ELDERS INGLEWOOD BRANCH MANAGERS GOING

Above And Beyond For Their Local Community

Ben and Carissa Hammond, husband and wife duo, from the Elders Inglewood branch are well known locally for their incredible contribution to their community.

Year after year, Ben and Carissa go above and beyond with their time and fundraising efforts to support their local region prosper.

In recognition of their efforts, they were nominated by the Elders QLD/NT State Leadership team for the 2022 One Elders ‘Give It’ award, which recognises those who have gone above and beyond in acts of service to their local community.

When speaking with Ben and Carissa about their community minded values and involvement, Ben commented, “every time an organisation puts their hand out, we put something in it, whether it be support through the Elders branch or our own personal time.”

One initiative that they have been very involved with in the Inglewood region has been combatting rural crime. After a discussion with their local police force, Ben and Carissa realised a gap with the need for the community to engage h the local beat. In collaboration with the Police, they developed a new initiative to help the Force build a relationship with the rural community and to help combat rural crime. New CCTV cameras have been installed in the local area, through the financial generosity of Ben and Carissa.

The pair also held an information night for the local community and police force at the Elders Inglewood Branch, with over 85 people attending. The local sergeant commented that there had been significantly more community engagement with the police and more people coming forward reporting crime incidents after the event, which has subsequently allowed them to better combat rural crime.

This year, Ben and Carissa held their own charity golf day to raise much needed funds for LifeFlight, a service that their community relies upon. With financial support from Elders’ suppliers and other local business sponsors, they had over 30 players attend, raising over $2000 for the organisation. They have also supported other local charity golf days including the Partners in Prostate Awareness (PIPA) golf day with Carissa even donating a piece of artwork she made for the event.

In addition to financial support, they impart much of their own valuable time to the local community. Both Ben and Carissa are members of the Inglewood Show Committee and work tirelessly each year to make sure this is a successful event and attended well by the community. As a part of this they also continue to sponsor the commercial cattle event at the show. This has been essential for the wider event, allowing it to continue to run through tough climatic events such as droughts and floods. Ben and Carissa are also members of their school Parents & Citizens (P&C), which includes being a part of the Trail Bike Committee which saw 440 riders this year and Ben taking over as president for 2023.

During the December 2021 floods, Ben and Carissa worked tirelessly to move all of the Elders merchandise in the Inglewood branch to higher ground

Wanting to keep stock safe due to the impending need for supplies within the community, Ben said, “we certainly did not want to risk putting the community out without this product support during a time of need”

“I think after it all came through, we only lost one single a bag of dog food, which was a good outcome.”

Ben and Carissa also hold local client information evenings at the branch, with one of their events attended by 60 local producers.

“We love engaging with our community especially through these sorts of events,” Ben said.

“We understand the important role that we can play in getting this community together for some networking and education to better our region’s mental health and productivity.”

It’s people like Ben and Carissa, who tirelessly give so much and provide immense value to their local communities, that make our regions special places to be. Congratulations on your nomination, Ben and Carissa – your community is lucky to have you.

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