Huge 80 metre road train leads 'Convoy for Kids'

An 80 metre long road train, usually only seen on the roads in outback Queensland and the Northern Territory will lead this year's 10th anniversary Convoy for Kids Sydney Inc on Sunday 26 August, 2001. This will be an amazing sight, as the maximum length for trucks travelling on Sydney roads is usually 25 metres.

This spectacular convoy aims to raise money for The Children's Hospital at Westmead and NRMA CareFlight. Over ten years this event has raised in excess of $500,000 for these two charities and this year Convoy for Kids organisers hope to add another $80,000 to this impressive tally.

The truck convoy commences at Camellia, will travel along James Ruse Drive, M4 Freeway, Wallgrove Road and will finish up at Wonderland Sydney. Hundreds of trucks will join the convoy, with owner drivers and company supported trucks all participating to provide a fabulous sight. As part of the Convoy for Kids program, staff at McPhee Transport and Pilkington Glass will also donate their last hours pay in July and management will match each dollar donated by the employees.

The exciting day will culminate with a family fun day at Wonderland Sydney. Aside from the usual delights of Wonderland Sydney such as rides and characters, there will also be displays, stalls, raffles and a Monster Auction. Special guest on the day will be the latest star of country music, Adam Brand who will assist with the Auction and sign autographs for all fans.

The money donated to The Children's Hospital at Westmead will be used to assist the Ophthalmology Department purchase a RetCam 120. In the past when examining a child's retina, time-consuming illustrations had to be undertaken to record results. The new camera is allowing instant documentation of the retina.

Having seen a 40% increase in its workload in the past year, NRMA CareFlight will use the money raised by Convoy for Kids to support future missions.

For more information about Convoy for Kids Sydney or to purchase tickets for the Family Day at Australia's Wonderland, please contact Kerry Mannix on (02) 9631 5335 or Norma Howell on (02) 4732 2315.

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Julie Stromborg
Public Relations Officer
The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Ph: (02) 9845 3580
Fax: (02) 9845 3567
After hours: page on (02) 9845 3580

Kym Nielsen
Commercial Development Manager
NRMA CareFlight
Ph: (02) 9891 6144 / 0407 413 245
Fax: (02) 9891 1284