Mingenew community donates $50,000 to victims of Cyclone Seroja

The victims of Cyclone Seroja will benefit from a generous $50,000 donation thanks to WA’s farming community and the team behind the McIntosh and Son Mingenew Midwest Expo.

Like other events of its kind, the volunteer-run Expo is a vital annual fundraiser for local community organisations and projects.

But rather than divide the sum between individuals and groups this year, organisers today announced it would be donated to the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund.

Mingenew Midwest Expo chair Andrew Cosgrove said this would ensure the donation would have the greatest impact across the Mid West.

“The people in the Mid West have supported Expo for a long time and make up most of the visitors and exhibitors that come to the event, so we wanted to be able to give back to the region in some way,” he said.

“The Mingenew community is very hard working and very generous, and I think this donation is an example of what’s possible.”

This year’s Expo was held in early August after last year’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

About 2300 visitors passed through the gates on the first day, with the total figure exceeding 4000 by the end of the two-day event.

Mr Cosgrove said organisers had been buoyed by the positive feedback from visitors and exhibitors.

“There are always things we can improve and change from year to year,” he said.

“We already have some exciting changes to introduce for the event in 2022 and we feel like there are some things that an event like Expo can offer that other larger events can’t.

“Lots of our exhibitors enjoy the personal connections that they make at Expo and that’s what sets us apart.”

He said planning was already well under way for the 2022 event, which will be held on August 10 and 11.

Cyclone Seroja hammered WA’s Mid West in early April after wreaking havoc in parts of southern Indonesia and East Timor, where it caused major flooding and landslides and killed 272 people.

Wind gusts up to 170km/h caused widespread damage at farms and towns across the Mid West including Geraldton, Northampton and Kalbarri.

Carnarvon’s historic One Mile Jetty was one of the first casualties — ripped apart when the cyclone struck around lunchtime on Sunday, April 11.