Head Over Heels Appeal in the Hills News

Operation Head Over Heels Appeal - Part 3 - A Photo Diary

Greg & Brian - getting ready to leave & drive through the night for the 11 hours it will take then to arrive in Graceville by morning on the BN Communications Express!

Haldane Street, Graceville - our destination. One of the worst hit streets in the floods in Qld

One of the 7 pallets on load #1 from Hi-Tech Express

The garage of the rental property that we were using to store all our donations in Graceville

Some of our boxed goods loaded into the former living room of the flooded home on Haldane Street. Note the watermark on the far wall indicating how high the water levels reached

Another room full of our donations that needed gyprocked walls removed due to flood damage

A load of bags and bags of clothing that arrived on Saturday when the boys went back to help....these donations are much appreciated however will take up volunteers' valuable time to sort. This is why we separated all our clothing donations into boxes - the 10 hours or so that it took us to do this sorting, is valuable cleaning time for the volunteers in Graceville. To put it in perspective, Joanne spent the better part of her day in Graceville scraping blutak off damaged walls. The clean up is going to take months so all we can say is that if you are donating clothing like this, it actually sets the relief team back a bit to sort things out. If you can, kindly sort them yourself before sending to the affected families.

The Head Over Heels Appeal Team with Wendy (holding shoes), the mum of 6 who inspired our appeal in the first place. From left to right: Greg Lafferty, Joanne Wayte (from Impact Executive Recruitment), Wendy (mum of 6), Kathy (The Graceville Flood Relief Team Manager) & Brian Nicolle (BN Communications)

 

Brian presenting Debbie with the Book of Smiles from Year 1 Teal class at William Clarke College in Kellyville, NSW

After taking turns between driving and sleeping, Greg & Brian arrived in Graceville at around 8.30am on Friday morning. Joanne & the truck arrived soon after and the unload began! The team met Kathy, the lovely volunteer manager of the Graceville Flood Relief Team, who is doing an amazing job, collecting and allocating goods to the most needy families. Once our truck was unloaded and the boxes loosely sorted in the house, Joanne went down to help Wendy sugar soaping walls and picking off blu tack. The boys went to the school to present the Box of Smiles and help clean out their storage container, which had moved in the mud. Brian was also able to present the Book of Smiles to Debbie from Graceville State School, and hopefully the kids in Year 1 at Graceville will smile a little bit today!

STOP PRESS - Hi-Tech Express in the Canterbury Bankstown Torch

Operation Head Over Heels Appeal - Part 2 - A Photo Diary

Fono from Hi-Tech Express with one of the donated televisions, getting ready to load up for Graceville

Fono and his pal on load #2 - furniture, whitegoods, baby cots and televisions

Before Shot - Bags and bags of unsorted clothing and boxes and boxes of sorted clothing and manchester

Fono on the hydraulic lift on the back of the semi that helped in loading all our boxes and furniture

Boxes and Boxes and boxes of clothing, linen, toys, and shoes

All loaded up and ready to go!

Kennards at Castle Hill - home of all our donations in a storage unit kindly donated for the duration of our collection

At around 4pm on Tuesday, 8th February, Hi Tech Express came on board as our freight sponsor for the Head Over Heels Appeal. The kicker was that the shipment would need to leave on Wednesday - the next day! My gorgeous friend Nikki & I had spent 5 hours on Sunday and again on Monday night sorting and boxing clothing so we were pretty much ready to go - with the exception of some last minute donations and also the shoes - I had left them to sort last of all. Fono and the awesome team at Hi-Tech Express collected 2 semi trailer loads of goods from our storage unit at Kennards at Castle Hill and hit the road for Brisbane.

Operation Head Over Heels Appeal - Part 1 - A Photo Diary

Where it all began - at the Annangrove Fair on Australia Day - we filled the BN Communications ute & trailer full of donations on that very hot summer day and following that, had two more open donation days at Kennards at the storage unit. At one stage we had 6 cars lined up with donations! Thank you so much to everyone who donated to our appeal x x x

Touchdown! The Head Over Heels Appeal Team are in Graceville!

It has been a whirlwind 24 hours - the boys finally got away late last night to drive through the night from Sydney to Brisbane to meet one of our semi loads in Graceville. It was not without drama - couldn't get the blinkers working on the trailer at first but they got there in the end and off they went with the BN Communications ute and trailer chocka block full of last minute donations and the school shoes, brand new toys and the supplies we have collected for the school, including a laptop and printer and two digital cameras. And I cannot forget the Book of Smiles from Gabriella's classmates. As I cannot be there in person because I have my little 6 month old to care for, one of my friends has flown up to help the guys for the day. Joanne Wayte from Impact Executive Solutions generously took a day off work to fly up for the day to help and from all accounts did a fantastic job - thanks Jo!

Brian & Greg got into town around half past 8 this morning and Joanne not long after (she got a dodgy satnav from the car hire people - otherwise she would have been there earlier, having been on a 6.30am flight!). They immediately started unloading in anticipation of the first truckload around 10am. Thanks again to Hi Tech Express, who have donated all the shipping from Sydney to Graceville of our two big loads.

About 10 minutes ago I spoke with Wendy - the mum of the 6 kids that are the inspiration for our appeal. It was so wonderful to speak to her - fate stepped in because she is not usually there during the day but she happened to be there to wash down some walls and got to meet the team. Again, as fate would have it, their home was a few doors down from the delivery point for our donations. I asked her how she was travelling and she said that hopefully they will be able to move home soon, albeit only upstairs as downstairs was badly damaged. Wendy told me her children range from 5 to 15 and that her 9 year old little girl is having the hardest time. That broke my heart, because she is closest in age to Gabriella and I can't even imagine how hard it must be as a mum to explain things. She said her youngest child says things like "the flood took my toys" but he doesn't really understand what he is saying. I am also so happy that Brian got to give her a special donation - one of my lovely former employees, Kerrie, donated a Woody (from Toy Story) doll - brand new in the box - and specified she would like it to go to one of the 6 kids. Kerrie, Wendy says thank you so very, very much!


I want to send out another big thank you to everyone who donated items to our appeal - I must make special mention of Emma & Troy, who collected donations in Wollongong for us last week - Emma, as always, is relentless when it comes to getting on with the job! The people of Graceville are very, very grateful x x x

A quick breakdown of what has been collected for the families in Graceville & Goodna

Many people have been asking me what we have collected for our Head Over Heels Appeal so below is a quick summary. Remembering the objective initially was to send some school shoes for the family of 6 kids that the Today Show mentioned in a report during the Queensland floods, we have boxes and boxes of shoes to send, for both men, women, children and babies. We also have over 50 boxes of clothing for men, women, children, babies, the elderly and maternity. Another popular donation was soft toys - we have several boxes of those plus toys in general - alot bought brand new for the families in Graceville & Goodna. The big items include 4 lounge sets, tables, desks, wall units, book shelves, 3 almost brand new baby cots plus several change table cushions. We have about 10 huge televisions and some set top boxes for digital transmission. There is a bar fridge, 2 dishwashers, a washing machine, 6 or 7 prams, 5 or 6 high chairs (2 immaculate Peg Perego ones), and numerous boxes of linen, sheet sets, towels, doonas, curtains and blankets. There is also 2 baby bottle sterilisers, baby bottles and accessories, DVD players and much much more...Most items are preloved but we have had generous families buy new Manchester from Spotlight to donate, as well as toys and school shoes still in their packaging. Also, we were lucky to have ASICS come on board and donate 3 big boxes full of new apparel and shoes for the families most affected.

Along with the shoes, we have made up a Book of Smiles to go in our Box of Smiles for the children of Graceville State School. My daughter's Year 1 classmates all did an art project in which they were asked to paint something that makes them smile (all done in week one, God love the teachers for doing this for me during this hectic time at the start of term). I compiled their artwork in a book and our teachers are hoping to create a sister school friendship between the Year 1 students of both schools. The local newspaper here covered this story this week, and it is a nice story because the kids are the silent victims - you never really know just how they are feeling deep down - and we created the Book (and Box) of Smiles so that we could help the children up there smile again and know they have friends who care about them here in Sydney. Also in the Box of Smiles are 2 digital cameras, a printer, a laptop, school supplies and stationery and children's books, all of which will help getting the school back to normal again.

Thanks so much for everyone who contributed to our appeal...to think it all started with a few pairs of shoes....

And we are off! The truck is loaded and on its way to Graceville!

It has been a very hectic day today - starting at 8am when I got the call that the truck from Hi-Tech Express would be at Kennards within the hour! Needless to say it was a bit of a rush - had to get Gigi to school first and Lulu to her pre-kindy interview mid morning and because it was an early pick up, I couldn't get hubby or any of his mates there to help load the truck. It was just me and Fono, who was the lovely gentleman from Hi-Tech Express, and we worked our butts off to get the truck loaded.

Well, almost.

Thank goodness for my wonderful friend, who I am gonna call "Rhonda to the Rescue!" She kindly met me at Kennards after she finished her little girl's pre-kindy interview, swapped her little girl to my car with Lulu & Mimi, took my car to drop her little girl to pre-school, came back, followed me to school (after a quick change in the carpark from trackie dacks and sneakers to a more respectable school mum skirt and top!), sat with Mimi while I took Lulu in for her interview then followed me back to Kennards to check how Fono was travelling on his own. Between us we got all the boxes and loose items in but he would need to return later that afternoon to pack up the big items and televisions etc. Big shout out to Fono - what a lovely man! Did not complain once - especially when all he had was me to help him - and he was very kind and careful with all our donations. He is Samoan and we talked about Polynesian culture, my love of the Haka and our families - he has 7 kids, 6 of which are girls! Just before Fono left with the first load, I asked him to call me when he was 10 minutes away in the afternoon so I could head there without making him wait. When he left, I took "Rhonda to the Rescue" out to lunch - I was exhausted and starving - I hadn't eaten yet or had my first coffee. Rhonda and I wondered what time Fono would be back. I had hoped later rather than sooner but I should have known, once you say it out loud, it never happens. Rhonda and I had a lovely lunch and Mimi was getting fussy so I decided to take her home in the 45 minutes I had until I would need to leave for school pick up and perhaps have a breather myself. Was 5 minutes from home when a familiar number came up on my phone - it was the depot saying Fono would be there in just under an hour and that I would need to bring helpers because they were a bit behind to make the line by 7pm departure! After a quick panic, I worked the phones. Firstly, I had to arrange for Rhonda to pick up Gigi from school - luckily her little girl was at preschool so she had the spare car seat. Unfortunately Brian was tied up and was unlikely to get there to help, as was Greg, but one of the fantastic school dads, Dean, was happy to help and lend some muscle. Greg's wife, and my friend, Simone turned up with a friend too but luckily Fono did manage to bring a co-worker and between those two, Dean & I, we got the big stuff on the truck by 4pm. As they pulled out of Kennards - and after I gave the Hi-Tech boys a big hug! - I stopped and thought to myself - this is it! The donations are on their way to Queensland now - through the generosity of all these strangers, businesses, family & friends, we will be able to help out the families in Graceville to get back on their feet a little bit! All that is left for me to do here is box up the shoes and school supplies that the boys are taking in the ute, and pack a little bag for Brian to take on his road trip tomorrow. Graceville - the Head Over Heels Appeal Road Train will be rolling into town on Friday! If you are in Graceville around Haldane Street on Friday, pop down and say hi to the boys in the BN Communications ute! A big thank you again to everyone who has helped us out - I am eternally grateful x x x

Graceville - here we come! And endless thanks along the journey....

I am totally & utterly speechless - after an extremely fulfilling, sometimes tiring, most times anxious few weeks, it is all coming together! After 3 huge turnouts of generous donations, firstly at the Annangrove Fair and two open days at our Kennards storage unit, we have close to the equivalent of three quarters of a shipping container filled with all types of goods for the flood affected communities of Graceville & Goodna.

To think it all started with looking for six pairs of shoes for a family of six children in Graceville who lost their new school shoes in the devastating floods, that I was going to express post up to the local school...hence our name - the Head Over Heels Appeal.

I must start by thanking all the wonderful people of the Hills District in Sydney who have been the main donors for our appeal. Along with them, and through my blog and Facebook friends, I have received more generous pledges from all over Sydney and Wollongong as well. If it wasn't for the fabulous Steve at Kennards at Castle Hill we wouldn't have anywhere to house all our donations so thanks so, so much Steve and Kennards for allowing us to take over one of your storage containers for the past few weeks. Thanks also for saving us some "third-hand" returned boxes - they were perfect for what we needed - and for putting up with my blonde questions about shipping LOL!

As I mentioned, we were initially going to express post some pre-loved school shoes which soon morphed into a road trip for my hubby and his mate in his ute and trailer. Three lounge suites, 2 desks, a few chairs, bookcases, dressers, 7 or so televisions, including a massive rear-pro television, 3 baby cots, 7 or so prams and strollers, 5 or so highchairs, countless boxes of clothes, toys, manchester, and school supplies later.....and we realised we were gonna need a bigger truck! No problem, says me, we can get a truck.

Can't we?

Needless to say it has not been easy to get our hands on a truck big enough to carry our precious items. We have a mate with a heavy vehicle licence so that is covered, we just needed someone to lend us a truck and pick up the petrol tab...Special thanks to Rodney Frost who relentlessly tried to help out, the whole time from the US where he is on vacation. Between Superbowl and jogs in Central Park, you never stopped trying or told me to bugger off because you were off the clock - I wont forget that, thanks mate : )

Things were so dire I was combing carsales.com for a second hand truck to buy, use then re-sell after the cause was over. Brian wasnt too keen on that idea - truck mechanic he is not and imagine if it broke down - doh!

I have called in as many favours as I could think of and finally by lunchtime today (cutting it fine, I know!) a breakthrough! I need to acknowledge the wonderful Andrew O'Neill, a friend of my dear friend Joanne who made this happen by helping us get Hi-Tech Express on board as our shipping sponsor. Big shout out to Sonia and her team for their generous support in allowing us to linehaul directly to Brisbane in one of their shipments. Do I sound like I know what I am talking about? Trust me, I have learned alot about shipping in the past 24 hours! I am going to embarrass myself here but I have to share a story/blonde moment with you. I was speaking to one friend about borrowing a truck which was sitting unregistered in a used trucks lot. I put it out there - couldn't we just register it for a month - like we do with my husband's boat rego - and borrow it, rack up a few hundred extra k's on it and return it ready to sell again. Sounds simple enough right? Not really. I learned today that to get a green slip to register a truck costs around - wait for it - $12,000......Back to the ol' drawing board! As it turns out, Hi Tech Express have been awesome and we look forward to working with them to get our donations up where they are needed. Greg & Brian will head up in the ute and trailer on Friday so that they can help in the distribution of our donations and assist where possible in the big clean up.

As part of our appeal, I wanted to involve my daughter's school and put together a special BOX OF SMILES for the Graceville State School Year 1 class from our Year 1 class. In a separate donation for the school I have boxed up some stationery supplies, 2 digital cameras, a printer, laptop, television, DVD's and numerous books. I also asked my daughter's teacher for an art project where the kids all painted a picture of what makes them smile and I have compiled it into a BOOK OF SMILES. I contacted our local newspaper to tell them what we were doing and they came out today to photograph the children with the BOOK OF SMILES, along with a big box of school shoes, our signature item for the Head Over Heels Appeal.


Tonight I spoke with the lovely Kathy who is running the Graceville Flood Relief Team - and doing a sensational job might I add - and we are proud to announce our convoy is heading up from tomorrow! YAY!!!! After transferring out from the depot on Friday, we hope to reach Haldane Street, Graceville mid morning.

I must give a big thank you to Joe & Julie Laviano who, first of all, donated the huge banner we had up that ran from the bonnet of the car to the end of the trailer at the Annagrove Association Australia Day Fair. Joe also arranged for us to be present on that day - which was our first successful collection day - through his standing on the committee of the Annangrove Association and he also kindly took donations through his shopfront for Colonial Print and Copy in Baulkham Hills.

Thanks also to the crew at ASICS who generously donated three large boxes of apparel and shoes for the flood affected families - this was a very kind gesture on your behalf.

Other special mentions are my beautiful friend Nikki who has been three times now with me at the container to help me sorting all the bags of clothes we received - you are worth your weight in gold chickadee x x x Thank you Uncle Greg for offering to help - as you always do - and keeping Brian company for the trip up. you are always there when we need you and Graceville wont know what has hit it with the two of you boys there to help!

Thank you must also go to Miss Gaby and the mums from the Hills Dance Factory - dancing mums rule! I will never underestimate social networking again - it took less than 24 hours for Facebook shared pages to go viral and I was replying to email after email after email of support - thanks so much!

Big thank you to Christine Ahern and the Weekend Today Show for bringing this story to my attention and special thanks to Christine who pointed me in the right direction via Twitter to get to the family in her story : )

To the lovely Miss Cassidy & Mrs Skinner - my daughter's new Year 1 teachers. It is only week one and I bet you didn't see me coming ha ha - i really appreciate your enthusiasm and support and I look forward to hearing what you get up to in the little sister school project I believe you will now be pursuing - what fun! Big thanks too, to Mr Raphael (School Principal) and Mrs Grima (Head of Junior School) for allowing me to share my ideas with you and allowing the kids to be involved - I really appreciate it : )

Also to my mum and dad who, although were madly getting ready for their latest grey nomad adventure, found the time to babysit while mummy was out trying to save the world. Same for my sister who has jetted off to Italy for a little vaykay but had helped entertain the kids before she left. That said, one more week would have been appreciated guys LOL! But seriously, love you all x x x

To my gorgeous girls, Gigi, Lulu & Mimi - mummy and daddy love you guys and you inspire us everyday x x x And to my beautiful husband for rolling with my newest project and taking the time off work to go where I cannot at the moment as I am committed to my breastfed little bubba first and foremost.

If I have forgotten anybody who has helped along the way, I do thank you so much from the bottom of my heart and hope to one day in the future visit Graceville as a tourist and stop in for a coffee and dinner. And thanks so much to Graceville itself - you have changed my life - I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this appeal (even on the night I had no sleep at all ha ha) and I am so glad I never said NO WE CANT but instead  kept saying YES WE CAN - look at all the joy we can now spread x x x

Home Sweet Home - a step in the right direction for our friends in Graceville & Goodna x x x

I wanted to share this image with you all - one of the lovely dancing school mums donated this handmade door stop for our appeal. I thought it was very fitting because no matter what hardship our friends in Graceville & Goodna have been through, many still have their homes, despite the flood damage, and though it may take a while to get them back on their feet fully, we pray for them that it happens sooner rather than later and I know Mrs Duckie shares the same sentiment x

Kennards Self Storage Drop Off Day #2 - Wednesday 2nd Feb - 5pm - 7pm

Once again I have been blown away by the generosity of people in relation to our appeal. Another great turn out - at one stage we had 6 cars backed up in line - and the storage unit is pretty full now. Besides the boxes and boxes of clothing & toys, we have 3 lounge sets, several coffee and side tables, a large rear pro television along with 4 other large old televisions, 2 wooden baby cots, several pram and high chairs, boxes of manchester - alot brand new - and boxes and boxes of our signature item - shoes! Not forgetting the 3 large boxes of apparel from ASICS, as mentioned yesterday. I have received confirmation that Graceville is ready for us and they have also asked if we have enough, that we assist their sister town of Goodna as well, which we are happy to say, should not be a problem.

Our only problem now is a logistical one - we need a BIGGER TRUCK!!! Come on Today Show! Come on A Current Affair! I have emailed you all - please help us out if you can. A large removalists truck or smaller semi will do the trick - we have people with the appropriate licences to drive the bigger trucks if need be and people to load and unload them - we just need the darn truck! If someone is prepared to sponsor our appeal and supply a fully fueled truck, please email me if you can help x x x

Thank you ASICS - 3 big boxes of brand new apparel for our appeal

As I hinted last week, we have another fantastic corporate sponsor on board with our appeal - sending out big hugs to the team at ASICS who have donated 3 big boxes full of brand new apparel for our Head Over Heels Appeal. I have been so amazed by the generosity of everyday Aussies who have donated pre-loved items for the flood affected families but this is just an unbelievable gesture from the world renowned sports label. Along with Kennards, we are so grateful for the support of our corporate sponsors. Thanks so very, very much x x x

Kennards Self Storage Drop Off Day #1 - Saturday 29th - 8am - 10am - thank you so much - very generous donations received today

What a fantastic response we had this morning at our container! We have been given so many wonderful things for our friends in Graceville, including televisions, cd players, radios, high chairs, prams, baby & children's toys, clothing and shoes, adult clothing and shoes, manchester (including a very generous donation from one of our school mums who went to Spotlight and purchased BRAND NEW sheets, towels, doonas, tablecloths etc to give to us) and much, much more. We have school supplies, DVD's and books and care packages for the elderly. Many have chosen to include little messages from their children and I have seen some of these and they are touching and beautiful x

Our big furniture items are coming both this afternoon and during the week and we are just so overwhelmed by all the support. Big thank you to my dad and Nikki who helped me this morning and also to the lovely Tegan who came all the way over from the eastern suburbs to bring baby items for our appeal. We are looking at working together to arrange another collection schedule over her way in eastern Sydney under our Head Over Heels Appeal Banner so once we finalise details, I will post them up for you. We are looking at this for down the track - as we discussed with Tegan, Graceville will need our help beyond the next few weeks and she is sure that people over her way would love to help as well so that is fantastic news!

Another big thank you to Emma & Kerrie who are rounding up items from areas out past Liverpool, Penrith, Windsor & even as far as Wollongong - you guys never cease to amaze me with your enthusiasm and drive - thank you, thank you, thank you. While I am thanking people, can't forget my mum as well (she has helped me in washing and folding clothing and minding the kids while mummy was busy on the appeal) and to my hubby & dad for helping with the heavy "boys stuff". Of course thank you to my lovely girls for sharing mummy for a little while - you guys inspire me the most x x x

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - Kennards Self Storage at Castle Hill gives us a storage container

Sending out a very big group hug to Steve and head office from Kennards Self Storage at Castle Hill. Having read our blog and recognising our need for more space to house all the wonderful donations we have been pledged, Kennards at Castle Hill have generously given us the use of a large storage container for one month so that we can sort and package up everything ready to ship up to Graceville. Thank you, thank you, thank you : )

Now that we have the space, lets utilise it! As you have read from earlier updates, we are collecting donations between 10.30am and 2.30pm tomorrow at the Annangrove Fair Australia Day celebrations at Annangrove Park on Annangrove Road. If you cannot make it there, I will be organising for someone to be at Kennards Castle Hill to collect your donations on the following days and times:

Saturday, 29th January - 8am - 10am
Wednesday, 2nd February - 5pm - 7pm

The address is 5 Packard Avenue, Castle Hill (behind the Holden Dealership) and someone will be waiting in the customer car park to let you in to the secure area and direct you to our container. We do ask one little favour - that if you have larger items, please bring along a friend to help lift them. Please email us if you cannot make either of these times and we will look at allowing access at a time more convenient to you.

Once again, thanks again Kennards Self Storage - you guys rock!

WEEK 2 - Head Over Heels Appeal builds in momentum for the flood affected children of Graceville

Well, what a whirlwind week it has been! I am back from a little short break with my husband and kids and ready to jump right back in for Graceville. What started as a little shoe drive for children who lost the lot in the Queensland floods has evolved into a large scale donation centre for the entire community of Graceville. As it stands now, I have heard back from Kennards at Castle Hill who have kindly agreed for us to use one of their storage units free of charge for the few weeks we will need to store all your kind donations. We recognised a need for a storage facility when I was inundated with offers of furniture, bedding, children's toys, boxes of clothing etc and realised our little shed, and indeed ute and trailer, weren't going to cut it. I am still waiting to finalise a truck sponsor but if you know of anyone who can help, please email me.
As mentioned in an earlier post, kindly ensure all preloved clothing is washed and neatly folded, and preferably bundled up via child's sizing. Please, also no used underwear or mattresses, as per health regulations. I also encourage you to include a personal note of support, to personalise the process and put a smile on another child's face.If you can get to the Annangrove Fair on Australia Day, we will be accepting donations from 10.30am - 2.30pm. If not, watch this space for details of times to drop to the storage facility in Castle Hill once we have arranged a system.
I thank you again for your generosity, and I look forward to perhaps seeing you at The Annangrove Fair : )

EXCITING NEWS! - Kennards Storage at Castle Hill onboard!

Bear with me as I am updating the website remotely but this news can't wait - I am so happy to announce that Steve from Kennards Self Storage at Castle Hill has contacted me to say they would be delighted to allow us the use of one of their storage inits to store all our donations for our Head Over Heels Appeal for Graceville families. This is a much, much appreciated gesture of kindness from Kennards and once I finalise the contract on Monday, we will post some times here for drop offs. Now I know why I love the Hills District so much, you guys rock!

NEWSFLASH - A prominent sports label looks like they will be coming on board with donations for the kids...it will all be finalised by end of week - watch this space - woo hoo!

Annangrove Association Australia Day Celebrations - supporting the Head Over Heels Appeal

I spoke with a lovely local man called Joe who is a member of the Annangrove Association committee and he is happy for us to bring our ute and trailer on Australia Day for families to come and drop off any donations for the people of Graceville, whom we are supporting with our appeal. Please refer to our earlier post on logistics of our Head Over Heels Appeal with regards to what we are collecting and how to help us by ensuring second hand clothing items are washed and folded neatly and also to advise of things we cannot accept for health regulations for example second hand undergarments or mattresses. We are now collecting everything for babies right up to old age pensioners - it was reported in the newspaper that most of Graceville's residents ended up with water flooding up to under their eaves so these people will likely need everything we can possibly give to them. I urge you to have another look if you have anything else you may be able to donate that you no longer or hardly use or wear - my kids are every day finding a new toy to put in our pile of donations.

The Annangrove Association presents the Annangrove Fair Australia Day festivities, held at Annangrove Park on the corner of Annangrove Road and Currie Avenue in Annangrove. Fun things to do with the whole family  include mini jeep rides, a giant slippery slide, pony rides (a big hit with our girls last year!), mechanical bull ride, giant jumping castle, chocolate wheel, dunking machine and much, much more! If you haven't made plans yet for Australia Day, come along and support our local community and at the same time drop off your donations for our brothers and sisters in the town of Graceville who are doing it tough. The day commences at 10.30am and concludes around 2.30pm (so you can still get to the city for the fireworks, if that was your plan), with the Australian flag raising ceremony and formalities at 11am. We will have a sign up and Joe said we may be able to park near the Rural Fire Service guys so look out for us in the white "BN Communications" ute with trailer. If you have any particularly big items ie furniture, please email me - headoverheelsappeal@gmail.com - as we might make alternate arrangements for collection of those items. I am still finalising a deal with a storage space, which it is clear we will definitely need given the overwhelming response for donations of items big and small. If you have emailed me and I haven't got back to you as yet, please be patient, I promise to personally respond to all emails and I have had so many, it has really blown me away. I am a stay at home mum with 3 kids, including a 6 month old baby and it has been a fantastic lesson for my children in displaying compassion for those in need. I can't thank you all enough for you interest from the bottom of my heart, it has been an amazing couple of days x x x Martina

Graceville - a town in need of love and support

Here are some images from recent press reports on the devastation in Graceville. It shows just how much effort will be required to rebuild this town and the objective of our appeal is to help put some smiles back on people's faces:

 

 

Thank you to the following websites for the images above:
Source
Source

Head Over Heels for the generosity of the residents in the Hills District in Sydney

Amazing update details - by close of business today, we have now had pledges to donate houses full of furniture - well down Sydney! Another whirlwind 24 hours as we build momentum with our appeal x

Having said all that, we will now need a bigger truck! Possibly 2 or 3! I am going to work the phones tomorrow but if anyone has any contacts at a freight company who may be able to help us out by donating a big vehicle, that would be much appreciated! We have had offers from people who have the right licence to drive the trucks but just not the access to the vehicles - email me please if you have any connections : )