Transport and logistics insurance provider, NTI, has announced the winner of its annual truck raffle, with a further $468,000 raised this year for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research.
This year, the prize wasn’t a truck. Instead, for the first time, the prize featured not one but two vehicles – a Toyota Tundra hybrid Ute named ‘Dusty’ and a New Age Manta Ray 19ft off-road expedition caravan.
NTI announced the winner during the NTI Supercars event in Townsville over the weekend (July 11-13) – with Robert Monks from Hobart, Tasmania, taking out the incredible prize.
Since launching seven years ago, NTI’s annual raffles have raised just under $3 million to support critical MND research.
Monks said he entered the competition to support a great cause – and finding out he was the lucky winner feels surreal.
“It’s life-changing and certainly a phone call I’ll never forget,” Monks said.
“I’m incredibly grateful to NTI, not just for this amazing prize, but for the work they’re doing to support MND research.”
“I can’t wait to put the vehicle to good use. There’ll be plenty of camping trips around Tassie that’s for sure.”
NTI CEO Janelle Greene said the initiative has a deep meaning for the company.
“This cause is close to our hearts at NTI. We lost a former CEO and friend, Wayne Patterson, to MND in 2018. Since then, we’ve been committed to honouring his legacy by supporting life-changing research,” Greene explained.
“We want to use our voice and the support of our industry to help find answers. Every ticket sold gets us one step closer.”
MND remains a largely unexplained disease, with around 90 per cent of cases having no known cause.
“NTI’s truck raffles aren’t just a prize, they’re a symbol of hope,” Greene said. “Every day, two Australians are diagnosed with MND, and tragically, two lives are lost.”
NTI partners with the MND and Me Foundation to ensure that 100 per cent of funds raised through the raffle go directly to supporting research grants.
Over the years, NTI’s grant has funded research at the University of Queensland, the Queensland Brain Institute, and the Clive Berghoffer Medical Institute.
The 2024 NTI Research Grant recipient, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute’s Dr Lotta Oikari is using stem cells to study MND with the aim to better understand the disease and find new treatments.
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