In the grips of the drought, graziers in Far West NSW had their spirits lifted when a group of farmers from the north-west Victorian town of Ouyen arrived with around eight trucks of donated hay and grain.
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Three years later the seasons have turned around and recipient of some of the hay, Terry Smith, Scarsdale Station, near Menindee, decided to do what he could to return the favour.
Mr Smith donated 25 lambs to be sold at Ouyen by BR&C agents last Thursday, to raise money for the Ouyen community.
The first-cross and Merino lambs fetched $290/head and the funds will go towards the Victorian town's lake project.
Mr Smith said the Ouyen hay run had left him overwhelmed with gratitude at the time.
"We had been buying hay off them for a while, but we had exhausted their supplies," Mr Smith said.
"Out of the blue they rang up one day and said we've got a bit of hay together and we'll come up and drop it off.
"They dropped off 25 bales for me and the same for some other producers, brought our partner's up a hamper and took us out for dinner.
"It lifted our spirits and I thought hopefully when things turn around I might be able to repay the favour and help them out."
Mr Smith said now they had had a decent lambing, he had the opportunity to offer up some of his lambs which had been sent down to a nearby feedlot.
"The guys at the feedlot have been feeding them for nothing and the agents will waive their fee when they sell them, everyone's chipping in," Mr Smith said.
He said so many farmers had received anonymous support through the drought, for example care packages just turning up in the mail.
"I thought it would be good that as a farming community we could repay some of that goodwill, find an organisation, or community and get together and donate a few sheep or lambs," Mr Smith said.
Farmers helping farmers
Jarrod Munro coordinated the hay run back in September 2018 and said their aim had been to express their appreciation for how tough those farmers were doing it and to offer them a relaxing night out.
"We weren't able to give them a lot of hay, it was more the fact of giving them some support, we took them into the local pub, shouted them all tea and few drinks," Mr Munro said.
He said to get the phone call offering up the lambs was "unbelievable".
"It's probably a once in a lifetime experience, it's a massive humbling feeling to get a phone call from a guy who's had their seasons turn around," Mr Munro said.
"He's in a position where he's been able to give a bit back to our community, which we're very grateful for."
Mr Munro said for years the Ouyen community had been working on creating a recreational lake and were always looking for funds.
"It's been pretty much the community that have built it by hand, with a little bit of government funding," he said.
The connection between the two regions, more than 300 kilometres apart, has now solidified - each knowing there is someone there to have their back when the going gets tough.
"I suppose as bad as the drought is, a good positive out of it is we've got to know some really good close friends from it," Mr Munro said.
"If there's a rainfall event going through their area we often ring up to touch base, if they can see rain going through our region they'll ring up and see how our crops are going - we never knew each other from a bar of soap before this."
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