By Afraa Kori
Pakenham’s Clayton Curran and Kevin Curran are set for the adventure of a lifetime in May when they join a convoy of teams in Shitbox Rally, Australia’s largest independently run fundraiser for Cancer Council, now in it’s 14th year.
Corrugated Country is based out of Pakenham, Victoria and consists of Kevin and Clayton Curran, a father and son duo heading out for their second rally. Kevin is a bus driver and Clayton works in traffic management as a traffic controller.
“We see the shitbox rally as a critical and valuable tool for raising funds for the cancer council. It’s also a way to give back to local communities through fundraising and also generate public interest and support. It brings a smile to our faces, seeing people ask about what we are doing with cars that from first glance, would have no business taking on the roads we’re going to be travelling on,” they said.
“The rally is also our way to give back to the community and to make an effort to help find an end to cancer and all the heartache it brings to so many families and communities. We are expecting quite an adventure undertaking this rally. We are driving a 2006 Mazda 2 and feel confident in its abilities to make it to the finish line. We are both looking forward to the challenges this particular rally route will bring as heading to Birdsville is no easy task, especially in our shitboxes.
“One of our main initiatives for fundraising is through the collection of cans and bottles and using the 10 cents refund from the container deposit scheme towards our fundraising campaign. We would love those who reside in the Pakenham and surrounding areas to get involved and join our container deposit campaign.”
Since 2010, Shitbox Rally has been raising funds for the Cancer Council while also putting cars valued at $1,500 or less to the test in Australia’s most challenging roads. The 2025 Autumn Rally challenges 250 teams of two to drive their shitboxes from Canberra to Townsville via Birdsville from May 2-10.
Part of the participation is that each team must raise a minimum of $5,000 with a target of $2 million for the rally. Most teams raise well above this amount as proven by the Spring 2024 rally target set at $2,000,000 plus. This remarkable event has also raised more than $50 million since the first rally in 2010.
Box Rallies (Shitbox Rally, Mystery Box Rally and Lunchbox Rally) James Freeman OAM, Founder and CEO who lost both of his parents to Cancer within 12 months of each other, said “Shitbox Rally is not a race, but a reward for fundraising efforts. This is a chance to explore Australia, drawing teams from around the country to help achieve the extraordinary.”
“Way back in 2015 we did Canberra to Townsville and in 2025 for the very first time, we are repeating a route. That said, the stopovers are the same, but we are adding in more dirt this time around.
“This is a great rally to repeat due to the significant changes in terrain from the Hay Plains, the Flinders Ranges, the iconic Birdsville Track and large sections of channel country across central Queensland. What that means is new challenges for the teams each day of the rally. Starting in the Australian capital and finishing in the subtropics, with a huge amount of red dust in between, will bring endless smiles to all 500 participants!
“Teams not only pull together to help each other through the challenges of the rally itself, but also help and support each other through openness, mateship and camaraderie from people that have gone through similar hardships with their own cancer stories.”
For those wanting to show their support for not only the Corrugated Country team but for the rally itself, you can head over to Wegive fundraising page and donate towards the fundraising goal. You can also sponsor the father-son duo and have your business featured on their car and rally website.
To donate to Corrugated Country, visit: https://autumn2025.shitboxrally.com.au/corrugated-country?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2zkFTi3xy9i07Wnoxu59W-cmXpkrrFPXClnsttZneyaZhueyzsKjhNzlo_aem_18xNStHcW0T-JV4hrc7Vhw
