Posted on March 12th, 2020

A successful delivery of $20,000 in Christmas cheer to farming friends

With the plight of our Australian farmers in our daily news feed, Cabra-Vale Diggers knew they could not simply do nothing, and so we set ourselves a huge mission which culminated in a lunchtime event at Condobolin RSL Club on Saturday 21 Dec 2019, where farmers from the region were gifted with essentials, vouchers, food, and more, to have them feel as valued as they deserve; these all personally delivered by members of our Board and Management.

The lynchpin of the entire project was to have it remain a secret from attendees and the wider public until it happened, and while this was no mean feat, the whole dedicated team succeeded in having the project under wraps until the special lunch and the gift giving actually happened!

Les Eldridge, President at Cabra-Vale Diggers, says the overwhelming gratitude from farmers was completely worth the effort and trek to ‘Condo’ on NSW’s scorching 45 degree day.

“The immense gratitude from our farmers who received gifts from Cabra-Vale Diggers was in fact a gift to us,” says Les. “They are an incredibly proud bunch, and the farmers who joined us that day for what they thought was a get together at the local club then ended up enjoying a memorable afternoon of great company, good food and drinks, and a renewed knowledge that they are backed by their community.”

Spearheaded by Club Director, Col Newham, a surprised group of 20 families doing it tough at Condobolin not only got to enjoy a lovely Christmas lunch at the RSL, but were each surprised to receive a variety of food and vouchers which would provide much help and cheer over Christmas. “I had been asked why I am so passionate about this project, and to me the answer was always clear: to give back to the farmers – they’re the ones who got this country back on its feet!” said Col.

Vouchers and food were all sourced from local Condobolin retailers and suppliers such as the local butcher and IGA to further ensure that Cabra-Vale’s offering would not only support for just one day, but boost the local economy and foster local trade.

“Our desire to help the farmers started from around November 2018, when we raised over $20,000 for the ‘Buy A Bale’ program at a fundraising event in aid of drought relief. And then we created a new challenge for ourselves: what about giving to the people on the land doing it tough, in addition to feeding their livestock.

“And yes, we are putting the challenge out to other Clubs to do the same. Any support other clubs can give would be very much appreciated by the farmers in their communities. What better way to assist our farmers than heading to their own turf and giving them gifts they can use, as well as having a meal and some downtime to forget their worries for an afternoon. The surprise element added to it all,” adds Boris, CEO.

Read an extract of a thank you letter received from a Condobolin Farmer.

Photos of our Board Members and farmers of Condobolin.