More than $82,000 was raised from the Convoy For The Cure in Townsville yesterday, with more money still to come in.
Convoy director Todd Martin said it was a great success with 183 trucks and 50 motorbikes taking part.
Some other road transport companies, small fleet operators and owner-drivers could not participate due to contractual agreements on the day.
But they generously still donated money to the worthy ‘The Cure Starts Now’ charity.
Funds raised funds go for research into children’s brain cancer and the convoy organiser is Ren Petersen who lost his daughter Amy to childhood brain cancer in 2009.
“It never ceases to amaze me how people are so generous and good people in our community come together with one aim to find a cure for a disease that doesn’t stop during Covid and neither will we in our efforts to beat cancer,” Pedersen said.
Nortrans was the Large Fleet winners raising $4987.
Manager Seaton Battle told Big Rigs it was the fifth Convoy For The Cure his company had supported.
“We have 18 trucks in the convoy it is great to be part of it,” he said.
The Small Fleet Winners was Drain Transport.
The lead truck was a 1985 Scania owned by Ross Gofton and it raised over $10,000 with thanks to Honeycombes and Scania Australia.
The trucks travelled along a revised 2021 route starting just after at 9am from Webb Drive the Bohle, then along Duckworth Street, along Dalrymple Road and Thuringowa Drive to then proceed up Riverway Drive finishing at Ross Dam Park in a turnaround finish point.
The distance of the route was about 42km.
This year the trucks travelled in several different convoys a few minutes apart and the bikes were at the rear.
Tens of thousands of men, women and children watched the convoy and waved to the drivers, passengers and sick kids who went along for a ride.
In return the truck drivers honked their horns in response.
Naming rights partner radio station Power 100 broadcast the convoy advising spectators along the route where the trucks were.
- For more pictures from the event, make sure you pick up your June 11 print edition of Big Rigs.