In February of 2023 I was traveling back from work in the Pilbara when I got a voice message from my Dad.This wasn't unusual but I could tell by the sound of his voice something wasn't quite right. I sent a message due to the time difference that I would call him in the morning and my phone rang straight away. I answered and what I heard was something I thought I would never hear. "They found a tumor in your brothers Brain". What transpired over the next month Was life changing for my Brother and family.
Angus, Located in Mt Isa, was a charter Pilot for various communities in the outback of Queensland. He'd been complaining about tingles in his arm and had been going to the chiropractor and physiotherapist for a number of weeks. The physiotherapist, sick of treating Angus and not getting a result, sent him for an MRI on his spine to root out the cause of the tingles but what returned was a perfect spine. This raised some alarm bells and after getting a referral from a telehealth neurologist he then went for an MRI on his head. What they found was a 63mm lesion lodged in his brain. His world changed from that moment on. Within 24 Hrs he was transferred to Townsville Hospital Via the Royal Flying Doctors Service. Mum dropped everything in Dubbo and flew up to meet him. From there they transferred to Sydney Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, met with neurosurgeons, underwent more scans and consultations, where it was diagnosed that Angus had a High Grade Glioblastoma tumor. The Doctor pushed for surgery and knowing the risks that came with any brain operation, Angus agreed. 2 Weeks after the original MRI in Mt Isa, Angus went under the knife and had as much as they could cut out without causing any possible brain damage. After the operation Angus woke up alert and was given the best the news could be at the time. They had removed a fair chunk of the cancer and the fact that he was awake and cognitive was a great sign.
Since the Operation Angus has unfortunately lost his dream job as a pilot due to Casa Regulations in regards to head operations and moved back to home to Dubbo, where he still undertakes Chemo and Radiation. After living at home with mum and dad for several months, he has found a house that he and his girlfriend rent with their cat and dog. He has also got new a job as a cadet valuer and has now adjusted to what now is the normalities of his life.
We are really pleased to announce that we're taking part in Shitbox Rally Spring 2024! This year, all the teams are driving their shitboxes from Bendigo to Townsville.
Shitbox Rally is the largest community lead fundraiser for Cancer Council in Australia and is now in its 14th year. Part of the participation is that all teams have to raise a minimum of $5,000 but most teams raise well above this amount as you can see with the Spring 2024 rally target set at $2,000,000 plus.
These funds go to Cancer Council and we are extremely proud to be doing our part to support such a worthy charity. The fundraising is the hard part, so any donation you can give is greatly appreciated. Please make sure to follow our progress via this page and the blog post below.
Shitbox Rally is the adventure of a lifetime challenging participants and their cars, worth no more than $1,500, on a 7 day drive across Australia to raise money for cancer research.
The rally is not a race – it’s a fun, colourful, unpredictable adventure with participants travelling at their own pace in smaller groups. Vehicles often break down but “we never leave anyone behind” and each night is spent camping beneath the stars and celebrating the day’s achievements. It all adds up to an incredible opportunity to see Australia’s vast and beautiful countryside and make lifelong friends, many brought together after experiencing cancer themselves or seeing cancer impact family and friends.
Since it’s inception the rally has been the largest fundraiser for the Cancer Council nationally.
Shitbox Rally is a dedicated fundraising event for cancer research with funds going to Cancer Council.
Cancer Council is one of the largest non-government funders of cancer research in Australia. We conduct and fund research studies across all cancers and all stages of the cancer journey.
Thanks to the community funds raised such as Shitbox Rally we can fund world-class research that reduces the impact of cancer for everyone.
$41 million over the past 13 years has been raised by Box Rallies to date, supporting ground-breaking projects such as:
These projects wouldn’t be possible without your support.
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