18 May, 2023
Doing it for Dolly
Woodford Livestock and Property had a distinctly blue-coloured look about it last Friday as the staff took part in Do It For Dolly Day.
The business’s owner Garry Brown and his staff said they wanted to support a worthy cause, with the day dedicated to promoting kindness and taking a stance against bullying.
The national initiative came about following the tragedy of Amy Jayne ‘Dolly’ Everett, who took her own life at the age of 14 in January 2018 after being subjected to repeated cyberbullying.
‘Dolly’ originated in the Northern Territory town of Katherine, before attending college in the Queensland town of Warwick.
To come on board the event, the staff at Woodford Livestock and Property hung blue balloons outside the store, while selling blue caps and also raising funds in a donation jar.
The business raised $933, with the staff saying they were thrilled with this amount after they had hoped to raise about $300.
Garry said statistics revealed that about one in four Australian school children were bullied while one in five were subjected to cyberbullying each year.
“We think Do It For Dolly Day is a very good cause because our youth are our future,” he said.
Garry said a huge concern was the consequences of people who hid behind a social media account – often using a fake name – to commit cyberbullying acts.
“They’re keyboard warriors,” he said.
Garry said the issue of bullying needed attention, as anyone could find themselves in a situation resembling that of ‘Dolly’, and be susceptible to ending their own life.
Garry and his staff said Woodford Livestock and Property was sure to take part in the Do It For Dolly Day fundraiser every year from now on.
