Donna Jones
The Rainbow Beach DroughtRunners, headed up by local philanthropist Tony Stewart, has contributed more than $800K to worthy causes since they started deploying aid in September 2015.
Initially, the group was set up to help out with food and supplies to farmers in the west of the state, struggling to feed their stocks and themselves in some of the worst droughts the country has ever experienced.
With the drought officially broken, he and the team have been spreading the love right across the country for different causes.
“I can’t really change our name, but maybe we should hyphenate it to Drought-Flood Runners,” Tony said with a laugh.
Most recently, Tony and his team have been contributing to the Eugowra Flood Appeal, after the small New South Wales town, near Forbes, was almost wiped off the map due to severe flash flooding in November last year.
“I went through the area just before Christmas, and what a disaster.
“Half the town’s houses (204 of them) were washed away or written off and amazingly just two deaths but huge pet and stock losses.
“We sent $2500 to the Forbes Lions Club and so far have sent $7000 to the Eugowra Progress Association for the community.
“This week we hope to send another $1000 plus a lot of wooden toys made by Bill Neil of Tin Can Bay for the children.
“Bill’s Toys have gone nearly all over Queensland and as far as Winton with our deliveries,” he said.
But they’ve also had a hand in helping out Blaze-Aid after the devastating floods of January this year.
“After the Gympie area floods, and with the Drought broken our attention turned to helping Blaze-Aid who came into the Murgon-Goomeri area with a wonderful band of volunteers to erect Fencing,” Tony said.
“These volunteers, from all walks of life but mainly retired people, helped clear debris and erect fences for about 10 months..
“They had to be fed, so we helped to feed them by donating to Goomeri and Murgon retailers in Foodworks and IGA as well as donating to fuel suppliers in Murgon to get them to work,” he said.
He said between that and fencing materials, the group contributed $15,000 to helping those local businesses to continue trading.
This wasn’t the first time Tony’s team had helped out Blaze-Aid, with the group also helping after the Victorian Bushfires in 2020.
After stabilising the Murgon and Goomeri businesses, the group moved out to Mullumbimby near Lismore, where they delivered around $5000 in new clothes and toys to flood affected families.
“We also sent them $8000 in money for Visa Cards to help families, many of which were cut off by landslides and lost bridges for 8 months,” he said.
“After weekly helicopter drops, 14 families were only reunited with the real world last November,” Tony said.
Closer to home, the Drought Runners have been helping to feed the Gympie homeless population by supporting Marlene Owen’s group the Gympie Regional Homeless Assistance Inc with ongoing support of around $500 a fortnight
“Which has amounted to many zeros while we can afford to keep going to help those in need,” Tony said.
“We can’t keep doing this aid work without support and I have mentioned some who have helped out but there are so many others like Followmont for deliveries and those that deliver bottles and cans, and the hard work of Wayne Kerle and we have money tins in some shops.”
Tony said 100 per cent of their donations go where they are intended, free from any administration costs and he said they would like to contribute more, but is finding with the current economic climate, that donations are dropping off, while the number of people they can help continues to climb.
“If anyone can help in any way we would appreciate it,” he said.
Direct deposits can be made to the Rainbow Beach DroughtRunners at the Gympie Bank of Queensland in Mary St using BSB 124 047 and Account Number 2259 9186.