Country shows hit by floods too

As the floods swept across so much of eastern Australia, country showgrounds often served as a gathering point for affected communities. But many show societies have also suffered losses, and their volunteers are working hard to rebuild and get ready for their autumn show. In Queensland alone, about 20 shows have been directly and immediately affected, and countless more are likely to see reduced entries as the year unfolds. So I would like to encourage you all to lend a hand where you can, and make a donation to one of the many fundraising efforts going on at the moment around Australia. As you might expect, one that has particularly caught my eye is News Ltd’s ‘blue ribbon’ campaign. It encourages people to buy and wear a blue ribbon as a ‘national display of compassion’. Another recent fundraiser was the Authors for Queensland program. In a remarkable effort, authors from across Australia and overseas donated books and services for an online auction which raised almost $20,000 the Queensland Government Flood Relief Appeal. Bidding closed on Monday but you can still visit the website or sign up to the facebook page.