Hay runners on the road again

Ashliegh Heritage, 19, was approached by founder Brendan Farrell after coordinating the village effort for the run in January.

“He asked me what I thought and I said I loved it, so he asked me if I wanted to do it again,” Ms Heritage said.

“It was amazing seeing the difference we made on the last run, and knowing what this run is going to do for the farmers we met.”

Ms Heritage is taking a few days off from her law studies at the University of Wollongong to embark on the 3200 kilometre round trip.

While in Wollongong she has had her coordinating efforts aided by the Wallendbeen community, including her parents Mark and Megan, and sister Maddison.

Over the past few months they have taken on responsibilities including organising a wood raffle, which raised $700 towards fuel costs.

The Heritage family will all take part in the run, and are joined by fellow Wallendbeen police officer Scott Sanders and his partner Julie Milanovic.

Their job, along with half a dozen other escort vehicles, is to keep the 180-kilometre-long road train together from Cobar to Ilfracombe.

The responsibility includes staying with any drivers who break down and making sure the smaller, lighter trucks don’t get too far ahead.

The trucks, coming from as far away as Western Australia and Tasmania, are laden with 14,000 bales of hay.

The Heritage and Sanders vehicles will be bearing different but equally welcome gifts.

Wallendbeen Country Women’s Association (CWA) has put together about 20 personal care packages to deliver to farmer’s wives.

The organisation provided a cash donation for the previous run, but branch president Marcia Thorburn thought it would be nice to do something “more personal” this time.

“CWA is always working toward helping women, children and families in times of famine, flood or drought,” Mrs Thorburn said.

“We’ve done our little bit to let the women out there know we’re thinking of them.

“I hope that it gets out there and cheers someone up.”