Western Queensland Drought Appeal benefits from novel fundraiser

The 12,000 attendees at the sold-out concert featuring John Farnham will be urged to put their hands in their pockets and ‘shout’ the equivalent of a round of drinks for the Western Queensland Drought Appeal, specifically to help small businesses in the towns affected.

Earlier in the week, on November 27-28, something similar will be happening at the Global Forum for Innovation in Agriculture at the Brisbane Convention Centre, set to attract thousands of visitors.

The Shout an Outback Town concept is a novel approach to raising money and ongoing awareness of the drought afflicting outback communities and was first roadtested at Caxton Street during the Wallabies-Springboks clash at Lang Park in September.

WQDA chairman, David Phelps, said people were really receptive there, even Springbok supporters, if the amount of South African rand and US dollars given were anything to go by.

“We’ve been pleased with how the conversation from politicians and the public over the last 12 months has grown to include towns affected by the drought,” he said. “Recognising that, a Brisbane friend of our group, Roger Desailly, helped us have a go at Caxton Street, to specifically raise money for small businesses in towns.”

To date, the WQDA philosophy has been that the $1m they’ve been able to give out to graziers in prepaid cards linked to local postcodes, would assist town businesses when they were spent there.

Read more: Lessons of a five year drought

The money raised in September, around $5000, has been earmarked for businesses in Muttaburra impacted by drought, David said, adding that some would have a shopfront and some would be contractors.

“We want to start small with towns like Muttaburra and Windorah, and will approach it the same way we do with landholders, trying to include as many as possible,” he said. “With support from Hand Heart Pocket, they’ll be able to use the cards to put back into other local businesses.”

According to Roger Desailly, both the GFIA conference and the Mt Cotton event organisers are providing prominent locations for WQDA volunteers to collect donations via collection tins and mobile eftpos terminals, donated by WQDA’s banking partner, Westpac.

“The international conference organisers have made WQDA their official charity partner for their Australian conference, wishing to help Australian farmers facing drought,” he said.

“Roundhouse Entertainment and Sirromet wines have chosen to support WQDA at A Day on the Green with John Farnham, as their contribution towards drought assistance.

“Both will be promoting the WQDA throughout their events – at the concert John Farnham will make announcements to give generously and 30 second big screen ad slots have also been donated.”

Roger said it was something he’d tossed around with David, and James Walker, when he was last in Longreach, as a different approach to raising money.

“We ask people to donate the equivalent of shouting a round of drinks,” he said.

“People were in a generous, giving mood, so much so that the volunteers were offered the odd beef.

“There’s a lot going on with hay and counselling and so on – this is just another way to give people awareness.”