We have teamed up with the NRMA volunteers to provide mechanical services for drought-affected farmers doing it tough around the small regional town of Carinda, New South Wales.

Now in its third year, this bi-annual event sees NRMA mechanics from all over the Sydney metropolitan area – Avalon to Wareemba, Erskine Park to Springwood, and from Blacktown to Bankstown – jump into their NRMA vans and travel up to nine hours to service several farms where there is a critical need for mechanical skills and parts.

“These types of trips are so important in drought-affected areas because it not only empowers our farmers who need their machinery to keep going, especially if they are hand feeding, but it also supports the local town. We ensure we buy locally whenever possible and stay locally to ensure we invest in those local communities because everyone who lives in regional Australia does it tough during the drought,” said our National Director, Jannine Jackson.

“We want to empower people in rural and regional Australia and show them we care. At the same time it’s also about a hand up, not a hand out. Relationships like the one we have with the NRMA show that practical support is often the best type of charity.”

Located three hours north of Dubbo, the small town of Carinda is incredibly dry, receiving only 96mm of rain for the whole of this year.

Undertaking essential mechanical maintenance, the trip starts on Monday, 10 September.  The NRMA volunteers head to Carinda in their stocked up NRMA Patrol Vans, meeting at the Carinda Hotel for induction and a big feed up for the week ahead.

Working in pairs, the mechanics will be placed across four stations in need.  Work includes repairing farm vehicles, replacing clutches, fixing tractor gears and fuel leaks, as well as servicing chainsaws and forklifts, the tools that farmers need to ensure they can continue to feed their stock.

The week ends with a celebratory evening on Thursday at one of the stations with a traditional Frontier Services Great Outback BBQ and a yarn.

Thanks to funds raised by its staff, which NRMA matched dollar for dollar, and public donations, where-ever possible, we are able to help reimburse farmers for costs of the new parts needed for this trip.

Together, we and NRMA are keeping NSW moving by standing with those in the bush.