Relieving local farmers through the drought will be the big focus of the Inverell Jockey Club’s first race meeting for the season on Saturday, August 11.
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The Club have thrown their support behind Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale campaign, which aims to help farmers face the challenging conditions through donations of hay, water, groceries and diesel.
“We’re planning on sponsoring a hay truck and we’ll actually allocate that sponsorship for the New England North West area,” Jockey Club secretary Leanne Brown said.
“All the gate takings on the day will go towards that and the Inverell Jockey Club will also add to that contribution.”
Although the Club usually asks for gold coin donations for their fundraising events, Ms Brown said that due to farmers’ high need, this year they will ask for the usual gate price, to donate more to the cause.
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The prices will be $10 for adults, $5 for children aged 12-18 years, $5 for pensioners and free for children under 12 years old. Six donation tins will also be in popular areas such as the bar and office on race day.
With a minimum of $500 required to help fund a hay truck, the Club will add their own funds to the final donation.
“That sponsorship can go up in increments of $500. If we land at say $1200, the Jockey Club will make it up to $1500,” Ms Brown explained.
The Inverell Times, along with several Fairfax papers in the region including The Northern Daily Leader, Armidale Express, Guyra Argus, Moree Champion and Glen Innes Examiner; have also joined forces with Buy a Bale, using our voices to help New England-North West farmers as they battle the most crippling drought in decades.
Locals are invited to visit www.buyabale.com.au/newengland-northwest/ to learn more.
Organisations and individuals can donate funds to purchase hay, water, groceries, diesel or a general donation, register to have a donation barrel in a workplace or order a hay truck poster and have a workplace competition to see who can fill it fastest.
They can sponsor part or a whole truck of hay or register to become a collection point for donations.
Even the smallest donations will go a long way. Up to $20 will buy a small bale of hay and help transport it to affected areas, while $60 buys three $20 gift cards to help put food on the table and $110 buys a large bale of hay.
Five large bales of hay costs $550, $1100 buys 10 large bales of hay, $5700 buys a single-trailer load of hay and $9500 a semi-trailer load of hay and pays for transportation to an affected area up to 900 kilometres away.
Naomi Shumack
Born and bred in Inverell, I'm passionate about community journalism. I'm the youngest of five kids, am a book worm and have a ridiculous movie collection. I have a double degree in Communications and International Studies from the University of Wollongong. I write stories for the Inverell Times, Moree Champion and Goondiwindi Argus. You can contact me at naomi.shumack@fairfaxmedia.com.au or on 0438 606 351.
Born and bred in Inverell, I'm passionate about community journalism. I'm the youngest of five kids, am a book worm and have a ridiculous movie collection. I have a double degree in Communications and International Studies from the University of Wollongong. I write stories for the Inverell Times, Moree Champion and Goondiwindi Argus. You can contact me at naomi.shumack@fairfaxmedia.com.au or on 0438 606 351.
