{"id":136754,"date":"2016-02-29T23:07:56","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T13:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=136754"},"modified":"2020-10-21T13:34:42","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T03:34:42","slug":"south-burnett-helps-to-pay-it-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/02\/29\/south-burnett-helps-to-pay-it-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"South Burnett Helps To Pay It Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hay Run fundraiser Gina Gleich presents Brendan Farrell with a $5000 cheque from Cornett’s IGA Supermarket after Saturday’s fundraiser in Murgon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 29, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Don’t pay it back, pay it forward” … that was the spur for Burrumbuttock farmer Brendan Farrell to deliver a load of hay to a struggling family at Bourke three years ago.<\/p>\n

The Burrumbuttock Hay Run is now legendary with the next run to western Queensland expected to have 240 prime movers pulling a total of 368 trailers.<\/p>\n

And the South Burnett will again be represented, with trucks and hay.<\/p>\n

Brendan was the special guest at a Burrumbuttock Hay Run fun day fundraiser held in Murgon at the weekend<\/p>\n

Organisers are still counting the funds collected but they hope between $10,000 and $15,000 was raised.<\/p>\n

The twin Golf Day and Bowls Day will help to pay for fuel for the next run.<\/p>\n

Cheques were also donated from Cornetts SupaIGA in Murgon ($5000) and Murgon Apex ($3000).<\/p>\n

The hay runs began after Brendan’s pregnant wife was diagnosed with a brain tumour.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their son was born in an intensive care unit in a Sydney hospital.<\/p>\n

People had provided him with food and accommodation while she was in hospital and told him “don’t pay it back, pay it forward”.<\/p>\n

After he returned home to Burrumbuttock in the Riverina, he saw a report about a young family in Bourke who were struggling to survive with drought.<\/p>\n

“I had hay in the shed. I had a truck. That’s how it started. One truckload of hay to one farmer. Now the nation is behind it,” Brendan said.<\/p>\n

Since then there have been 10 hay runs and more than 7500 farmers in NSW and Queensland have been assisted.<\/p>\n

The South Burnett contingent will leave on March 30 to overnight at Wyandra in south-west Queensland where it will meet up with other groups travelling from other parts of Queensland, NSW and a few from even further afield.<\/p>\n

The convoy, which will stretch about 140km end-to-end, will then depart for Ilfracombe where it’s expected to arrive on April 1.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The fundraising day at Murgon was organised by Paul Gleich and his wife Gina (from Murgon-based Gleich Contracting which took part in the January hay run), Gina’s sister Kristy Frahm, from Proston, and a whole bunch of their friends.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It attracted more than 65 lawn bowlers and 50 golfers, in sweltering conditions.<\/p>\n

In the afternoon, entertainment kicked off at the golf club featuring Amber Goldsmith and Amanda Faulkner, followed by a barbecue dinner and then more music from local band Deal’n.<\/p>\n

A courtesy bus ferried lawn bowlers back to the golf club so they could join in the evening fun, which included raffles and an auction.<\/p>\n

Kristy emphasised that donations had come from all over the South Burnett, not just Murgon.<\/p>\n

“I’m astonished at people’s generosity,” Kristy told southburnett.com.au<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It makes me really proud to live here.”<\/p>\n

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