By Jane Harris
Phil Denyer and Dan Etheridge are well known for a few things. Not least of all a passion for cars and contributing to their community. Phil and Dan have formed a team to take part in the “Shitbox Rally” in the 2023 Autumn. The challenge involves driving a “Shitbox” car from Newcastle to Townsville to raise money for the Cancer Council. The shitbox in question has been dubbed “Off-the-clock”.
The Shitbox Rally is the largest community-led fundraiser for the Cancer Council in Australia and is now in its thirteenth year. Part of the participation is teams have to raise a minimum of $5,000. Most teams raise well above this amount as you can see with the 2023 Autumn rally target set at $2,000,000 plus.
The rally is not a race. It’s a fun, colourful, unpredictable adventure with participants travelling at their own pace in smaller groups. Vehicles often break down but no one is ever left behind. Each night is spent camping beneath the stars and celebrating the day’s achievements. It all adds up to an incredible opportunity to see Australia’s vast and beautiful countryside and make lifelong friends, many brought together after experiencing cancer themselves or seeing cancer impact family and friends.
Phil and Dan have achieved their first big milestone of being accepted as a team for the rally. Next up is reaching $2,500 of donations. They are close to this amount and once achieved they receive stickers for the car they are driving to Townsville. Next up, when $5,000 of funds are raised they secure their spot on the rally starting line.
Phil and Dan are extremely proud to be doing their part to support the Cancer Council. The men view the fundraising as the hard part, and warmly welcome any donations. They already have two major sponsors in Ward Plumbing and Inland Petroleum.
There are a few ways community members can help. Tax-deductible donations can be made through the team web page: autumn2023.shitboxrally.com.au/off-the-clock. There are still sponsorship spots available as well. Donations of goods in-kind for a raffle or auction are also welcome. Supporters can also buy a $10 supporter sticker to put on the car, and write a message on it for the team.
Phil and Dan thank everyone for the support to date. Like, follow, share and invite friends to the facebook page “OFF the CLOCK shitbox rally team” to see the shenanigans as they unfold.
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