Stars to shine bright for Drought Angels fundraiser

AS organisers of this year’s Ballarat Show try and pivot the event back to its local and regional agricultural roots, they are also thinking about our primary producers further afield.

While rainfall is down pretty much across the country, there are huge sections of the nation that are doing it incredibly tough, and that’s where you can help.

Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society is partnering with Drought Angels in a fundraiser that directly recognises the contribution of each donation.

“Everything will go direct to the farmers,” said Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society executive officer Lucy Quartermain.

“I had a judge here in tears on Friday night and she family have had to use Drought Angels, so it’s going to touch people’s hearts.”

Originally conceived as a Facebook photo competition, the fundraiser has gone onto grow to its current form.

A 20m wall in the Ram Shed has been given over to the project.

There, along with printed photos sent through as part of the Facebook competition, show goers can by a star, write their name on it and have it hung on the wall.

The stars range from $100 to $5 and are tax deductable.

“If you purchase one you get your name on the wall of fame,” said Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society president Geoff Fisken.

The need for the money raised for Drought Angels is great.

Both Ms Quartermain and Mr Fisken have ties to some of the worst affected and said the impact of the drought is unimaginable.

“It’s shocking,” Ms Quartermain said. “My husband is a wool broker and normally he goes to visit his clients and this year he’s making extra trips to make sure his clients are alive because the suicide rate is horrendous at the moment up there.

“It’s bare, it’s drought, it’s horrible.”

It may be a cliché, but also truism, but country people look after each other.

So while the Ballarat region may have escaped the dire conditions in other parts of the country, all it takes is a few seasons of failed rain and we could be in exactly the same situation those up north are experiencing.

“Ballarat’s been very lucky,” Mr Fisken said. “The drought is moving south and it will impact here sometime but pretty much it’s the Garden of Eden here, compared to just about everywhere else.

“We’re the luck ones this time, next time we might not be so lucky.”