December 18, 2017
South Burnett motorcyclists who took part in this year’s Christmas Toy Run want to pass on a big “thank you!” to everyone who contributed to it.
On Saturday morning, the group concluded its Toy Run by gifting the Salvation Army with a mountain of soft toys and other goods donated as part of this year’s drive to help spread the joy of Christmas to disadvantaged children in the South Burnett.
The motorcyclists had spent Friday afternoon collecting Toy Run donations from drop-off points they’d set up at the Kilkivan Garage, Goomeri Bakery, Mark Smith’s Menswear in Murgon, CROW-FM’s studios in Wondai, the Wooroolin Cafe, Hit-FM’s studios and Sunshine Mitre 10 in Kingaroy, the Kumbia Service Station, Nanango Spare Parts and the Yarraman Bakery.
They delivered their collections to the Salvation Army the following day, and the Salvos will distribute the gifts to families in need this week.
Toy Run organiser Lynnsay Fryer said the response from the public had been very good – so much so that special trailers Toy Run participants had brought along for the collections were overflowing with all manner of soft toys and other gifts by the end of the day.
It had also drawn a good response from motorcyclists, with more than 70 taking part in Saturday morning’s finale.
The Toy Run was the brainchild of the Burnett branch of the Ulysses motorbike club, a social club for motorcyclists aged 40 years and over.
Locally, Ulysses are well known for the group’s contributions to local charities, and in June they announced they wanted to hold a Christmas Toy Run as a new event for the region.
Organising the Toy Run proved slightly more complex than some members had originally thought, but they persisted with the concept and were gratified with the final result.
Toy Run motorcyclists said they’d had a lot of fun putting the event together, and on Friday and Saturday many dressed in Santa Claus costumes and decorated their motorcycles with tinsel to mark the occasion.
Related articles:
Good on the motorcyclists for doing the toy run each year, and to those who contribute, so that kids who would have missed out on a toy at Christmas will now experience the joy of the season as well. And thanks to those who sponsored and attended the Mayor’s Christmas Luncheon so that those who will struggle to put food on the table this festive season will now be able to enjoy a special meal with their loved ones too. Great to see so much Christmas spirit across our region.