January 18, 2016
Almost 100 people gathered at Wooroolin Hall on Saturday night to forget the two floods and the withering drought that hit the area between 2011 and 2014.
The get-together was the last of seven “Down With The Drought” community dinners organised by the South Burnett Regional Council for residents living in farming areas.
Funding for the dinners was supplied by the State Government’s Department Of Communities.
Each was organised by local community groups, while the entire program was supervised by Communities chair Cr Ros Heit.
Cr Heit said the State Government recognised that farmers had been doing it tough throughout Queensland for the last few years, and had released funds for drought relief.
The South Burnett Regional Council had applied for funding under the program, and its concept of community get-togethers to allow neighbours to meet and chat over dinner had won government support.
“Working on a farm can often isolate you from regular contact with other people in your community,” Cr Heit said.
“And when times are tough, the pressures you face can quickly build up because when you’re on your own, it’s easy to believe you’re the only one suffering.
“But when you connect with your neighbours and community, you usually find they’re having similar struggles.
“And while that won’t necessarily improve your day-to-day circumstances, it usually helps lift the burden of thinking you’re all alone in tough times.”
Saturday night’s dinner at Wooroolin was jointly organised by the Wooroolin Hall Committee and the Wooroolin Lions, and it had an upbeat tone.
Grain and peanut farmers said recent good rainfalls led them to hope they might see a good harvest this season, while cattle producers acknowledged they’re currently enjoying higher prices than they’ve seen in many years.
The situation was brighter than most had seen for some time, although high input costs and significantly reduced profit margins were a common topic of conversation.
The two course barbecue dinner was enlivened by entertainment from popular local duo The Stepping Stones and followed by dancing, lucky door prizes and raffles.
Afterwards, each family left with a “goodie bag” containing information on where to source support as well as a first aid kit.
Cr Heit said she intended to reapply to the program to see if more dinners could be organised in future.
“The feedback we’ve had from this program has been very positive and I’d certainly like to run it again,” Cr Heit said.
“I’m also very grateful to the wonderful community groups that have gathered together to run these events. They all did an incredible job.”
The groups involved in organising the “Down With The Drought” dinners included the Kumbia Progress Association; Kumbia Kindy; Kumbia Hall Committee; Ironpot Hall Committee; Maidenwell Community Group; Durong South School P and C; Durong Girl Guides; Cloyna Hall Committee; Tablelands Hall Committee; Mondure Hall Committee; Wooroolin Lions Club; and the Wooroolin Hall Committee.
Related articles:
- Ironpot Turns Out For Drought Night
- Maidenwell Gets Down With The Drought
- Kumbia Says ‘Down With Drought’
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