Postie and priest team wins a rally
Reflections
“The rally reminded me that you can lose touch with people who don’t go to church…I think Christians need to spend time with others who think differently and with people who disagree. The Church is not meant to be a club of people who all think the same and agree — it’s meant to be a voice that proclaims hope and justice,” says Bishop Sarah Plowman
Last year was a big year for Darius and me as a married couple. Three of our girls finished Grade 12, so we were keen to do something adventurous together.
We got a taste of traveling in the West in 2023 while visiting Thargomindah and Cameron Corner, and we loved it. So we looked around for a further adventure and decided upon the Great Endeavour Rally — a 10-day rally car fundraiser and competition. Our team name was “The Postie and the Priest” (Darius has worked for Australia Post for 25 years and manages posties).
“Big Red is the largest sandhill in the Simpson Desert. “The Postie and the Priest” had no trouble climbing it during the 2024 Great Endeavour Rally,” Bishop Sarah Plowman (Photo by Chris Munro)
The rally has been going for 73 years. We covered three states and 4,500 kilometres from Roma to the Sturt National Park in NSW, across into South Australia up the Innamincka Track, back into to Birdsville and up to Longreach. The rally goes to different places each time. Last year it went from Cairns to the Cape.
The rally raises money for the Endeavour Foundation’s Supported Employment program. The Supported Employment program helps people with disability to learn new skills, earn money, be confident at work, make new friends, contribute in a safe and accessible space, make a real difference, and feel job satisfaction in a rewarding job.
Every team needs to raise a minimum of $5,000 for the Endeavour Foundation to participate in the rally. We did a Bunnings barbie and friends generously sponsored us so we could raise these funds.
There were five Endeavour Foundation clients participating in our 22 August to 1 September rally — they were an absolute hoot. They drove cars with support and were an integral part of the event.
One of the participating Supported Employees was the same age as me. Every morning she greeted me with “Good morning, young lady.” I greeted her similarly and looked forward to her greeting every morning. After the rally, I let her know that her morning greeting buoyed me for the day.
Every person in the rally had their unique role to play — it was just gorgeous.
The rally book that guided us through the trip featured a number of people who work for the Endeavour Foundation in a Supported Employment role. One of the profiles was a man named Simon — I recognised his image and read his story. I was delighted to read about how important his Anglican parish is to him — and what’s more, I’m sure I used to go to Anglican Youth Ministry Camps with him. I am hoping to see him soon so I can tell him I recognised him and enjoyed reading his story.
We took the car we regularly drive — a 2010 Mitsubishi Pajero. We call it our “camping car”. Each participating car is fitted with a “RallySafe” unit, which is a global tracking and timing system. This unit ensures rally participants are always in contact with the rally organisers and are able to communicate even when mobile phones are out of range.
The RallySafe unit measures the average vehicle speed and tracks the vehicle — this determines the winning rally team. You lose points if you speed, go too slow or get lost. We were tootling along having a lovely time and somehow ended up with the greatest number of points. We received a massive trophy.
We navigated “old school” with a book. The book had a series of instructions that we followed — things like “RGHR [road goes hard right]” or “Caution: HTS [hard to see] bog hole”. You are constantly on the go.
There were 50 teams and 200 participants, including support vehicles, such as a tow truck (which was well used), Komatsu mechanics, the Australian Army (who helped transport gear and offered their mechanical skills) and medical support.
One night the Army guys worked until 11pm when a car had transmission fluid issues, even seeking a part from a town a long way away. They did this for half a dozen cars during the rally.
One of the things that stood out to me during the rally is how total strangers can work together for a common purpose to make amazing things happen.
Fellow participants always sought to help one another; for example, if there was a flat tyre. At one point, there was a mix-up because word got out that a Pajero had a flat tyre. This meant that people came to our aid before we let them know that another Pajero must be in need of their assistance.
Another rally car — a Suzuki Mighty Boy — kept overheating if it idled. It had no air-conditioning in the 40-degree heat. Because cars had to start in spurts every morning — literally waiting for the dust to settle between starts — the Mighty Boy kept overheating. This meant that it needed to be pushed, with the ignition off, progressively up to the start line. Everyone got out of their vehicles and gave them a hand to push it. The Mighty Boy drivers were two young guys in their early 20s who just wanted to have an adventure. I honestly don’t know how their car got there in the end — it was a two-wheel drive and somehow made it through the mud. It got to the end through sheer persistence and people generously helping. They didn’t win, but they were certainly the sentimental favourites of all drivers.
“The youthful team in the Mighty Boy had difficulty in the heat during the 2024 Great Endeavour Rally, but showed that teamwork and perseverance can achieve great things,” Bishop Sarh Plowman (Photo by Chris Munro
I loved the rhythm and routine of each day. We were up at dawn with a cup of tea. As the sun set later in the day, being the West, we turned in after a glass of wine. We felt so connected with the life around us, hearing the birds in the morning and the crickets at night from our tents.
After breakfast we received a briefing about any potential hazards, as well as information about what towns we were going to pass through that day.
“Strong winds blowing across a granite landscape in the Sturt National Park near Tibooburra in NSW refreshed travellers during the 2024 Great Endeavour Rally,” Bishop Sarah Plowman (pictured with husband Darius)
The local people loved meeting us — we received beautiful hospitality everywhere we went. They were proud to show off their school or pub or racetrack. There was a great sense of pride in the communities we visited. It was also great to spend money in the towns and contribute to their economy.
On this trip about half of the participants were first-timers, while others were regulars. The regulars often referred to their “rally family” and shared that the rally was the highlight of their year.
One man — a regular rally participant, Sooty — sadly lost his mother on the trip. He said that the rally family helped him cope. This reminded me that belonging to community is a fundamental need of human beings. It has left me asking, “Does the Church meet this need for people?”
Broadly speaking, there were two groups of people on the rally — the pub-going partiers and the solitude-seeking stargazers. The stars in the Outback are phenomenal, by the way — it’s like the sky has been spraypainted.
We met a beautiful couple from Barcaldine. They were folk, like us, seeking some stargazing solitude. We talked about deep things with them — things that were personal. One night while we were camping in Tibooburra in the Sturt National Park, we found an isolated camping site. As we sat and stargazed together, one member of this couple said to me, “I feel completely at ease with you because you are the first Church person I have met who hasn’t judged me.” This was both sad and delightful. It was sad hearing that the person had not had good experiences of Church. It was delightful knowing that I gave her a different experience.
Several other people on the trip said, “My experience of Church hasn’t been positive, so it has been great spending time with you.” It was wonderful being the Church to them — being present in a non-judgemental way.
I had many conversations explaining that women can be priests in the Anglican Church Southern Queensland. People seemed thrilled that women could be priests and even bishops. I had the opportunity to speak after we received the trophy — this made Darius laugh because he knows I love preaching. I shared about how the Endeavour Foundation sees the intrinsic worth of every human being, just as the Church seeks to, and I spoke about how this alignment of values really resonated with me.
The rally reminded me that you can lose touch with people who don’t go to church. I need to know peoples’ hopes, dreams and desires because I can’t proclaim the gospel into a culture that I don’t know. I think Christians need to spend time with others who think differently and with people who disagree. The Church is not meant to be a club of people who all think the same and agree in all things — it’s meant to be a voice that proclaims hope and justice outside its “bricks and mortar walls”, including on desert roads in an adventurous rally.
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