Title :REIWA raises $10,000 for Toodyay bushfire appeal Created : 2010-02-03 16:40:39.0 Author Name :Communications The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia has rallied to support the bushfires appeal with the institute donating $5,000 towards the Toodyay Men's Shed organisation. REIWA President Alan Bourke said the institute was keen to help and wanted to do something practical. "We were hearing from our members in the Avon valley that there was a specific and urgent need for tools and equipment, and so we have targeted our donation directly to that cause," Mr Bourke said. Mr Bourke said that Bob Adair and his committee from Men's Shed Toodyay were co-ordinating the collection, storage and distribution of tools and equipment for those effected by the fires. Men's Shed is a national program which offers social support to men living in rural and regional Australia, however the tool library will be made available to all deserving local families. "Men's Shed is collecting a range of suitable equipment which they can loan to those who most need it, and which will ultimately remain the property of Men's Shed as part of a tool library for ongoing local use," Mr Bourke said. Men's Shed have indicated that items which people cannot easily afford or might need only once will be a priority for the library. This might include such things as scaffolding, 15 foot ladders, welders, chain saws, large drills and so forth. "Real estate agents from the Avon valley have also shifted their regular breakfast meeting this quarter from Northam to Toodyay, to be in town on Thursday February 4th as a show of solidarity for locals," Mr Bourke said Mr Bourke said that along with REIWA's CEO Anne Arnold, he was looking forward to catching up with Avon valley agents at the breakfast meeting and was keen to hear from Bob Adair about how the tool library was coming along. "Apart from the institute itself, REIWA members have also individually pledged a further $5,400 towards the appeal and this additional money will be directed to Men's Shed shortly," Mr Bourke said. Mr Bourke expressed his thanks to local agents Michael Watts, Tony Maddox and John Butler for helping REIWA to get involved in the bushfire appeal. "It's always nice to be able to give something back to the community," he said.