Working to help save rural lives
“Sadly, you now have the ever-increasing suicide rate out there, where farmers are shooting their starving cattle and then shooting themselves. It’s horrendous!”
– Warren Ebert, Salvation Army supporter
In 2014, long-term Salvation Army supporter Warren Ebert met Outback Flying Service chaplain Mark Bulow and heard of the desperate plight of many farmers throughout rural Australia.
As the Managing Director and CEO of leading property investment firm Sentinel Property Group, Warren felt compelled to do something. So he set his mind to raising funds for rural chaplaincy.
He gathered some friends for a lunch and raised more than $75,000 (on top of his personal Red Shield donations), then looked for what to do next. Paul White and his Ray White rural chain have joined him, and they are looking for further corporate sponsorship.
“You can be the best farmer in the world,” Warren says. “You can be well-funded, with the best-business practices, but you have so many factors that are completely out of your control such as currency fluctuations, political pressure or decisions and drought. Sadly, you now have the ever-increasing suicide rate out there, where farmers are shooting their starving cattle and then shooting themselves. It’s horrendous!”
Warren says the reality of the situation hit home when one of his investors told a story of the time a farmer, about to end his life, saw a Salvation Army car coming down the driveway. He thought they wanted a donation.
“When the Salvos came in they apparently said ‘no, no, were not here for that, we just wanted to let you know we’ve paid your phone and electricity bill and it’s all back on’. He’s now got a couple of grown kids, grandkids, but if the Salvos didn’t come that day, it would’ve all been over.”
Warren says he chooses the Salvos as his charity because of their low overheads, non-judgemental attitude and experiences he had during the Red Shield Appeal. “One day when I was out collecting, there was an old fellow who came to the door. It was a basic pensioner’s flat. You could see he didn’t have any money, but he gave me a cheque for a hundred dollars. He said ‘when I was in the war, the Salvos were always there to help us out’.”
Passionate about supporting rural chaplaincy, Warren says: “My belief is, if we can raise some funds, then the chaplains get on and do the job they’re trying to do and help the people out there who most need it.”
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