A truck driver has offered to deliver hand-knitted jumpers to drought-stricken lambs in the hopes to keep them warm during winter.
Ron Duncan from Wollongong, 90km south of Sydney, has volunteered to help those in the region who can’t afford to send jumpers out to farmers.
Knitters in the Illawarra are being asked to support an initiative called ‘Lamb Jumpers ‘Helping Our Farmers”, which collects kand-knitted jumpers to keep orphaned lambs warm during winter.
A truck driver has offered to deliver hand-knitted jumpers to drought-stricken lambs in the hopes to keep them warm during winter
Temperatures around the state have been getting to record lows over the past few weeks, which adds stress to farmers and their livestock.
Young lambs and calves struggle to regulate their own body temperature, like human children, and the jumpers are able to provide warmth and comfort to orphaned or abandoned lambs.
Ron’s wife, Julie, spoke to the Illawarra Mercury and said that she planned to collect jumpers from the region for her husband to deliver.
Young lambs and calves struggle to regulate their own body temperature, like human children, and the jumpers are able to provide warmth
‘A lot of older folks, they like to do crafty things … but they don’t have a lot of money to spend on posting them,’ she said.
She said that her husband sub-contracts for a company that stops in Coonabarabran for a shift changeover, and is able to deliver the jumpers to the area’s farmers.
The social media campaign was initiated by Coonabarabran woman Maria Knight on July 19.
Since beginning the campaign, Ms Knight told Fairfax that up to 400 jumpers have already been distributed.
Since beginning the campaign, Ms Knight told Fairfax that up to 400 jumpers have already been distributed
‘I had a call from a farmer the other day who was so overwhelmed that people cared enough to make something by hand for his lambs,’ she said.
‘Not only are you saving an animal’s life, you are also putting a smile on the face of a farmer and they could really use that right now.’
For those who aren’t as handy with knitting needles, organisers of the campaign are also in need of prepaid postage satchels to help distribute the jumpers.