Not Lost, Just Looking

For Jo-Ann Clout and Jodee White, the Shitbox Rally has become a regular event.

“We thought it’d be a really good thing to get involved in because it raises money for cancer but also you get to say ‘shitbox’ all the time,” laughed Jo-Ann.

“It just entertained me that I could run around saying ‘shitbox’ all the time but for a really good cause.”

Jo-Ann and Jodee are a pair of fun-loving friends who love a laugh, a challenge and an adventure, but the Shitbox Rally is also a cause extremely close to their hearts.

Both of their lives have been rattled by cancer and they’re out to do what they can to help.

Shitbox Shenanigans For Cancer Research

Image: Jo-Ann and Jodee will venture from Mackay to Darwin in their Toyota Camry they’ve named ‘Brictoria’. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

When a friend of Jo-Ann Clout mentioned a change in the freckle on her nose, she thought little of it.

She briefly mentioned it the next time she went to the doctor who also thought little of it but referred her for a biopsy.

The freckle had pre-cancerous cells for a very aggressive cancer and, had Jo-Ann’s friend not spoken up, she could have lost her life.

Since then, too many people in Jo-Ann’s and co-driver Jodee White’s lives have faced the battle.

“Too many are lost, and we all need to do as much as we can to change that,” said Jo-Ann.

Jo-Ann and Jodee are ‘Not Lost, Just Looking’, and they will embark on their third Shitbox Rally tomorrow, Saturday, October 15, when the rally departs Mackay on a seven-day journey to Darwin.

The Shitbox Rally has raised over $31 million for the Cancer Council since its inception in 2009.

“It’s events like this that raise money that goes towards cancer research that really make the difference to people’s lives,” Jo-Ann said.

Mackay locals, Jo-Ann and Jodee became friends through their involvement in the local SES and completed their first rally in 2019, driving across the country in 10 days.

“We lost the starter motor on day three, we had no shockies, no air con, four songs on our playlist – it was an adventure,” Jo-Ann said.

“At the end of ten days, we just said we’re never doing another rally, we’re done.

“Then they announced the Mackay to Darwin route, and we thought it was a sign.”

They’re about to hit the road on their third rally in a Toyota Camry that they’ve painted and named ‘Brictoria’.

“We paid $400 for it, and we’ve had to do a little bit of work to it but it’s running like a treat now,” Jo-Ann said.

The Shitbox Rally is usually made up of 500-600 passionate people and Jo-Ann said she loves the camaraderie of the event.

“Our buddy group on the last rally were amazing,” she said.

“We’d sit down at the end of the day and just chat and share stories.

“They were just such lovely people, from South Australia, Canberra, Gold Coast, Newcastle.

“We all come from different places, but we all have a common goal.

“They call it the rally family, and it really is,”

Not Lost, Just Looking has raised funds with the assistance of not-for-profit service organisation Education Service Association (ESA), other local sponsors and by running paint-and-sip evenings and Jo-Ann has thanked the Mackay community for their support.

“They’ve supported us over three rallies now, just for turning up for our fundraising events … and the interest that we get on our social media,”

To follow Not Lost, Just Looking’s journey or to donate, find their page on Facebook.

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