Finish and Rural Aid deliver water to drought stricken Warwick farmers

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters joined the Maher family who farm cattle on their rural property just outside of Warwick, for the delivery.

"The water we've delivered today and throughout the week is a welcome boost for these farming families as we head into summer, providing them with precious drinking water," Mr Warlters said.

"We're incredibly proud to support the Warwick community with water deliveries.

"We want farmers and their families to know that people still care and that we are here to support them.

"They are not alone on the long road to drought recovery."

Finish and Rural Aid delivered 150,000 litres of water to drought-affected communities as part of the Finish Water Waste initiative.

More than 50 farmers across Australia will receive a share of 1 million litres of water, thanks to the joint initiative.

Fourth-generation farmer Paul Maher and his wife were relieved at having his water tank filled.

"This delivery makes a huge difference," Mr Maher said.

"We might have seen some rain this year and had a good fall back in August, but the drought has put us so far behind that it's not been enough to provide us with water security ahead of summer and our dams are still very low.

"Water is still our most precious resource and we desperately need more of it.

"Today's delivery will go a long way in helping us to keep the farm going."

Launched in 2019, Finish Water Waste encourages Australians to be smarter with their water use and for every social media post tagging #FinishWaterWaste during the initiative, Finish will donate 40 litres of water, which is delivered by Rural Aid to drought-affected farmers.

Finish ambassador and previous Miss Warwick Showgirl contestant Tanya Hennessy, took on the #FinishWaterWaste initiative's new "40 Litre Challenge", encouraging more Aussies to be water conscious.

"While the idea of a long hot summer is exciting for most of us city folk, we can't forget the compounding impact the forthcoming months could have on rural communities and farmers already struggling with drought," Ms Hennessy said.

"It's heartbreaking that water is like liquid gold to our fellow rural Aussies, and we, in metropolitan areas with ready access to water, so often take it for granted."

Finish and Rural Aid have committed to delivering 10 million litres of water to drought-affected farmers in 2020 and the coming year.