It's a long drive from Queensland to Victoria, even longer when you're towing a hand-made river raft the whole way.
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Members of the Pittsworth and District Men's Shed were greeted with a feast when they arrived in Dubbo on Thursday, August 3, on route from their home town in rural Queensland to Yarrawonga in Victoria.
There, the group will set off on a 600 kilometre trip down the Murray River to Swan Hill on a raft they constructed over 12 months in an effort to raise $100,000 for the It's a Bloke Thing Foundation.
Kevin Sinclair, president, said the Dubbo Community Men's Shed was happy to support their Queensland counterparts.
"So many men have gone through prostate cancer and we totally understand where these chaps are coming from - it's an excellent cause," Mr Sinclair said.
"Several of our members here have had serious operations in the last two or three years so we fully support what they're doing."
Pittsworth and District Men's Shed president Merv Hinneberg was the brains behind the raft journey. Although he can't swim, he's confident he and three mates from the shed will be able to finish the trip.
"I used to live on the Murray at Swan Hill and I always wanted to know what it would be like to travel on the river but I never got the opportunity," Mr Hinneberg explained.
"Now at 70 years of age I decided that I will do it, my wife thought I was crazy and some of the guys at the Men's Shed thought I was crazy but then they started looking at what they can do and here we are ready to go."
As well as raising money for the cause, Mr Hinneberg said he hopes the journey will help spread awareness about the importance of prostate checks. The Pittsworth and District Men's Shed recently lost a member to prostate cancer.
According to data from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, one in five Australian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer by age 85 and, in 2022, over 24,000 Australian men were diagnosed.
"It's really important to get tested and it's amazing how many people haven't been. You talk to a group of men and ask them to hold their hand up whether they've had a test and they don't," Mr Hinneberg said.
"The shed here in Dubbo has donated $500 and the It's a Bloke Thing Foundation attracts a dollar for dollar subsidy so that $500 donation now becomes $1000."
Donations can be made directly to the appeal through the Pittsworth and District Men's Shed.
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