Townsville’s Todd Martin is a campaigner.
For more than 15 years he’s promoted, cajoled and sold the merits of various local charities all in the name of raising funds.
Todd has been associated with Townsville’s Convoy for the Cure for 10 years since meeting The Cure Starts Now stalwart Ren Pedersen.
Ren has been relentless in pursuing a cure since his daughter died from a brain stem cancer called DIPG, or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, which afflicts children.
Todd had originally helped organise convoy for the benefit of Camp Quality, which left town leaving an opportunity wide open for The Cure Starts Now.
They had raised more than $700,000 via Convoy for the Cure in the last decade, Todd said.
He said he admired the generosity in the transport community including Townsville Stevedoring company NSS, which is the event naming rights sponsor for the second consecutive year.
“If you look at people who give the most in life, it’s those that work the hardest, whether they be white-collar or blue-collar. And particularly in the trucking industry, you’ll find a lot of those people are family orientated.
“They’re either owner-drivers or they work for larger groups or corporations. They’re just hardworking people and they’re pretty fair dinkum. They call a spade a spade.
“Trucking and the bike people are the same because a lot of truck owners own bikes and vice versa.”
NSS was planning to beat its combined 2024 donation and fundraising effort of $25,000 this year to again claim the pole convoy position given to the highest fundraiser.
NSS manages the discharge and loading of ships through the Ports of Townsville, Mackay and Gladstone. It also has a fleet of trucks that run west as far as Mount Isa and north to Ingham carrying bulk produce and concentrate.
The convoy of 200 vehicles is expected to stretch more than 10km as it winds its way through Townsville from Webb Drive in the Bohle to Ross Dam Park on May 25.