Hay for Drought Relief update

G’day Rotarians! … and a belated Happy New Year
 
2025 was epic, with much thanks to YOU and Your Club! 
 
Our collective South Australian Fodder to Farms Drought Relief Project
between 25 February and 31 December 2025
has so far raised a total of $737,579.22
 
To achieve this total:-
  • We received 505 Donations   
  • 60 Rotary Clubs Donated   
  • 8 of these Rotary Clubs were from Interstate (including our amazing D9510 Alice Springs Clubs!)   
  • 15 of these Rotary Clubs Donated more than once   
  • 5 Rotary Inner Wheel Clubs Donated (including one from Rome, Italy!!)   
  • $431,859.90 of donations came from within our Rotary’s network   
  • 34 Donations came from Businesses / Churches / Op Shops / NFP’s   
  • ‘Business’ related donations totalled $87,798.59   
  • 383 Private / Personal Donations have been received   
  • Private Donations have totalled $218,030.73   
The Power of Rotary! Thank you all for donating AND spreading the word.
 
Our collective efforts have helped us:-
  • Get Fodder to over 350 farms!
  • Deliver on average 10 Tonne of fodder to each farm   
  • Save at least 6 Farmers from suicide (that’s people who bravely told us)   
  • Save Thousands of Livestock from starvation, suffering and death!   
  • To keep families together and on their farms   
  • GIVE HOPE!   

ROTARY makes real impact. Live saving, compassionate impact.
Please celebrate your amazing work within your Club.
 
We have seen so many Tears of Joy and Relief from farmers.
I simply do not know how to put those tears into this email to convey their gratitude toward Rotary!
 
 
PIONEER ADVENTURE DAY
www.RotaryPioneerAdventureDay.au
 
Sunday 3rd May 2026
Old Tailem Town Pioneer Village – Tailem Bend   
A day for smiling again.  
A day for farmer fun, attractions, entertainment, music, food AND health checks  
 
Our aim is to find Sponsors for individual families to attend.
 
General Health is dire on so many farms still, plus we have come across farms surviving on 1 Meal a Day!

Some farmers haven’t seen a doctor in years. Some have not even set foot off their farms. Many are so depressed, they find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning to face another day.
 
PIONEER ADVENTURE DAY – aims to invite these families … and others in their local communities reliant on their local farmers (supermarkets, butchers, bakers, clothing shops, hardware stores etc) … to have a Day of fun off the farm to remember what it’s like to smile. Some kids haven’t seen mum and dad smile for months!
 
Our aim is to bring a wide variety of Entertainers to Old Tailem Town to help Mums, Dads and Kids alike to reconnect and relax.

A wide array of HEALTH Services will be set up, with Doctors and Nurses and Allied Health providers offering all sorts of basic check-ups for Men and Women. From blood pressure, to heart, sugar levels, breast screening, AND Mental Health coaching to name only a few.
 
To make this entire event run, with the hope of bringing 600 Families along, we need to raise sponsorship of about $140,000. Our aim is to get these families TO the event for free so that Money is not a reason to say no.
Our aim is to find Sponsors for individual families to attend.
Each Family Sponsorship will cover:-
 
• around $70 of fuel to get the family’s car to the event and home again
• free entry to Old Tailem Town (normally $28 per person)
• food vouchers
• free entertainment
• free health checks
 
Sponsor a Family of 2 for only $145
Sponsor a Family of 4 for only $220
Sponsor a Family of 6 for only $295

https://reg.planetreg.au/Rotary-Pioneer-Adventure-Day-Sponsorship

Can your Rotary Club please help us by Sponsoring a Family(s)?
Can your Rotary Club please help promote the event and sponsorship opportunity through your community?
 
 
A number of our wonderful Clubs surrounding Old Tailem Town have already voted to collaborate with Rotary Adelaide Central to put this event on. They’ve hit the ground running. If your Club is interested in knowing more about opportunities, please register your interest for free below (or phone me). Likewise, if you know a business / health provider who would like to be at the event, please share this link also.
 
 
 
2026 Hay plans!
 
AND … just to let you know, over the last month, we’ve received a further Dozen brand new registrations for help from farmers, particularly in the Riverland; Murraylands; Murray Mallee; Cooke Plains regions.

Some of these areas did not get the Rain that much of South Australia received from August onwards.
 
In fact, in early November, we delivered to a lady on a farm 15 minutes south of Berri who had had 22mm of rain for the YEAR!

There are pockets of our state still in dire need and we are committed to continuing to offer our Farmers Hope.
 
UNFORTUNATELY – the South Australian Government, despite releasing through the media pre-Xmas commitments to ongoing fodder transport grants, have informed our partner Farmers Relief Agency that no further transport $$ are forthcoming. Fortunately though, there are pockets of S.A. we are likely to be able to source ‘local’ hay, which reduces our cost of transport drastically.
 
[ Fun Fact – each of our Triple Deck Road Trains from Western Australia covered 2,897km to bring a load to S.A. and they made multiple runs! ]
 
FYI - Our RAWCS Project account for Hay and Fodder donations remains open and we intend to continue to help farms as we can, with the funds we have available. 
 
 
Please let me know if you Club needs any extra info.
 
THANK YOU
 
=============
Bill Marles
Project Manager – S.A. Drought Relief project