Be part of harvesting History
In these days of doom and gloom, which seem to get worse almost every day, it is good to have something to look forward to — a goal to work towards. With one such goal in mind, we headed off to Bellewstown Racecourse last week on a beautiful, sunny evening. But it was not the races that held our interest, but rather the launch of the Combines 4 Charity event. Combines 4 Charity is, essentially, a world-record attempt in aid of four charities — Barnardos, The National Rehabilitation Hospital, Gary Kelly Cancer Support and Self Help (Africa). It is to be held on Saturday, August 15 in a 140ac field of wheat at Platin, Duleek, adjacent to the Irish Cement Works. Here, hopefully, a target number of 100 combines owned by farmers and machinery dealers will gather, and mine will be one of those combines. The goal is to establish a new Guinness world record by having the greatest number of combine harvesters working simultaneously in one field, while at the same time trying to raise more than €200,000 to be divided equally among the aforementioned charities. I think the current world record stands at 57 combines working together. The event will, of course, be monitored by officials from the Guinness Book of Records. It is a mammoth task. The original idea was the brainchild of a young man from Kildalkey called Philip Brady, whose dad, Tony, and several cereal growers got together with other interested parties in the northeast to bring this ambitious project to fruition. The bulk of the work is being done by a small group of very committed people and my brother, John, is chairman of the group. Equally, those participating with their combines are totally committed to the project and are prepared to go to great lengths to ensure attendance on the day. As I understand it, there are combine harvesters coming from the four corners of Ireland. As well as giving their time, it is hoped that each combine owner participating in the event will raise up to €1,000 for the charities. And, of course, we are putting out the call here for more combine harvesters. Numbers are still just a few short, so if there is anyone reading this who would like to volunteer you will be very welcome indeed. Just log on to the website (www.com bines4charity.com) for information, entry forms and contacts. You will also be able to view entries and sponsorship already committed. Please come with your combine to this historic event and bring sponsorship. We need volunteers, since it is impossible to approach all owners of combine harvesters. Now, at the launch of this great event I got a glimpse of just how much work its organisation entails. It is a huge voluntary effort and I feel privileged to be associated with it. It certainly will be a spectacle I will never see again in my lifetime. As well as the fun and pleasure of participation, it will be a great family outing for all who attend on the day. We need spectators to come to the event because this is what makes it really special. An event is not only about the organisers, it is about everyone else — participants, spectators and sponsors — if the aim of a world record and ambitious fundraising is to be achieved. I know times are difficult, but there are always those who are more in need and who will benefit greatly from all the money raised as a result of our efforts. And, of course, there will also be several sideshows of interest for everyone at the event. I am delighted also to report that I have sponsorship in the form of a lorry to transport my combine up to Drogheda and back home again. I would have driven it there if I had to, but it would have been slow and time consuming. Instead, my friend and machinery agent, Peter, from Meath Farm Machinery, has kindly offered me the use of his lorry and I am extremely grateful to him. Peter is also a member of the hard-working committee and is offering his time and facilities. There were a few combines on exhibition at the launch of Combines 4 Charity, and one in particular — a huge John Deere rotary combine — attracted a lot of attention. It had just recently been sold, but unfortunately not to me. I could only look longingly and dream. At the launch, too, we met up with an old friend and ex-editor of the Farming Independent, MEP Mairead McGuinness. Mairead was in great form, lending her full support to the venture and she assured us that she was working hard for us all in Europe. Combines 4 Charity is a project that demands commitment and it has captured the imagination and support of not only farmers, but people and businesses from across the sector. It will be a historic event, which will create really good PR for Ireland. However, its success will depend on good weather, so let's all start praying for several fine days both on and prior to Saturday, August 15. See you all there. By Oliver Mcdonnell
