A FEW months after Kirsty Shaw moved to Clermont, she decided to help bridge the gap between local farmers and town people, who were both suffering from the drought.
She set up a Clermont and Surrounds Drought Fundraiser Facebook page and was soon flooded with donations and people willing to help. With So much support, Kirsty decided to organise a charity gala ball.
On Friday April 4, her idea came to successful fruition with the Clermont Drought Gala Ball held at the local showgrounds.
The event, which sold out, was an excellent night for locals to come together, enjoy a night of glamour and forget about the tough times for a while.
“Being fairly new to this town it was great to meet you all and know that you support your farmers through the tough times they are enduring,” Kirsty wrote on the group’s Facebook page after the event.
A massive $12,000 was raised on the night, bringing total donations to the Clermont and Surrounds Drought Fundraiser to more than $20,000.
A full gallery from the Ball can be accessed by clicking the photo below.
“Between the five of us (who organised the ball) I think we did really well,” Kirsty said.
“We are now looking into more expensive help – we want to sit down and really scrutinise what farmers need,” she said.
At the moment, Kirsty is looking at getting a diesel truck to deliver fuel to stations, and getting two semi-trailers of hay from Buy A Bale into the district.
She has also created an 184-page recipe book with contributions from as far afield as Western Australia. It will go on sale at the Clermont Show with all proceeds donated back to farmers. On top of that, Kirsty is still running bingo nights at the Commercial Hotel to raise much-needed funds.
A busy woman, Kirsty is passionate and has her sights set on bigger and better projects. She just needs a few days of a well-deserved break.
To support Kirsty, check out the Clermont and Surrounds Drought Fundraiser Facebook page.
