Lane Cove is on a mission to back its sister city of Gunnedah in its time of need.
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Ties will be strengthened once again as Sydney-siders coordinate drought fundraising events from September 2-8 under the banner of Gold for Gunnedah.
Jacky Barker, founder of In the Cove, a popular website and Facebook page, said she was inspired when she saw a Facebook post by Lane Cove councillor Andrew Zbik, which called for the city to support Gunnedah in the midst of the ongoing drought. After reading the Namoi Valley Independents subsequent articles, she decided to take action.
We really wanted it to be in the local community and we wanted to be sure the money was spent in the [Gunnedah] community, Ms Barker said.
Believe it or not, there are lots of Lane Cove people who have a Gunnedah connection and I went to uni at ANU in Canberra and we had a lot of people from Gunnedah, Quirindi and Tamworth and I felt very connected to those people because I had them as college mates.
[In the Cove] has a very strong community focus and we deal a lot with the local council [and] whats more community focused than one community helping out another one?
Ms Barker used her intimate knowledge of Lane Cove to contact countless organisations, businesses, churches, and community and sporting groups in Lane Cove to ask if they would come on board to raise funds for Gunnedah.
I started ringing around and saying, Are you in?, she said.
Weve worked out there are 38,000 people in the Lane Cove area and if everyone donated a $2 gold coin, we could raise $77, 564.
Its a very simple proposition, one gold coin and that could make a difference.
Ms Barker said the response has been fantastic, with a Go Fund Me page set up and plans to hold a number of events including Farmer Friday on September 7 at schools, pre-schools and child care centres.
Our aim is to get as many people involved and we say that everyone in Lane Cove can participate, she said.
Ms Barker said Lane Cove Rotary Club was already in communication with Gunnedah Rotary about distributing the funds as vouchers. Funds will also be distributed to Feed a Farmer, which will supply boxes of produce to farmers in the Gunnedah area.
Andrew Zbiks wife and former Gunnedah woman Bronwyn Deane has also put her hand up to help with the coordinated drought initiative.
We want to funnel the money into the drought-affected areas where its needed, she said.
Gunnedah and Lane Cove became sister cities in December 2002 at a drought aid concert.
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