Harold the talking giraffe will be even healthier after a fund-raiser last week raised more than $2500 for Life Education in the region.
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Armidale Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulance Service, State Emergency Service, and Rural Fire Service, with the University of New England and Meat and Livestock Australia, held the charity event at the Armidale Town Hall on Monday, March 18.
"Life Education NSW is a very worthy cause that supports the children of our community to make positive choices for their future wellbeing," Inspector Roger Best said.
Since 1979, the organisation has taught children about nutrition, physical activity, personal and cyber-safety, safe and respectful relationships, and drug and alcohol prevention. It will teach about 1400 students from 11 schools in the Armidale area this year.
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The emergency services raised $1000 by 'taste testing' Australian beef and lamb for UNE/MLA research. Local businesses donated prizes to a raffle, which raised $1500. All proceeds went to Life Education NSW.
Life Education Armidale educator Ruth van der Wegen said she was very happy with the money raised.
"It'll go towards getting more kids to get in the van and go to the sessions, and make sure they don't miss out," she said.
The money might pay for poorer children to attend Life Education classes; students bring $10, which covers a third of the cost (Life Education fundraising meeting the rest), but sometimes children lack that money.
Struggling schools could also be offered a reduced one-off cost.
Life Education turns 40 this year; to mark the occasion, they are replacing their old anatomical mannequins with new electronic versions.
"It's exciting times for Life Education," Ms van der Wegen said; "it's all up and going, and every bit helps."
Sixty people attended the event: 10 members from each of the five emergency services, and 10 local dignitaries and sponsors, including mayor Simon Murray, council CEO Susan Law, and Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall.
The Life Education NSW manager came up from Sydney for the night, while a local girl got into the Harold suit to accept the donation.
Inspector Best believed the event provided emergency services with the opportunity to strengthen organisational and individual relationships in a mixed and social environment, whilst raising money for a good cause.
"It was an amazing night,"he said; "it was fantastic to catch up with all the other emergency services personnel. There were people there who you'd seen at scenes of incidents, but never really got a chance to sit down and have a chat and get to know. It was lovely to do that."
He joked that there was nearly a riot when the first six raffle prizes went to police officers; the firies thought it might be a set-up, until they started to win. "We were going: Not another police officer, please!" Inspector Best said.
The event was such a success that the services plan to make it a quarterly event; the ambulance will organise the next one.
Inspector Best and Ms van der Wegen thanked Armidale Regional Council, the UNE, and the MLA for their support, and local businesses for donating prizes, including Petersons Armidale Winery and Guesthouse, Botanica, Belgrave Twin Cinema, Tattersalls Hotel, Armidale Golf Professional Andrew Walkley, The Welders Dog, The Goldfish Bowl, Coles, Woolworths, Bunnings, Kmart, and Big W.
"This demonstrates the strength of our community and the importance it places on the wellbeing and education of its children," Inspector Best said.