The Maitland Mercury, Rotary Club of Rutherford-Telarah and Maitland City Council launched the joint appeal after an 8.3 magnitude underwater earthquake on September 29 caused a massive tsunami, flattening villages along the coast of the Pacific Island.

In one of the biggest appeals this city has seen, people from across Maitland, and as far away as Nelson Bay, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Dungog and Singleton, donated items and money.

Maitland has “adopted” people from the village of Lalomanu, one of the places hardest hit by the tsunami, to be the recipients of the donations.

Not only was the coastal tourist village ruined by the tsumami, there was also considerable loss of life.

More than 130 Samoans lost their lives.

Since the appeal was launched a steady stream of goods has arrived at the Mercury and for the past three Saturdays, Rotarians and Mercury staff have packed the donated goods ready for shipment.

The Mercury’s storage facility quickly filled with everything from clothes and linen to walking frames and bikes, from toys and sporting equipment to guitars and tents – as well as six kitchen sinks and one toilet.

Response to the appeal was so overwhelming and the initial aim of filling a 20-foot shipping container had to be quickly revised.

Late on Saturday morning a 40-foot container – with no room to spare – left Maitland for Sydney after Rotarians proved that many hands make light work and loaded the container in just over two hours.

The container will be loaded onto the ship bound for Samoa later this week.

Maitland City Council donated $3000 towards the cost of shipping the goods to Samoa and more than $2000 in cash donations from the public will go towards meeting the cost of the bigger container.

Some of the donations were accompanied by messages of hope with one envelope containing a note which simply said: “God bless.”

Mercury editor Liz Tickner, Rotary Club of Rutherford-Telarah president Terry New and Maitland Mayor Peter Blackmore said it was a wonderful opportunity for the three groups to work together on such a worthy cause and they sincerely thanked everyone who donated to the appeal.

The Rotary Club of Apia in Samoa will distribute the donations to the people of Lalomanu.