Community
12 September, 2025
Need for Feed revisits south west
RESIDENTS lined the streets to show their appreciation as Need for Feed Australia volunteers travelled to the region with enough hay to support 160 families doing it tough in drought conditions.
The convoy of trucks carrying hundreds of thousands worth of hay descended on Saturday evening, travelling through Camperdown and Terang before stopping at the Noorat Recreation Reserve overnight.
Noorat served as a temporary centre for distributions for the convoy of 30 trucks which had brought down enough hay to help out more than 160 farming families across Corangamite, Moyne and Colac-Otway shires.
This marks the second time a Need for Feed convoy has made its way to the south west, after 33 trucks delivering close to $500,000 worth of hay made its way to Camperdown in July.
Need for Feed Australia chairman Graham Cockerell was among those behind the wheel, saying it was warming to again see a strong showing of support from residents who lined the streets.
“It’s really good to have the public’s support,” he said.
“It’s what keeps these things going.
“It takes weeks to be able to collect all that hay because it comes from all over the place.
“Almost all of it came out of New South Wales because there’s no hay in Victoria – certainly none to be donated, or even to buy.
“It’s come from as far away as Tamworth.
“This will be able to support around 160 families and they will each get a big bag of working dog food.”
Corangamite Shire Council mayor councillor Kate Makin said the visit from Need for Feed was an “important event for everyone”.
“It’s great to see Need for Feed come back to the region and supplying the farmers who desperately needed it because this drought is far from over and farmers are still in need of feed,” she said.
“It’s a great organisation and important to the community and farmers’ health and wellbeing going forward.
“Congratulations to all the truck drivers and the volunteers who took time out of their days to go and deliver this hay, which is really important to the farmers but also to the Lions Club and everyone else involved in putting the dinner on for the truck drivers.
“It lifts the morale of farmers and how they’re feeling knowing they are supported and acknowledged for what they are going through by organisations such as Need for Feed coming down into the area.”
Anyone wanting to support Need for Feed can do so online at www.needforfeed.org.