Tractor lovers help sick kids soar

Tractor lovers from around the Central West have helped ensure sick kids get the care they need, raising more than $90,000 for the transport charity Little Wings.

Little Wings is a non-profit organisation that provides free flight and ground transport services for sick children from rural and regional NSW.

The Central West Charity Tractor Trek Group has been supporting Little Wings for the past three years and has raised over $300,000 during that time, said Trek Group Director, Nick Clancy.

“The group was formed eight years ago with the aim of raising money for charity and we've always raised money for sick children mainly,” said Nick.

Each year about 30 tractor enthusiasts join the trek, which is held at different locations around the Central West. The only requirement is that each tractor entering must raise a minimum of $1,000.

“So, as you can see, they raised a lot more than $1,000 each,” said Nick. “Another event we have is a tractor marathon… we have four tractors running for 24 hours with driver changes every half hour and that raises a fair bit as well.”

This year’s Trek, held 27-29 September, was based out of Dubbo, with the group travelling to surrounding communities and even the Taronga Western Plains Zoo for a photo shoot with the giraffes.

“We gave Little Wings a fraction over $90,000 this year, which we consider being pretty good,” said Nick. “The drought has hit the Central West Pretty hard and it blew our minds actually that we went that well.”