NTI is accelerating progress in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND), raising an additional $468,000 for medical research through our annual truck raffle.
Crowds gathered at the NTI Supercars event in Townsville (11–13 July) to see who won this year’s much-anticipated prize. 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.
This year’s lucky winner, Robert Monks from Hobart, Tasmania, took home the keys – but the real victory was the milestone reached for MND research. Since launching seven years ago, NTI’s raffles have now raised just shy of $3 million to support critical research.
“It’s life-changing and certainly a phone call I’ll never forget,” Robert Monks said. “I entered to support a great cause, and winning a prize like this still feels surreal. You only dream of winning things like this.”
“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,” Ms Greene said.
“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% of cases having no known cause.
“NTI’s truck raffles aren’t just a prize, they’re a symbol of hope,” Ms 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 Berghofer 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”.
NTI thanks our partners who made this year’s prize possible and all who bought a ticket to help raise funds for life-saving research.