Nambour drivers escape work to rally for a cause, raise funds for cancer

An $800 Holden Commodore will be Tony Cumner, right, and Aaron Hollier’s chariot in the Spring 2023 Shitbox Rally, a fundraiser for the Cancer Council. The Commodore on the right they bought for $300 for parts.

by Janine Hill

SOME people get a hobby when they need to detach from work. Tony Cumner got a “shitbox” instead.

The shitbox, an $800 Holden Commodore, will be Tony and mate Aaron Hollier’s chariot in the Spring 2023 Shitbox Rally, a fundraiser for the Cancer Council.

The rallies are held twice a year and are so-named because participants are only allowed to drive vehicles worth $1500 or less.

Tony, manager at Lindsay Rural, Nambour, has had his eye on the quirky rallies for years but finally decided to enter when he felt the pressures of work weighing too heavily on his shoulders.

“I needed something other than work to focus on. I was buried in work, obsessed with work,” he said.

“Aaron, he’s my neighbour, he saw it first. I would go home and most of the time, I’d be getting around in my pyjamas.

“l was tired. Obviously, it was getting to me. To admit there’s something wrong and to go an ask for help is a big thing for guys in my age group.

“I thought, ‘I’ve got to start doing stuff for me. I’m not going to wait until I’m retired.”

Tony nominated his friend Aaron, who also works at Lindsay’s in sales, as co-driver in Team OhShat.

The blokes have been spending a lot of time in Tony’s shed getting the VY Commodore ready for its October excursion.

The rally will run from Port Douglas to Adelaide, but the car needs to make it to Port Douglas first and Tony hopes it will fit to drive home.

The car, which he bought sight unseen, had a good motor and gearbox but needed work. Using parts from a $300 donor car, they have replaced the suspension, a door and broken window, and a seat, and a few other parts while remaining under the shitbox cost threshold.

Participants in the rally must raise $5000 for the cause but Tony and Aaron have exceeded that with $11,000 so far thanks to the support of their employer and Lindsay’s suppliers, many of which have chipped in with sponsorship.

“We could stop but I want to keep going,” Tony said.

• To support Tony and Aaron go to https://spring2023.shitboxrally.com.au/ohshat