Like all Australians right now, we’re stunned and saddened by the impact of the drought and the bushfires and we feel compelled to offer some sort of help.

Just before Christmas, we announced in our b-Mail that we were raising funds for two worthy charities who support and protect vulnerable communities at times like these – Rural Aid and the Rural Fire Service Association (RFSA) Wellbeing Fund.

It seems many other businesses and high-profile people have had a similar idea and in response, Australians have been reaching into their pockets to give generously to their peers.

Despite the huge number of fundraisers in motion at the moment, we’re extremely pleased (and a little choked up) to say that our fundraiser has generated an incredible $14,000. This means that each of the two charities, Rural Aid and the Rural Fire Service Association, will receive $7,000.

This has come as a result, first and foremost, of the generosity of our staff and clients, with a kick-in from our business and the wonderful dollar-match support from the Count Charitable Foundation (CCF). The words “thank you” don’t quite capture the extent of our gratitude. Community support is something we strongly believe in and it means a great deal to be able to make a contribution at this time.

We know our two charitable beneficiaries will put the funds to good use. May we continue to support each other through this challenging time.