Charity

Whilst those who are located regionally ... are well versed in the gaps in healthcare availability, there is a lack of practical solutions to meet the demand and support these communities deserve ... Open Support offers a 100 per cent free of charge transport program which aims to help bridge the gap in access to healthcare for those who live in regional NSW by providing transport services across Sydney.

There’s more financial support for Northern Rivers residents who have to travel a long way for specialist medical treatment. The state government recently added $150 million to the Isolated Patients Travel Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) that is for regional patients.

Imagine being a talented, horse-loving teen stuck in the middle of a war. Instead of dreaming about representing your country at the Olympic Games, you are helping your family set your horses free in the hope they will survive the bombing. The one thing about horse lovers worldwide is they stick together ...

...Several years ago local identity Greg Jordan (AKA Wheelie) competed and won the team World 8 Ball Championship in England ... This week Wheelie was notified he will be inducted into the World 8 Ball Hall of Fame ... Once the initial excitement wore off and reality set in, he realised that getting there was just not going to be financially possible.

Patricia Gill. Denmark's first St Ayles Skiff headed through the channel at the Rivermouth on Saturday marking the end of the 10-month community project to build the boat. Organiser David Cliff reflected on the project, quoting Ratty telling Mole in Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s novel, Wind in the Willows: “Believe me my young friend there is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much fun as simply messing about in boats”.

A massive 19 teams signed up for the Lions Club's book themed Trivia Night at the Memo Club last Saturday night. Contestants came dressed as their favourite book character for a fantastic night which was organised to raise funds to provide book packs for schools in the Barkly.

Farmers in the Darling Downs have had to contend with four floods in six months from November 2021 to May 2022 while elsewhere in Queensland and northern New South Wales the damage has been widespread and devastating. Following flooding down south in recent weeks, Rural Aid’s team of counsellors are conducting welfare checks on Rural Aid’s registered farmers.

All roads will lead to Narrandera Sportsground for the “boys in blue” on November 9 for a huge day of touch football. A major police fundraising event, the 2022 Golden Boot Touch Football Carnival will feature 28 teams competing, with games scheduled to start at 8.30am.

And she’s off! Jeanette ‘Netty” Foy-Wilson left Kyogle on Monday morning, October 10 on her ride to the Gold Coast ... The Stop it where it starts tour aims to raise money to buy education courses for local schools to teach children about safe relationships.

Stow Gardens on the Geraldton Foreshore will mark the final stop on adventurer and philanthropist John Elliot’s odyssey across the heart of Australia to raise awareness about skin cancer. Before Mr Elliot’s departure in 2019, he undertook a routine skin check that revealed a melanoma on his back, which had it gone undetected may have proven fatal.

Emma Pritchard. It was a lifeline that stretched more than 8km. 56 trucks transporting over 2000 bales of hay, generously donated by farmers across Victoria, arrived in the Clarence Valley on September 30, bound for local properties owned by hobby farmers and primary producers who are continuing to struggle following months of relentless wet weather which has severely compromised their livelihoods. 

A helping hand: Former Denmark Citizen of the Year Roger Seeney is a strong believer in helping others and contributes to his community in many ways, including as an organiser of the annual Black Dog Ride, a national charity that raises awareness of depression and suicide prevention. He recently spoke to Serena Kirby about his life and the struggles which have shaped him.

After a two-year hiatus the national economy benefited from a $100 million injection from the biggest and most successful Henty Machinery Field Days on record ... Held on September 20-22, the 59th annual field days featured 14km of outdoor shop fronts from over 800 exhibitors on over 1200 sites.

“The Treasure Trove has always aimed to sell beautiful, clean, affordable clothes and household items that are ‘preloved’ rather than tired and obviously second hand. We must have done something right because apart from our lovely regular locals, we have customers visiting from Perth and are now on the op shop tourist holiday trail": Ann Callen, Gingin Community Op Shop secretary.

Toowoomba Quilters Club is taking its needlework in a new direction by raising money for Emerge Youth Services. At the Launch of the Club’s annual Charity Art Union, Toowoomba Quilters Club members heard about Emerge Youth Services from the organisation’s passionate CEO and Founder, Jen Shaw.

Allora Homestead residents have been busy over winter making blankets and beanies for the Warwick Hospital. A wonderful effort by Judy, Kay, Laisa, Rae, Jess who have made these items with love and care for the new born babies.

Rodney Stevens. When Brian Elvery was offered the opportunity to ride his bicycle more than 500km to raise money for Ronald McDonald House he didn’t hesitate to accept. Last week, along with a core group of a dozen other cyclists plus support crew, Mr Elvery got in the saddle on Tuesday at Inverell, for the 2022 Ronald McDonald House Northern NSW Ride For Sick Kids, aiming to raise $200,000.

Wyreema State School is lucky enough to have access to its own Story Dog, Lady, on a weekly basis and the students love reading to her. Lady is directly sponsored by the Toowoomba West Lions Club but the program itself is run by the charity, Story Dog Australia, which covers the training and insurance of the dog.

Blockade Australia activities which stopped Sydney peak hour traffic on 27 June 2022 is an experience which timber harvesting contractors have been confronting for years. In the week ended August 5, 2022, on five successive days, protestors entered timber harvesting sites in Northern NSW and placed their personal safety in danger to such an extent that work ceased.

The last two and a half years have taken so much from so many, and so Mardi Brown and Pete Gurrie, owners of Sunday House, wanting to find a meaningful way to contribute to the community, have launched an initiative to donate fresh meals for every direct booking made. The money raised will go towards assisting vulnerable people across the country via the superheroes at SecondBite, one of Australia’s largest food rescue organisations.

Lockhart baker Steve Peters has awarded the first of his Blue Bird Cafe Restaurant scholarships to nursing student Holly Louise Fordham. Mr Peters is giving something back to the community by offering university students from Lockhart Shire the chance to receive some money from the scholarship incentive he is offering.

A small central Queensland state school now has a secure drinking water supply, after six years of dry taps and plastic bottles. Australia’s most trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, has facilitated the installation of a SOURCE Hydropanel array at Valkyrie State School and believes that this technology could help facilitate drinking water security for other struggling schools.