Kinglake: Drought-crippled Toowoomba farmer helped by community ravaged by Black Saturday bushfires

NINE years after the Black Saturday bushfires ravaged Kinglake, that community have now rallied to help a Toowoomba farmer and his family struggling to survive the drought.

Calves enjoy a small amount of feed at the drought-devastated Gamble family farm in Toowoomba.

NINE years on from the devastating Black Saturday bushfires a group of Kinglake farmers have rallied to help a Toowoomba farmer crippled by drought.

Joining forces with Epping transport company Waldie Transport, they delivered 160 round hay bales to Toowoomba farmer Askey Gamble and his family.

On August 12, two Waldie trucks completed the 17-hour journey to deliver the hay to the desperate family.

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Castella farm manager John Dowdle said he saw the devastating struggle the Gambles, who owned 1500 cows on 300 and 500-acre farms, faced during a television show about the drought.

Mr Gamble’s situation resonated with him not only because he was a farmer, but because he had also lost everything before.

“I don’t know him (Ashley) from a bar of soap, but when the fires happened I lost everything,” Mr Dowdle said.

“I was lucky I didn’t lose any family members, but I lost two friends.”

Mr Dowdle’s appeal to farmers to “dip in and help” was answered by the Kinglake community who raised funds to buy 80 bales while two farmers in Castella donated 40 bales each.

The additional 80 bales would be transported by Waldie transport this week, Mr Dowdle said.

Owner Warren Waldie said his company had donated the time of two drivers and about $4000 in fuel, costing about $10,000 in total, to deliver the much-needed feed to Toowoomba because it was “the right thing to do”.

The Waldie Transport trucks loaded and ready to go.

It was initially hoped fuel costs would be covered by an emergency fund set up by the Federal Government, but like the ground across New South Wales and Queensland, it had run dry.

Mr Gamble said the feed would last for about three days, however it was the gesture of support from one farming community to another that had made the biggest difference.

“It’s the generosity that counts.”

The farm had been without a proper crop of grass for more than two years and the drought was taking a huge mental toll on the father of two.

“Everyday it’s hard getting out of bed,” he said.

The drought had also deeply affected his parents and it was difficult to feel like he had not “let the family down”, Mr Gamble said.

Mr Dowdle said he only realised how bad the drought was when he went to Toowoomba.

“I’ve seen fire, drought and floods for forty years, and they were bad, but nothing like this.”

To help the Gamble family visit: gofundme.com/qld-drought-the-forgotten-state

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