Rainbow Beach Droughtrunners helps fire victims, says thanks

LETTER: Rainbow Beach Droughtrunners thanks community and is still taking donations to help bushfire victims, drought relief

2019 Gympie Citizen of the Year Tony Stewart is still working hard to help the victims of drought and bushfire through Rainbow Beach Droughtrunners.

Letter to the Editor by Tony Stewart

IT IS hard to believe five years has passed since starting support for our Farmers in Queensland and New South Wales.

Fireys work to contain Glenwood grassfire

It has not only been drought, but since February we have been helping with fencing materials to many burnt out in the north east of Victoria and southern New South Wales bushfires.

The help to many fire victims has been nothing short of absolute disaster, with many still living in tents and old vans.

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Many that lost everything have received just $2000 in help and without a huge donation of shipping containers for people to live in by Andrew (Twiggy) Forest who knows how they would survive.

So from donations we will continue to help the organisation called Fencing For Fires as there are still hundreds of kilometres of fencing to repair.

Our drought work around and beyond Longreach has to continue as that area had little rain early this year with no follow up so dust is flying. The big run to Longreach will be late November or the first week of December into the School of Distant Education and due to COVID regulations we are still waiting on confirmation of the exact dates that families will be able to pick up supplies.

A Koala’s Eye View by Doug Gimesy, Brighton, Australia - Gelantipy, Australia. A koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in a Eucalyptus tree that survived the recent bushfires as Gelantipy (Victoria, Australia) sits in the top of a tree, just before having a visual inspection for its health. If it is determined that a closer examination is required to determine its health, it will be brought down via the cherry picker from which this image was taken. In the distance below are some staff from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP) as well as members of the Australian Defence Force, who have been helping with the capture as well as transport of koalas back to the animal triage centre in Bairnsdale - which was set up following the bush fires. Gelantipy, Victoria, Australia. January 2020. Picture: Doug Gimesy/BigPicture Competition

This run will be food and Christmas presents only, so with our collection trolleys at IGA Rainbow Beach, Tin Can Bay and Drakes in Gympie any donations from now on

would be greatfully appreciated.

IGA vouchers and visas from Drakes is another way to donate.

The Big W Gympie Store has also offered to help again, which is much appreciated.

Finally, a big thank you to a wonderful donation from M Watts, with other donations from Return It, Mitchell’s, Tin Can Bay & Bernard Petroleum collection Tins.

Other donations can be left at the Bank of Qld in Gympie.

Thank you all once again

BSB 084802. A/C.896631293. Rainbow Beach DroughtRunners.

Tony Stewart, Rainbow Beach Droughtrunners

The Melbourne Fire Brigade and Australian Defence Force personnel work together to coordinate Damage Assessments in Sarsfield, East Gippsland.

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