Travelling over 1,300 kilometres in 8 days across two states is an almighty task in itself, but for Dubbo’s David Ward and his long-time friend Derek Blomfield, of Quirindi, it has been nothing but an adventure for all the right reasons.
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Mr Ward and Mr Blomfield were part of the 2017 KidzFix Rally, as the team Two Dads, where they are raised funds to NETS, a service which transports critically ill newborns and children, including premature babies, to the few intensive care units (ICU) in NSW and the Australian Capital Territory capable of treating them.
It's a cause close to the Two Dads' hearts.
Mr Ward's son, Lucas, was born 11-and-a-half weeks prematurely at Dubbo Base Hospital, while Mr Blomfield's son, Patrick, was born at 27 weeks gestation at Tamworth Base Hospital.
Both babies would have died if it weren't for NETS transporting them to hospitals in Sydney where they could get the specialist treatment they needed.
The annual KidzFix Rally started at Ballina on Friday, September 8 and finished at Dubbo on September 16, with the proceeds of the nine-day charity event to go to projects in the Western NSW Local Health District (LHD).
Health services at Collarenebri, Nyngan, Brewarrina, Condobolin, Rylstone, Lightning Ridge, Coonamble, Coonabarabran, Wellington and Coolah will all receive a ‘Neo Puff’ device.
From Ballina the rally travelled west to Tenterfield, Goondiwindi and St George in Queensland before turning south towards Lightning Ridge.
They will then head to Nyngan, before travelling to an ‘overnight mystery location’, before the adventure concludes at Dubbo this Saturday.
When the Western Magazine spoke to David Ward on Tuesday, (day 6) they were in Lightning Ridge and Mr Ward said they were “tracking along well.”
“We’re just over halfway at the moment,” he said during the well deserved stop in Lightning Ridge.
“It’s funny, the days have gone by really quick.. it just feels really relaxing following the routes and course notes.”
Mr Ward and Blomfield have become somewhat of a online sensation on their Facebook page Two Dads.
As well as keeping their followers up-to-date on where they stopped at and who they’d visited, Mr Ward and Mr Blomfield also showed off their singing skills with their own version of car pool karaoke.
One such video raked up almost 2000 views on Facebook.
Mr Ward said it had been very humbling having the opportunity to meet the people they have, which has included schools and farmers.
“We get to meet amazing people who are doing it tough. It’s very dry on the land, they’re hurting,” he said.
“But on the upside we’re having a lot of fun and we’ve met a lot of people and we get to have a laugh.”
For more information please visit www.kidzfix.com.au
Or search ‘Two Dads’ on Facebook.