TWO Gunnedah women are doing their bit to help victims of the Sir Ivan bushfire and support their local Rural Fire Service brigade, and the town has got behind them, with tickets to their charity ball selling out more than a month before the event.
Kelly Warren wanted to do something to help those caught up in the bushfires at Merriwa and Boggabri in February, and after putting the call out on Facebook, local hotel owner Belinda Thomas has joined the campaign
Together, they’ve planned a black tie ball for May 27 at the Gunnedah Town Hall.
The pair hope to raise $50,000, which is to be split between the Sir Ivan - Dunedoo CWA Bushfire Appeal and the Gunnedah RFS brigade.
“I just wanted to do something for the poor buggers that have lost everything,” Mrs Warren said.
“I told my husband that if I could win the Sunrise cash cow money, I’d donate $50,000, but that didn’t happen, so I started calling people and came up with the idea for a ball.
“Everyone likes dressing up and it’s a great way to raise money.
“I’d like to think that if we were in that situation, other people would want to help us.”
A Facebook campaign has led to support from local, regional, state and national businesses.
Money will be raised through tickets and a charity auction, with items donated by businesses and individuals.
Mrs Warren said she didn’t want people to forget about those affected by bushfires.
“The mainstream media goes out there for a day or two, then the next week they’ve forgotten about them,” she said.
“They’ve had rain, so it’s all nice and green, but there’s still no feed, and there won’t be feed for a long time.”
Gunnedah RFS brigade captain Wayne Langdon is among the speakers at the ball and will speak about his experiences over the past 25 years in the RFS, including 10 years at Gunnedah.
He was among those fighting fires at Boggabri, which broke out at the same time as the Sir Ivan fire.
“In all my years with RFS, they’ve been the worst conditions I’ve experienced because of the heat and wind,” Mr Langdon said.