Village matches Canberra Cavalry RFS donations

With matches cancelled due to hazardous air quality, the Canberra Cavalry baseball club made the decision to direct their efforts to raise money for the NSW Rural Fire service.

The Cavalry asked fans to keep buying tickets for the cancelled round seven Australian Baseball League series at the beginning of January, promising to donate the funds to the RFS. They also offered up memorabilia and Cavalry experiences through an online auction.

Inspired by this effort, the Cavalry’s Major Community Partner, Village Building Company, announced at the Canberra Cavalry v Auckland Tuatara match on Saturday, 18 January that they would match the funds raised dollar for dollar raising the total to $10,000.

“The team at South Jerrabomberra, being developed by Village, is pleased to be able to match the wonderful donations already raised by the Canberra Calvary for the NSW Rural Fire Service. Our thoughts go out to all of those who have been directly impacted or displaced by the ongoing bushfire crisis,” Village Building Company CEO Travis Doherty said.

“Above and beyond that, we give our heartfelt thanks to the men and women volunteers of the Rural Fire Service who are doing, arguably, one of the toughest and most important jobs in the world right now.”

While there are many organisations and individuals digging deep for the NSW RFS, it’s personal for Doherty and the Village Building Company.

“There is a special connection for us with this donation. One of our South Jerra project team members, Construction Engineering Manager Jason Burgess, is a volunteer with the NSW RFS. Jason has been on numerous deployments over the past few months fighting fires across much of NSW including Braidwood, Nerriga and Green Wattle Creek. This in addition to the regular assistance he provides through the RFS at house fires and motor vehicle accidents.

“We’re extremely proud of his efforts and we hope this donation will help to establish better arrangements and better conditions for him, and all of the amazing volunteer firefighters,” Doherty said.

NSW RFS volunteer Burgess says that in the past few months he has seen some of the toughest conditions he has come across in three years of volunteering with the NSW RFS.

Recent weeks have been particularly tough.

“Unfortunately, the fire season has only just begun and we are in for a busy few months still to come. I thank Village and the South Jerra team for this donation. It is a privilege to work for a company that recognises and supports my volunteer role,” Burgess said.

Canberra Cavalry Director, Dan Amodio says with the fires ongoing, they intend to keep up their fundraising.

“The situation with the fires is not going to get better anytime soon, so we are going to keep working on this right through until the Canberra Brave Ice Hockey starts in the middle of the year. We hope the Canberra community will keep generously donating in support of the fire firefighters.”

Visit the Village Building Company and the Canberra Cavalry to learn more.

Original Article published by Karyn Starmer on The RiotACT.