welcome to farmerthon26
It is great to have you dropping in to visit our farmerthon26 web site. On this page, you'll find plenty of information about the event, the organisations we are supporting and how you can get involved. You can scroll through this page or click on one of these links to take you straight to that section:
- What is farmerthon26?
- Who is farmerthon26 supporting?
- Where is our farmerthon26 venue?
- What is mylocal.radio?
- How do I take part in farmerthon26?
- How do I donate to farmerthon26?
- An Artie Fishall Christmas
- Make your farmerthon26 request!
A couple of other things to note before you scroll past.
Firstly, if you want to listen into the event, you'll need to either download a free app to your phone or visit the mylocal.radio web site. All the details are listed below in the How do I take part in farmerthon26 section.
Secondly, and most importantly, we are doing this to promote the wonderful work done by two amazing organisations - Aussie Hay Runners and BlazeAid. We want to use the event to raise some well-deserved funds to help them keep doing what they so well. At the end of each section, there are two DONATE TO button which we would encourage you to click on. Clicking on one of the buttons will take you through to Aussie Hay Runners' or BlazeAid's secure payment screen where you can donate directly to either or both organisations.
Please do what you can to support these great volunteer-operated groups so that they can continue to support farmers when they need it most.
what is farmerthon26?
farmerthon26 is an event that celebrates the amazing work done by Aussie Hay Runners and BlazeAid and sets out to raise vitally-important funds for both organisations.
The event will run from 3:00pm until 11:00pm on Saturday 24 October 2026, as a radio program presented LIVE from the Cricket Club Hotel in Charlton. Throughout the eight hours, we'll play some great music and, where we can, we'll chat to a few representatives of the two organisations.
See below to see how you can participate - at the pub or via the radio, anywhere in Australia!
who is farmerthon26 supporting?
At mylocal.radio, we are unabashed fans of two wonderful organisations, each of whom provide care, support and practical help at times when farmers need it most - during and after natural disasters like fires, floods or drought.
At those times, it is not just livelihood that is severely impacted - so are relationships, mental health, local economies and so much more.
aussie hay runners
Aussie Hay Runners is a volunteer-run charity that delivers emergency stockfeed to farming families affected by drought, bushfires and floods. Founded in regional Victoria in 2019, the organisation coordinates donated hay and truck convoys to reach farmers across several states. Beyond the hay itself, the runners bring practical support, community spirit and hope to rural families rebuilding after disaster.
blazeaid
BlazeAid is a volunteer-based Australian charity that helps rural families recover after natural disasters. Founded after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, its volunteers clear debris and rebuild damaged farm fences so landholders can safely contain livestock and get back on their feet. They operate through community basecamps, bringing practical help and mateship directly to disaster-affected regions.
where is our farmerthon26 venue?
The Cricket Club Hotel is located in High Street, Charlton in north western Victoria. Owned and managed by local couple Greg and Leanne, the CCH plays a key role in the township, serving as a focus for all sorts of social activity.
Charlton (population 1100) is located on the Calder Highway, around 250km from Melbourne and almost exactly halfway between Melbourne and Mildura. The town's economy is based on agriculture and services. Grain (wheat, canola, oats and barley) has always been a staple of the agricultural activity in the area. Sheep and cattle farming are also prolific with the largest beef feedlot in the state, situated in Yeungroon just south of the town.
The CCH is great place to come along with family and friends for a cold beer and a mouth watering meal. Whether you are a local or travelling along the Calder, drop in and say hi!
what is mylocal.radio?
mylocal.radio is an online radio station, established to be the soundtrack of pubs, clubs and other hospitality venues but, literally anyone can listen, anywhere in Australia. As long as you have wi-fi or 4G access to your mobile device, you can download the app and listen for FREE, forever.
We might be biased but we think that the music is the very best music of the past 75 years. It really is radio as it should be.
24 hours per day, 365 (sometimes 366!) days per year. Great music whenever you tune in.
For more information about mylocal.radio, visit their web site at www.mylocal.radio
how do I take part in farmerthon26?
There are a few ways you can participate! We don't mind how you participate - as long as you do!!
* drop in to the Cricket Club Hotel in Charlton
If you are anywhere near Charlton (250kms NW of Melbourne on the Calder Highway), drop into the Cricket Club Hotel in High Street. The radio program will kick off at 3:00pm but the pub will be open from 11:00am.
Drop in at any time of the day - have a feed, have a drink, listen to some great music, make a request. Be a part of the event!
* send through a request and/or a cheerio
We have eight hours of radio to present - your selections and cheerios will make our job easier AND who doesn't love hearing their name on the radio. At the bottom of this page, you'll find a form where you can send through your request or cheerio.
You'll be able to send through a request during the day but you stand a much better chance of being included if you get in early.
* make a bid on one of our auctions
We'll be offering up some valuable auction items throughout the day. All auctions will be conducted via SMS - you'll be able to send through your bids and if yours is the highest bid, the prize will be yours!
More information can be found on our Auctions page.
* listen through the day!
We promise that we will be playing eight hours the very best music of the past 75 years. You'll hear plenty of songs you know, the sort of music you want to sing along to. There'll be the occasional guest, the auctions, the requests, the cheerios - what a day we will have!
To listen, just download the FREE app or visit the mylocal.radio web site.
how can I donate to farmerthon26?
At the bottom of each section of this web page, there are two buttons - one that takes you through to Aussie Hay Runners' secure payment platform, the other that takes you through to BlazeAid's secure payment page. You'll be able to process your donation(s) on their platforms, which means you can be absolutely certain that every dollar goes to the chosen organisation(s).
Another way to donate to the organisations is to be the successful bidder on one or more of our Auctions. Every dollar raised through the sale of these auction items will be split 50/50 between the two organisations.
And then there is Artie Fishall & The Intelligence - scroll to the next section to see how to purchase a copy of the VERY limited copy of An Artie Fishall Christmas - a CD and digital download of their Christmas album.
an artie fishall christmas!
Looking for a unique and fun way to support Aussie Hay Runners and BlazeAid?
Artie Fishall & The Intelligence is a fictional band that produces music using Artificial Intelligence (even their name tells you that!). They have their own channel on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
Because we are all fans of real music, we don't want to see an AI tool making money so the commitment from Artie and his bandmates is that any money they make will go to charity.
In this instance, every sale of the limited edition album will generate $10 for each of Aussie Hay Runners and BlazeAid. Maybe that's another way you can support these amazing organisations.
make your farmerthon26 request!
This event will only be as good as the level of participation!
Feel free to send through a request - try and make it reasonably mainstream so that most people can sing along while they are listening. If we can find your song - legally - we will play it during the program. The requests will be done on a first come, first serve basis so, get in early.
Please limit your requests to one song each so that everyone gets a turn.
AND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE A REQUEST ... but do want to send out a shout-out, that's fine too. You'll see that you can leave the song request field blank.