Aussie Hay Runners: 27 trucks loaded with 864 hay bales deliver to Walgett
An organisation founded to deliver bales of hay to communities impacted by dire conditions is heading to a town in outback NSW following last year’s bushfires. Here’s the latest.
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More than 850 bales of premium hay, worth an estimated $82,000, were delivered to farmers of an outback town in the state’s west following the dire impacts of severe bushfires late last year.
The Aussie Hay Runners arrived in Walgett with 27 trucks loaded with 864 bales of hay, with donations coming from Victoria and lower NSW.
The bushfires burned through more than 20,000 hectares within the Narran Lake Nature Reserve, threatening lives and properties, and also killing livestock.
Founder Linda Widdup established the organisation in 2019 after she witnessed the devastation of the drought on farmers’ mental health and uncertainty towards how they would feed their animals.
She said the 27 drivers, including an 80-year-old man, were volunteer farmers who understand “how hard it can be”.
“Are lot of them are broken – when they see this truck coming up their driveway and they know that it is there to help them to fuel their neighbours, it’s very humbling,” Ms Widdup said.
“When you can help someone who is in that predicament through no fault of their own – it’s a wonderful thing.”
The trucks met up in West Wyalong on Thursday evening and travelled through Parkes, Dubbo, Gulargambone, Coonamble and Walgett on Friday.
Ms Widdup said this was the organisation’s third trip of the year, with many more scheduled including the Pilliga in the next two weeks.
Last week, the group travelled to Grafton for Australia Day and received a “great reception” when entering the town.
“Everybody came out – flags, kids, yelling, screaming – it’s amazing,” she said.
“People come out and wave. They love it, and we love it too.”
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