18 December 2018: Armatree locals will be treated to an evening of festive food and cheer as Iron Jack hands over $1 million raised through its campaign ‘Beers for the Bush’ to Rural Aid’s ongoing drought relief efforts.
In August this year, Lion Beer Australia announced that $1 from each carton of Iron Jack sold in Australia, and 50 cents from each schooner of Iron Jack sold at selected regional venues would be donated to Rural Aid.
Lion Beer’s Managing Director James Brindley said ‘Beers For The Bush’ was all about bringing people together, to share a beer at their local, and raise funds while helping the venues that give so much back to their communities.
“It’s been fantastic to see the way pubs and clubs and their customers have really gotten behind this campaign, not just in the name of drought relief, but also in support of country venues,” Mr Brindley said.
“We know how important local pubs and clubs are in rural and regional areas. As scientific evidence mounts to suggest loneliness and isolation are growing public health concerns, the ‘local’ is a place where people can seek out social support when they have nowhere and no one else to go to.
“Western New South Wales, and indeed many parts of the country are still feeling the drought very acutely. Just because it’s not on every newspaper front page anymore doesn’t mean the drought has broken. While Sydney has seen flooding rain in recent weeks, our friends in the bush haven’t been so fortunate.”
Ash Walker, owner of the Armatree Hotel, which was recently awarded the 2018 NSW Australian Hotels Association ‘Best Bush Pub’, said Armatree and surrounding areas had been hit particularly hard by the drought.
“There’s no doubt, this Christmas will be a difficult one for many families in the region, but we’re really pleased to be able to host this event with our mates from Iron Jack, and get locals into the Christmas spirit,” Mr Walker said.
“The Armatree Hotel has been around since 1929. We are a small, but very resilient community, and I’d like to think our pub has something to do with that. We’re truly honoured that Lion chose our pub to host this fantastic event.
“While the best Christmas present would be soaking rain, there’s nothing wrong with kicking off Christmas festivities over a great pub feed and a couple of cold Iron Jacks with the great folk of Armatree.”
CEO of Rural Aid Charles Alder thanked Lion Beer Australia and Iron Jack for running the ‘Beers for the Bush’ campaign.
“Rural Aid has been extremely fortunate to have the support of many Australian businesses – big and small. ‘Beers for the Bush’ has been a truly unique fundraising effort, and perhaps one of the few with such a specific focus on bringing people together for a chat, which is also a vital commodity in times of drought,” Mr Alder said.
“Many families in drought-affected areas will already have benefited from Iron Jack’s donations – through bales of hay, groceries, water, and assistance with bills.”
Iron Jack will welcome 300 locals to the Armatree Hotel for Christmas dinner, and will deliver a $1 million cheque to Rural Aid.
Media contact:
Elizabeth Bold
External Relations Manager
PH: 0421 765 446
