ALTHOUGH the numbers are down this year, the enthusiasm was high as an eclectic range of vehicles headed out of Orange on Friday morning on the 2014 Cruisin’ Along rally thank-you tour.
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This is the sixth year of the rally which was the brainchild of Orange mayor John Davis in the quest to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to build the Western Care Lodge in Orange for cancer patients coming to Orange hospital for radiotherapy treatment.
Although the second stage of the lodge is now completed and occupied, fundraising spokesperson Jan Savage says fundraisers like the Cruisin Along’ rally need to continue so the final payments for the additional rooms can be finalised.
“People in the central west have been so generous which is why we are badging this as the thank-you tour.
“But we have to look to the future too as we will need to fundraise on an ongoing basis for the upkeep of the lodge,” she said.
Cr Davis said this year’s tour will not go on as many outback roads as in the previous rallys.
“The people of the central west will get more of a chance to see us,” he said.
This year’s nine-day rally will take in the towns of Wellington, Parkes, Gilgandra, Mudgee, Canowindra, Grenfell and Forbes and villages in between.
The fundraising for this year has already had a kick-along with each vehicle registering paying an entry fee of $500.
janice.harris@fairfaxmedia.com.au