FIFTY CEOs from major companies in Queensland will travel to the Maranoa region in March next year and be put to work fencing and shearing in a new approach to natural disaster support.
CEOs Under The Stars is being organised by Rural Aid CEO Charles Alder, who established the Buy a Bale campaign, to offer support outside of the traditional food drops commonly organised for rural areas.
The CEOs will pay $4500 to spend March 9-11 in Mitchell and Roma visiting and networking with 25 local farming families during the day and stay at Bonus Downs in the evening.
All money raised from the trip will go towards establishing similar programs targeting school aged children and promoting a rural holiday over city or international ones.
Next year’s tour will take place in three states but already interest has been shown to run programs in other areas in 2019 and 2020.
Mr Alder said Rural Aid wasn’t just about disaster assistance and they were focused on providing facilities and services that could lift the living standards of people in the bush.
“A hamper is nice to give today but it’s like the bible says, teach a man to fish instead of feed,” he said.
“That’s one of the things we are trying to work really succinctly on is about developing economic resistance for these rural communities.
“These CEOs are probably going to have three of four million dollar turnover in their company so I’m sure they could drop a few hundred thousand or a million on a project if they thought it was community minded but they don’t know about them at the moment.”
The idea for Mr Alder’s latest project came after a CEO supporting Rural Aid invested in himself and his staff participating in a farm visit program.
“The conversation he had (with farmers) just blew him away,” Mr Alder said.
“We know CEOs have the ear of politicians, have good networks and for us as a charity to be able to connect with CEOs makes them passionate about the bush and share that.”
Mitchell producer Eric Crosby is a strong supporter of Rural Aid’s cause and said it was a great way to spread the messages of the bush.
“Fodder drops and food is fine but it doesn’t last,” he said.
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
