Rotarians Helping Rotarians
Rotary is once again taking the lead and looking
to provide support for families in need.
Appeal from District Governor of District 9570, Australia
Michael Buckeridge
In Australia, farmers are the lifeblood of the country and they are in crisis. Record breaking heat and lack of rain means farmers are struggling to feed sheep and cattle and keep crops alive.
District 9570 is in Central Queensland and is 600,000 square kilometers in area -- almost the size of Texas, USA. Since 2012 a large part of the District has been drought declared and at the start of 2020, the entire district is drought declared.
The drought has resulted in diminished crop growth and carrying capacity for livestock. Apart from the environmental damage and cattle dying, water quality continues to decline. The human cost includes financial loss and mental health issues, particularly suicide and depression.
As you know, the District along with other areas of Australia, have experienced a bush fire crisis that experts describe as unprecedented. This has resulted in homes being lost and businesses being destroyed. Many of the farms that have been impacted by the fires have also been in drought for many years.
The scale of these combined disasters is huge, and I am asking for donations to our Drought and Fire appeal within District 9570. The money will be used to assist in the purchasing of water, brushfire recovery, and food for livestock.
Money can be donated to the bank account below, which is being used to manage the District Disaster Response.
Account Name: Rotary Club of Pioneer Valley
Bank Name: Sarina Community Bendigo Bank
Banks Address: 37 Broad Street, Sarina, 4737, Qld Australia
BSB: 633-108
Account Number: 154790984
Account address: PO Box 46 (41 Mary Street), Mirani, 4754, QLD Australia
SWIFT Code: BENDAU3B
This disaster will be felt in Australian for many years to come and we thank our fellow Rotarians worldwide who are all united in their desire to assist.