Cattle in the New England – North West have become the latest fundraisers for the community’s own Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
In just a few weeks many of the region’s farmers will begin to auction off their livestock as part of the Tag A Calf program for the Rescue Helicopter. The Tag A Calf program has been running in the New England – North West almost 12 months with many local farmers using the special yellow tags to identify live stock that will be sold with funds going directly to the Service.
A stock sale will be held at Binnaway at 8am on Wednesday 26 August.
Warren & Carlene Scifleet from Binnaway (west of Coonabarabran) will be selling a tagged cow that they believe will fetch around $900.
‘It would be a great ‘freezer package'. The local abattoir, Kim & Beres Lang, have waived their fee while the local butcher, Rob Tink of Kristies Quality Meats, will provide his services free of charge,’ they said.
Local stock and station agent, Milling, Stewart & Co, is also waiving all fees associated with the sale. Agent Jamie Stewart wanted to assist the farmers raise money for the Rescue Helicopter because his son was transported a number of years ago and said that it was important for the community to support this vital service.
The yellow tags are available through the 15 Volunteer Support Groups around the New England–North West region and at the Services Tamworth office by calling 6766 6641. For a full list and contacts for the Volunteer Support Groups visit www.rescuehelicopter.com.au
Volunteer Coordinator, Debby Herdegen said that the Service’s Volunteer Groups created the Tag A Calf Initiative with the generous support of Elders Rural in Tamworth to assist the farming community support the Service.
‘For some time the farming community has asked how it could, as a group and as individuals, support a Service that so often was needed in their community,’ Debby said.
‘A significant number of the emergency response missions the helicopter and its crews attend are to farming and rural accidents,’ she said.
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