Canning Vale’s Simon Ash was among more than 50 West Australians who hit the road last month for an eight-day off-road adventure aimed at helping children in need.
Mr Ash, who runs M4C-4WD Accessories in Canning Vale, took part in the Variety WA 4WD Adventure, which began on May 25 and covered rough tracks through Kalbarri, Shark Bay and Dirk Hartog Island.
This was his seventh year involved in the event. After initially joining as a participant, he has since taken on volunteer roles. This year, he led a team of seven official vehicles as 4WD Boss, helping to keep the group moving and on schedule.
“It was great fun this year but also very challenging, with long days,” he said. “What gets you through is the people; it was a great group of like-minded individuals.”
Participants fundraise throughout the year to take part in the trip, which supports Variety WA’s work with children living with disability, chronic illness or facing disadvantage. This year’s event raised just over $250,000.
Mr Ash said he first joined to get involved in a community initiative, but stayed on after seeing the impact.
“It’s great to see the kids being helped, especially in remote areas where they often don’t get much support,” he said.
One moment that stood out, he said, was visiting schools along the route where grants were delivered in person. “Everyone gets a bit emotional with those visits,” he said.
Variety WA Chief Executive Officer Chris Chatterton said the funds raised would support vital equipment and programs across the state.
“As an events-based charity, our motoring events are a huge part of how we raise funds,” Mr Chatterton said.
