Local photographer Andrew Cooney captures devastating effects of drought to raise $ 50,000 for struggling farmers
Coast-wide fundraising campaign
Local photographer Andrew Cooney captures devastating effects of drought to raise $ 50,000 for struggling farmers
23-year-old Andrew Cooney has launched a Coast-wide fundraising campaign to raise $ 50,000 for Rural Aid ’ s Buy a Bale campaign , after travelling to Central NSW and photographing the devastating impact of the worst drought in almost a century .
Right now , more than 99 % of NSW is in drought , or at the onset of drought , according to the Bureau of Meteorology . That ’ s the hard truth that has inspired born-and-bred local photographer Andrew Cooney to drop everything and witness the damage himself .
For the Central Coast , the impact has been minimal so far , but for other parts of the state , the lack of rain throughout the past 12 months means paddocks have
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As national supplies dwindle , the rise of fodder is only getting higher , and it ’ s costing farmers thousands of dollars to bring in hay from other parts of the country . Families are going without necessities in order to redirect every cent into keeping their livestock alive . dried out , and there ’ s a critically low amount of hay for livestock . Farmers are being forced to choose between the crippling debts of bringing in feed from the other side of the country , or watch their cattle starve to death .
‘[ The drought ] starts in the Hunter Valley , just down the road , and that ’ s the thing – the awareness isn ’ t there , and we take what these farmers do for granted .’ said Cooney in a recent interview with Gawndy and Ash Pollard on 101.3 SeaFM .
Earlier in the month , Cooney travelled to Tamworth and surrounding regions to photograph farmers ’ properties . The results speak for themselves .
‘ I ' m hoping that anyone who reads this can follow my short journey , share as much as possible , and please donate in any way you can .’ said Cooney , who plans to share plenty more photos and videos on his Facebook page Andrew Cooney Photography .
Make a donation at www . gofundme . com / for-our-aussiefarmers to go directly to Buy A Bale to purchase and deliver hay and other essentials for farmers around NSW .
Whether you can share $ 10 or $ 1,000 , our farmers are relying on your generosity to keep their livelihoods going . A fundraising night is also being planned to help reach the $ 50,000 goal – if you or your business can assist in any way , please contact andrew @ andrewcooney . com . au .
42 KIDZ ON THE COAST