Echuca CFA gets ready for Good Friday

Apr 7, 2022

All set: Echuca CFA’s Doug Amos, Kyle Bartlett, Sam Nettleton, Sophie Amos and Alex Green. getting ready for the Good Friday Appeal 2022. Photo by Steve Huntley

Good Friday is one of those very, very good days on calendars across our twin towns.

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A day when everyone is prepared to get involved in what has been a proud tradition at the CFA for the past 27 years.

Good Friday Appeal area manager and Echuca Lions Club president Laurie Stewart said while the collections went on in clubs and businesses year-round, with as many as 50 collection points in pubs, clubs and businesses, Good Friday itself had always been something special here.

Mr Stewart said the CFA, SES and Search and Rescue had become the face of the local collection as trucks went street to street and first responders manned major intersections across Echuca-Moama, armed with collections tins and big smiles.

“Four years ago, our contribution to the Good Friday Appeal was recognised with a special presentation as we had passed the $2 million mark in money raised,” Mr Stewart said.

“Our target this year is to go past $100,000, after we reached $93,000 in 2021.”

“These are goals that we could not reach without the outstanding support of locals and having groups such as the emergency services do some of the heavy lifting on the day.”

Echuca CFA Good Friday Appeal co-ordinator Kirby Thompson said she was excited to be part of the challenge of chasing that $100,000.

“This is my first year in the job with the brigade and we are all ready to roll out the trucks on Friday,” Ms Thompson said.

“Our bigger units will be doing the main streets and our smaller support services will do the courts and smaller streets, where the trucks can’t easily fit or turn around.”

Ms Thompson urged locals to “dig deep” this Good Friday so that they could reach their $100,000 goal.

“With the SES and Search and Rescue working with us we think that the six-figure ceiling is within our reach,” she said.

All vehicles involved in collecting donations for the Good Friday Appeal will hit the streets from 9am.

Mr Stewart said the Echuca Workers Club would be the primary collection centre this year, with a team of Lions on hand to do the counting.

“If you miss any of our fire trucks or intersection tin rattlers, you can drop in there any time on Friday and make a donation.”