An amazing thing happened on a property north of Barcaldine in Queensland’s central west on the weekend.
At noon on Saturday, four trucks rolled into Hathaway station at the end of a 17-hour journey from the Hunter Valley.
Not only did they bring feed for desperately hungry sheep and cattle, but they brought a present of love and concern for their fellow man.
Sue Moody, who, along with husband Anthony, was the recipient of the equivalent of a full triple-roadtrain-load of hay, as well as a pallet of horse feed, another pallet of sheep nuts, and dog food, was overwhelmed with the gesture from people she has never met.
“They said the value of the hay was $30,000 but I think when you add on the cost of fuel and all the time they gave to get it up here, it would be closer to $50,000,” she said. “I just can’t describe how that feels.”
The idea for the donation began in early November when Singleton’s Graham Crow picked up a copy of the Queensland Country Life and read the heartbreaking story of the Moodys, whose world has been turned upside down due to a terrible series of events.
In the space of five years Anthony and Sue have gone from operating a viable beef business on properties at Isisford and Barcaldine to droving the stock routes trying to keep their last 500 head of cattle alive.
In 2013 a freak storm destroyed their home at Inkerman, west of Isisford. Being under-insured, they had to move to Hathaway, where worse was to come.
Sue contracted influenza type A last year and was on life support for 21 days.
Then in July this year, with drought not letting up. they made the tough decision to live hundreds of kilometres apart as Anthony went on the long paddock, while Sue stayed at home to look after 2000 sheep and 40 head of cattle that were too weak to take on the road.
Their story was documented by Brisbane photographer Libby Best for the Wesley Mission’s Anti-Poverty Week launch and was subsequently reported by QCL.
“Graham brought the Country Life home and said, what can we do to help,” Robyn said.
“We thought we would start with hay and made a couple of phone calls, and got a couple of truckloads straight away.”
She also created a Facebook page, which the greater Hunter Valley community responded to in a truly amazing way.
From Kirkwoods and Farmers Warehouse and transport companies like Curlewis Haulage, BJ Knodler Haulage and Crawfords, offers flooded in.
Fuel was donated by Daracon, Boom Engineering and Betts Bower.
One of the trucks that travelled all the way from Singleton to Barcaldine was owned and driven by Greg Ernst, who paid for all the hay in his load.
Another of the drivers had been all the way to the Gulf of Carpentaria with another load of hay earlier in the week, getting back in time to service his truck and load the truck for the trip to Barcaldine.
It was a whirlwind trip for all four drivers, who had to be back in Singleton for work on Monday.
The generosity didn’t just stop there though: Brisbane’s Marriott Hotel has donated the Moodys a seven-night stay that can be taken any time in 2016. On top of this are flights down and back, plus $1000 spending money, arranged by Graham and Robyn.
Graham said he just wanted to put a smile on Sue and Anthony’s faces. “These people are doing it unbelievably tough.”
As Robyn explained to Sue, “When you’re on your feet, you gift on.”
Sue, whose physical limits have been tested since her bout of influenza, said Saturday had been a very big day.
“This will allow us to keep all our sheep,” she said. “It’s taken away so many of the bills that were exhausting our funds.
“The end isn’t in sight yet but this has made it easier to get there.”
She said that as soon as they began unloading the hay, hungry stock started running over to the trucks and “just devoured” the fresh new bales.
Sue added that without the offers of tractors from neighbours Wally Miller and Dave McKenzie, they would have still been unloading hay on Sunday.
The couple has managed to source a paddock in the Augathella district where their cattle can be left for a fortnight over the Christmas break for very reasonable agistment, enabling them to be together.
“When Ant comes home we’ll bring all the sheep in together and get a real feeding program going,” Sue said.
“From a lot of heartache, some good has come of it, and we have made some new friends,” she said.
