NTI announces winner of truck raffle, breaks fundraising record

NTI has announced that a grandfather, planning to travel to Queensland’s Cape York, is the winner of a deluxe Expedition Truck raffled to raise funds for medical research.

Ian Fuller of the Blue Mountains was named the winner at the NTI Supercars round in Townsville earlier this month. He was just handed the keys to the Expedition vehicle, which includes both a truck and a luxury motorhome.

Fuller said the timing was amazing.

“We’ve been planning a trip up to Cape York for four years but because of COVID we never got there,” Fuller said.

“On the fourth of August, we will head north as that date has been locked in for six months – so going from a little pop-up camper trailer to this Expedition Vehicle is such an amazing gift,” he said.

The Expedition Truck was the fifth to be raffled by NTI, Australia’s largest transport and logistics insurer.

NTI said it raised $555,850 for Motor Neurone Disease. With this year’s record fundraising amount, the company said the total raised for MND research has reached over $1.5 million over four years.

Related: NTI raises over $1M for Motor Neurone Disease research through unique truck raffles

Fuller said he purchased five tickets in NTI’s raffle.

“We sold our caravan last year and my wife Margaret saw the Expedition vehicle and said ‘oh that’s fantastic, it’s got extra seating for the grandkids,” he shared.

“The grandkids live 300 kilometres away, on the NSW mid-north coast and we have them every school holidays and at least one weekend a month, so it’s quite a trip to get them each time, and this truck will be great for that,” he said.

NTI CEO Tony Clark said all funds raised through the Expedition Truck ticket sales will be donated to the MND and Me Foundation for medical research.

“We are blown away so many people took part in this year’s raffle, helping to raise funds for life-saving research,” Clark said.

“Every day, two people are diagnosed and two people pass away from MND. NTI’s former CEO Wayne Patterson lost his battle with the disease in 2018 and we’ve been committed to helping find treatments ever since,” he said.

“In the past, we’ve raffled restored vehicles but this year we wanted to promote a sense of adventure and celebrate borders being open again with the Expedition Truck, and we’re thrilled Ian will be putting this vehicle to the test on his great adventure up North,” he concluded.