From Ashes to Smiles

Nobody could believe the horror of the 2009 fires as they swept through much of Victoria including large parts of the Yarra Valley. We were not exempt either, losing a few hectares. Although we eventually lost our whole 2009 vintage (because of smoke taint) we consider ourselves one of the very lucky ones.

In the aftermath we were very heartened by the outpouring of concern and support that reached us, not just from those close to us but from all over the globe. The messages that came through at that time were very supportive and many were wanting to help in some way, whether it was emotionally, financially or physically. You cannot imagine how those messages helped buoy many in our community.

At that time, I received a call from Ross Brown from Brown Brothers who had an idea. A bloody brilliant idea!  He approached Tesco (UK) to do a joint promotion with Brown Brothers and De Bortoli to raise money for the Bushfire Appeal. Tesco organised a special Bushfire support promotion, with each company contributing to the Bushfire Appeal.

Over $140,000.00 was raised and given to the Yarra Ranges Shire Council to put towards a special project. In this case it was to rebuild the playground facilities at Yarra Glen.

Fast forward two years and I am most delighted to say that the project has finally come to fruition with the Official opening held on Sunday 18^th December, just before Christmas. What a day it was! The park was packed with families, locals and visitors alike; picnic rugs everywhere and every piece of playground equipment was crawling with happy children.

I give my heartfelt thanks to Ross Brown and the rest of the Brown Brothers family and team. I give my thanks to Tesco Supermarkets in the UK for supporting this initiative and my thanks also go to all the other organisations who contributed to the playground.

It is worth it to see the smiles on the kids faces.

Cheers

Leanne De Bortoli

Follow me on Twitter@DeBortoliWines or visit us at www.debortoli.com.au