Ready to go: Gerard Warrin at the rally launch in Cairns earlier this year.
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AWBPHOTOS.COM.AU
Come Saturday, Shepparton police officer Gerard Warrin will roll into Dubbo at the end of a 5040km journey.
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He is taking part in the 33rd Kidney Kar Rally, which is designed to raise funds for children battling kidney disease, and their families.
The drive began in Cairns on August 10, meandering through Queensland and NSW over 10 days.
A field of 40 rally cars driven and designed by supporters of Kidney Health Australia are making the journey to raise funds and awareness for Kidney Health Australia’s kids and youth programs, which help children and young people deal with the physical, emotional and psychological impacts of kidney disease.
Mr Warrin is MC of this year’s event, and made a trip up with his car, but in the end it didn’t survive the journey from Shepparton to Cairns after mechanical issues stopped it in its tracks.
Mind game: Gerard says the Kidney Kar Rally is a race of skill, not speed.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
It didn’t stop him, though.
The group of racers — called Rallytives — are all tight-knit, and Mr Warrin said he’d made lifelong friends on the rally.
He said there were plenty of other cars he could jump between on the drive south, and said it was exciting to be back after two years of lockdown kept the rally grounded.
Mr Warrin said he knew children in the region who had battled kidney disease, and saw what families went through.
“I’m lucky I’ve got five kids who are all happy and healthy, so anything I can do to support those in need,” he said.
“It’s all about raising money for these kids ... if it puts a smile on sick kids’ faces then that’s huge; they can be on dialysis, and helping raise money so we can get portable machines to allow them to go on holiday, it’s a huge relief for the family.”
Over three decades, the rally has raised more than $15 million for kids’ and youth programs, and the target this year is to lift that tally by another $400,000.
On average, 63 Australians die from kidney-related diseases each day — more than breast cancer, prostate cancer and road accidents — while 733 children are affected by end-stage kidney disease nationally.
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