Despite enjoying breakout success last year, Rural Aid has made the decision to cancel Bathurst's Black Tie and Boots Ball event mere weeks before it was scheduled to be held.
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The event was scheduled to be held at Bathurst Goldfields on Saturday, June 1 but due to slow ticket sales, Rural Aid was left with the tough choice.
"We thought we would hold a similar event this year but ticket sales were not what we expected, keeping in mind that the cost of staging an event is high," Rural Aid head of corporate relations Richard Forbes said.
Mr Forbes attributed the reason behind slow ticket sales to the ongoing effects of the drought making life hard for residents throughout the Bathurst region.
"Many people are just not in a financial position to contribute so we decided to cancel," he said.
Last year's event was attended by around 700 people, and was successful in raising around $150,000.
The funds raised from the event were pivotal in securing the services of Rural Aid counsellor Zoe Cox to support drought-affected farmers in the Bathurst region.
Despite expressing disappointment towards the cancellation of the event, Mr Forbes said Rural Aid is continuing to make a positive difference in regional NSW.
"In the past six months, Rural Aid has donated around $20 million towards NSW farmers impacted by drought, particularly those around the central and far west of the state," he said.
"Along with financial assistance, we've delivered 40,000 large hay bales through our Buy a Bale campaign.
"The support we've received from everyday Australians over the past year has been unbelievable."
This year's event was scheduled to feature the MC talents of former Hey Hey It's Saturday star Wilbur Wilde and Jon Stevens [Noiseworks] on live music duties.
Last year featured Grant Denyer and Guy Sebastian as the celebrity guests.
"A decision on the future of regional Black Tie and Boots Ball events will be made later in the year," Mr Forbes said.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
