MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Mini Run Set to Raise Record Funds
A Bream Bay family are having an unusual gathering this Easter: driving the length of New Zealand in two tiny cars over six days, they'll raise record sums for charity and celebrate beating, together, a serious disease.
One Tree Point resident Murray Hemsley bought himself "the hottest Mini in the Waikato" some 35 years ago. It made a lasting impression. "It was a swine of a thing! It was modified, had a big, lumpy cam; it pulled 80mph in third gear. The motor blew up; it cost me a lot of money. It was one of those cars that your parents say 'don't buy', because it had been raced, rallied and rolled." Driving lessons Soon after, Ministry of Education employee Murray sold the car to buy an engagement ring for his now-wife, Annie, a nurse. Together they had four daughters - Sarah (now 34), Naomi (now McRae, 33), Miri- am (now Tuck, 27) and Hannah (24). A Mini was the preferred option for driving lessons. Years later, Annie bought Murray an identical 1965 Morris Cooper in Dunedin. Murray coaxed its 997cc engine over a northward version of the route taken in the "world-famous-in-New-Zealand" movie, Good- bye Pork Pie (from Invercargill to Kaitaia). Then in 2009, Murray and a friend, Northland resident Rod Harris, had an idea: they would commemorate the 50th anniversary of the renowned car going into production, with a Kiwi answer to Europe's "Italian Job" Mini tour. Pork Pie provided the route, and funds raised went to Starship Children's Hospital. In 2011, people contacted the Hemsley’s asking them to repeat the event, this time in honour of the 30th anniversary of the film. Again, Starship benefited.
New charity, new wheels
This year, the Run has a new charity: Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBC). Murray says they are on track to set a new Run fundraising record for the new cause. There are also new wheels. Although they've kept the 1965 model, Murray and Annie have upgraded to a 2002 Cooper S with a worked, 1275cc engine. "It was electronically timed at 185kmh, pretty good for a Mini. It's got a different carb, the engine was rebuilt by a guy who used to build race motors in Dunedin." The four girls will share the roughly 1,400km drive in Naomi's 200 Cooper S. Langs Beach resident Miriam agrees on the Mini charm. "It's like driving a go-cart, they're super-fast. The new one feels close to the road, but the old one – you get in and you can feel every part of the road. It's very cool." It’s personal The Hemsley’s say organizing the Run is worth all the effort. "The end product is all these happy, smiling faces driving Minis down the road," Murray explains. "And when you get to the next stop everyone's chattering and you're thinking 'We created this'. And they're all raising money for charity, and having a great time doing it." This year, the Pork Pie Run is "personal", after second sister Naomi's brush with lymphoma disease around three years ago. She is now in remission. The family says the support they received from LBC was "amazing." "This [Run] is our 'thank you'," says Murray. "She was very, very sick," he adds. "But she was brave, man. She takes after her mother." Annie smiles: "She weathered the storm." As this remarkable local family make their way south over Easter, more storms will surely come – all the challenges of NZ's toughest roads and conditions. But no doubt they'll weather those too, doing Bream Bay proud along the way. „ Support the Run and LBC: www.porkpie.co.nz. |