More than 60 guests were at the Parkes Services Club last Thursday to toast the success of Quality Wool’s recent charity wool auction for Ronald McDonald House Westmead. The auction raised $77,000 to assist seriously ill children and their families.
Quality’s New South Wales Operations Manager Chris Scott said the company was thrilled with the result and thanked all grow- ers who donated wool for the auction from the Riverina to the Central and Western re- gions.
“Our wool drive for Ronald McDonald House Westmead was again well supported and with the delayed auction timing this year, it was great to see a number of new growers donating wool,’’ Chris said.
“We had donations from our stores in Parkes, Orange, Wagga Wagga and Con- dobolin, as well as from near Oberon, Dubbo, Gilgandra and Coonamble, and down to Grenfell and Young.’’
Buoyed by a flourishing wool market and a delay in the sale fixture this year that helped increase growers’ wool donations for the auction to some 14,000 kilograms (93 bales), this year’s total of $77,000 easily eclipsed last year’s figure of just over $55,000.
Quality Wool visited farms to pick up donated wool and clean out sheds for growers, and it pressed and auctioned the wool free of charge. The Australian Wool Testing Authority also tested the wool for free, ensuring all proceeds would go to Ronald McDonald House Westmead.
In its fifth year, the charity wool auctions have raised over $225,000 for the home away from home that supports families with seriously ill children attending The Children’s Hospital Westmead.