The Central West NSW Bushfire Disaster Relief (RABS), jointly established by Mudgee’s Rotary Clubs to assist families suffering significant loss and distress caused by the fires, has passed the $100,000 mark.
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On Monday Mid-Western Regional Council general manager Brad Cam added to the appeal meter to reflect council’s $5000 to the cause [pictured].
Donations this week totalling $6000 were received from Rotary District 9700, covering the Parkes, Orange, Leeton, Wagga Wagga, Temora and Blayney areas, and from the Rotary Club of Corrimal and the Rotary Club of Rylstone-Kandos.
These donations took the total past six figures.
Both Margaret Barnes (Rotary Club of Mudgee Sunrise) and Graham Taylor (Rotary Club of Mudgee) thanked the community for their support of the appeal.
“The Mudgee community have been really supportive, particularly in the early days, and we can see with the online donations just how significant individuals’ donations have been,” Mr Taylor said.
“It’s been incredible, we don’t have an address on the appeal but you’ll get these cheques out of the blue addressed to the Rotary Club with a donation,” Mrs Barnes said.
However, they’ve surprisingly come from much further away than neighbouring regions.
“I think how widespread it’s been it a bit of an eye-opener,” Mr Taylor said.
“You don’t expect it to come from Western Australia and Tasmania,” Mrs Barnes added.
This could be people with a connection to the Mudgee and Dunedoo areas, or possibly cross-over with volunteer firefighters deployed to the local region at the height of the battle against the blazes.
Those that have had a look at the meter - located in the Mudgee Library window - would’ve noticed the ‘currently disbursed’ figure, which currently sits at $80,000.
“It’s a key criteria for us, because of people’s experiences with some appeals that the money doesn’t get distributed quite as promptly as it needs to,” Mr Taylor said said.
“We knew right from the very beginning that the money needed to be moved quickly and that added to the value of the appeal, because people like to know that they’ve done some good.”
The milestone amount doesn’t mean the appeal is over as recovery continues the Mid-Western Regional, Upper Hunter and Warrumbungle regions affected.
To donate online head to http://bit.ly/2nl6DNs.
The charitable fund was established through the Rotary Australia Benevolent Society.
