Australian Idol winner and Eurovision contestant Guy Sebastian is set to perform at the Rural Aid’s Black Tie and Boots Ball next month, after being approached by event supporter and Gold Logie winner Grant Denyer.

Mr Denyer said Sebastian was keen to get involved with the ball on Saturday, August 11, after seeing so much suffering in rural communities that he toured in.

“[Sebastian] was deeply touched and affected by a lot of the communities he saw when touring recently,” he said.

“He’s seen a lot of the heartache and has had a lot of people breakdown in front of him, explaining their own personal situation.

“When I picked up the phone and asked him, ‘Do you want to come along and help us raise some money?’, he was in like a shot.

“It’s going to be great to have Guy Sebastian on board.”

Sebastian will be supported by local act the Heydays, who is fronted by Kyle Manning.

“Having grown up in Bathurst, being married to the daughter of a cattle farmer and still living in a rural area, I know only too well the impact that drought and extreme weather can have on regional communities,” Mr Manning said.

“This event is our way of giving back to our farmers, in return for everything they do for us.” The current drought situation is hitting people everywhere across NSW, causing significant mental health problems and hardship within households. Grant and Chezzi Denyer have both been working closely with Rural Aid to raise much needed awareness and funding for the struggling rural community. Funds raised on the night will be put towards funding a specialised counsellor on the ground to help tackle the mental health problems associated with the drought.

Tickets are $150 and single tickets or in tables of ten can be purchased.

The theme is black tie and boots, so attendees are encouraged to wear boots, on a night of fabulous entertainment, delicious food and drinks.

Source: Western Advocate

Rural Aid is “hands-on” across the country through its Buy A Bale campaign and so far this year has distributed $1.5 million worth of aid, including hay, water, groceries and transport, to farmers in NSW.

Founder Charles Alder said the upcoming Black Tie and Boots Ball would be a great night out and a chance to hear first-hand from farmers about just how hard times have become.

“We’ve delivered 4500 large bales of hay this year alone, just in NSW,” he said.

“We’re by far the largest national distributor of fodder this year. There’s no-one else in a bull’s roar of that.”

Rural Aid is close to the hearts of Bathurst couple Grant and Chezzi Denyer and they signed on earlier this year to help raise awareness of the charity’s work and encourage supporters. Mr Denyer will MC on the night.

Tickets are $150 each and include canapes, dinner, live entertainment, dancing and a host of prizes with auctions and raffles.

The ball comes as 29.5 per cent of the Central Tablelands has been declared in drought and 66.4 per cent is at the onset of drought.

Mr Alder said many farmers have sold off all but their core breeding stock and they are still struggling to feed the animals left.

Mounting transport costs for fodder, failed crops, rising debt and the continued lack of rain are all affecting farmers’ mental health.

Mr Alder encouraged those who do not live on the land and those in metropolitan areas to have empathy for the region’s primary producers.

“Walk a day in someone else’s shoes,” he said.

Single tickets or tables of 10 can be purchased online.

To book a seat for the Black Tie and Boots Ball, visit www.ruralaid.org.au/black-tie-and-boots-ball.

Source: Western Advocate