The drive, which started as a simple quest to raise awareness of motor neurone disease in regional Victoria, is now into its seventh year and has morphed into a marquee regional fundraiser for the fight against MND.
This year’s Daniher’s Drive will depart from the Essendon Football Club Hangar this Thursday, October 12, with a convoy of 50 cars and three buses carrying 240 people passing through Swan Hill, Shepparton and Creswick on the three-day journey.
The drive is expected to arrive in Echuca at about 11.30am on Friday, with Terry, Chris and Anthony Daniher, as well as former Melbourne players such as David Neitz and Guy Rigoni, expected to appear at Chemist Warehouse as part of the stop.
The group is also set to stop in Rochester on Friday between 3.30pm and 4.30pm in a show of support to the town as it continues its recovery from the floods.
Former Essendon player and Melbourne coach Neale Daniher, who became the co-founder and patron of FightMND after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2013, has welcomed the support from regional communities in the lead-up to this year’s drive.
“Daniher’s Drive was established to put the fun into fundraising, and we are incredibly appreciative of the wonderful support from all the regional communities in the build-up to this year’s event,” he said.
“We look forward to seeing as many people as we can on the road, at our community and night events and please help us ‘beat the beast’ by purchasing a ticket in our Daniher’s Drive Jayco caravan raffle.”
The Jayco caravan raffle is the major fundraising source for this year’s event, with the prize being a Jayco Starcraft Bushpack Caravan worth $63,790.
All funds raised from ticket sales will go towards vital MND research and care to improve the lives of people living with MND.
FightMND has donated $95 million to MND research and care initiatives since its inception, with a large portion of those funds coming from the drive.
“Thanks to our awesome teams and sponsors, and everyone who has contributed along the way since our first drive back in 2015,” Daniher said.
“I’m proud to say that since that first tyre rolled, we’ve raised over $12 million that FightMND has been able to direct towards research to find a cure and care for those people like me, living with MND.”
Tickets for the Jayco caravan raffle cost $50, and can be purchased at www.raffletix.com.au/danihersdrive2023
