General News
17 March, 2026
Highland Society’s fundraiser gives thousands to Harcourt residents, local brigades
The Highland Society’s recent Dine and Donate fundraiser ended in a monumental amount, doubling what was expected to assist Harcourt residents and local fire brigades.
At the start of February this year, the Highland Society anticipated raising a total of around $4000, estimating that would come from $1 for every meal sold throughout the month going towards the cause.
Following the catastrophic bushfire that devastated Harcourt and surrounds, the Highland Society wanted to support the neighbouring community, with half of the funds given to fire affected residents, and the other half to local brigades who attended the blaze.
However, the campaign went beyond expectation, and raised a total of $10,129.40, split between the Harcourt Relief Progress Fund and CFA Goldfields Group, amounting to $5064.70 each.
Last Friday night, CFA Goldfields Group Officer Peter Higgins was moved by the efforts of the Highland Society and those who contributed.
“The main reason why this is so important is the Goldfields Group does not have a Field Command Vehicle (FCV). We are the only group in the state that doesn’t have one,” he said.
CFA FCVs are specialised 4WDs used to manage incidents, support strike team leaders and coordinate emergency responses. These vehicles are equipped with communication tools, computers, and workstations.
“That’s where the donation is going. A new FCV costs $160,000. So this will be very well earned,” Mr Higgins said.
“We thank the Highland Society, the crew but also the people that contributed to this.”
Over the month of February, a total of $3400 was received from raffles, $1739 from donations and $4990 from Dine and Donate, bringing the total to over $10,000, even leading to a record number of meals sold in February.
The Highland Society’s Malcolm Blandthorn said the first half of funds has already been donated to a dedicated fund for those impacted by the Harcourt fire, as the Highland Society wanted to distribute funds as soon as possible.
“We have already made a donation at the Harcourt Progress Relief Fund, which goes directly to them. We understand they need the money more now then any other time,” he said.
“They are using their funds for emergency relief for displaced families, short term and long term accommodation and support for uninsured or under insured people. That is what half that money is going toward.”
Funds will also be used for providing those impacted with clothing, bedding, food, and community recovery incentives.
The donation was part of over $390,000 already raised to support the impacted community.
“And just to make sure our fire brigades here have the essentials that they need, we heard a few stories of brigades not having what they need, we decided one half should go to the group of fire brigades, not any in particular, just the whole Goldfields group just so they can use it toward some of the infrastructure that they need,” Mr Blandthorn said.
The Highland Society are thankful of the community’s contributions.
“People on the fundraising night were actually making some donations of 100 to 200 dollars straight through the bar, just to go towards this worthy cause,” Mr Blandthorn said.
“It’s great to see that we come up with a bit of an idea like this and how quickly people rally around it and get on it. We are over the moon with the result.”