West Australian pubs join Parma for a Farmer appeal
The first Perth venue has jumped aboard the Parma with a Farmer initiative to help eastern states farmers who have been crippled by drought and are struggling to keep their animals alive.
The Woodbridge Hotel will be donating $1 from every parmagiana sold on its special $25 ‘parmy and pint’ night this Wednesday to support Buy a Bale.
Buy a Bale, run by Rural Aid, is supplying emergency hay to New South Wales and Queensland families struggling to keep cattle, sheep and horses alive through one of the worst droughts in living history.
Once productive paddocks are now dust bowls, and what feed can be sourced must be trucked from interstate at a cost of thousands of dollars per month, money farmers don’t have.
Towns are on severe water restrictions, with some farming families only able to shower once per week. Children are cleaning their teeth with a cup of water and filling water bottles at school because the shortage at home is so severe.
WA country pubs have begun to sign up to Parma with a Farmer and after Perth’s Radio 6PR publicised the initiative on Sunday, the Woodbridge in Guildford was the first metro pub to join in.
'Woody' owner Rob Simpson said punters could choose from traditional parma, a vegetarian eggplant version or the “hellfire” chilli version and get a free pint or glass of wine along with the $25 special price on Wednesday.
The $25 special price is on from 5pm-9pm but the pub will donate a dollar from every parma sold on Wednesday no matter what time.
“It’s very busy but give us a call, book in and help us support this great scheme,” Mr Simpson told Radio 6PR.
“I’m sure everyone will get behind this.”
Rural Aid founder Charles Alder and his wife dreamed up Buy a Bale five years ago after reading about Queensland farmers having to shoot their cattle during a drought. They thought people needed to be able to just go online and buy a farmer a bale of hay.
He and his wife organised a system that has now provided more than 6000 donated bales across Australia. He told Radio 6PR there had been a significant increase in donations from the west as news of the current situation in the eastern states had spread.
“It’s given us a great uplift,” he said.
“WA-based companies like Bunnings have also joined the campaign ... they held a sausage sizzle in WA and the response was so great there will be another nationwide sausage sizzle being held on Friday.”
He said the Parma for a Farmer campaign was suggested by a Victorian supporter, a country resident called Amanda, who came up with the phrase and set up a Facebook page. The concept had “gone bananas”.
“It’s easy. People can visualise it. They can go to a pub and buy a parma,” he said.
“We’re also asking people to get in the car and drive to country towns. It’s not just the farmers suffering, it’s the local supermarket and fish and chip shops. They lose the business. Then it affects jobs, the overall profitability of the town.”
WA pubs taking part - to join the list, leave a comment below.
Perth
- The Woodbridge
Country
- Ravenswood Hotel
- Esperance Travellers Inn