Wagga Wagga pub to fundraise for bushfire victims with Australia Day Eve Eve event

The Sporties Hotel Wagga will hold their annual 'Shear a Sheep, Drink a Beer, Eat a Pie' event on January 24 to support those affected by fire while also raising awareness for mental health.

What started as a chance to share a beer with a mate has grown into a hotly contested competition testing the stamina of some game locals.

The event kicks off at 6.30pm with time shearing heats by a team of local experts before the fastest shearers are auctioned off by H.Francis and Co stock and station agent Matt Hawker and the winning bidders step on stage to drink a beer and eat a pie.

While it might sound simple, some of the pies contain chilli while the beers could be warm.

Mr Hawker, who was a former shearer himself, said eating the pie was often the hardest part of the challenge but the winning teams usually achieved times from one minute to 1min 30 seconds.

"There is not much more Australian than eating a pie, shearing a sheep and drinking a beer," he said.

"For the mental health side of it, people have a drink on Australia Day and ask their mates how they are going over a beer and if it helps one person then we have done our job."

This year's event will also give members of the public the chance shear some of the sheep with early attendees put into a lucky draw in the hope of being featured.

Sporties Hotel Wagga second in charge, Ben Stratton, who runs the pub alongside his brother Tom, said any money raised would be given to locally based fundraisers helping producers impacted by bushfires.

"The event has always been about raising awareness for mental health, that's been the driver behind the whole thing," he said.

"Given where we are at in the region now and so many people affected by the fire, it (the fire) is a topic of conversation everyday."

The event can raise up to $7000 each year with raffles also running on the day.