Adventure raises money for a cause

Bunbury businessmen Darren Kenny, Chris Macri and Gary Horner have strapped themselves in for a seven-day adventure across the South West with the aim of raising money for children affected by cancer.

The trio set off from Mandurah on Sunday for Camp Quality’s annual wesCarpade in Casey’s Kombi and Pirates ute alongside 15 other cars, following a year’s worth of fundraising.

The Casey’s Kombi team, which included Mr Kenny and Mr Macri, raised in excess of $26,000 in the outback motoring adventure, while the Pirates team added more than $11,000 to the kitty – which has surpassed $155,000 so far.

Mr Horner said knowing they would make a difference in children’s lives kept them coming back each year.

“It’s a great cause and all of us in the group know each other and it is a bit like a family,” he said.

“It’s also about awareness – we have five school stops and we have the Camp Quality puppets with us who star in the education process of explaining cancer to kids.”

Mr Kenny said the cars had held a number of events throughout the year, including golf days and a degustation dinner at the Prince of Wales Hotel to raise money for the cause and thanked their corporate sponsors for their support.

“When you look at it, we do serious fundraising for 11 and a half months of the year, so the actual week is a bit of a get together and a celebration,” he said. “All the money we fundraise goes directly to Camp Quality and we pay for all our own vehicles, accommodation and costs of the event itself.”

The cause is particularly close to Mr Macri’s heart, as his daughter Casey – the namesake of the kombi van – was diagnosed with a brain tumour at five months old and now 17, is in an ongoing battle with the disease.

The teams will travel through Lake Grace, Bremer Bay, Mt Barker, Manjimup and Donnybrook, before reaching their final destination of Busselton on Saturday.

There is still time to donate or get involved in next year’s event at fundraise.campquality.org.au/event/camp-quality-wescarpade.