Celebration of hay’s arrival

A convoy of road trains and support vehicles arrived in Meekatharra last weekend to find grateful members of the public gathered at Shire president Harvey Nichols’ Sherwood Station.

The aim of the Farmers Across Borders Australia Day mercy run was to help West Australian farmers and pastoralists who have suffered from drought conditions for the past three years.

Twenty trucks left Esperance loaded with 2000 bales of hay on Saturday, January 25, for the two-day journey north into the Mid West.

The Farmers Across Borders team arrived in Meekatharra about 6pm on Sunday to find between 120 and 150 people gathered to celebrate Australia Day and the successful hay run.

The party continued into the early hours of Monday morning. Mr Nichols said it was a great night of socialising with good people.

He said it was nice to know there were people out there who care.

“The Government hasn’t done much to help out, so at least farmers are all sticking together,” he said.

An Australia Day party was planned at Meekatharra’s Commercial Hotel to welcome the convoy, but there were so many people attending, they had to move to a tin shed at the Shire president’s property.

Some of the 20 trucks were unloaded at Sherwood Station, while others drove on to Kumarina in the north, west to Gascoyne Junction, and east to Wiluna and other locations before heading back towards the south.