Harcourt Valley Vineyards, Harcourt General Store and Harcourt and District Lions Club have joined forces to raise $30,000 from the sale of local wine to support those impacted in the bushfire-ravaged community and surrounds.
Harcourt Valley Vineyards’ Kye Livingstone said the 600 bottles of ‘Harcourt Recovery’ 2024 Cabernet Shiraz miraculously survived the January 9 fire.
“The fire burnt right up the edge of our coolstore but the wine survived unscathed,” he said.
The local producers donated 450 bottles to be sold via the Harcourt General Store and gifted 150 to Harcourt Lions Club with 100 per cent of funds raised going directly to the Lions Club to be distributed in the community.
Harcourt General Store owner Annette Larsen said the bottles were sold for $50 each and quickly sold out thanks to the generosity of her customers and the local community.
Harcourt Lions Club treasurer Des Dooley said they were deeply grateful to Annette, Harcourt Valley Vineyards, the Harcourt district community, and those further afield who had supported the fundraiser.
“More broadly, Lions Clubs Australia have raised $150,000 through their Bushfire Appeal Fund and we have already begun to distribute funds in the local community,” he said.
“The Harcourt Lions members have been personally going out and meeting with affected community members to chat about their needs. To kick things off we have been donating Rodelisa Nursery Harcourt vouchers to locals to enable them replant their gardens and bring some colour back to the blackened Harcourt landscape.
“We also plan to establish a Community Chest so we can assist people in the months ahead, and also in the longer term, whether they need vouchers for plants, food or homewares, a tank of fuel or something as they begin to rebuild.”
In addition, Harcourt General Store has also raised $5000 for the CFA and $5000 for Bendigo Wine Life through collection tins at the local business, and a further $1200 through staff tips which they have also split between the two worthy causes.
In the wake of the devastating fire, despite having no power or running water, Annette opened the doors of the Harcourt General Store to offer free coffee and meals to community members and emergency service personnel.
“My husband organised a generator and tanks of potable water so I could at least run the coffee machine and whip up a meal for those left with nothing,” she said.
“Some people came in with just the clothes on their back. It was absolutely devastating. But we were able to provide them with a coffee, a meal and community connection,” she said.
When the initial Ravenswood staging area moved to the Harcourt Fire Station, Annette also teamed up with the Castlemaine Lions Club to provide 225 meals for CFA volunteers, Forest Fire Management and Fire Rescue Victoria team members, police and others deployed to the fire ground.
“We had more than CFA 150 brigades here. We are so grateful to everyone who came to support our community and has continued to do so in the months since,” she said.
Annette said while the initial focus was on those who lost their homes, many business people had also been severely affected.
“About 40 local businesses in Harcourt and surrounds have been impacted, with some losing their entire livelihood,” she said.