ON Thursday, January 19, two bales of wool comprised of fleeces donated to the Omeo Show were sold at the Melbourne National Selling Centre. This was the eighth consecutive year the auction had taken place and the $15,736 in proceeds were again donated to the HEMS 2 Victorian Air Ambulance. Combined with the previous seven years of auction proceeds this brought the gross total donated to Helimed to $101,715.50.
The Helimed charity began as a way to encourage wool growers to support the Omeo show fleece competition by donating wool that would also support a cause important to rural and remote Gippslanders. Many of the farming communities rely on the helicopter and paramedics to receive the fast, quality care which in turn saves lives. Almost all of the growers who attended the auction on the day have used Helimed or know someone who has.
A bus and driver, kindly donated by Dysons, brought 30 eager passengers along to the Melbourne wool selling centre to watch the bales sell. Among the group was Omeo Show Society President, Graham Simons, Secretary, Lisa Lees, and President of the Stratford Lions Club, Lindsay Ross. Elders Gippsland District Wool Managers, Madi Gallagher and Mal Nicholls, who have continued to support and facilitated the auction over the previous eight years were also in attendance.
Roy Dyson, Regional Services Operations Manager of Dysons Group, showed his support to the cause saying: “Dysons have employees spread far and wide across regional and rural Victoria, especially right throughout East Gippsland. We are thankful to be given the opportunity to support a cause that could one day give them and their families the care they require in a time of need.”
Prior to the day’s normal selling arrangements ,the two bales of wool were auctioned off in front of a large crowd of buyers, brokers and growers alike. The first bale weighed 171kg and tested 17.6 micron, 72 per cent yield, 109mm in length and 41n/kt in strength. This bale was bought by Lou Morsch from Modiano Australia Pty Ltd for 5600c/kg. Modiano have been strong supporters of the charity bales over the previous years. The second bale to sell weighed 154kg and tested 18.3 micron, 73 per cent yield, 106mm in length and 37n/kt in strength. This was purchased by Mark Fayle from Endeavour Wool Exports for 4000c/kg. Endeavour have been great supporters of the Helimed charity, purchasing a bale in previous years.
Throughout the day, growers were address by various wool buyers and were given the chance to ask questions about the future of the wool industry, which is bright. These included Evan Croake, trading manager from Tec Wool Trading who gave insight into the current logistics of shipping wool and the current sentiment in China, Australia’s largest consumer of greasy wool. This was followed up by a discussion with Andrew Raeber from the newly-formed Italian buying division, Vitale Barberis Canonico (VBC), previously a part of New England Wool. Mr Raeber was able to share his knowledge of traditional, specialty Italian spinning wools which are used to produce high end suiting and apparel.
During lunch, the group were also addressed by Commercial Wool Manager, Brodie Easton, who gave a live update on the progress of Elders’ $25.5 million wool handling facility being built in Ravenhall and due to open on July 1. This new facility will include fully automated forklifts, bale shelving 12-bales high, and new state-of-the-art wool testing core lines able to operate 24 hours a day. This is a world-first investment in wool handling which will facilitate and streamline the marketing and sale of clients wool.
Along the way home, the group stopped at the HELMS 2 helicopter base, where they were greeted by the Helimed team who gave a tour through the helicopter and spoke to the group about the important work they do. The group were shown the upgraded blood transport boxes which the previous donations have gone towards. These blood transport boxes are half the weight, half the size and keep blood at the correct temperature for twice as long as the old boxes and cost almost $3000 each. By reducing the weight of the aircraft and prolonging the lifespan of the blood, these upgrades mean the difference between having to land mid-flight to refuel or replenish supplies, saving precious time and quite literally saving lives. This was a fantastic opportunity for the group to see first-hand what they have been working towards.
Stratford Lions Club President, Lindsay Ross, having witnessed the proceedings of the day, has announced that Stratford Lions Club will also be throwing their support behind the local air ambulance services by contributing a further $2000 to the charity.
Mr Ross said the Helimed service provides vital mobile access to paramedic transport and care.
“Gippsland is a really large area; people can often need urgent medical attention when they are a long way from hospitals or road ambulances, so services like Helimed save lives. As a club we see this service as a critical service for our community and so we are really pleased we can make this contribution,” Mr Ross said.
The Stratford Lions Club presented their donation to Madi Gallagher and Mal Nicholls from Elders, who will include the money in their recent fundraising efforts for the Helimed Service.
Elders District Wool Manager, Madi Gallagher said, “It’s fantastic to receive the support of the Stratford Lions Club, it is such an import resource which impacts every community.
“We are very lucky to have the Helimed service, therefore it is great to be able to do our part to support it.”
The Lions Club provide valuable support to many local initiatives. They work hard to support things that are important to the community and raise money through things like regular Saturday barbecues and raffles.
“We are always looking for people to join us. We would encourage anyone who might be interested in contributing in our community to give us a call” Mr Ross said.
The Lions Club Stratford can be phoned on 0429 545 570.
The day was a huge success and Elders Bairnsdale look forward to facilitating the donation in future. If any wool growers are interested in supporting this important cause, they are encouraged to enter a fleece into the Omeo Show and enjoy a weekend in the Victoria high country. For more information on donating, call Elders Gippsland District Wool Manager, Madi Gallagher, on 0497 842 949.
