Stomp celebrates our wonderful community
Stomp celebrates our wonderful community
- Nick Hanlon & Carmen Myler
The Uki Stomp on 30th July was a fabulous community celebration, and we are delighted to announce after budget acquittal that we raised just over $18,000.
Big thanks are due to everyone who contributed to this fantastic result. While the event was primarily about connecting and celebrating our resilient community, funds were raised through donations, bar sales, stall fees and sponsorships. 34 local businesses helped to deliver the event, alongside a couple of dozen volunteers.
Funds raised are going towards not-for-profit RUKI initiatives focused on assisting the Greater Uki area to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies, disasters and crises. Projects underway include securing hardware and training in the use of communications systems for a UHF radio network, supporting the village’s off-grid capacity in an emergency, and building a cache of well-positioned community-owned assets for immediate response to flood or fire.
Huge thanks go to Harding’s Earthmoving as Platinum Sponsors, their support was invaluable. Thanks also to Gold Sponsors Bianchetti & Sons, Gary Arnold Water Supplies (who provided a free drinking water station), The Uki Supermarket, Vibrant Imaging Photography and The Vault. Our Bronze Sponsors were UKIRA, Uki CTC, Uki Historical Society, Bastion Lane Espresso, Art Post Uki, Uki Rural Fire Brigade, Happy Herb Company, Gymea Eco Retreat & Spa, Midginbil Eco Resort, The Print Spot and Mount Warning Hotel. We also had support from Husk Distillers, Stone and Wood, and Spangled Drongo brewery.
Big gratitude, too, to all the volunteer agencies and services who joined ‘Resilience Row’, including Uki RFS, SES, Safe Haven, Nimbin Recovery Support Services, the NNSWLHD Local Mental Health team, and Rous County Council weed officers. The event wouldn’t have been possible without being proudly funded by the NSW Government delivered in partnership with Tweed Shire Council.
Special thanks goes to Uki Public School for learning the bush dances (and the Nutbush!). Watching the kids dance together was a joy for all to see.
It was poignant that this was the first village celebration our precious local elder Ida Daly was unable to support. We came together as a community the day before to farewell her, and we celebrated her with joy in our hearts at the Stomp, just as she would have wished. We spoke on the day of Ida being a beacon of inclusivity, resilience, effort, kindness and community spirit. Here’s hoping we can all embody that, so her memory lives on.
A million thanks to all the volunteers and community for supporting this event. It was a beautiful day.
For more on RUKI, visit resilientuki.org