Dunk Resort Pty Ltd is proudly supporting the Royal Flying Doctor Service through sponsorship of one of the vehicles participating in this year’s Outback Car Trek – www.outbackcartrek.com.au is a gruelling journey over a week travelling 3,740km through outback Australia from Hay to Airlie Beach.
The vehicle we have sponsored is a 1971 Volvo 144 (fitting the Trek’s requirement of up to 1971 vehicles), which was built by Mark Fawcett, dual Victorian Rally champion and current reigning champion. The vehicle, which is covered in Dunk Island butterfly logos (special thanks to the team from our advertising agency hbt – www.hbtagency.com.au who designed and donated the decals), is being driven by Scott Lidgett and James Murchie, with support from Peter Danks and Mark “Rochie” Roche.
The Trek’s itinerary is
- Day 1, Sunday 6 June – Hay to Broken Hill – 613 km
- Day 2, Monday 7 June – Broken Hill to Copley – 445 km
- Day 3, – Tuesday 8 June – Copley to Birdsville – 634 km
- Day 4, Wednesday 9 June – Birdsville to Stonehenge – 537 km
- Day 5, Thursday 10 June – Stonehenge to Barcaldine – 592 km
- Day 6, Friday 11 June – Barcaldine to Ravenswood – 640 km
- Day 7, Saturday 12 June- Ravenswood to Airlie Beach – 280 km
The car’s progress can be followed though their blog at http://car144.posterous.com/
About the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Trek:
RFDS is recognised nationally and internationally as the great saviour of the Outback – the lifeline to those for whom medical services would otherwise be almost non-existent. What is not as widely understood is that people from the cities are becoming increasingly dependent on the Service.
As an increasing number of employees and families travel to country areas on business or holidays, the RFDS is called to attend to more and more city people. We all enter RFDS Territory less than an hour’s drive from most capital cities. Emergency services, including attending to road accident victims, are free and do not discriminate between residents of city or country. As Australians we are lucky to have the world’s oldest, largest, most experienced and comprehensive aerial health and emergency service at our disposal.
To run this service requires more than $110 million a year and, although there is Government funding, it does not cover the replacement of aircraft, and the RFDS needs to raise over $25 million in public donations each year. In 1990, the Flying Doctor Outback Trek was established to raise money for this worthy cause, and since then in the vicinity of $15 million has been raised.
Donations to provide further support to this great cause can be made by sending a cheque to made payable to the Royal Flying Doctor Service‚ South Eastern Section‚ to Dunk Resort Pty Ltd, PO Box 212, Mission Beach, Queensland 4852 and an official receipt for the entire amount will be issued by the RFDS. Donations will be fully tax deductible.
