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People of all ages took part in the Vinnies sleep-out in the chilly night air at
Parkes
By Kathleen Carmody
Last Friday’s Night Under the Stars – St Vincent de Paul’s very first rural launch of the Winter
Appeal – under “the dish” in Parkes was a fantastic success, the Society said.
More than 700 people rugged up to sleep out at the Australia Telescope National Facility in five-degree weather to help raise
money for the poor and homeless in rural NSW.
More than $5,500 was raised through sponsorship and donations.
Those who attended really got into the spirit of camping out, bringing tents, sleeping
bags, and other camping equipment.
Some even lit fires to stave off the chill.
There was plenty of entertainment for participants with films, performances, a barbecue and prizes, as well as an
astronomy lecture, displays, presentations and demonstrations.
According to the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Dane Hiser, there was a “great atmosphere” on the night. Lots of people turned up and there was
lots of enthusiasm, he said.
“Everyone was more than willing to be there, to be involved; they got really into it,” he said.
Night Under the Stars drew great support for the event from the local
community, with schools, parishes and volunteers contributing to the night, as well as generous donations from the local business community, who provided food, equipment and entertainment.
Parkes is situated
in the Wilcannia/Forbes diocese – the largest for the Society – and was chosen as the venue for the inaugural sleep-out because of its raised profile thanks to the popular movie The Dish and the Olympic Torch relay.
Mr Hiser said that the money raised on the night was reasonable for a charity event, and about what the Society had expected.
All donations, additional to money raised by the Winter Appeal, would go
directly towards assistance programs for the poor and homeless in NSW communities.
However, fundraising had not been the primary focus for the evening, so the money was “an added bonus”.
“The main
focus was to bring attention to the plight of needy and homeless in rural NSW,” he said. “To let people know it’s such a big problem.”
Because the Vinnies Winter Appeal is city-based, people don’t realise the
problem of homelessness is just as strong, if not stronger, in rural communities, Mr Hiser explained.
“Living rural life is difficult for families,” he said. “Circumstances make it harder; they struggle to
pay for simple things like electricity and gas. It’s a real struggle.”
Mr Hiser cited such things as drought, heavy rain and crop damage as just some of the problems that face rural communities.
“Over
50 per cent of the people we assist are in rural NSW,” he said. “Overall, over half are from rural communities – it signifies that it’s such a big problem.”
St Vincent de Paul’s state president, Patrick
O’Flynn, said he was amazed at the tremendous amount of local support the Night Under the Stars generated.
“I was very impressed by the way the community pulled together to make this night such a success and
to bring the public’s attention to the severe plight of the needy in rural communities,” he said.
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