St Paul’s College student representative council hosted a Farmer’s Day to raise money for the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners. 

Student Nikita Clancy, 14, has seen first hand how tough life on the land can be, having grown up at her parent’s Pleasant Hills mixed farm. 

She said the fundraiser, which featured a cold pie eating competition, hay bale stack and concert by Danny Phegan, was a great chance to support a good cause and raise awareness of the drought. 

“It’s been great watching everyone having fun and mucking around a bit,” Nikita said.

“It’s all to help farmers, we’re going through such a tough time at the moment and it helps raise awareness as well.”

Despite the serious cause, students at St Paul’s enjoyed a day of fun competing in the Farmer’s Challenge which consisted of eating cold pies without using hands, drinking a warm mineral water, rolling up a swag, stacking hay bales, jumping in a sack and eating a dry Weetbix before whistling.

St Paul’s enrolment and events coordinator Joanne Knobel said the day was a credit to the hard work of students. 

She said it was important that people didn’t forget about those doing it tough across the country. 

MORE NEWS: 

“We’ve got some rain but it doesn’t mean everything is better,” Mrs Knobel said.

“You don’t have to drive very far to see where there is absolutely nothing on the ground.

“The affects of the drought go on and on, it’s not a one off.”

Mrs Knobel said a lot of students at St Paul’s were from farming backgrounds, and so dressing up as a farmer was just ‘wearing their normal clothes’.

She said the student representative council wanted to do something to support the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners and farmers in the severely drought affected areas of Queensland and NSW.

“It’s part of the school ethos to help and reach out to others,” Mrs Knobel said.

Staff and students also had a barbecue lunch with Walla businesses.

Receive our daily newsletter straight to your inbox each morning from The Border Mail. Sign up here