AS president of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Queensland my position demands travel to all areas of the state.
I have seen with my own two eyes the devastation that the drought is wreaking on our beautiful state.
Mary Halligan in her letter to the editor (“Queenslanders also need drought aid”, CL 11/2/07) is absolutely correct in saying that drought devastates farming families, but also affects the whole community.
She is also completely right when she says that we need to assist those people that are struggling because of the drought.
I would personally like to assure readers that we are currently, have always and will continue to help anyone in need – including those people that are worst affected by the drought.
In Queensland we have not launched a specific appeal for drought relief. We have however directed funds to this specific area of need and provided both material and financial support.
The society operates from the grassroots level up.
Our members and volunteers provide our core services and are at the coalface dealing daily with people in desperate need.
A large number of them are farmers themselves and therefore understand entirely the difficulties faced by so many Queenslanders.
I invite everyone to donate to the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland to help ensure the ongoing assistance of Queenslanders in need.
JOHN CAMPBELL
State president
St Vincent de Paul Society
South Brisbane, Qld
