Lucindale Survivors' Shitbox Rally participants Erin McWaters and Shannon Burdett have put their fundraising efforts for cancer research in top gear with nearly $11,000 raised in their hugely successful Lamb Cram.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
They say the idea for a lamb drive was suggested to them by a visitor to their site at the South East Field Days in March but they have been overwhelmed by the generosity of local producers donating lambs and hay and grain.
"We were thinking that maybe 10 people may give us one or two sheep each but there were multiple people who gave us 10," Erin said.
"The generosity has been ridiculous giving us a tonne of grain when we asked for half a tonne or donating beans or lucerne- it is very humbling."
Erin and Shannon say they couldn't have done it without Erin's work colleague Malcolm Graetz, Nutrien Lucindale, who put in many hours from organising the collection of the lambs to feeding them and even the freight to market.
"He grabbed the bull by the horns and ran with it," she said.
They are also grateful to Jamie and Casey Weaver, who provided the paddock on the outskirts of town to run the lambs for up to 10 weeks.
The 70 lambs were sold in two lots at the Naracoorte market with the first consignment of 22 sold in late May averaging $216.
The remainder, which were sold last week, still topped at $160.
Twice a year, teams in the Shitbox Rally take on some of Australia's toughest roads in vehicles worth less than $1500 as a fundraiser for Cancer Council.
In October, Erin and Shannon will drive a rusty AU Falcon through the red dirt of outback Qld and SA from Port Douglas to Adelaide via Birdsville.
They have grabbed the keys to the late 1990s model station wagon from the original Lucindale Survivors Rohan Giles and Andrew Wilkes, who completed a rally in the car in 2020 from Alice Springs to the Gold Coast in Qld via the Gulf of Carpentaria.
At the time Erin and Shannon helped the boys with their fundraising efforts so jumped at the chance to have their own adventure when Rohan was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and unable to commit to another rally.
"It is a very good cause, I am lucky enough in my life that I haven't lost anyone in my immediate family but plenty of friends, each of us are dedicating our rally to someone - mine was only 16 years old when he died," Erin said.
Shannon has dedicated her trip to her husband's cousin Donna, who was only in her 40s when she lost a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
The success of the lamb drive - along with a charity golf day and selling meat tray raffle tickets each week - has the Lucindale Survivors pass the half way mark of their fundraising goal.
They also have a mega goods and services auction planned for September 17, which they are keen for more donations for.
"We just want to beat the boys even if it is just by one dollar, they raised $68,000," Shannon said.
"We are at $36,700 but everything will start to ramp up now we are getting closer to the trip."
