Australian Caravan Club (ACC) donates funds to the Tasmanian Rural Relief Fund

The majority of talk about farmers enduring drought conditions in recent years has been a focus on NSW and SE Queensland. They are not the only ones experiencing drought conditions. Farmers on the east coast of Tasmania have been experiencing dry conditions for some time now. This prompted two long standing members of the ACC and the Tasmanian Branch – the Tassie Travellers, Bernie Barnwell and Denis Pitt, to lodge an application for funds under the ACC Drought Assistance Support program. Their application was successful and they are pleased to have been able to present a cheque for $350.00 to the Tasmanian Rural Relief Fund.

The Rural Relief Fund was established in 2000 by Rural Business Tasmania to operate a charitable fund for Tasmania’s rural community.  Donations to the fund are used to support Tasmanian rural families who may be doing it tough especially at times of drought, bushfire and flood.

“100% of donations to the Fund go to Tasmanian families.” said Susan Renton, the programs manager for Rural Business Tasmania, based in Launceston. “Donated funds are provided to assist drought stricken farmers cover essential household bills as well as necessary feed and fodder for their animals.  The fund is administered through an Assessment Panel who review the farmer’s application and make a determination on assistance to be provided. The funds provided by your Club will go towards helping a needy farmer with basic food products, pay an electricity bill, purchase fuel or purchase feed for their animals.” Susan Renton said.

Tassie Travellers President, Ed Glover said, “Many of our Club members may find it surprising that areas of Tasmania are in drought but this is definitely the case, especially on our east coast. Rainfall has been minimal at best and many of our farmers are doing it tough. The donation our branch was able to make to the Rural Relief Fund, due to the ACC Drought Assistance Support program will go some way in alleviating the stress our farmers on the east coast are currently experiencing.”

“This is another example of how the ACC is assisting our farmers who are doing it tough.” said ACC Chairman Craig Humphrey. We continue to encourage branches and members to think about how you can help out a rural family, community groups or a rural assistance body.  Applications are still open, so don’t miss this opportunity.  For more information and guidelines visit the ACC website and go to The Club > Club Documents > ACC Drought Assistance Support Guidelines.
 

ACC celebrates 54th branch - Goulburn Murray Drifters – Shepparton

The Australian Caravan Club (ACC) is proud to announce the formation of a new branch in the Shepparton region following a successful membership drive undertaken by ACC Victorian State Membership representative Derek Hale and other ACC members.

The Club’s 54th branch, the ACC Goulburn Murray Drifters, will service RVers in the Greater Goulburn Valley district and surrounding countryside taking in towns such as Shepparton, Tatura, Nagambie, Euroa, Nururkah & Kyabra.

Not wanting to waste any time the new branch members have selected Heathcote Caravan Park, for their first muster which will be held on the 1^st to 4^th March 2019.

An information session was held at the Shepparton RSL club last Tuesday evening. “It just goes to show the extent of interest within the area with 52 people attending our meeting” said Derek Hale. He went on to say “We had great support from other ACC branch members and by the end of the night we had 13 new ACC members signed up, 5 existing ACC members plus 1 member who had taken the opportunity to re-join the ACC. In total the new branch will kick off with 19 members”.

“Our Club is very proud to have facilitated the formation of a new branch in the Greater Goulburn Valley,” said ACC Chairman Craig Humphrey.

“The formation of the Goulburn Murray Drifters is the result of the invaluable efforts by Derek Hale and other dedicated Club members who have been working tirelessly for many weeks to make it happen. Congratulations to our branch members for a job well done. I also congratulate the members of our new ACC Goulburn Murray Drifters and its inaugural executive of Kath Eade (President), Des Graham (Secretary) and Judy Sterling (Treasurer). Just looking at the numbers who attended the information session it’s obvious there is considerable interest from RVers in the district and I look forward to watching the branch grow,” Mr Humphrey said.

Inaugural Branch President Kath Eade noted that the new membership provided numerous suggestions for upcoming musters and these will be discussed at the Heathcote Caravan Park muster. “The ACC focus is all about fun, friendship and adventure within the recreational vehicle community” said Kath Eade .

“The members can’t wait to get to their first muster and enjoy our RVs together. We invite RVers living in the Greater Goulburn Valley wishing to make enquiries about joining our new branch to contact the ACC on 1800 734 493,” Kath Eade said.

Tasmania is still welcoming RVers

There has been considerable discussion over the last two weeks ever since the Tasmanian Department of Treasury and Finance released their long awaited report National Competition Policy: Applying Competitive Neutrality Principles to public camping in Tasmania. Reaction to the report on some of the forums has been expressions of doom and gloom for the future of freedom camping in Tasmania.

However, many have missed the point so before anyone makes any rash decisions to cancel their sailing passage with the Spirit of Tasmania let’s have a look at the facts. Essentially little has changed in Tasmania since the Regulator some years ago mandated that competitive neutrality applied to council free camps.

The policy released last week simply codifies how it should be applied. Will there be any camp closures. The answer to that question is probably yes. There are a very small number of camps situated in close proximity to commercial caravan parks. Some of those few may be lost. However, the report provides some positive news. Should a council believe there is a net public benefit in not applying full cost attribution principles an application may be made for their continued operation. A net public benefit is demonstrated if the so called harm caused to a commercial operator through what they may view as unfair competition are outweighed by the benefits to the community as a whole arising from allowing the freedom camp to operate. Factors to be considered in any application include the economic goals of the community and consumer interests (as well as the interests of RVers). The costs of implementing and operating a pricing system will also be taken into consideration. As the Treasurer (Peter Gutwein) indicated in his press release dated 13^th February, 2019 “..in most circumstances there is likely to be no change at all”. As always the real test of the impact will be time. In other words, will RVers still have access to freedom camp sites in the years to come? In our view the answer is yes and in fact the number will probably grow because of the certainty the release of this report now provides.

So, book your passage and remember the ACC Tassie Travellers branch members look forward to meeting some of you as you enjoy the sights of their wonderful State.

ACC Provides Drought Assistance Funds to Dairy Farmer

For many residents of Sydney their knowledge of the drought in NSW is what they see on the evening news. The fish kill near Menindee on the Darling River or the fact the Namoi & Barwon Rivers are dry and are no longer providing the township of Walgett with drinking water. But this drought is affecting areas a lot closer to home than many city people realise. One such example is a dairy farming family operating on the outskirts of Sydney. The farm (Country Valley Dairy) at Picton in Sydney’s south-west (some would suggest on the edge of suburbia) has been in the Fairley family for more than 160 years and they have endured dreadful drought conditions.

“The farm has been in the family for too long to walk away so in May last year we put out a call for help to keep going” said Sally Fairley. “John and I came up with the idea to ask some locals to adopt a cow by donating money to keep them in feed until spring.” The appeal went out on social media and there was a tremendous response but this scheme alone was never going to see them through this drought.
It was these social media posts asking for help that first captured the attention of ACC member Kathy Snell (Golden Westerners branch). It seemed timely last month when the ACC initiated its Drought Assistance support scheme, that the Fairley family farm could be a good candidate for assistance. Kathy called Sally Fairley for an update on how things are going. “Although some rain has fallen we’re still a long way from being able to declare the drought is over and some hand feeding continues. Any donations we receive now go towards paying outstanding accounts with our creditors, who have been most understanding of our situation” said Sally. Two weeks later Kathy was able to inform John & Sally Fairley that the ACC had approved assistance in the sum of $350.00. “Thank you so much for speaking on our behalf to your club as we really appreciate your support and kindness” said Sally Fairley. 
“This is a good example of how the ACC can assist our farmers and farming town communities with a cash donation” said Graham Humphreys, the ACC Drought assistance contact representative. Branches and members are encouraged to think about how you can help out a rural family, community groups or a rural assistance body.  Applications are still open, so don’t miss this opportunity.  For more information and guidelines visit the ACC website and go to The Club > Club Documents > ACC Drought Assistance Support Guidelines.

Luxury RV Dealership Sponsors ACC Wait Awhile Nomads Branch

When Bob Elkington and Jennie Morison from the Wait Awhile Nomads branch in Western Australia were checking out caravan dealerships to purchase a new caravan they selected Luxury RV. Recently relocated to Rockingham, the team at Luxury RV’s have over 40 years’ experience in the caravan industry and the team endeavour to provide the ultimate customer satisfaction. When Bob and Jennie were finalising the purchase they decided to approach Luxury RV`s General Manager Luke Bell to request sponsorship for their branch in the form of a defibrillator. Luke was more than happy to oblige. “This defibrillator will be a life-saving addition for the members of the ACC Wait Awhile Nomads group” said Mr Bell.

When Bob and Jennie collected their new Galaxy Caravan, Luke Bell also handed over the new defibrillator to Wait Awhile Nomads Branch Secretary David Braidwood. “Our branch members sincerely thank Luxury RV Rockingham for this extremely generous sponsorship. With a branch membership of 62 this defibrillator has the potential to save lives” said Mr. Braidwood as he took delivery of the new defibrillator.

“Congratulations to Bob and Jennie on picking up your New Galaxy Caravan! The Luxury RV team here thank you for your continued support and wish you both the very best for your travels” said Mr Bell.

Realising the importance of the availability of a defibrillator during branch musters and tag-a-longs, especially when travelling in remote areas, the branch members had been raising money towards the purchase of a defibrillator. They have now decided to donate some of the funds raised so far to St Johns who in turn have offered to provide qualified trainers at a future muster in the use of this very important piece of equipment.