NTI’s restoration and raffle of a 1946 Ford Jailbar truck, named Bonnie, has generated $483,000 for motor neurone disease (MND) research.
The raffle winner, Beverly Smith, was announced at the NTI Supercars event in Townsville.
Smith, a Redland resident, said she was surprised by her win, having bought a single raffle ticket at the Cooly Rocks On Festival.
“I lost my Mum to MND nearly 20 years ago, so it’s a cause that’s very close to my heart. I always try to support the foundation in any way that I can, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to actually win the truck,” she said.
Bonnie is the seventh truck restored and raffled by NTI, bringing the insurer’s total contributions to MND research to over $2.5 million. The restoration of the black Dual cab 4x4 took 2,500 hours, and the vehicle is valued at over $200,000.
NTI chief customer officer Janelle Greene acknowledged the strong community engagement, with raffle tickets sold online and at various industry events.
“Once again, we saw outstanding support from the community, with tickets sold online and at a range of industry events,” she said. “The money raised is used to fund medical research via NTI’s official research grant, administered through the MND and Me Foundation.”
According to Greene, research funded by the raffle includes studies on repairing damaged proteins, the role of the immune system in cell damage, and creating a platform to test new drugs and treatments.
“Just like Beverly, this is a cause very important to us as our former CEO, Wayne Patterson, lost his battle with MND in 2018,” Greene said.
Jane Milne, CEO of the MND and Me Foundation, highlighted that around 2,500 Australians currently live with the disease.
“MND can affect adults of any age, and there’s still no known reason why about 90% of people diagnosed suddenly develop the disease,” she said. “Two Australians are diagnosed every day and sadly, two people pass away from the disease every day.
“The funds raised go directly to MND researchers, and NTI’s commitment year after year means those researchers can focus on finding treatment methods and a cure, rather than spending valuable time seeking alternate funding.”
