Gathering to the Fray in Bondi

STEVE Ernst from Scone is helping Aaron Jeffery get back in the saddle after his role in McLeod’s Daughter in preparation for Saturday when cattle will be herded across Bondi Beach.

The Herd of Hope with 40 cattle from Alice Springs aims to raise awareness for organ donation in regional Australia.

Aaron Jeffery from McLeod’s Daughters was back in the saddle for the Herd of Hope with local organ recipient Steve Ernst.

“Horses, cattle and stockman are coming in, I guess you could say we are all gathering to the fray,” laughed Steve Ernst.

“The cattle will be trucked in on Saturday morning to Bondi and we’ll walk them down the panels set up in the beach and then into an arena on the beach, there’ll be six of us on horses and then we’ll do some demonstrations with horses and the Crack Up Sisters will perform,” he said.

“We actually have to pay agistment for the cattle while they are on the beach,” he said.

“I said we should do it on weight gain, weight them as they walk onto the beach and weight them again as they walk off and pay them for the weight they’ve put on while they were there,” he laughed.

“But there has been a lot of support, the Bondi Buddies are a group of people that have registered to help out because we have to leave the beach spotless and we have fifteen minutes from the time the cattle leave to having no evidence of them being there and pulling down 200 panels,” he said.

“I’m coming up ten years next month since I’ve had my transplant and it’s good to be amongst people that have had transplants and we are people that are busy getting on with our lives and that’s what we want to show people is that the need for transplant doesn’t discriminate and it’s important to take that second chance and get on with life, these people certainly don’t lie around feeling sorry for themselves,” Steve Ernst said.

The cattle will be at Bondi Beach from 7:30am until 11:30am this Saturday.

Related stories:

• Back from Bondi Beach – March 20, 2018.
• Droving for Donors – May 22, 2017.

For more information:

• Visit the Facebook page: Herd of Hope.
• Visit the government website: DonateLife.
• IMPORTANT: If you would like your organs donated, you need to ensure your next of kin know you wishes, as they will have to make the final decision.