To give back to the farmers and wider community, a group of locals in Coonamble have banded together to create the Rain Dance Ball, to help raise the spirits of their drought stricken community.
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The ball will be a chance to forget about the drought for a night, catch up with friends and neighbours.
The Coonamble Rain Dance Ball will be held on Saturday, October 6.
Rain Dance Committee President and local farmer James Nalder said they want to provide a morale boosting lift for the whole community and district, and turn a negative into a positive.
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“It’s not just farmers, everyone is impacted and this is about recognising the effect of drought on the whole community,” Mr Nalder said.
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“The Rain Dance is not only for locals, we are inviting our caring city friends and family, ex-Coonamble locals to join us to dance up a storm.”
The committee is seeking sponsorship from corporates, government and any individual who wants to help make this event a reality.
“In drought times, the first thing to drop from the household budget is social events,” Mr Nalder said.
“Yet these are so important for mental health- an opportunity to check on each other and see if we’re all okay. Sponsorship for this event will keep ticket prices down, enabling cash-strapped locals to attend.”
- Read more: 100 per cent of NSW is now in drought
Mr Nalder said now is the time to save the date and get in touch if you’d like to offer a contribution to the event.
“It only costs $50 to sponsor a ticket for a local to attend, but bigger sponsors can consider anything from a $500 ‘drizzle’ up to a $10,000 ‘flood’, but you can always talk to us directly if you want to bring a monsoon,” he said.
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Mr Nalder said the event has the potential to provide so many benefits to the community.
“It’ll raise awareness of the impact of drought on mental health, help bridge the city-country divide and boost regional tourism,” he said.
"But most importantly, a social occasion such as this, with friends and neighbours can be just as valuable in a drought as a bale of hay.”
For more details contact coonambleraindance@mail.com.
Tickets will be on sale soon at www.trybooking.com.
Donations are being accepted at www.mycause.com.au