Donations pour in for Aussie farmer set to put down 1,200 sheep
The year-long drought in Goolhi, New South Wales had farmer Les Jones at his wits' end - but then the community stepped in.
People in the New South Wales region of Australia have witnessed the worst drought in over one hundred years. For the past 14 months or so, the dry spell has consistently worsened, leaving people destitute.
In the rural area of Goolhi, specifically, farmers have suffered the severe effects of the water shortage. Early in July, Australia's The Daily Telegraph reported on the dire conditions in which one farmer, named Les Jones, was living in with his family.
Farmer Les Jones had hundreds of sheep on his farm and no way to feed them. There was no hay or grain so the animals were becoming thinner by the day; they were too thin even to feed Les and his family. Realising that there was no way out, Les planned to put down 1,200 of his sheep and bury them.
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Once the heartbreaking news was made public, many Australians lamented the government's insistence on ignoring the plight of farmers who are suffering the effects of the drought. But the people took it further than only complaining.
Among the people who read Les' story was Brian Egan, the founder of Aussie Helpers. Aussie Helpers is a charity aimed at finding relief for struggling farmers and they have received countless donations from the public on Les' behalf.
Brian told The Daily Telegraph: "Our donations have gone berserk and so they won’t have to shoot the sheep. We’ll have three road trains of barley for farmers in Goolhi within 10 days."
Thanks to the generosity of fellow Australians, Les Jones and his family will not have to see the farm they have kept for generations be reduced to nothing.