Since our article in March 2021 about Old Boy Sam Hughes (2020), aka The Travelling Jackaroo, it’s hard to believe that it is almost a year since he set off from Maleny in his fully restored 1957 Chamberlain 9G tractor named ‘Slim’. With a large bright orange trailer in tow and a small Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) aircraft replica on top, the motivation for Sam’s journey is raising money for numerous charities. Over the past 11 months, not only has Sam raised more than $51,000 for the RFDS, but he has also brought incredible awareness to their work and that of Dolly's Dream. He has even picked up a faithful companion on the way; a rescue dog named Bitsa.

Sam’s passion for helping people and talking about mental health continues to not only inspire his 95,000 followers on his social media pages but indeed everyone with whom he comes into contact throughout his journey around Australia. So much so that Sam has been announced as the winner for the Brisbane region in 2021 RFDS Local Hero Awards, which recognises Queenslanders who have donated their time and energy to help keep the Flying Doctor flying. The overall winner will receive a $7,500 grant to promote healthcare in their community. Sam says if he wins the community grant he'd love to work with TradeMutt, co-founded by fellow Old Boy Ed Ross (2010), to start more conversations about mental health.

Let's show Sam our support by voting for him! Please click here to cast your vote and then click here to watch Sam's story about his journey so far. Voting closes on 27 February 2022.

If you wish to support Sam in his fundraising efforts, click here to donate to the RFDS and or click here to donate to Dolly’s Dream.

To see how Sam’s plan has evolved from concept to reality and to follow his continuing journey, please click here to check out his Facebook page, The Travelling Jackaroo.