Big hopes for school auction
They’re ready to sell anything and everything to get a large contingent of students from central Southland to Japan.
Students, teachers and parents have put the call out to farmers to consider putting machinery and other farm equipment into a farm clearance type of auction at the Winton racecourse on May 15.
The cost to take 33 Central Southland College students to Japan for 10 days is $198,000.
Parent David Mudford, of Otahuti, said that if $15,000 could be generated at the auction the overall target would within reach. ‘‘We’ll sell anything.’’
Mudford’s two children attend the high school, and one of them, Cody, 17, is in the group going to Japan on July 3.
‘‘The experiences these kids will have on the trip far outweighs the cost of it,’’ Mudford said.
The dairy farmer has organised quite a few fundraising events, including activities that generated $12,000 for a Waianiwa School minivan about five years ago.
Some of the Japan-bound students have been doing farm work or extra hours in their after-school jobs to contribute money to the fundraising pot.
Central Southland College’s year 13 dean, Jane Cowie, came up with the trip idea as a way of giving students opportunities to learn about aspects of Japan.
‘‘It’s a big trip for a rural school taking 30 kids to Japan. We’ve got an incredibly solid network of parents behind us.’’
Early entries for the auction include a John Deere tractor, a ride-on mower, motorbikes, a motorbike trailer, a farm truck and trailer, and two go-karts.