Rallying for a great cause

Petrie’s Peter Brady is about to “scrub up” and head to far north Queensland to raise funds for a great cause.

While he may look like a medical professional in his face mask, scrubs and latex gloves, Peter’s not the sort of person you’d go to for medical advice.

That’s because he’s about to take on his 15th Great Endeavour Rally as a member of the Dirty Doctors - a team of motoring enthusiasts raising dust and dollars for people with disability between August 31 and September 10.

Peter says the Dirty Doctors’ team outfit was a quick solution to needing a costume and theme for an earlier rally, and it’s stuck with him ever since.

“I was just looking for an easy uniform to wear that we can put on every day and I got doctor scrubs, so came up with the name the Dirty Doctors,” he says.

Peter, who joins the rally with teammate Nigel Lomas, says his connection to the cause has grown throughout the years.

“It feels fantastic to know where the money’s going and what it’s doing.

“On the rally, we often call into different Endeavour Foundation sites, or if there’s another home being built, you get to see that.

“You get to see the bricks and mortar of what the Endeavour Foundation does while you’re on the rally.

“I didn’t have much to do with people with disability before the rally but having Endeavour Foundation clients on the rally puts a face to the cause.”

Creating opportunities

In the 15 years he’s been doing the Great Endeavour Rally, Peter has raised more than $150,000 for to create new opportunities for people with disability.

He says he couldn’t do it without the support of the Moreton Bay community.

“I’ve got one supporter this year, Striker Coffee at Petrie, which has now donated $3500 directly to Endeavour Foundation,” Peter says.

“This is a small family-owned business, and they now understand the value of supporting Endeavour Foundation – not to mention they have bloody good coffee!”

Endeavour Foundation event specialist Nathan Woolhouse says the rally has an inclusive atmosphere that makes it great for returning teams and first-timers.

“It’s so great to see people come back time and again for this incredible adventure,” Nathan says.

“With teams like the Dirty Doctors, we have an immense amount of combined experience on board and the rally family helps out newbies, who also appreciate our commitment to safety.

“There’s mechanical support from the Australian Army, tow trucks, and each vehicle has to have a Rally Safe kit, so we can track the exact location of every vehicle in real-time.

“We can’t wait to head out from Cairns to the Cape and give everybody the trip of a lifetime,” he says.

Endeavour Foundation provides support to thousands of people with disability across Queensland, including in Moreton Bay, at work, home, and in community support services.

Donate to the Dirty Doctors’ campaign here.

Great Endeavour Rally facts

• Founded in 1988, the Great Endeavour Rally has been raising dust, dollars and disability awareness for 35 years

• The 2023 Great Endeavour Rally, dubbed Cairns to the Cape, will visit the likes of Fruit Bat Falls, Loyalty Beach, and Chilli Beach before looping back to Cairns between August 31 and September 10

• About 50 teams are expected to take on the Great Endeavour Rally this year

• This will be the 34th rally - the 2020 rally was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic

• In 35 years, more than $12m has been raised by the rally’s amazing participants to make a real difference to the lives of people with a disability

• 2022 broke the fundraising record for a second year in a row with $601,000 raised

• About $350,000 will be spent in regional Queensland communities through the rally.

• The rally is not a race, it’s more of a self-guided tour. Each team has a Road Book that contains instruction for each day to make it to the following overnight stop.