By Gabriella Payne
The Victorian Livestock Exchange in Pakenham was bustling with activity on Thursday 25 November, as people from far and wide came together for a very special event.
The sounds of mooing cattle and commanding auctioneers were joined by rattling tins last week, as the local community joined forces to fundraise for Willowmavin teen Harvey McKeever and his family – and the day was undeniably a huge triumph.
After all the challenges the McKeever family have faced over the past year, the family of four were moved to tears by the show of love and support that was on display for them at the cattleyards on Thursday as everyone rallied to lend them a helping hand in their time of need.
Earlier this year, soon-to-be 16 year old Harvey McKeever, a “genuine country kid with a heart of gold“, was involved in a serious motorbike accident on his family farm – an incident that changed his life forever.
The tragic accident broke Harvey’s neck, leaving him paralysed and with a long road to recovery ahead – but he hasn’t let that get him down.
The resilient teen and his family have been working hard to bounce back from the accident and remain hopeful about his prospects of rehabilitation, but with all the obstacles and costs they’ve faced, it’s been a tough time to say the least.
When the team at Alex Scott and Staff in Pakenham heard about the McKeever family’s ordeal, they knew they had to do something to help – and that they did.
Having put the word out in the local community, the team were able to rally a number of generous sponsors together who donated items for a raffle and eight cattle for auction – with all proceeds going towards the McKeever family and Harvey’s recovery.
Overall, the huge fundraising effort managed to collect $26,085 from the cattle sale for Harvey, and another $8,500 in the silent auction and raffle tickets as well – resulting in almost $35,000 all up, all of which will go directly to the family.
Harvey and his family came along on the day and the teen said that when he saw everyone there for him, he felt “speechless“ and blown away.
His parents, Brad and Renae, said that it had been a long drive to Pakenham from their farm but when they stepped in the doors of the VLE and saw everyone waiting for them, they were “overwhelmed“ with emotion.
They said that this money would go a long way towards helping Harvey through his many treatments and they were incredibly grateful for the community’s support.
Lisa Newnham, a team member for Alex Scott and Staff and one of the organisers of the event, said that it had been incredible to see everyone come out in droves to support Harvey and his family, and she hoped their fundraising efforts would help them moving forward.
“They have a lot on their plates at the moment, so if we can just ease the burden a bit, then hopefully that can help them out,“ Ms Newnham said.
“They never asked for help, this is just something we decided we wanted to do.
“It’s a really good cause and a family that needs a bit of help – so we’re getting it done,“ she said.
