The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail have joined forces with 7 News and Queensland Country Women’s Association to launch the Queensland Drought Appeal.
With the Royal Queensland Show opening tomorrow, the Appeal will be used to help lift spirits in the bush and raise much needed funds for financial support.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will today launch the Queensland Drought Appeal at the Ekka.
Ms Palaszczuk said it was one more example of Queenslanders helping Queenslanders.
The appeal is aimed at families most in need as a grassroots way of city families attending this year’s Ekka to show they care.
West of Charleville, graziers Jacqui and Cameron Tickell and their kids Lucy, Sophie and Tom haven’t seen proper rain in the six years they’ve been on the place.
Graziers are too far into the punishing dry and sold off what they couldn’t keep alive years ago.
But those left with cattle, teetering on the brink between survival and disaster, have just been hit with another blow: Animals from newer-to-drought New South Wales are being sold off, flooding the market and slashing prices by as much as half.
With no money from the land, the towns are doing it tough too.
Charities such as Rotary and the CWA been helping with bills or have been mailing out vouchers and cash cards to those struggling, urging them to accept the gift to the bush and spend them in their towns to keep them alive.