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Tractor trek raises thousands for Southland Charity Hospital
5 May, 2021 08:45 PM
2 minutes to read
Thousands raised in charity tractor trek. Made with funding from NZ on air.
Otago Daily Times
By: Laura Smith
A group of Southland men keen on giving back to their community have completed a trek from Invercargill to Christchurch and back in two days.
But the kicker is, they did it in a tractor.
Members of the Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club wanted to raise money for the Southland Charity Hospital, and settled on a tractor trek.
Club president Fraser Pearce said they completed the 1200km journey non-stop.
Pearce said the trip had been been well-supported, and he hoped it would raise about $10,000. He said the highlight for him was driving the vintage tractor, named Bert, through part of the night on Monday when it was quiet.
JOHN BISSET/Stuff
Raising money for the Southland Charity Hospital are drivers, from left, Win Saxton, Bob Anderson, Fraser Pearce and Graeme Anderson, in Timaru on Monday night. “As long as you keep the wheels turning they soon come around. It’s quite enjoyable,” Pearce said. The Southland Charity Hospital was established as a trust in 2019 by the community and Blair Vining. He was fighting terminal bowel cancer and was frustrated at the inequitable health care depending on geographical location.
It was Pearce’s first time tractor trekking, and he said he’d remember it for a long time. People donated cash on the way and the full amount raised from the trek won t be known until Wednesday. “We’ve ended up with a few buckets full of money,” he said. The 48-hour journey consisted of two teams of four. First half drove from Invercargill to Oamaru. The second half met them there and continued on to Christchurch. The team of eight said they had many donations of food and fuel to get by.
Stuff
Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club president Fraser Pearce is back in Invercargill with his dedicated team of helpers that completed a successful tractor trek to Christchurch and back to raise funds for the Southland Charity Hospital.
Press Release – Southland Charity Hospital Bert is rolling on home. After what we hope is a successful journey, the Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club will be excited to return in the 1983 20 D Massey Ferguson (otherwise known as Bert) to a warm reception at the Ascot Park Hotel. Families, …Bert is rolling on home. After what we hope is a successful journey, the Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club will be excited to return in the 1983 20 D Massey Ferguson (otherwise known as Bert) to a warm reception at the Ascot Park Hotel. Families, media and well-wishers are invited to show their support and welcome the trekkers home.