Twelve Julia Creek farmers impacted by one of the most devastating natural disasters to hit north Queensland would this week welcome a congregation of RACQ Foundation volunteers, who were in the region to help them get back on their feet.
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In February, the region, along with the rest of the north, was devastated by one in 500-year floods. Consequently, the farming community was then forced to bury hundreds of thousands of livestock who could not be kept alive due to the weather and the conditions which followed.
RACQ Foundation spokesperson Renee Smith said the crew of 20 volunteers had travelled from Brisbane to provide practical, on-the-ground support and assistance to farmers and their communities as they began to rebuild their lives.
"These people have been through some absolutely horrific times," Ms Smith said.
"For six years, the farmers of north west Queensland have struggled to keep their livestock alive during drought, worked to make ends meet and prayed for rain. Then, they go through the worst floods seen in hundreds of years and lose their livestock in days and weeks following.
"When we were looking at locations for our next RACQ Foundation assistance project, Julia Creek topped the list."
Ms Smith said the volunteers would help farmers with jobs around their properties.
"We're so pleased to be in town to help wherever we can - we have both mechanical and non-mechanical staff as well as our financial planning team to help locals with advice and assistance," she said.
"We'll be on hand to rebuild fences, to paint sheds and homes, to help clean-up and to feed stock.
"These locals we're working with are incredibly resilient people and it's great to see many starting to look towards a brighter future. We're happy to be here on-the-ground playing a small part in helping."
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