A BLUE bucket on a telehandler and a purple header comb trailer have raised $2500 each for the Blue Tree Project and the Starlight Children's Foundation this month, courtesy of Boekeman Machinery, Wongan Hills.
Dillan Elliott, Boekeman Machinery Wongan Hills branch manager, came up with the idea of painting the telehandler bucket and the comb trailer in the distinctive colours used by the not-for-profit organisations to promote mental health awareness and sick or injured children's happiness in hospital.
Mr Elliott said he raised the idea of the branch doing something to "give back to the community" at a sales meeting last year and it was decided to make a total donation of $5000, contributed from the sale of two pieces of machinery.
"Like every farming community, Wongan Hills has been affected by the loss of people who have suffered mental health issues," Mr Elliott said.
"There are members of the community who are affected by mental health issues today and the Blue Tree Project raises awareness of that.
"Choosing the Starlight Foundation was also easy, because I've got three young children and we've probably got 15 kids among the staff at this dealership alone, let alone the rest of the town.
"In country towns we all know that if our kids get really sick or are badly hurt in an accident, they'll end up in Perth and possibly without anyone they know with them.
"We're not a corporate dealer like some of our competitors now, so we wanted to do a bit more than just give the money.
"Sometimes these worthy causes sort of become like background noise and they need something different to cut through and grab people's attention.
"So we thought we might be able to do that with a blue bucket and a purple comb trailer.
"People might ask the grower who bought the telehandler what the blue bucket is all about and comb trailers are often parked near the road during harvest, so a purple one with the gold Starlight Foundation logo and stars on it is likely to grab attention."
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Mr Elliott said a larger than usual 1.8 cubic metre Himac bucket was painted blue and had Blue Tree Project logos stuck on the ends before being fitted to a JCB Agripro Series 3 542-70 Telehandler which had been bought by a local farmer.
Kendall Whyte is the chief executive officer and founder of the Blue Tree Project, which started near Mukinbudin in 2019 as a legacy for her brother Jayden and now has 820 blue trees recorded around Australia.
Ms Whyte visited and thanked Boekeman Machinery in person.
"Every year the Blue Tree Project holds a gala country ball and we've put the $2500 straight towards that ball," Mr Elliott said.
He said Wongan Engineering, which builds comb trailers for Boekeman Machinery, had painted one in the Starlight colours and added logos.
The trailer will be sold with a new Case IH 4000 Series 13.7 metre draper front it was designed to carry.
Cath Petsos, Starlight Children's Foundation State partnerships manager for Western Australia and Northern Territory, said the Boekeman Machinery Wongan Hills donation was "amazing".
"It will support nearly 100 kids, giving them access to our special play centre at Perth Children's Hospital, called the Starlight Express Room where kids can be kids and they get to play with Captain Starlight and they can choose what they want to do with games, face painting and puzzles," Ms Petsos said.
"We aim to entertain (children in hospital) because happiness matters and it really matters when you are sick or injured in hospital and you are trying to get better."
