Local volunteers and emergency services personnel are uniting in their fundraising efforts for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

After missing out on tin rattling last year, volunteers such as John Vandeven, Captain of Albury Civic Station for Fire and Rescue NSW are looking forward to hitting the streets with their fire trucks and connecting with their local communities.

“To see the people who have saved all year – numerous children that have got their piggy banks and loose change that they save all year, lots of people love to see us and it was so disheartening last year when we couldn’t do it due to COVID,” John said.

Dave Rossiter, Second Lieutenant with Wodonga West CFA is also looking forward to re-connecting with locals for the Good Friday Appeal.

“We’ll have our CFA people walking around and the SES and Scouts are also back, so we’re looking forward to hitting the streets again,” Dave told Kylie and Kev.

Wodonga will have renewed enthusiasm to eagerly collect this year, after their counterparts across the river raised more money than them during the 2019 appeal.

“It is a bit of a rivalry we’ve had for quite a while and yes, Albury pipped us at the post at the last collection a few years ago, so we’re hoping to win back the honours,” Dave said.

“We’ve also got another way of collecting this year. The Good Friday Appeal have printed QR codes for the tins, and people who may not have money to donate, can use the QR code which takes them directly to the donation site and that will go to our Wodonga totals, so we might infiltrate Albury and get the Wodonga QR code around and see how we go,” he joked.

Jason Allisey from Wangaratta CFA says they’ve also been working hard over the past few months to prepare for their tin rattling.

“We’ll be out until we’ve done all the streets in Wangaratta,” Jason said.

“There’ll be half a dozen trucks going through the streets, and luckily enough we get neighbouring brigades – such as Killawarra and South Wangaratta coming in to help us out as well.

“I think it will be extra special this year. I think people over the past years have really dug deep and I think it was a bit of a downer last year with COVID, so the talk around town is that everyone is keyed up and ready to go.”