Inverell Chamber of Commerce and Industry took the opportunity to catch up with Edwina Robertson and Sam O'Brien on a 'Drought Angels' tour this week.
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As two ladies of the land, Edwina and Sammie just wrapped up their tour at Deepwater on Wednesday night after visiting eight rural and remote locations.
Thirsty after their travels, the duo have been having a 'beer on the city' at each of the towns visited during the past two weeks by placing $1000 on the bar thanks to big city sponsors of the event.
The frothy freebies have allowed the ladies to connect with farming families and giving them some needed time off to relax and connect with their community.
Chamber president Nicky Lavender said Edwina and Sammie mentioned they were trying to bring real-life stories from the drought to the attending of wider Australia.
"We discussed the impact of initiatives like their tour on these regional communities and the impact of the drought. I explained to Edwina and Sammie that initiatives like #buyfromthebush and Go Country For Christmas are having a significant impact on our local retail stores.
"We are seeing a large jump in online sales and donations to locally based charities, like Fierce Female Farmer program through gift certificates being purchased from complete strangers in Melbourne and Sydney and throughout other metro areas," she said.
These programs are supporting small businesses and in a time where there is limited disposable income with farming families and extra sales are keeping Inverell's CBD alive.
Meeting with these ambassadors from Drought Angels allowed the Chamber to provide some positive feedback on the support from the city and again highlight the strength of the local community.
"We discussed and agreed the need to continue these initiatives and continue to tell the story of regional Australia. This will ensure that we keep regional communities alive.
"We need ensure we continue to support our regional communities and ensure we retain skilled and qualified people in these towns," she said.
The Chamber is currently looking at ways we can support businesses to take advantage of this current movement to buy from the bush and look to how to help keep the momentum past the Christmas trade period.
