St John WA benefits as WA growers donate millions to charity

Western Australian grain growers have once again demonstrated their unwavering support for local charities – including St John WA – with a remarkable $340,000 donation derived from 800 tonnes of grain voluntarily forfeited during the 2023/24 CBH harvest. 

Proceeds generated through the sale of forfeited grain, via the 2023/24 Harvest Mass Management Scheme (HMMS), have been allocated across nine charities dedicated to aiding grain growers and their communities in Western Australia. 

St John WA has gratefully received $50,000 this year.

The funds will be used to help maintain and grow a strong Community First Responder and State defibrillator network in the grain-growing regions.

Since its inception in 2012, the HMMS has made 123 donations to charities totalling $3 million. 

This year’s beneficiaries encompass a range of vital causes, including support for a range of organisations such as assisting growers affected by drought and other natural disasters with livestock feed, emergency aid, mental health initiatives, and various other services crucial for regional well-being. 

The HMMS, a collaborative effort between CBH and Main Roads WA, strives to mitigate the incidence of overloaded grain trucks during harvest season.

Growers are provided the option to forfeit grain from overloaded trucks, which is then sold, with the resulting proceeds directed to WA charities nominated by growers and CBH employees. 

CBH Chair Simon Stead said the donations will provide valuable support to the selected charities, allowing them to continue their important work in helping grain growers and their communities in WA.  

“It’s wonderful to see that since 2012, $3 million has been donated to a range of charitable organisations, who do important work to support our regional communities,” Mr Stead said.  

“The HMMS has proven to be an effective deterrent to the overloading of grain trucks during harvest, addressing safety concerns and promoting responsible practices. Simultaneously, the scheme allows growers to give back to their communities.” 

To date, the HMMS program has enabled St John WA to install 145 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across the region, with an additional 15 AEDs to be installed this year.

St John WA Social Sustainability Manager Angel Robins said with the organisation covering the largest area of any single ambulance service in the world – 2,525,500 square kilometres or 33 per cent of the total landmass of Australia, partnerships were essential to bridge the healthcare gaps in our regional communities.

“Through partnerships with organisations like CBH Group, we’re able to empower people in regional communities to potentially save someone’s life in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest and create a resilient community,” she said.

“We know that every minute a patient is in cardiac arrest, not receiving CPR or AED shock will reduce their chances of survival by 10 per cent.

“We don’t want to leave survival to chances.

“With 145 defibrillators available across the grain growing region through the generosity of the donations since 2012, the additional funding is going to help us continue to maintain a reliable defib network and increase the number of community first responders in the region.”