Cats And Bombers Partner With Rural Aid

The Geelong Cats and Essendon Bombers have partnered with Rural Aid, ahead of the fourth installation of the Powercor Country Festival game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

The event will see donations from the game and the fundraising effort go directly to the drought-stricken farming region of Gippsland in country Victoria.

Rural Aid, one of the largest rural charities in Australia, works to provide support to farmers and rural communities in times of natural disaster such as drought, flood and fire, as well as supporting the sustainability of the agricultural sector.

Essendon chief executive officer, Xavier Campbell, said the club is proud to be partnering with Rural Aid in line with the fifth consecutive Country Festival clash.

“This is an important partnership with one of the largest rural charities in Australia, and we’re proud of this natural alignment with Rural Aid throughout an important week for us in recognising the contribution of regional communities to our great state.

“The fundraising is for the Victorian drought, particularly concentrating our efforts for farmers in Gippsland so we look forward to a big turnout at the MCG on Sunday for the Country Festival in support of Rural Aid,” Mr Campbell said.

Geelong chief executive officer, Brian Cook, said he looks forward to strengthening the club’s partnership with Rural Aid.

“We are proud to partner with Rural Aid, who work to achieve positive outcomes and assist communities in need,” Mr Cook said.

“Community is important to our club, everything we do has a central purpose around building a better community and giving back to the community that supports us.

“We thank Rural Aid for their support and look forward to a successful partnership into the future,” he said.

In addition to the event on Saturday, plans have also been announced to host a Hay Mate Concert in Yarra Park in 2020, for the fifth anniversary of the Country Festival blockbuster.