“There are still good people left in the world, after all.”
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That’s what the mayor of Brewarrina Shire Council said after being on the receiving end of some old-fashioned Griffith generosity.
On Saturday Griffith local Dale McCleary drove 650 kilometres to the drought-struck town of Brewarrina with a truck full to the brim with bottled water donated by the people of Griffith.
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The water was a godsend for the people of Brewarrina, who have been putting up with empty rainwater tanks and parched throats for months.
Mr McCleary had heard about the conditions, but when he walked onto the dusty riverbed of the Darling River and saw the parched land with his own eyes his heart broke.
He also saw a grazing field that had been stripped of its last blade of grass long ago, leaving only a barren wasteland for cows to wander aimlessly around in.
The farmer who owns those cows told Mr McCleary that he was spending about $50,000 every week just to keep the cows from starving.
For a town that was already financially struggling in the first place, the recent water crisis has hit them harder than most.
But in the midst of all the human suffering, there was an oasis of kindness in the form of a man, a truck, and the generosity of Griffith.
Brewarrina Shire Council mayor Philip O'Connor said it had restored his faith in humanity.
“I’d just like to thank the bloody magnificent people of Griffith,” Councillor O'Connor said.
“It just hits you straight in the heart, how good people are.”
Mr McCleary was of the same mind, but unlike Cr O’Conner he was not surprised by the generosity of the people of Griffith.
“The town has been outstanding as always,” Mr McCleary said.
“These people are the salt of the earth.”
This is the second water drive Mr McCleary has done this year, with the first being to Menindee on January 26.
Griffith also opened their hearts on that occasion, donating three truck-loads worth of bottled water for the people of Menindee.
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