A range of goods, including a share in a racehorse, semen from valuable Merino stud rams and large quantities of fodder, fertiliser and fencing materials, were put under the hammer by LAWD Auctions in the Yea and District Bushfire Charity Online Auction.
The hope is that funds raised through the online auction will enable the local hub to help farmers, families and community members to recover and rebuild.
Speaking before the auction, LAWD Auctions senior director of operations Paul Milner said the support for the auction had come from interstate as well as local donors.
“It’s been amazing,” he said.
“We have a really diverse lineup of auction items and many of them have been donated by businesses that are geographically a long way from Yea, like Mumblebone Merinos’ at Wellington, which has donated $10,000 worth of prized ram semen to help wool growers to rebuild their burnt-out flocks.
“We have a share in a lightly raced three-year-old thoroughbred filly, Stelletta, which has already won $20,000 in prize money, as well as prized sporting memorabilia including a jumper signed by the Matildas soccer team and an AFL jumper signed by Carlton great Harry McKay.”
Other items included a B-double truck load of vetch and wheaten hay, 30 round bales of pasture hay from the Yarra Valley, twenty 25kg bags of Accelerate fertiliser and two bags of Italian rye-grass.
President of the Yea Football Netball Club Peter Armstrong said the rebuilding effort was now focused on cleaning up burnt fences and machinery, sorting insurances and turning attention to the future.
“We decided to run the Yea and Districts Bushfire Charity Online Auction because we get a lot of support as a sporting club from our local community, and we wanted to give back,” he said.
“We didn’t want to hit up local businesses so we went further afield and people have been incredibly supportive.
“Thirty of our members have already attended a working bee helping to clear fence lines and that sort of stuff, and we’re hopeful of raising about $20,000 to $30,000 which will be dispersed by the Highlands Community Hub.
“We’ve had one of our best starts to the autumn season in years, so let’s hope the auction goes really well, and we can help farmers and businesses get back on their feet.”
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