Cabra-Vale Diggers’ successful $20,000 project in aid of farmers at Condobolin – plus a new challenge to other Clubs is set!
With the plight of our Australian farmers in our daily news feed, Cabra-Vale Diggers knew they could not simply do nothing. As a Club renowned for their generosity to those in need, Cabra-Vale Diggers set themselves a huge mission which culminated in a lunchtime event at Condobolin RSL Club at 12pm Saturday December 21, 2019 where farmers from the region were gifted with essentials, vouchers, food, and more, to have them feel as valued as they deserve.
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!
The directors at Cabra-Vale Diggers, with the project spearheaded by director Col Newham, were determined to have the event celebrate the people of the land who are doing it tough. And 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 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.”
Adds Col: “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!”
Boris Belevski, CEO at Cabra-Vale Diggers says: “The whole event was fantastic. It was a bit of a challenge in terms of keeping it a secret, but it was all very much worth it. The families who attended the event were quite surprised when they got there. Col is very passionate about helping the farmers, and he is a ‘bushie’ from the area too, and we could not wait to get up there and support the local community.
“Our desire to help the farmers started from around November last year, 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. Col started this project with the full support of the board, and the result was a very successful event, with the farmers incredibly grateful.
“These families live on properties which are geographically spaced far and wide, so it was a challenge to get in touch with them all to invite them all, and it was a wonderful result in the end. We looked after 20 families that day, and we honestly would have looked after more, had more families doing it tough also turn up,” adds Boris.
“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. Giving back to farmers remains so important at this time of need, and at Cabra-Vale Diggers we are always mindful of helping those in the community who need it. 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.
While attendees enjoyed the lunch held at Condobolin RSL Club and some downtime away from their farms, the objective of the event is very clear.
“We simply wanted to put a smile on their faces for Christmas,” says Col.
Here is what each invited guest received at the event: 2 boxes of drinking water each (“because some of them can’t even make cups of coffee” says Col), a carton of beer for each family, 2 bottles of wine red and white for each family, a Christmas hamper, a $200 local IGA store voucher for each family, a $150 voucher to spend at the local butcher, a $300 EFTPOS card, and of course an invitation to the event at Condobolin RSL.
The total cost was around $1000 per family and is funded entirely by Cabra-Vale Diggers (not sponsored). Where they can, Cabra-Vale Diggers supported local vendors (the turkeys/hams for the hampers came from the local butcher) to keep the much-needed money in the Condobolin community.
“Some of these people are 80, 90, 100 kms out of Condo. Everything we produce has now gone overseas, we don’t want our farmers to go overseas too. We export all of our stuff, we export a lot of cattle, we export a lot of sheep,” says Col.
So, why Condobolin?
“I picked a town that’s nowhere near a big city,” says Col matter of factly. “The two biggest cities are Parkes and Forbes and they’re still far away from the farmers. We were originally going to deliver these gifts to the farmers on their farms, but then realised how far out of town the farms are, and it’d take us a week to deliver them individually, and if it does rain, we’ll get bogged,” says Col. “Some farms sit between Condo and Cobar, and the distance between Condo to Cobar is about 250km. Now we’ve completed this wonderful project we have put a challenge to other clubs to do the same in another area.”
With local mayor John Medcalf OAM in attendance at the event, as well as the local police sergeant and SES, the event was a complete success and a welcome surprise of epic proportions for those who experienced the day. Cabra-Vale Diggers believes it’s the least they can do to give back to a community who needs it.
Contributed.