The drought is starting to bring out the good in more and more people as those of us who don’t have to rely on the land for our living, start to realise just how serious things are getting for our farmers. And it’s not just country people who are rallying to the call.

On Saturday, Orange City News heard of a couple of fellows from Bellevue Hill in Sydney who cared enough to do something practical for one lucky farmer just out of Orange.

These two chaps borrowed a ute, purchased 6 large bails of hay in Sydney, then drove to Orange simply to give them to a farmer who desperately needed food for their stock. On arriving in Orange, they tracked down someone from the CWA who was able to put them in touch with a local farmer who was battling to feed their stock. The chaps then drove to the farm, unloaded the bails and then headed back home to Sydney. They wanted no fanfare and simply said “who said city folks don’t care?”

The farmer, who prefers to remain anonymous, spoke to me today about their experience.

During our conversation, the farmer said words to the effect - I have 52 cows and about 400 ewes, I have all but exhausted the small hay supplies I’ve been able to get and I’ve been buying pellets to keep the feed up, about 25 tonnes so far. These guys were a God send as was the rain on Sunday. I asked how much would the bales of hay cost, and the farmer said probably around $300 each, and then there was their time, petrol etc. on top of that. I broke down in tears when they arrived.

This farmer also said that just buying feed is difficult, she enquired about buying some and was told there was a month’s wait. She also said that farmers further out west are probably in greater need than most in this area with some areas around Narrabri for example just dust bowls.

For the record, the names of the two caring “city slickers” are Brendan and David.