By Jessica Micallef
Bruce Howard knows first-hand the pain drought-affected families in New South Wales and Queensland are enduring.
The owner of The Angry Butcher Bike Shop in Sunbury recently visited his sister’s family in south-west Queensland and was shocked at the state of their living conditions.
“It was a bit of an eye-opener,” Mr Howard said.
“We have running water here. We can go to the tap and put a glass under it and drink water. My sister puts their drinking water in a 25-litre drum.”
Mr Howard said his family hasn’t seen a drop of rain for a long period of time.
“There’s no natural flow,” he said. “They are just right in the middle of the drought scene. When I got there, I went ‘wow’.” “It’s not just her community, it’s the greater part of north-west New South Wales and south-west Queensland.”
After spending four days with his family, Mr Howard was motivated to help out. During December, two per cent of every sale from his shop will be donated to a charity to help drought-affected families in south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales.
“What I walked away with was just how hard it is,” he said. “You won’t say it’s a hopeless situation … but it’s pretty dire.
“We look to governments for assistance … but we probably need to look within the communities to pull together.
“First we will raise some money and then we’ll identify where we are going to pop it.
“It might just mean a shopping voucher – that might make the world of difference for someone. It might just be a truckload of hay somewhere.
