Fundraiser hits $50,000 target to rebuild Proserpine Showgrounds
Canegrowers and rural suppliers have joined forces to donate $50,310.00 towards rebuilding the historic Proserpine show pavilion.
The donation came after a major fundraising effort driven by Farm HQ at Proserpine and Incitec Pivot Fertilisers over the past 12 months.
Cyclone Debbie decimated the 80-year-old pavilion and seriously damaged other facilities at the showgrounds when it crossed the coast in March last year, but
this donation will give the rebuilding program a much-needed boost.Donna Rogers from Farm HQ and Noel Matthews from Incitec Pivot Fertilisers presented the cheque to Mike Porter, Vice-President of the Proserpine Showgrounds Committee, before a crowd of local community members at the Proserpine Show last month.
The donation will enable the Showgrounds Committee to start planning the redevelopment of the pavilion.
“The showgrounds are valuable assets enjoyed by the Proserpine community, not just for the annual show but for a range of local events during the year,” Mr Porter said.
“We are honoured to benefit from the generous support of many local canegrowers and rural suppliers such as Farm HQ, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, Nufarm, Adama, Castrol, Boehringer Ingelheim and Vanderfield.”
The fundraising campaign kicked off last year when Farm HQ and Incitec Pivot Fertilisers joined forces to donate money to the Showgrounds Recovery Fund for every tonne of Incitec Pivot fertiliser bought by local canegrowers from Farm HQ during the peak fertiliser season from July to December.
With the $50,000 target clearly in their sights, Donna and Paul Rogers from Farm HQ decided to approach other suppliers, attracting the support of Nufarm, Adama, Castrol, Boehringer Ingelheim and Vanderfield.
The target became a reality when Farm HQ approached their generous local cane farming and grazing customers to join the fund, boosting it to $46,870.
During this year’s recent Show Whitsunday, several other local canegrowers and graziers dug deep to allow the fund to exceed the $50,000 target.
Incitec Pivot Fertilisers Regional Business Manager, Noel Matthews, congratulated Donna and Paul Rogers for backing the fundraising campaign and the growers who supported it.
“We have enjoyed a long association with Farm HQ and the Proserpine farming community, so it was important to show our support in the wake of the cyclone.
“That $50,000 target was a big target, but it just shows what we can achieve by joining forces,” Mr Matthews said.
