Family Feud host Grant Denyer and his wife Chezzi have jumped aboard the campaign to help farmers who are battling severe weather conditions.
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They visited parts of the drought-ravaged Hunter last weekend with charity Rural Aid for a firsthand glimpse of the devastation.
And they were deeply moved. Grant said the emotional toll was a “national health issue”.
Jamie Marquet’s dairy farm at Wallarobba
“I can’t express to you the tragedy when you meet these humble, hardworking people struggling to try to make ends meet,” Chezzi added.
“They have families of their own. They’ve got no feed left. They’ve got no money to just go and buy more feed. Some of them have to even buy water. They can barely afford to feed themselves let alone their stock. It’s just so sad.
The Stork family beef property at Glen Oak
“If you’ve never been without water and you’ve always lived in the city areas you might not realise, these people can’t just turn on a tap to get more water. Once their tanks and dams are dry they’re out of water. No water to flush your toilet after you’ve been. No water to wash your hands. No water to have a shower or a bath. No water to cook with.
Can you imagine how expensive and inconvenient it is to have to buy water just to complete the most necessary of jobs? And not just for a day or two. For months. They’ve not had decent rain since before last winter,
- Chezzi Denyer
The couple have decided to support Rural Aid to help raise awareness about the challenges farmers face during droughts or floods.
It’s a cause that’s close to both of them. Grant grew up on a farm and he shares the country lifestyle with Chezzi and their two children at a property near Bathurst.
Matt and Emily Neilson’s dairy farm near Dungog
Their love of the country life prompted their search for a rural charity.
Chezzi said they wanted a charity that “would never normally get the spotlight it deserved”. She said they instantly fell in love with Rural Aid and it’s Buy A Bale campaign, which uses donations to buy hay and transport it to farmers suffering from drought, flood, fire or cyclones.
“Rural Aid is such a brilliant charity and many people haven’t even heard about what they do and how they impact the community,” she said.
Grant said the Buy A Bale campaign made a real impact in a farmer’s life. The Mercury has partnered with the Newcastle Herald, Dungog Chronicle, Scone Advocate, Hunter Valley News and Rural Aid to support Upper and Lower Hunter farmers as they battle the drought.
If they can at least get a bale of hay here and there, they can keep their stock and have a fighting chance to ride it out,
- Grant Denyer
“Aussie farmers feed us three meals a day, we need them. Occasionally they need us too and Buy A Bale is cheap, easy and a powerful way to make a big difference.
“If farmers have to sell their stock, often they can’t afford to re-stock when the rain comes and they’re forced to sell up the farm they’ve had for generations.”
Chezzi said it would be devastating for a farmer to have to sell all of his animals due to a lack of food or water.
“I’ve heard a few suggestions, often given by quite ignorant people I feel, that maybe if times get too tough the farmers should just sell up their stock or their land and do something else,” she said.
“Can you imagine being a fourth generation farmer and being told this? How infuriating. How depressing. For many of them, all they know is farming.
The thought of losing their stock and all their profits is a tragic thought and one of the main reasons so many of our wonderful primary producers are facing mental health issues,
- Chezzi Denyer
Grant and Chezzi praised Rural Aid founders Charles and Tracy Alder for their hard work.
“Charles and Tracy aren’t sitting in an office organising this stuff,” Chezzi said.
“They’re out there at the front line, talking everyday to the people who need it most. Trying to work out the next best way to help these struggling farmers and producers who give us three meals a day.”