When these trucks pass through Dubbo on route to Walgett give them "a honk and a wave"!
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A 27-truck convoy will pass through Dubbo on Friday morning carrying 864 bales of premium hay to the Walgett Shire to assist struggling farmers.
"We're bringing this beautiful, fresh, seasonal hay to people who are struggling a lot worse than what we could imagine," said Linda Widdup, founder of the Aussie Hay Runners, the group behind the convoy.
The bails of hay - valued at $82,080 - have been donated by farmers across Victoria in response to the bush fires which tore through parts of the Walgett shire in late November 2023.
From November 14, 2023, the fast-moving bushfire burned more than 21,000 hectares within the Narran Lake Nature Reserve.
This will be the first time the Aussie Hay Runners have donated hay in the Walgett area.
"When we get it there we make sure there's plenty for everyone and it just sort of gets these people through... I'm sure it'll give him a hand up for quite some time," she said.
On Thursday, February 1, the trucks will meet up in West Wyalong.
Then, on Friday morning, they will set off along the Newell Highway through Parkes, Dubbo, Gilgandra, Gulargambone and Coonamble before arriving in Walgett.
The Aussie Hay Runners will then spend Saturday working with a member of the local community to distribute hay to farmers in need throughout the Walgett shire.
Ms Widdup said the logistics behind such a journey can be an "absolute nightmare".
"You've got to try and get people all together and make it so that it works for every truck driver to be able to meet there at that date," she said.
"To get the convoy together and it generally takes a little bit of work, but when you see what happens at the other end, it's well and truly worth it... especially when you see the relief on people's faces... it's awesome."
The trek to Walgett will be the Aussie Hay Runners' third trip for 2024 and 22nd run overall.
The group was founded in 2019 by Ms Widdup, who lives in country Victoria, after she saw a post on Facebook where farmers around Dunedoo were discussing the devastating effects of drought.
"I thought to myself, well, 'we've got to get off our bums here and help these people',"
"I organised just a small run of four trucks and a heap of utes and trailers with hay and everything you could imagine and went up there and it sort of went off from there.
"We've gone from four trucks to 64 trucks and that's just really fantastic."
The Aussie Hay Runners are an initiative of the Hayfield Lions Club, which is the largest rural Lions Club in Victoria. Donations to the hay runners can be made through the club.
"There are other areas desperate for help and our logistics team are working hard planning and scheduling, there's just so many farmers desperately needing our help in so many areas," said Ms Widdup.
"So if you can, please make a donation, 100 per cent of your donation will be used to purchase hay"