AS the wind blew up, the black clouds threatened and the waiting crowd opened umbrellas in anticipation, the Rain Train, filled to the brim with city goodwill, pulled in to Werris Creek.
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For a while it actually looked as if the rains would come at the same time as the train, but though it failed to deliver on the weather it did manage to distribute 41 food hampers and some early Christmas cheer to needy families in Werris Creek and Currabubula.
The train, the first of two and described as the biggest hamper drive in NSW, paused briefly at Werris Creek yesterday afternoon on its way to Narrabri where it would deliver almost 200 tonnes of non-perishable food, frozen food, toys and Christmas gifts.
The appeal – coordinated by radio station 2UE, the Commonwealth Bank and CountryLink – is aimed at helping families in the Narrabri and far north-west region ravaged by drought.
It started a month ago when a 2UE listener first voiced the idea and since then the response has overwhelmed the coordinators.
The hampers offloaded at Werris Creek were accepted by a handful of Werris Creek farmers waiting at the station. Local charity St Vincent de Paul was also on hand to accept a few, with plans to distribute the overflow among the regions struggling rural families.
Werris Creek farmer John Colville said the thought behind the appeal was humbling.
"I don't as yet need the help, but I am told there are farmers around here who are really feeling the impact of the drought and will be more than grateful," he said.
"I was thinking earlier that in this world when terrible things are happening so often these days, a simple thing like the city showing the support of the country like this means so much."
The scale of generosity was so huge that the Rain Train needed the help of two semitrailers to deliver the surplus donations.
A second train and further trucks are expected to deliver the remaining goods next week to Bourke, Nyngan and Brewarrina.
To donate to the appeal, residents of Sydney were asked to donate goods to their local Commonwealth Bank branches. By departure time, the Commonwealth Bank had delivered 2200 hampers.
Also making the journey was a single donation of 25,000 cans of food, an 18-tonne truck filled with frozen food, clothing and hats, dog food, soft toys and numerous other gifts and food items.
CountryLink converted a passenger wagon, by taking out the seats, to fit the hampers and goods.
