and almost 60 per cent listed as borderline. 

STATE DROUGHT: A map of NSW showing 39 per cent of the state in drought or at the onset of drought, and almost 60 per cent listed as borderline. Source: Combined Drought Indicator.

 STATE DROUGHT: A map of NSW showing 39 per cent of the state in drought or at the onset of drought, and almost 60 per cent listed as borderline. Source: Combined Drought Indicator.

 

The Buy A Bale Hunter campaign – a partnership between the Mercury, Newcastle Herald, Dungog Chronicle, Scone Advocate, Hunter Valley News and charity Rural Aid – has provided Upper and Lower Hunter farmers with more than $520,000 worth of help since February.

THE BIG DRY: Pictures of the drought taken in February 2018.

 THE BIG DRY: Pictures of the drought taken in February 2018.

 

Rural Aid CEO Charles Alder said many farmers still had no feed in their paddocks and were facing serious challenges as they contemplated how they would keep stock alive through winter. 

Those in the Upper Hunter are still waiting for rain to fall on their parched paddocks.

It looks like a desert up there, dams are dry or are drying up and there is a critical need for fodder,

 Rural Aid CEO Charles Alder