Online Tele readers asked to send Christmas card to drought families
The Sunday Telegraph and Deputy Premier John Barilaro are giving readers a special opportunity send a heartfelt Christmas card to families doing it tough in the bush. Download then colour-in the cards and then send to drought-affected farmers and families in regional NSW.
NSW
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Her family’s farm in northwest NSW is “ground zero” for the state’s worst ever drought but the thought of Christmas on the horizon makes four-year-old Eve Holcombe smile.
“I’ve been making and painting Christmas trees at granny’s house, with paddle pop sticks,” Eve said.
She’s happily waiting to get Christmas cards too — the more the better.
The Sunday Telegraph alongside Deputy Premier John Barilaro are giving readers a special opportunity send a heartfelt Christmas card to families in the bush, like the Holcombes.
By using the specially-designed template below, readers have the chance to colour-in and decorate their own personalised cards and then send them off to drought affected farmers and families in regional NSW.
“It would be good to get a card from someone in the city. It would be fun to get my own special Christmas card in the mail,” Eve said.
DOWNLOAD YOUR #CARDS4DROUGHT CARD HERE
Eve’s dad, Peter Holcombe, should currently be harvesting wheat and chickpeas, but there hasn’t been a crop for the past three years, taking the total of failed crops to six in the past seven years.
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The Holcombes last week ran out of grain they stored in 2016, which they’d been using to feed their sheep for more than two years.
When their last remaining 300 lambs are old enough to sell in January, there won’t be a single living plant or animal on the 6900ha property.
The strain is unrelenting.
“There’s just something special about receiving a card from someone you don’t know,” Mr Barilaro said.
“In a society that is locked in the fast lane, it’s easy to send an email or get on Instagram, but this is about taking time and actually thinking about what you’re doing.
“We’re a country built on generosity, we’re seeing that through the fires, through volunteering, we’re always reaching deep into our pockets when there’s a crisis and this is a special little personal way to remind families in the bush there are people thinking about them.”
DOWNLOAD YOUR #CARDS4DROUGHT CARD HERE
Parents can post a photo of their children’s card on Facebook and tag @OurRegionalNSW or on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #cards4drought to track where the card ends up.
Tracking the cards also gives city kids the opportunity to make a new pen pal in the bush.
“Every day we get on with our lives but somewhere in the state someone is doing it tougher, sending a Christmas card will bring awareness about drought, especially for young children in the city,” Mr Barilaro said.
“It’s a good way of putting a spotlight in the bush, how tough it is but at the same time awareness around the future of region NSW and that’s a good thing.”
Christmas cards should be posted to Christmas Cards 4 Drought, care of Locked Bag 5002,
Royal Exchange NSW 1225.
Originally published as Online Tele readers asked to send Christmas card to drought families