Raising dough for drought aid

FROM funding bales of hay to eating parmies in pubs and baking hundreds of scones, Tasmanians have dug deep to support interstate farmers wrestling with devastating drought.

The drought has hit farming areas through NSW and parts of Queensland, while Gippsland in Victoria is also struggling with a two-year drought.

According to Rural Aid, one of the organisations co-ordinating donations across Australia, Tasmania had heeded the calls for help.

Kelsey Breward, store lead in the TP Jones Latrobe outlet, said the response from people to the rural service business’s dog food appeal had been “absolutely amazing”.

“We’ve had individuals who have raised cash themselves, to dogs clubs come in with cash to buy food for animals in the drought areas,” she said.

The store, acting as collection for other TP Jones stores, has sent 200 bags of dog food plus cat and chook feed to NSW.

The Parma for a Farmer program has about 30 venues raising a significant amount of funds. Need for Feed, a project of Lions Clubs, had co-ordinated trips across Bass Strait including 17 trucks of hay in one day.

Hobart’s Country Women’s Association is raising dough for farmers. Store manager Johanna Warren was up from 1am yesterday baking scones for the drought relief effort.

By lunchtime she had made about 1500.

“It’s a scone-a-thon,” she said of her 11-hour baking shift.

“One post on facebook on Monday night and it just went crazy. We’ve got 650 scones pre-ordered.”

Even Tasmania’s humble spuds were enlisted to help the cause. About 41 tonnes of potatoes from Daly Potato Company near Dunalley arrived mid this week in the district near Wagga Wagga.

Daly Potato Company’s Ruby Daly said another 41 tonnes of potatoes is planned to be sent to Tamworth.

Visit GoFundMe link: www.gofundme.com/feed-forfarmers. Or go to Daly Potato Company Facebook page for more information.

In Cygnet the RSL, sporting clubs and businesses are organising a fundraiser on September 22 at the Carmel Hall. Contact organiser Tidsey Smith on 0427 320 623 for more information.