Aussie kids
These amazing Aussie kids are helping our farmers in need
helping farmers
Kicking goals for country kids
Schoolboy Alex Liddle from the small town of Chinchilla in Queensland’s Western Downs has a heart of gold – and he’s doing his part to help our drought-stricken farmers.
One day the Bulldogs Under 10s budding footy star decided he wanted to help the kids doing it tough in the drought. To get things started, the nine-year-old wrote a heartwarming letter to the NRL and Queensland Rugby League asking if they’d be kind enough to donate some footballs for children in rural communities.
“I said I’d throw in a game of footy with me and my brothers!” says cheeky Alex. But he couldn’t have predicted the impact his letter had. “Both the NRL and the QRL said yes,” he says, still overwhelmed. “I couldn’t believe it, they sent 100 new balls – it’s like being in footy heaven!”
The year four student is well-versed in the challenges rural communities face every day. His mum Carissa works for Drought Angels – an organisation that supports Aussie farmers with important day-to-day assistance.
A key initiative known as RDO (Rural Day Off) provides farming families a chance to kick back for a day with some good old-fashioned country hospitality, and it’s all pulled together by a team of “Angels”. “Angels”. When Alex heard about their work, it got him wondering how he could help to make a difference.
“Our farmers need to know they’re not alone. We might be ‘townies’ and not live on the land, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care,” says the big-hearted boy.
So last month, Alex and the Liddle family, including his dad, Ricky and two younger brothers Harrison, seven, and Edward, two, drove 400km to the small Queensland town of Morven. They joined in on the Drought Angels RDO, where they finally got to hand out the balls to country kids, alongside food and care packages for the families.
“He’s a kind kid who always looks out for others – we suspect this is just the beginning,” says his proud mum Carissa.
So it comes as no surprise that Alex is already penning his next letter – this time to his number-one footy hero.
“I’m writing to Johnathan Thurston! If I can get him out here and have a kick with the kids, that’ll surely put a smile on their faces,” he says.
“Young people like me need hope that this terrible drought will break but until then, I’m going to keep helping so they know we really do care.”
He’s only 10 but Sydney’s Jack Berne has helped raise almost $1.5 million for our drought-stricken farmers.
“I heard about the drought when we watched a video at school,” Jack tells Woman’s Day. “I couldn’t believe kids like me on farms were missing school to help so I went home and told my mum we have to do something.”
Jack’s mum Prue wasn’t sure what. “We aren’t from a farming family and Jack had never even visited a farm before this,” she says. “But he had a real bee in his bonnet about it so I agreed we’d help but I had no idea how.”
With the support of his teacher Sharma Taranto and fellow year four classmates at Freshwater’s St John The Baptist primary school, school Jack came up with the idea of dressing up as farmers and asking people to donate “A Fiver For A Farmer”.
“I emailed the TV show Sunrise and lots of other media to tell them about the idea,” Jack says. To his surprise and joy, the response was immediate – and overwhelming. More than 1100 schools and countless workplaces – including the Sydney Opera House and Woman’s Day publisher Bauer Media – have held A Fiver For A Farmer charity days.
“We’ve raised $1.5 million for Drought Angels and Rural Aid,” says Jack, who’s also been named a Go Fund Me Hero for his efforts. “I still can’t believe it!”