We recently had the privilege to be right in the heart of Sydney at Harbour Fest, celebrating and being part of ‘The Great Aussie BBQ’ event this year, held on Australia Day under the impressive silhouette of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Hickson Road Reserve.
'The Great Aussie BBQ’ is one of several events held at Sydney Harbour on Australia Day each year, and we were absolutely stoked to get involved in 2024. We know there’s nothing better (or more Australian!) than a cracking good barbie, and even better, all proceeds raised from ‘The Great Aussie BBQ’ go to the fantastic team at Rural Aid.
Partnering with Rural Aid was a no-brainer for us. Rural Aid is Australia’s most trusted rural charity, providing critical support to farmers when they need it most. Farmers need our help more than ever, and Rural Aid has been working hard to help farmers around the country get back on their feet.
We wanted to chip in and do our bit to support this incredible charity, by helping to raise funds and bring awareness to the tough times farmers in Australia are facing, and how people in the city (and everywhere in between) can help by choosing where their meat comes from.
Supporting the work Rural Aid is doing perfectly aligns with our mission to help redefine the future of food farming in Australia, by creating a more stable and profitable market for farmers to sell directly to consumers, and make a positive impact on the world while we do it.
So we thought, what better way to raise awareness and support for farmers than by bringing the country to the city?!
The “Car-Beque”, our pride and joy, made its debut at ‘The Great Aussie BBQ’. A converted FJ45 Landcruiser, kitted out as a roving BBQ, couldn't have asked for a better launch. Thanks to our incredible sponsors who made this custom BBQ build possible, we cooked over 2,000 sausages on the day over hot charcoal on our beloved “T-BONE”!
We also donated over 200kg of premium beef sausages to the event, and were thrilled to be joined by four other groups who all volunteered their time and their own unique ‘spin’ on the classic Aussie sandwich, with every dollar spent going straight to Rural Aid. It’s not often we get to serve our classic grass-fed beef sausage right next to vegan, thai and greek sausages! With every sausage snapped up, and over 300,000 people having passed through Harbour Fest throughout the day, we know they were a big hit.
But we didn’t attend this event alone. It was incredible to include five of our long-term farmers and their families, who have been supplying us with their top-notch grass-fed beef and lamb for years, in the event and help share the message of support for our farming community.
Steve & Michelle from Eungella Shorthorns, Scott & Hannah from Doonkami Aussie Whites, Will & Lauren from Pepperbox Pastoral, and Sam & Emma from Sander Pastoral all attended with us and enjoyed some time in the ‘big smoke’ with their families, while bringing awareness to the tough times farmers are currently facing.
But, if you ask anyone who was there, the show-stealer was our long-term lamb farmer Peter Brown and his sheep dogs. Every time Peter started a sheep mustering demo with his working sheep dogs, the whole crowd stopped and gathered around to watch. Seeing Peter crack his whip while the sheepdogs raced around mustering up the sheep, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background, is a memory we’ll cherish for a long time.
With the help of Steve & Michelle from Eungella Shorthorns, we were able to bring even more of the country to the city and give locals a slice of farm life, with 21 of their prized cattle making it all the way from Dorrigo in northern NSW to Sydney’s CBD. It was an amazing feat in logistics but Steve and Michelle managed it expertly, ensuring their cattle were transported and kept safe in a farm on the outskirts of Sydney, and taken home again before the fireworks show started later in the evening. They were safe and sound back on familiar land the following day.
But, it turns out bringing a herd of cattle, sheep and working farm dogs into the middle of Sydney causes a bit of a stir. The media caught on quickly and by the end of the day we found ourselves on the front page of The Land , chatting live on the Today Show with Karl Stefanovic, and getting mentions on news.com and 9NOW. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but all for a great cause, bringing much needed recognition and awareness to Rural Aid and supporting our farming community.
After all of the excitement of ‘The Great Aussie BBQ’, we rallied that night and welcomed 50 of our VIP Exclusive Eaters Club members to a special event to celebrate our farmers and the food they produce for us. It was incredibly humbling to meet so many people who have supported us from the beginning, make a lot of new friends, and see people who had travelled from as far as Queensland and the Central Coast to attend our Exclusive Eaters Club event.
A special shout-out to our incredible customer and Exclusive Eaters Club member Larry, who has been a huge supporter of Our Cow for many years, and travelled for 3 hours on the train (one way!) with his daughter to support us. Thank you Larry.
The success of our “Car-Beque” throughout the event was a huge boost for us, and we’ve now got a full year planned where our BBQ-on-wheels will be hitting events including the Ekka, The Sydney Royal Show, and some ag-based gatherings like Farm Fest. We can’t wait to spread the work, support Rural Aid in the process, and continue bridging the gap between the city and the country. It's going to be a big year, and we're just getting started.
With thousands of dollars raised for Rural Aid, we absolutely loved being part of ‘The Great Aussie BBQ’ and are so appreciative to all the incredible people who helped us get there. But it’s about more than just barbecues and fundraising; it's about standing with our farmers, and letting them know they're not alone.
That's what Our Cow is all about—connecting Aussies with where their food comes from, and supporting those who make it possible. And if we can do that, and support Rural Aid while we do it, then we know we're on the right track!
A huge thanks to everyone who made ‘The Great Aussie BBQ’ possible and for all of the support we’ve received since.
For more on what Rural Aid does and how you can help, you can check out their website here: www.ruralaid.org.au.
Thank you to our generous sponsors who made our “Car-Beque” custom BBQ vehicle project possible, in time for its debut at ‘The Great Aussie BBQ’:
