Christmas has arrived early in the Shire of Esperance, with donated money and goods steadily continuing to reach the areas affected by bushfire, and a festive party held over the weekend.
This morning, an Esperance Freight Lines road train left Welshpool bound for Esperance with 50 tonnes of livestock pellets on board. These pellets were paid for with funds from the people of Western Australia who donated through the WAFarmers Esperance Fire Appeal.
WAFarmers Chief Executive Officer Stephen Brown said more than seven tonnes of seed millet had so far been paid for by WAFarmers from their Appeal and distributed amongst fire effected farmers, with the majority already sown on the back of recent useful rainfall in the affected areas.
“The recovery effort is in full swing, with local farmers beginning to see the results of the donations from the generous people of Western Australia,” Mr Brown said.
“Most encouraging of all is the fact that the donations are continuing to come through even weeks after the event, so there is provision for even more donated goods and funds to be redirected to where they are needed most.”
Additional funds have also been allocated to affected farmers, and WAFarmers are still assessing applications.
Last Sunday afternoon a community Christmas party for Scaddan, Grass Patch, Merivale, Salmon Gums and Cascade residents took place at the Grass Patch Hall and oval, during which parents enjoyed an afternoon of socialising and over 100 children were greeted by Santa and given gifts.
“The local residents have been through so much over the last few weeks, so we wanted to give them an opportunity to relax and enjoy the holiday season as best they could,” Mr Brown said.
“Coordinated by WAFarmers, businesses in the agricultural industry donated cash and goods to ensure everything was paid and catered for, allowing all the locals to enjoy an afternoon with without the pressures of organising, setting up and cleaning up.
‘The afternoon also gave residents some respite from the recovery effort, and helped to bring them some festive cheer.”
Mr Brown said the generosity of the Western Australian public was astounding, however WAFarmers would encourage people to continue to dig deep to assist the people of the Shire of Esperance by donating money or grain through the appeal.
Information on how to complete a grain donation using the WAFarmers CBH receival number or how to donate funds can be found here.
ENDS.
All media requests must be directed to WAFarmers Media and Communications Officer Melanie Dunn on (08) 9486 2100 or [email protected].
