Monday, 8 March 2021
Maleny District Sport & Recreation Club Community Newsletter The Travelling Jackaroo Gets Ready to Ride….. Maleny’s Sam Hughes is 18 years old, not too long ago passed his driving test – and is about to embark on a gap year adventure like no other. Also known as the Travelling Jackaroo, Sam is just about to hit the road in the outback trip of a lifetime, as he prepares to travel 13,500 kilometres on a bright orange tractor. Maleny locals will recognise the young man, who regularly drives into the
main street of Maleny on the weekends. “Most kids have a gap year,” he says. “I love tractors and I thought, why not do something different?” Sam will be driving a fully restored Chamberlain 9G tractor on a yet-to-be nalised route across the Australian outback, fundraising for three charities along the way. “I will be stopping in all the major country town to fundraise,” he says. “The tractor only goes 45 to 50 kilometres per hour, so it should be interesting.” He has also had built a customised trailer to tow a car and store essential items, and as if he wasn’t a conversation starter enough, the trailer has been tted with the fuselage of an old plane on top.
“I actually bought a plane wreckage Photo: Maleny Rotary’s Ric Townsend with Sam (thanks from Caboolture to Clive Waring of Maleny Wedding Photography)
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Maleny District Sport and Recreation Club Inc
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Maleny District Sport & Recreation Club Community Newsletter
Air eld a while ago and I was thinking I would do it up and put it on top of a shed or something,” Sam says. “Then when I started planning this I thought, hey, what if put the plane on the roof of the trailer?” With one of his chosen charities being the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Sam has been in touch with the charity to have the plane, which will double as a sleeping space for his long journey, painted to look like a working aircraft. “I chose the Royal Flying Doctors Service because if you speak to anyone in the bush, everyone knows someone who has been saved by them.” Sam is also supporting Dolly’s Dream, to raise awareness for bullying, and Lights on the Hill Trucking Memorial, in recognition of the sacri ces truck drivers make to do their job. “I think it’s important to give back and I have grown up being taught if you have money to spend you have money to give.” Sam says he is very grateful for the support he’s received from local business and organisations Continued Next Page https://malenysportandrec.org.au/