Twin Towns Funds ‘Convoys of Hope’ For Farmers

It was a sentiment shared by every Director in the Twin Towns boardroom this month when they met to discuss the two crises simultaneously affecting the lives and livelihoods of rural communities in Queensland and NSW — flood and drought. 

A unanimous decision was made by the Board that a donation of $200,000 would be made to Rural Aid on behalf of Twin Towns members. 

The donation comprises $100,000 from Twin Towns philanthropic association, The Twin Towns Services Community Foundation and $100,000 directly from Twinnies Gives (Twin Towns), bypassing time constraints and limitations of the NSW ClubGRANTS scheme. 

The donation will help Rural Aid continue their ongoing support of flood affected communities in Central and Western QLD and drought affected communities in Southern NSW. 

The Board believes wholeheartedly that this donation will meet members’ values and expectations of their Club, and its responsibility to support communities in need on both sides of the border. 

“We are making this donation on behalf of Twin Towns 60,000 members, who predominantly live in Queensland and New South Wales,” said Board Chair Brian Brown. 

“If it wasn’t for our members, the backbone of our Club, we wouldn’t be in a position to make that call to Rural Aid.” 

CEO of Rural Aid John Warlters said there was great excitement amongst his team when they heard about ‘that’ call from Twin Towns. 

“I now know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a call from lotto!” he said. 

“My phone rang when I was on the road to South West Queensland, where we continue to support farmers and families impacted by the catastrophic flood. It was amazing timing! 

“We don’t get large amounts of money like this very often but when we do, they are incredibly impactful.” 

Mr Warlters said Twin Towns’ donation will help fund a range of assistance, including mental health and wellbeing support. 

“The mental health of farmers, many of whom have been placed under enormous stress, is critically important, especially when dealing with big emotional events that affect their families, their finances and their futures. 

“Rural Aid’s role isn’t just about providing much needed resources like fodder and fuel; we send ‘convoys of hope’, in whatever form that takes. 

“A little bit of hope goes a long way, especially at a time when it is easy for people to be overwhelmed by the challenges they have in front of them.

“It is going to take months and months — years even — for people to fully recover,” Mr Warlters said. 

In the last financial year, Twin Towns donated over $1.65 million to a broad range of community organisations, consistently exceeding its requirements through the NSW ClubGRANTS scheme. 

Additionally, the Club has helped even more people and organisations through the Twin Towns Services Community Foundation. 

They will continue to provide financial assistance when and where it is needed most. 

Background Information

• Twin Towns was established on the border at Tweed Heads in 1957.
• Twin Towns has three Clubs and a Resort: Twin Towns at Tweed Heads, Club Banora at Banora Point and Twin Towns Juniors at Tweed Heads South; The Sebel Twin Towns and Mantra Twin Towns.
• Over one million people visit Twin Towns Clubs and Resorts every year.
• Twin Towns currently has approximately 60,000 members, predominantly from Queensland and Northern NSW and employs over 300 staff at its three Clubs and Resorts.
• Twinnies Gives is an overarching brand for Twin Towns’ giving platforms: Twin Towns ClubGRANTS, donations made directly from the Twin Towns Group and the Twin Towns Services Community Foundation.
• In the last financial year, Twin Towns donated over $1.6 million to the community and consistently exceeds its requirements through the NSW ClubGRANTS scheme.
• Over the years, more than $25 million in financial and in-kind assistance has been donated to the local community through its various giving platforms.
• Who Twin Towns helps: Children with additional needs; primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and pre-Schools; university scholarships; aged and palliative care support services; Legacy, Rotary, Tweed- Coolangatta RSL Sub-Branch; charities and appeals; environmental organisations and initiatives; sporting and social clubs.