Media Release

5 April 2006

Four Wheel Drive Angels Gear Up to Spread the Word

A team of 40 angels in a special group of four-wheel-drives will leave Eden in New South Wales to promote kidney health awareness in regional and rural Australia in the tenth annual Kidney 4WD Adventure.

Kidney Health Australia CEO Anne Wilson said: "The Four-Wheel-Drive Angels, who have raised thousands of dollars for Kidney Health Australia programs, play an important part in taking our health messages to rural and regional Australia.

"One of the major problems for country people, especially those on dialysis, can be the vast distances they have to travel for treatment, and in this year's messages we will be promoting the move to home dialysis programs to overcome the tyranny of distance."

Entrants this year are from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, comprising fifteen intrepid drivers with their committed navigators, children and volunteer officials - in total 40 people and 15 vehicles will take part.

The Kidney 4WD Adventure combines the fun and thrills associated with four-wheel driving and camping in the great outdoors, whilst raising much-needed funds for Kidney Health Australia.

Ms Wilson said: "This ten-day event is instrumental in raising awareness of our organisation and kidney disease in rural and regional Australia."

Event date 11- 20 April 2006

Start/Finish Locations

11th April, Day One - Eden - Buchan (Vic)
Start - 9:00 - St Josephs Catholic School
Lunch-13:00 - Tubbut Public School
Finish - 16:00 - Buchan - Tour of Buchan Caves

12th April, Day Two - Buchan - Woods Point
Start - 7:30 - Buchan
Lunch-12:00 - Dargo
Finish - 17:00 - Woods Point

13 April, Day Three - Woods Point - Healesville
Start - 7:30 - Woods Point
Finish - 12:00 - Healesville - Tour of Healesville Sanctuary

14 April, Good Friday, Day Four - Healesville - Camperdown
Start - 7:00 - Healesville
Lunch-12: 00 - Beech Forrest (Otway Fly)
Finish - 17:00 - Camperdown

15th April, Easter Saturday, Day Five - Camperdown - Murrawong Homestead
Start - 7:30 - Camperdown
Lunch-12:00 - Halls Gap
Finish - 16:30 - Murrawong Homestead (25km Nth Kaniva)

16th April, Easter Sunday, Day Six - Murrawong - Ouyen
Start - 7:00 - Murrawong Homestead
Lunch-12:00 - Rainbow
Finish - 15:30 - Ouyen

17 April, Easter Monday, Day Seven - Ouyen - Echuca
Start - 7:30 - Ouyen
Lunch-12:00 - Lake Boga (Catalina Flying Boat Museum)
Finish - 14:00 - Echuca

18th April, Day Eight - Echuca - Collingullie
Start - 7:30 - Echuca
Lunch-11:30 - Beechworth (Beechworth Bakery)
Finish - 16:00 - Collingullie (20km West Wagga Wagga)

19th April, Day Nine - Collingullie - Grenfell
Start - 8:00 - Collingullie
Finish - 12:00 - Grenfell

20th April, Day Ten - Grenfell - Lithgow
Start - 7:30 - Grenfell
Lunch-12:00 - Sofala (40km Nth Bathurst)
Finish - 16:30 - Lithgow

Entrants Kidney 4WD Adventure 2006:
Media contacts for drivers:

Driver

Four-wheel-drive vehicle name

Home location

Mobile number for media comment

Bob Ingram

Bushranger

Healesville, VIC

0418 582 867

Tracy Ingram

Bushy's Angels

Healesville, VIC

0427 355 241

Robert Jenkins

Wolf in Jeeps Clothing

Tregear, NSW

NA

Leeanne Rotondo

Firey Ones

West Ryde, NSW

0412 205 321

Nicholas Poriters

Team Joey

Sutherland, NSW

0400 901 875

James White

Jay Jay

Shortland, NSW

0419 619 407

Ian Ashton

Hunter F Troupe

Coal Point, NSW

0438 249 155

Don Oslear

The Rescuers

Mittagong, NSW

0427 916 743

Fred White

Ranger Fred & the Princess

Buff Point, NSW

0418 435 470

Cheryl Wolfenden

Irish Stew

Willoughby, NSW

0428 581 697

Paul Anderson

High Rollin 4x4

Ingleburn, NSW

0410 605 965

Nick Ridgewell

K2

Lane Cove, NSW

0408 418 642

Duncan Stickels

Recovery

Victoria Point, QLD

0409 551 445

Len Starkey

Kidney Kare

Caboolture, QLD

0419 740 959

Fred Wright

4WD Monthly

Concord West, NSW

NA

Tony Bell

Technical Director

Ryde, NSW

0427 668 980

Media Enquiries:
Anne Wilson CEO Kidney Health Australia Mobile: 0400 165 391
Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications (03) 9818 5700 Mobile: 0417 329 201

Drivers and officials for media comment:
Tony Bell (02) 9359 6145 Mobile: 0427 668 980 NSW
On the road Duncan Stickels (07) 3207 0360 Mobile: 0409 551 445 QLD
On the road Bob and Tracy Ingram (03) 5962 3621 VIC

www.kidney.org.au

Kidney Fast Facts
Operation Angel 4WD Adventure will help consolidate awareness of the need to increase organ donation in Australia and the need for people to ask their doctor for a kidney health check.
  • Half a million Australians may be affected by early kidney disease, yet it often goes undiagnosed and untreated
  • A person can lose up to 90 percent of kidney function before even feeling sick
  • One in 35 adults have signs of chronic kidney damage
  • 52,000 have severe kidney function impairment or kidney failure
  • 500,000 have protein in the urine - of these ¾ have either high blood pressure or early diabetes
  • In both diabetics and non-diabetics conclusive evidence shows that the tendency to progress relentlessly into kidney failure can be slowed to half the natural rate or better with the proper medications and management plan.
  • 13,700 patients are alive on Australia's dialysis and transplant programs.
  • There are 1400 Australians waiting for a kidney transplant. One person a week dies while they wait.