The Nine Network is bringing its star hosts to Tamworth for the Hay Mate: Buy a Bale benefit concert and telethon for Australia’s drought-stricken farmers on Saturday, October 27, at 7.00pm.
 
Entertainment guru Richard Wilkins and TODAY Extra hosts Sonia Kruger and David Campbell will add sparkle to the stage when John Farnham headlines the fundraiser on Nine and 9Now.
 
The Hay Mate: Buy a Bale national telethon will broadcast live from Tamworth’s Scully Park, with other big-name Aussie artists Daryl Braithwaite, Guy Sebastian, The Veronicas, Jon Stevens and Andrew Farriss from INXS confirmed to rock the stage. 
 
All funds raised from this concert for the farmers will go to Rural Aid, who provide frontline counselling services for farmers to deal with the financial, emotional and physical stress of drought. 
 
Nine’s entertainment editor, Richard Wilkins, is a big fan of pulling on his Akubra, and as soon as he heard Nine would broadcast the concert he was the first to put his hand up and get involved. 
 
“With so many families facing so much adversity, to have the opportunity to help is the least we can do. We have an amazing lineup of talent and I can’t wait to support this great cause,” Wilkins said. 
 
Born in Queensland’s Darling Downs region, TODAY Extra co-host Sonia Kruger is a country girl at heart who has seen firsthand what the crippling drought is doing to regional Australia. 
 
“This is a devastating time for our farmers so it’s a privilege to be involved with the Hay Mate: Buy a Bale benefit.  Our aim is to raise a huge amount of money and provide some much-needed relief to the farmers and families suffering out there,” Kruger said.
 
With rock music running through his veins, TODAY Extra co-host David Campbell knows all too well what triumphs the entertainment industry can deliver when it bands together. 
 
“Our industry is an amazing beast when it unites for a good cause, and what better cause is there than the backbone of our great nation. I’m honoured to be involved in the Hay Mate concert and can’t wait to get out there and help our Aussie farmers,” Campbell said.
 
Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale program supports farmers and rural communities throughout Australia by providing meaningful support, delivering hay and other essential items for those who have no feed left for their livestock.
 
For further information, please contact Channel Nine Publicity:
Lisa Elwin

Monday, 17 September, 2018