Mates hit the road for charity

The 2017 trek starts in Griffith, NSW, on Sunday, June 4, and covers 4000km of tracks through remote NSW and Qld, before finishing at Port Macquarie, NSW, on Saturday, June 10.​

Team Cobber is proudly flying the flag as the only team entered from SA. 

This will be the sixth trek Cobbers captain David Meyer, a semi-retired commercial lawyer from Teringie, has participated in. He describes the team as a mix of mates and old school friends.

Mr Meyer’s sons James, Barossa, and Jeremy, Kensington Gardens, are involved, along with their good friends Paul Mitchell, Fullarton, who has done the trek before, and Adam Shearer, Malvern, plus third-generation Burra diesel mechanic David Thamm and his son-in-law Hamish McEwin, Glenside.

Ben Thorn, originally from Barmera, is also flying to Australia from Seattle in the United States to participate in Team Cobber.

“We enjoy doing it because you meet a lot of kindred spirits, who enjoy supporting the RFDS,” Mr Meyer said. 

“You also get to see a lot of country you normally would not travel to or have access to, and it seriously helps the towns we stop through.”

The trek is an event for older 2WD cars, specially-prepared to cope with the fun of outback and remote dirt road driving.

The Cobbers will travel in Mr Meyer’s two 1966 HR Holden sedans and a HG 1971 Holden utility, along with a support vehicle.

Each vehicle entered must raise a minimum $7500.

Last year, Team Cobber raised $34,000.

“This year our goal was to raise $40,000, but we have surpassed $52,000, placing us about sixth or seventh-highest in the fundraising efforts,” Mr Meyer said.

The group has already held a “beer and burger” night at Thamm’s Whitehart Garage in Burra, where about $11,000 was raised, with a variety of companies and individuals covering the rest.

In six years, Team Cobber has raised about $130,000 participating in the trek, with the SA team’s money allocated to RFDS Central Operations, which serves SA and the NT.

“We wish there were more SA teams so more money could come back to this state,” Mr Meyer said.

RFDS Central Operations marketing general manager Charlie Paterson was delighted city and country people had got behind fundraising efforts of Team Cobber.

“On average, the RFDS undertakes on average more than 100 aeromedical evacuations across Australia every day, with 15 of those in SA,” he said.

“We can only continue to do that with the support of the community, through fundraising and donations, and it’s great groups like Team Cobber, with a mix of both city and country connections, are banding together to have a great time on a great experience, while raising money for the RFDS.”

In the past 28 years, the trek has raised more then $25.5 million for the RFDS.

In 2017, about 120 cars are involved.

Donate to Team Cobber at the RFDS trek website.