Fourteen off-road vehicles are travelling in convoy to visit regional towns in the Central West to support farmers and their local communities. The group from Macarthur 4WD Club, in Camden NSW have donated $400 in locally bought vouchers to the Canowindra CWA for them to distribute to farmers, struggling with the drought.
According to trip leaders Meg and Wayne Bishop, the idea for the trip is to spend tourist dollars at shops, restaurants and attractions in country towns.
“We wanted to do something that would support the whole community. By visiting these beautiful places and spending our money, we feel like we’re helping to contribute,” said Meg.
The club wanted to make sure their $400 donation was also being spent locally. “We hear a lot about people bringing hampers from the city – which is fantastic. We wanted our donation to support both farmers and local businesses. Vouchers seem like a great way to do that,” Meg added.
“We are thrilled to see this wonderful gesture from Macarthur 4WD club to help support our farmers and businesses” said Jan Kerr, President of Canowindra CWA branch.
The group has clocked up more than 600kms visiting Millthorpe, Canowindra, Boorowa and Crookwell last weekend. While the recent rain has brought some relief, there is a long way to go before farmers will see any financial relief.
“We enjoyed talking with locals, and learning more about the effect of the drought first-hand,” said Wayne.