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 With roughly 1111 more kilometres under their belt, the drivers from the Thornbury Vintage Tractor club are ready to put their feet up. A project that has been months in the making has proved to be a successful community led fundraising event. So far, …
With roughly 1111 more kilometres under their belt, the drivers from the Thornbury Vintage Tractor club are ready to put their feet up. A project that has been months in the making has proved to be a successful community led fundraising event. So far, the tractor trek has raised an impressive $7577 for the Southland Charity Hospital. Despite their efforts, praise has been deflected to the importance of supporting a good cause. The long journey and tour of the Canterbury Charity Hospital has given the trekkers the opportunity to reflect on the importance of charitable hospitals in addressing the inequities within the healthcare system in New Zealand.
The Massey Ferguson 20D that will be used for the trek.
Photo: Southland charity Hospital / Facebook
The group from Thornbury Vintage Tractor Club will set off on Sunday from Invercargill in a 1983 Massey Ferguson 20D tractor to complete the 1200 kilometre round trip to Christchurch.
The tractor trek, as its dubbed, came in response to the Southland Charity Hospital s call for donations for construction of the project.
The Thornbury Vintage Tractor Club s president, Fraser Pearce, said they floated the idea of buying a brick until one of their members came up with a better idea. One of our club members, Tom Parkes, has been tractor trekking since the 1970s and he s always wanted to do something like this. Initially as a vintage club we thought Why not support the charity hospital and buy a brick? and then Tom came up with this idea and as soon as he mentioned it I thought This is a really good idea , Pearce said.
Club members will take turns
driving
a yellow Massey Ferguson 20D (a
1980s model imported from the UK) which has been named Big
Bird by local school children.
The Tractor Trek, the
brainchild of the club, is raising money for the Southland
Charity Hospital and will leave E Hayes in Dee Street at
11am on Sunday 2 May 2021.
After travelling along SH1
at an average speed of 30km an hour the tired drivers are
expected to arrive 24 hours later at the Canterbury Charity
Hospital in Harewood Road, Christchurch, at 11am on Monday 3
May 2021.
The Tractor Trek concept was initiated by
club member Tom Parkes, and it was one club president Fraser
STACY SQUIRES
Andrew Little last year approved $154 million of Government funding to add a new tower block with 64 more beds to Christchurch Hospital’s $525m acute services building, Waipapa. (Video first published November 2020).
Canterbury Charity Hospital founder Phil Bagshaw has welcomed the Government’s plan to overhaul the health system as “aspirationally correct” – but warns the Ministry of Health needs reforming too. Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) chairman Sir John Hansen and Māori health providers have welcomed the plan to replace DHBs with a central agency. Bagshaw, who was both an appointed and elected member of the CDHB from 2000 to 20004, said he thinks of the period as “the wasted years” in an undemocratic bureaucracy.