By Margaret Maccoll
It was four years in the making but finally Chris Murray and his son Cameron have made it into the Shitbox Rally and their Distinguished Jetsetters team will be ready to roll in May.
Chris has personal reasons for entering the event to raise money for Cancer Council.
Not only has the former pilot beaten serious bouts of cancer – twice – his father died from bowel cancer and his hospital experiences made him very aware of the damage the disease inflicts on families.
“The saddest thing for me was during my radiation treatment to see the number of young children waiting to receive their treatments,” he said.
“I’d wonder whether they’d be there the next time.
“I’ve had a reasonable life. They’re just starting off.”
Having been a pilot with Qantas for almost 40 years Chris has seen more of the world than most and seen the industry change enormously. When he first started flying to London the return journey would include 24 refuelling stops, landing in some exotic places.
The annual Shitbox Rally is Cancer Council’s largest community-led fundraiser.
There will be about 200 cars in the rally and a further 25 support vehicles travelling an average 600km/day over a week from 19-25 May over as many dirt roads as they can track down.
As the name suggests the cars must be two-wheel not 4WD and cost the teams no more than $1000 but part of the challenge is making sure they all reach the finish line where they are auctioned off.
Each team fundraises a minimum of $4000 for the Cancer Council and this year’s target is $1,400,000.
Chris and Cameron have already raised more than $3000. To donate to Cancer Council and support the Distinguished Jetsetters visit donate18.shitboxrally.com.au/distinguished-jet-setters
