John Laidlaw finds it hard to talk through his tears when he recounts how humbled he is by the extraordinary generosity of the Wingham community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For the past two weeks, John has been ferrying food and essentials shoppers have donated at Coles Wingham, to his home at Wherrol Flat.
What he calls his ‘barn attic’, a small outbuilding behind his house, is the storehouse for boxes filled with non-perishable food, personal hygiene supplies, toiletries, baby supplies, pet food and the like, all to be given to drought-stricken farmers out west.
John is helping out Pampoolah woman Sandra Wilson, who has been volunteering with a Facebook community, ‘Doing it for our farmers’, started by Sue Ellen Wilken in Tamworth, in response to what is being called the worst drought in 100 years.
He has been doing runs to and from Kempsey, transporting donated toiletries to Sue’s house for later distribution.
John suggested to Sandra he approach Coles in Wingham to help out as a collection point, as Sandra and her family left to spend time on their property at Nyngen for two weeks. The team at Coles were only too happy to lend a hand, with the result that so much has been donated, John does not even know how many trolley loads he had collected over the 12 days.
John is not content with just collecting the donations, however. On Friday, July 20, he hit the road to travel to Gunnedah and Coonbarabran, with his 8x5 trailer and 4WD packed solid with the donated goods.
“Through CRT, I know people at Gunnedah that need stuff. I thought, going to Gunnedah, and working with the CRT store, this gentleman will give me names of people who are not normally asking for help. He knows they need help, but they’re too proud to ask,” John says, choking back the tears.
“So my intention is to go out and give it to them.”
The collection point at Coles Wingham was initially going to stop operating on Friday July 20. However, staff at Coles want to keep the donation trolleys going as long as people are still donating.
“People are also dropping donations into Taree & Wingham Produce - the CRT store, Champman and Wood in Wingham were collecting for a week, and there’s a nurse at the hospital who collects a bit now and again,” John says.
“It’s just phenomenal the amount of food and phenomenal the different ways people think to give.
“It’s really great. It’s not me doing wonderful work, it’s the people who are donating stuff. And the people at Coles, too. I think it’s only obvious that the people of Wingham have done a fantastic job and should feel very proud of themselves.”
