Another successful drive for Team Monica Hayes

PORTARLINGTON-based entry “Team Monica Hayes” has raised a record amount in this year’s recent Daniher’s Drive.

Local identity Monica Hayes succumbed to the fatal and incurable condition of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2016.

Since then as “Team Monica Hayes”, her husband Geoff Fary, their son Sam, Monica’s brother Bernard and Sam’s mate Marcus have driven her trusty old Subaru in the annual road event designed to raise awareness and funds for medical research into MND.

Organised by the famous former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, who has MND, this year’s event consisted of more than 100 cars.

It was farewelled from Melbourne’s Government House by Governor Linda Dessau and Premier Daniel Andrews.

Over the course of three days, the convoy travelled through Woodend and towns in Western Victoria, such as Daylesford, Stawell, Horsham, Nhill and Apsley.

It crossed into South Australia to Penola, the Coonawarra and Mount Gambier before returning to Geelong via Hamilton.

This year, Team Monica Hayes was sponsored by the Portarlington Demons Football Netball Club and Rymac Automotive, as well as being generously supported by many local residents and visitors.

The amount their entry raised was more than $27,000, which is a new record for Team Monica Hayes.

It brings their total contributions via Daniher’s Drive to almost $80,000.

The 2018 Daniher’s Drive raised a total of more than $2.5 million that will go towards much-needed medical research ultimately aimed at finding a cure for MND. The Fight MND Foundation is proud of the fact that more than 95 cents in every dollar it raises goes directly to advocacy, research and providing assistance to sufferers of the disease.

The research that it is funding has produced some promising results, some of which are about to go to human trails.

In thanking those who followed Team Monica Hayes this year, Geoff said that they were humbled by people’s generosity and support.

“While it is a formidable foe, we are confident that efforts such as this will play a part in identifying a cure for this most pernicious and cruel condition,” he said.