Sunday Telegraph readers and celebrities rally to help drought-stricken farmers
SUNDAY Telegraph readers have big hearts. Moved by the plight of farmers revealed in last week’s 12-page drought special, everyday Aussies have joined celebrities including Home and Away stars in rallying behind those doing it tough on the land.
NSW
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WHEN Hunter Valley tiler Joel Walters read about dairy farmer Steve Germon’s personal tale of suicide attempts and a failing farm, he knew he had to “help the bugger out”.
The 28-year-old tradie from Gresford, north of Maitland, has mustered up nine mates and will drive more than two hours’ northeast to Steve’s dairy in Wingham to do the jobs he and his family can’t keep on top of.
Steve bravely told his story in last week’s Sunday Telegraph and the reaction has overwhelmed him. He has gratefully drawn up a to-do list for Joel and his mates.
“I have no money to give but I can give him a hand, which is just what we do as Aussies,” Joel said.
“You can’t help but feel bad for the bugger, who’s shit out of luck and has a (17-year-old) daughter whose school grades are dropping because she’s so busy helping on the dairy.”
The band of mates will camp in swags overnight and go “hammer and tongs” during the day to replace broken fences, plough paddocks and feed out bails of hay.
Since our drought special, charities and relief organisations have been inundated with hundreds of offers for cash and help.
Australia’s largest food-relief organisation, Foodbank, has pledged 10,000 hampers to drought-affected farming families in the next eight weeks, worth $75 each.
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The hampers, which will be discreetly delivered to the hardest hit households, will include pantry staples such as tinned fruit, rice, pasta and sauce, breakfast cereal, Vegemite and jam.
Foodbank NSW and ACT chief executive Gerry Andersen will this week meet with the Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair to lobby for increased support to roll out a second wave of hampers.
Longtime Home And Away favourites Lynne McGranger, Ray Meagher and Ada Nicodemou will rattle the can at an auction for farming charity Drought Angels, which buys store credits for farmers’ at their local agricultural supplies store.
“We’re a very generous nation that helps neighbouring third world countries, as we should, but I think we really need to take a step back and look at some of the third-world conditions our farmers are living in,” McGranger said.
“A lot of farmers can barely afford to feed themselves and the suicide rate is in the country is more than 50 per cent higher than the city.
“Sure there’s coastal pockets where it’s raining but there’s so many cattle, sheep and dairy graziers whose animals are dying before their eyes and we need to let farmers know we’re thinking of them,” she said.
The stars were motivated to pitch in by the show’s makeup artist, Sherri Meisner, who recently toured between Orange and Tamworth, where she saw nothing but barren paddocks.
Drought Angels founder Natasha Johnston’s mother came close to suicide when their family farm was devastated by widespread floods that hit Queensland in the early 90s.
“If I stop someone from tying that noose or pulling that trigger I’ve done my job,” Ms Johnston said.
Drought Angels is one of four farming charities, as well as Aussie Helpers, Rural Aid Australia and Lion Need For Feed, that have been inundated by offers of help since The Sunday Telegraph last week published a 12-page special report into the NSW drought.
Aussie Helpers has received $125,000 in the past week and “countless” offers from truckies and tradies keen to lend a hand.
Another selfless person helping farmers is Wagga Wagga university student Mackenzie Bond, whose phone has rung off the hook since she posted online “give me a job and I’ll get it done properly”.
Mackenzie is from a drought-declared beef property in southeast Queensland, where her parents are selling cattle. “I can’t help the people who need me the most at home, so if you can’t help your own family, help others,” Ms Bond said.
Responses to her offer included farmers encouraging her for giving them hope and she has lined up voluntary jobs on four Wagga Wagga farms.