Brisbane rugby club GPS has shown it understands that rain doesn’t necessarily end a drought, donating $4485 to the Western Queensland Drought Appeal recently.
According to CEO Anthony Herbert, when the club heard how badly the drought was affecting all parts of rural Queensland, it decided to include a $5 donation from every membership sold in 2016 towards drought relief.
At the sign-on day at the end of May, 897 members had joined up.
“We realise this small amount isn't going to change too many things too quickly, but if everyone gets behind rural Queensland I'm sure we can make difference,” Anthony said.
GPS Rugby is a community-based club that undertakes many events to help those more fortunate than themselves.
Amongst their other charitable work have been a clothes drive for victims of Cyclone Winston, and a Boots for Fiji drive.
Western Queensland Drought Appeal spokesman Bill Ringrose said assistance such as that given by GPS will be needed for some time.
He said the money would go into the Western Queensland Drought Appeal kitty, which had recently made another distribution of pre-paid Visa cards to people in the Remote Area Planning and Development Board area.
“We have sent these as far south as Bulloo and we’re negotiating with Flinders and Richmond shires,” he said.
“It’s very nice that our city cousins thought of us. The Toowoomba Grammar Old Boys are doing something similar, that keeps the donations trickling along.”
Bill said the challenge ahead lay in continuing to attract such generous donations and to help people to realise there was still a great need for money, in the wake of reports of good amounts of rain.
“The biggest issue is the valuation of people’s land and what’s been loaned,” he said.
“Banks are now concerned about the serviceability of their loans.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the real impact of what’s going to happen to people yet.
“The rain might provide people with options for an exit strategy but it also gives banks options to move.
“There’s not that many in so much trouble that we’ll see a lot of this, I hope.”
His comments were echoed by Longreach grazier James Walker, who said people had been through the emotional and physical sides of drought, but would now see the financial side step up as people made decisions about their future, tossing up refinancing, restocking or selling.
“And a lot have not had enough to be totally optimistic either,” he said.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
