Australian Red Cross welcomes “Dasher-8” to deliver cheer to those in need this Christmas

QantasLink’s ‘Dasher’ 8 Q400 has touched down in the Western Downs region in QLD, loaded with Christmas gifts in a bid to brighten the spirits of bushfire impacted children this Christmas.

The haul of presents, donated by Qantas staff, as well as Trauma Teddies hand-knitted by Australian Red Cross volunteers, will be delivered to children in the community of Tara, where bushfires destroyed 56 homes and took the lives of two people in October.

Australian Red Cross Chief Funding Officer, Jason Laufer, said volunteers have delivered over 300 hours of support to date and are looking forward to putting their Santa hats on to spread some festive cheer.

“As we continue to assess community needs and create long-term recovery plans, it’s incredibly important that traditional community festivities like Christmas continue to be celebrated. With this in mind we hope that these gifts donated by Qantas will help bring an element of joy to local families who have been doing it tough,” Mr Laufer said.

QantasLink Chief Operating Officer, Nick Collie said Qantas was proud to support Australian Red Cross to help make a difference to those in need over the festive season.

“Our team was keen to throw its support behind Australian Red Cross this festive period by donating hundreds of gifts. Qantas matched staff donations which we hope will bring some smiles to families who have been through difficult times in recent months,” Mr Collie said.

Australian Red Cross teams continue to be on the ground supporting disaster impacted communities right across Australia, including those currently impacted by flooding following Tropical Cyclone Jasper in Far North Queensland.

To help support Australian Red Cross to be there for those who need it, please
visit redcross.org.au/festive

Note to media

Images from Miles Airport available for download here.

For social media use please credit @jamesmorganphoto/Getty Images and otherwise, Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images.