General News
4 December, 2023
Ball raises thousands for Let’s Talk
THE Let’s Talk Foundation has benefitted to the tune of more than $10,000 from last month’s Dairy Farmers’ Ball.
More than 150 of the region’s dairy farmers gathered in the Matilda Rooms at the Warrnambool Racecourse on November 25 in support of mental health.
Let’s Talk executive officer Alex Mellert said it was great to see so many farmers come together for what was a memorable night.
“The support we felt on the night for breaking the stigma surrounding mental health was overwhelming and shows how important this topic is to the farming community,” Mr Mellert said.
“We are incredibly thankful to the WestVic Dairy Young Dairy Network leadership team for choosing Let’s Talk as the beneficiary this year, and to all those who attended for making this an amazing event.”
Mr Mellert also thanked Lely for its generous sponsorship and all businesses who donated items for the auction.
The auction saw three generous bidders successfully walk away with great auction items - a two-night stay in the Grampians, a two-night stay in Port Fairy, and a prized heifer.
The main fundraising effort for the night was a charity raffle to win a trip to the Netherlands, provided by Lely.
The winner of the highly anticipated raffle draw was Terang dairy farmer Oscar Baxter, who was among the crowd at the event.
Oscar has recently taken on an exciting farming management opportunity and is looking forward to the trip.
The prize included return airfares to Amsterdam, a week’s accommodation and a fantastic itinerary of farm visits and behind the scenes access to Lely Headquarters.
“I’m excited about this once in a lifetime experience – going and seeing the different ways of farming, the barn style indoor cow system and the different rules and regulations,” Mr Baxter said.”
“It was a great night, and it was so good to see everyone dig deep to raise such a big amount for a great charity.”
