Owner/Driver #339
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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND<br />
‘Electric<br />
blue’ Ford<br />
to assist<br />
MND<br />
research<br />
NTI’s latest charity fund-raising customised truck – a ’46 Ford Jailbar<br />
– will be raising funds for research into motor neurone disease<br />
NATIONAL TRANSPORT INSURANCE (NTI) has announced<br />
tickets are now on sale for the electric blue 1946 Jailbar<br />
truck, known as ‘Jolene’, with one lucky punter able claim<br />
the truck when the winner is drawn live on the last day<br />
of this year’s Brisbane Truck Show, Sunday, May 16.<br />
The truck dubbed ‘Jolene’ took 1,500 hours to restore<br />
and was more difficult than the previous three vehicles<br />
because of the restrictions imposed under COVID-19, says<br />
NTI’s Don Geer.<br />
“I’m very proud of the result, which is a lovely mix of<br />
old and new technology, allowing for ‘Jolene’ to be driven<br />
every day,” Geer says.<br />
This is the third such model to be restored by the<br />
company and offered as a raffle prize to raise funds for<br />
motor neurone disease (MND) research.<br />
The raffle money will then be donated to MND and<br />
Me and MND Research Australia to fund NTI’s official<br />
research grant.<br />
The University of Queensland’s Dr Shu Ngo and Dr<br />
Adam Walker were the recipients of last year’s NTI<br />
research grant, which was funded through the auction of<br />
NTI’s 2020 restoration truck, also a 1946 Ford nicknamed<br />
‘Black Beauty’.<br />
“We’re making mini-3D spinal cords in a dish so we can<br />
understand how all the different cell types in the spinal<br />
cord might interact to drive the death of neurons in<br />
MND,” Dr Ngo says.<br />
“The research that we do here at the University of<br />
Queensland is an important part of a bigger puzzle.<br />
We work collaboratively with MND researchers around<br />
the world, asking questions that aren’t being replicated<br />
anywhere else, in the hope when all the pieces come<br />
together, we’ll be able to find the answer to MND.”<br />
NTI CEO Tony Clark said the company had raised<br />
almost $534,000 for MND research in the last five years, in<br />
honour of late CEO Wayne Patterson, who was diagnosed<br />
with the condition in 2015 and later lost his battle.<br />
“I’m very proud of the<br />
result, which is a lovely<br />
mix of old and new<br />
technology.”<br />
“It’s vital we find a cure for MND as, every day<br />
in Australia, two people die from the debilitating<br />
condition,” Clark says.<br />
Two people a day are also diagnosed with the disease,<br />
while more than 2,100 Australians live with MND, which<br />
can affect adults of any age.<br />
“The commitment NTI has shown to funding MND<br />
research is unique in Australia and means researchers<br />
can continue their work to find a cure or effective<br />
treatment for MND,” Clark says.<br />
“But none of this would be made possible without<br />
our industry partners, who jump on board each and<br />
every time with the same level of commitment and<br />
enthusiasm. It’s a team effort.”<br />
Tickets for ‘Jolene’ are now on sale online at<br />
www.nti.com.au with 100 per cent of proceeds going to<br />
medical research.<br />
Right: NTI’s Don Geer says ‘Jolene’ is a mix of old and new<br />
technology<br />
Below: Interior of the NTI truck shows the resto-mod theme<br />
which extends to the modern Isuzu drivetrain underneath,<br />
which pumps out 148hp (110kW) and 286ft-lb (385Nm)<br />
38 APRIL 2021 ownerdriver.com.au