Port locals driving MND cause forward

A GROUP of Portarlington locals are well on their way to making their fundraising dreams come to fruition in this year’s Daniher’s Drive.

The team of Geoff Fary, Darren Hellmann, Pete Evans and Mick Doyle held a very successful dinner at the Portarlington Football Club late last month.

The event raised a whopping $5,000 for motor neurone disease (MND) research, a significant progression towards their $20,000 goal.

All proceeds from event entry, raffle tickets and silent auction items supported the cause.

The Daniher’s Drive will be held from October 9 to October 11 and see hundreds of people take an unforgettable road trip to raise awareness and thank communities who share a vision for a world free of MND.

Mr Fary said the team was thrilled to get their 2025 fundraising campaign off to a great start with a capacity crowd at this first function.

“We had more than 120 people there, and we finished up raising over $5,000, which was just amazing.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser for the drive each year, and it just showed what an amazingly generous community we live in.

“It takes our total funds raised to over $120,000 since we started doing this… it’s incredible for a small community.”

Mr Fary himself lost his wife Monica Hayes to MND in 2016 and said the drive is a great way to catch up with other families who have been touched by the cause.

“It’s a really special event, and catching up with others affected is a significant part of it all.

“It’s always good fun and it’s fantastic to see old friends on the drive. We can’t wait!”