Classic Ladies Foundation raises more than $125,000 for charity at 2023 Nutrien Classic

The group tirelessly volunteered at the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre over the final weekend of the Classic, to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Pancare Foundation, netting well over $60,000 for each charity.

"It all went extremely well," CLF Team Leader Sandra Beirs said.

A member of the Royal Flying Doctor Service's fundraising team was "blown away" by the CLF's success.

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The group works each year to organise and support fundraising efforts at Nutrien's annual Tamworth event, meeting online once every six weeks in the lead up to the Classic and volunteering in person throughout the Sales and Campdrafting contests.

The group raises funds by hosting raffles, auctions, luncheons, and accepting donations from companies and individuals in the equine industry, alongside merchandise sales.

They're famous for their recognisable hats, selling a newly-designed trucker cap at each year's Classic.

"The generosity of the horse people, they donate so much to us. We have one donor who's donated a horse to us six years out of the eight," Ms Beirs said.

The extraordinary team of women was brought together by Nutrien's Mark Barton in 2016 as a means to cut out the middleman between charity donations and the Nutrien Classic Sale.

In less than a decade the CLF has raised almost $850,000 for nearly two dozen different charities, with their latest fundraiser bringing them close to the $1 million mark.

"Every cent we raise goes to charity, and we try to support charities that go toward rural communities," Ms Beirs said.

The CLF has members all around the country, from far North Queensland, across NSW, and down in regional Victoria, all brought together by a love for Campdraft.

"We're spread far and wide, this is the only time we get together, at Tamworth once a year," Ms Beirs said.

"We've built lifelong friendships with one another out of this, it's fabulous," she said.

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