-Defence teams do the NZDF proud
Celebrating at the end of the Challenge
Three New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) teams headed off from Auckland on 1 October, with only $10 and the challenge to get to Queenstown in three days.
The NZDF teams were:
- Navy: Sub-Lieutenant Fraser Toulmin and Sub-Lieutenant Darcy Topp
- Army: Second Lieutenants Nick Fuller and Ruth Tautari
- Air Force: Flight Lieutenant Barbara Finlayson and Pilot Officer Sean McKeogh.
The teams were part of the Accor Queenstown $10 Challenge, a major fundraiser for Cure Kids – a charity which funds medical research into life-threatening conditions that affect children.
As well as finding their own transport during the challenge, the 28 teams taking part also had to complete a number of physical, mental and creative activities.
Completing the challenge
The first challenge was a ‘pimp my ride’ which saw the Navy team in a limousine, Army in a recovery vehicle and Air Force in a model helicopter on the back of a truck.
The event was a huge success and raised a record $400,000 for Cure Kids. This will be used to help fund the national screening programme for inherited heart diseases, as well as other vital medical research into children’s illnesses. Cure Kids General Manager, Simon Duffy, said the amount raised was exceptional. ‘Everyone involved in the race this year, including competitors, sponsors and supporters, have combined to raise a record amount of money and increase the Cure Kids profile throughout the country. The event just gets bigger every year and it’s an absolutely outstanding result.’
Our three Defence teams really did the NZDF proud. Not only did they raise an amazing $32,000 for Cure Kids, they promoted our core values to the public as they raced from Auckland to Queenstown.
Air Force, Army and Navy teams
The event was a huge success...
Total Raised
All teams participating in the Accor Queenstown $10 Challenge were targeted with raising $7,000 for Cure Kids. All of the NZDF teams were successful in meeting and exceeding this target. Totals raised by the Services are as follows:
- Navy $12,386.75
- Army $11,652.60
- Air Force $7,783.78
Personal Experience
FLTLT Barbara Finlayson, based at Woodbourne, won the spirit of the race award for giving above and beyond throughout the challenge.
Barbara reflects on her experience: ‘The best part was meeting the Cure Kids ambassadors in each city and hearing their stories. That was the inspiration each day to get up, and run or hitch in the wind and rain or the sunshine, for these incredibly brave, wonderful children.
FLTLT Barbara Finlayson
The most difficult challenge was the bungy. Thank heaven only one team member had to jump! I collected money while Sean jumped. And what a spectacular jump it was! Man, he did us proud – a ‘super-dooper dunk’ that only saw his boots above the water line.
Overall, this event introduced us all to new groups of people – wonderful competitors, the public who we were able to meet and talk with about life in the Air Force, the kids themselves, who were the whole purpose of the race, and the Cure Kids organisers, who are very special people. Their clued-up staff thought up all the challenges and were awesome. The public relations work that was carried out by all three Services during the challenge was amazing. There isn’t a dollar figure attached to the value of us being out there in the public doing this type of work. A huge positive is that Cure Kids fund medical research for many illnesses so, by Defence supporting this, we are helping a large number of sick children.
Having CAF and WOAF see us off in Auckland was awesome too and the public were really impressed that they were there.
Points Tally
In the overall points tally, the winners were:
- 1st: Swat Squad (567 points)
- 2nd: ZM FM team (563 points)
- 3rd: Navy Brass Monkey team (558 points)
- 12th: Army Red team (495 points)
- 15th: Air Force team Steps Up (474 points)