The transport industry will again be the focus of the ninth annual Illawarra Camp Quality Convoy for Kids, which will be held next Sunday, 17 November. The event has raised more than $3.2 million dollars for the children’s charity since 2005 – including in excess of $1 million dollars last year, when 764 trucks and 926 motorcycles participated.
Despite tighter economic conditions in the Wollongong area this year the organisers, including Alan Ross from Ross Transport, expect at least a similar number of trucks to participate in the convoy which runs from the West Cliff Colliery on Appin Road, via Mt Ousley, Warrawong and Shellharbour.
“We’ll be finishing up at the Croome Road Sporting Complex at Albion Park Rail and this year we have more space with three football fields for truck parking,” said Ross.
More than 9,000 people are expected to attend the post-convoy truck and bike display and free entertainment featuring Guy Sebastian and Damien Leith.
The motor cycles will lead the convoy and will start leaving the colliery at 8.00am with the first trucks expected to get away fifteen minutes later and they will begin arriving at the Croome Road complex at around 9.00 am.
Raising funds for Camp Quality is a year round activity for many of the local transport companies who participate in the event. The Ross Transport office swear jar is a constant source of donations, as are many of the drivers who make regular contributions via salary deductions.
A major source of funds is the auction for the right to be the lead truck in the convoy. Conducted on-air via local radio station i98FM during the week preceding the convoy, it took a bid of $110,000 to secure the pole position last year. The bid money comes from the various sponsors the truck companies are able to organise.
In addition to supporting Camp Quality, the convoy is an opportunity for the road transport industry to interact with the public, as well as the Police and the Roads and Maritime Service.
“It lets them see that we are just normal people,” said Ross, who is intending to have at least 40 of his own trucks in the convoy.
