Harden Country Club Hosts Eugowra Flood Recovery Benefit Night

The concept of a “Eugowra Flood recovery benefit night” came from seeing a news report showing the devastation that swept through the small town of Eugowra at the end of last year.

Just two hours north of Harden, a member of the Hilltops Shire’s six-person vocal harmony group Wickham Lane, Peter O’Connor had been through the town 10 months earlier.

“Even though the population is a good deal smaller, I had noticed similarities with Harden in that it is predominantly an agricultural-based town with a lot of history,” Peter said.

“I understood that people living there would be very reluctant to move out of the area to rebuild and would need a lot of help in their recovery for many months.”

Two other members of Wickham Lane camped in the Eugowra area a week before the flooding, so the group felt strongly compelled to contribute in some meaningful way and discussed the issue at their rehearsal soon after the event.

Peter said he’d noticed the Harden Country Club was doing great things promoting events and attracting a lot of visitors to the club and local area so he spoke with Christopher Longbottom, the club manager at the time, about the possibility of putting on a fundraising concert in support of the Eugowra Recovery effort.

“Chris was immediately supportive of the idea and said we would make sure all funds raised would go directly towards the cause,” Peter said.

“This was very important to us as nobody would charge a fee and the ticket price would cover the cost of the two-course meal and a sound engineer. The rest would go to the online fundraising organisation ‘Givit Eugowra’.”

“The NSW Government pays any fees associated with Givit and the Eugowra Progress and Promotion Association make sure the money is distributed to the most needy.”

“Two weeks ago, my wife and I visited Eugowra and were taken on a tour by the Eugowra Association of the damage and recovery efforts so far.”

“It was pointed out in a population of 700 that 200 houses were still uninhabitable and in various stages of repair. Those people were mainly living in 150 caravans supplied by the government.”

Peter said the money raised through Givit would be distributed initially to people for white goods and to replace furniture destroyed in the flood before then being used to pay tradies who were hard to get and couldn’t work free of charge for extended periods.

“We are certainly not looking to solve all the problems they face and the story we are getting is that they are extremely grateful for the help they have been given, but it will be ongoing for a long-term recovery,” Peter said.

“We are looking to shine a light on their plight as much as anything. They are very grateful for the help they have received so far from many different areas and particularly from the NSW Government.”

“Their opinion is that the government learnt a lot from the experience on the Northern Rivers in the prior few months.”

The dinner show will take place on March 25 at the Harden Country Club with Wickham Lane - Peter and Julie O’Connor, John and Lindel Roxburgh, Eris Gleeson and Peter Roberts - delivering a wonderful night of music that allowed for audience participation.

The group has concentrated on Celtic music in recent times and regularly performs at the Yass Irish and Celtic Festival.

Expect a celebration of all things Celtic on the night, including Irish beer on tap for St Patrick’s Day. Leigh Butt and Oscar Smith, another couple of locals well-known for treading the boards in local theatre productions will also perform on stage. Richard Fleming will run a live auction of a few large items and a silent auction of items on display. Members of the Harden Murrumburrah Rotary Club will also be assisting to ensure the whole night runs smoothly.

To organise a table, book online using the QR code on the poster or through the Harden Country Club. If you would like to donate items for the auction contact Peter O’Connor on 0409 780 283.

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