Above: Sir George Hubert Wilkins (from Australian Dictionary of Biography, originally, Ohio State University).
It has been said of the explorer and adventurer, George Hubert Wilkins, that, as a child in rural South Australia, he was puzzled by the then drought. He heard that, to understand climate, one needs to explore the polar extremities of the earth. So that is what he endeavoured to do.
Sadly, many nations of our world are afflicted by natural disasters. In my own country of Australia we are in drought. It is not new for us. But it is always a challenge. What follows are a set of some news items about how people show support in time of drought.
A convoy of helpers travel from Sydney with supplies for rural NSW. A drought relief concert lifts the spirits some some in NSW . Then there is….
The Burrumbuttock Hay Runners
Previous generations of my Mother’s family lived on livestock and farming lands in the Walbundrie District of NSW. Near there is the town of Burrumbuttock. There, the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners do their good thing. Here is a sample from their website
THE BHR STORY
In 2014 Brendan ‘Bumpa’ Farrell heard about a farmer in Bourke (NSW) that was struggling in the drought. He contacted the farmer and offered to bring him a truck load of hay to help him out. From that the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners was born. Since that date in 2014 they have completed 11 successful hay runs to help drought affected farmers all over NSW & QLD.
You can also follow the Hay Runners on Facebook.
Image: from the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners website.
Our co-hosts for this month are:
Simon Falk, Andrea Michaels, Shilpa Garg, Sylvia Stein and Belinda Witzenhausen . Please go and visit their posts as well.
My poem this time is a Drought pingback from one I wrote when I was 11 years old.
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Simon's still stanza 
Hi Simon – this is so encouraging to read … finding out what’s going on help-wise behind the scenes (so to speak). It does sound so sad – yet our lands do change all the time … and I hope those rains come soon – and that we can find ways to help. One of the disciplines in my post – encompasses this aspect … the film includes it.
Your poem is amazing … desperately sad and so true … cheers Hilary
Thanks Hilary. I was only a boy when I wrote that poem.
Thanks Simon, for sharing this lovely #WATWB story of giving, via the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners !
If I may, what an absolutely rocking name for the initiative.
Sounds straight out of a novel 🙂
Hehe, thanks Damyanti. Yes some place names are funny. It is catchy too – like the name of a novel.
I like the way you began your post with a historical reference and I loved the story of the hat runners. Hoping the drought in Australia lets up soon.
Thank you. That part of Hubert Wilkin’s story has long fascinated me. Some explorers explored to exploit that land, in this case he was seeking to understand it. So much more respect for creation and life.
Thanks Simon – drought is a reality here in SA too and the stories from this neck of the woods of people coming together in truck loads to bring water to those in need is truly humanity in action. May your rains come soon. and bravo to the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners – may they continue the good work!
I loved your 11 year old poem! Thank you for co-hosting this month and have a lovely weekend!
Thanks Susan. Yes we have some things in common with South Africa for sure. That is wonderful in itself. We both know the trials of climate and fire upon us. It is wonderful to see such things bringing generous responses from people.
Hi Simon, This drought is definitely making life difficult for a lot of farmers. It won’t be helpful to the rest of us when prices go up either. It’s great to see how others are chipping in to help where they can. It is the Australian way.
Thanks very much, Norah. I think us Aussies may be in for a severe and dry summer.
It’s looking that way, Simon. 😦
It’s so heartwarming to know about Burrumbuttock Hay Runners and their efforts to help fellow men. More power to them!
More power to them indeed, Shilpa. Glad it warmed your heart, which, I suspect, was pretty warm already. Thanks for the visit, your comments and your fine blog.
I love the name – Burrumbottock Hay Runners, and I can see from the comments above that I’m not the only one who likes it. But how cool is this – a bit of tradition that the later generations have still not given up! I applaud their good work. I hope they keep this going for generations to come.