Yamba locals Cheryl and Bill Randall hit the road for the greater good when Variety – the Children’s Charity NSW/ACT’s feel-good 4WD Adventure kicked off in Coffs Harbour on Sunday.
In their 16th Variety adventure, the Randall’s joined more than 35 4WDs travelling to the majestic Lamington National Park in Queensland making its way through Nymboi-Binderay National Park, Inverell Pioneer Village, Lockyer National Park, Condamine Gorge and River and 0’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
Variety’s feel-good 4WD Adventure raises funds for children who are sick, experiencing disadvantage or living with a disability.
This year the Yamba couple have decked out their 2013 Toyota Landcruiser ute in a “Flying Scotsman” theme complete with tartan, bagpipes and speakers which play bagpipes as they enter each town.
A bagpipe player himself, Mr Randall recorded the music the couple play when they enter each town.
Mrs Randall said the couple are passionate about fundraising for Variety after seeing first-hand the impacts on children the charity brings.
“Variety puts the fun into fundraising,” she said.
“It is a wonderful organisation as they make sure the dollars go where they are needed and give practical gifts that change lives which we’ve seen first-hand on the trips.”
In the 15 years the Randall’s have participated in the Variety adventure the couple have raised more than $100,000, including $10,000 already this year.
The Randall’s won the special Sheridan trophy for highest fundraisers as well as the most enthusiastic 4WD team in the 2014 adventure, backing that up in 2015 when they won the award for the team most willing to help the newbie 4WDers.
Mrs Randall recalled a Variety adventure many years ago where they visited the Victorian town of Benalla and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house after the adventurers witnessed a life-changing Variety donation.
“There were 30 kids at the school presentation including a young girl who had stopped speaking after experiencing a trauma in her life,” she said.
“Variety’s donation of text to speech software literally changed her life.”
Each of the towns they stop in overnight will benefit from around $20,000 in tourism dollars, while kids and community groups in the vicinity can also look forward to around $25,000 in donations and equipment.
In addition to putting smiles on the faces of children, Mrs Randall said the camaraderie among adventurers was something that kept the couple coming back year after year.
“Aside from driving the miles to put smiles on kids’ faces there are a lot of other reasons that we love the event including the camaraderie and the wide cross section of like-minded people we meet,” she said.
“We also look forward to the dress up nights and put a lot of thought into our costumes.
“But most of all we wait each night for the ‘goose of the day award’ to be announced and we have been the proud winner several times over the years.”
To donate to the Variety 4WD Adventure visit https://www.variety.org.au/nsw/event/4wd/
This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 29 March 2023.
