IN PICTURES: Albany Drive for MND celebration pushes fundraising total to more than $260K

A convoy of 27 cars rolled into Albany on Friday to celebrate the ninth annual Drive for MND which has raised more than $262,000. Drivers set off from Perth across the south of the State on Friday to raise awareness and funds to help find a cure for motor neurone disease. All funds raised will go to WA charity Care Cure Support, which aims to help uncover what causes MND, care for people living with MND, support their families, and eventually find a cure. More than 200 people celebrated the end of the drive and made a final fundraising push at Albany’s Six Degrees at an event organised by the venue’s music co-ordinator, Fraser Richardson. A family member of Mr Richardson’s, Neale France, was diagnosed with the degenerative disease in October last year. Six Degrees was heaving as fundraisers dug deep to support the cause, with 10 bands and a charity auction raising more than $70,000. Former West Coast Eagles star Matt Priddis helped auction off a piece of memorabilia signed by all WA Brownlow medallists, while 6PR’s Oliver Petersen hosted a live broadcast from Albany. Mr Richardson thanked the local musicians for volunteering their time and the staff for pulling off the event. “It was absolutely amazing — the best thing that personally I have ever done apart from have a baby and get married,” he said. “It raised awareness, and everyone that was there on the night had been affected at some point or knew people that have been affected, and it was just awesome that the whole community rallied together.”