REDLANDS Rugby League Club are calling on the community to donate water as they prepare to take a trip to a drought-stricken town in the Southern Downs.
Club president Todd Flahey said more than 150 players ranging in age from under-7s to the open team would travel to Stanthorpe in March for a water drive.
He said club member Troy Colley came up with the idea after visiting the town and seeing first-hand how locals were struggling with the crippling drought.
The town has been relying on trucked water to meet the daily demand since the main supply hit critical levels earlier this month.
"It was something that started off with possibly trialling a team in Stanthorpe, one of our under-12 teams," Flahey said.
"Troy did a trip out there to his home town and said it was pretty dire. He said to us 'mate, what can we do?'.
"We ended up talking on Facebook Messenger...and somehow it just snowballed into a massive event.
"We put an expression of interest out for a self funded trip out to Stanthorpe and 90 per cent of the teams filled up in three hours.
"It is literally our town helping out their town. We are hoping to have 300 of our members, supporters and parents out there because that would be huge for their small town."
Flahey said club members and the public had jumped behind the cause, with enough water for a pallet already donated.
"There is a stack of it in our clubhouse at the moment," he said.
"We have started a go fund me page to raise $1000 for another pallet of water and within a couple of days we have about $200 in there.
"We are looking to do whatever we can for the town. They need it because there is no water.
"It is actually dire out there. The issue with Stanthorpe is that they rely on a lot of tourists and people working out there during picket time but they don't have that.
"There is literally no one visiting the town because they don't want to use their water."
Flahey said the players would lend a helping hand to struggling farmers on Friday before taking to the field on the weekend.
"A lot of them are camping and staying at the pubs," he said.
"We want Redlanders involved in it, not just the footy club. There are so many country towns that need people to take an esky out there and do it with local produce and help them out."
The games will be played on Saturday, March 14, with the main event to be a clash between the Redlands open men's team and the Stanthorpe senior team.
"I have no doubt that some of the boys are going to really love playing against country players," Flahey said.
"The country tough is a different breed to us city folk. I am looking forward to the boys having a bit of a challenge out there.
"We will shake hands at the end of it and it will be a good challenge for our kids."
Water can be dropped off at the clubhouse between 8am and 3pm during the week or by calling president Todd Flahey to organise a time.
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