By Derek Schlennstedt
Healesville father and son Paul and Bradley Van De Ven are getting ready to drive their $350 Ford Falcon wagon across Australia.
The pair will leave at 5am on Thursday 25 May and will travel with other participants to Adelaide for the start of the Shitbox Rally.
“We’ll travel across to Adelaide in a convoy with half of the other Victorian teams,” Paul said.
“That way we can look after each other on the trip.
“It’s an eight hour drive so, fingers crossed, we all make it there safely, especially because we have a long way to go after Adelaide.”
The Ford Falcon has been dedicated to the memory of Healesville resident and close friend of Paul’s, Bryce Crow, who passed away in 2014 from melanoma.
To pay tribute, the car has a sticker of Bryce and the words ‘cruising for Crowy’ along the side.
As part of the rally each participant must raise more than $4000 for the Cancer Council.
Bradley and Paul have raised more than $7000, which Paul said would not have been possible without the amazing support of the Healesville community.
“We have had to raise a minimum amount of money for the Cancer Council, but with everybody’s generous support we have almost doubled that.
“A huge thank you to everyone who has donated, spread the word, got interested and involved with what we are doing, and why we are doing it,” Paul said.
“The experience has been very humbling, and incredibly motivating to meet so many wonderful people along the way.”
The Shitbox Rally will begin on Saturday 28 May and the pair’s trials and tribulations can be followed on their Facebook page Bradandad-shitbox Rally 2017.
They will be travelling with a tracker so they can be followed at www.shitbox.westoznet.com.
