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Hema’s 40th anniversary gift to the outback
Words Julija Zivanovic Pics Supplied
Hema Maps celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and we’re heading on a special 40th anniversary expedition where all profit will go to four chosen charities that make a big impact on rural Australia.
Driving in the Flinders Ranges region
Since 1983, Hema Maps has been providing Australians with the most accurate and up-to-date mapping products. To continue our 40th anniversary celebrations, we are embarking on a special one-off expedition through outback South Australia and New South Wales, where we will be joined by a number of our industry partners.
This trip will be an epic journey through some of Australia’s most iconic areas where our Map Patrol will be capturing valuable mapping data, and where we’ll be doing real-life product testing on a bunch of new products, sharing the journey with our exploration partners and creating a huge amount of content for our Hema products and channels.
Starting on 5 August, after a meet & greet and tour of the award-winning REDARC facilities in Lonsdale, SA, we’ll head north to Port Germein before swinging east, over the Shuries and onto our first stop, Bendleby Ranges Station.
Over eight days we will head north through the famous locations of the Flinders Ranges, Hawker, Warraweena Station, Mount Gill, Pinda Springs and many more, where we’ll finish up in the outback town of Broken Hill to attend the third-ever Mundi Mundi Bash.
Hema Maps has committed to all profit from the trip going to charity. We aim to raise $40,000 by our efforts and to distribute this evenly to the following four charitable organisations: Fred Hollows Foundation, The Storey Players, The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Hema Maps Executive Chairman Sam Hayward comments: “Hema is mindful of the remote communities through which we travel and work. Without these communities it would be practically impossible for Hema and fellow explorers to have the wonderful adventures we do.
“Healthy and vibrant remote communities are vital to our own well-being and existence. These four special organisations provide extraordinary assistance relating to eye health, Indigenous health, language education and storytelling, men’s health and research, and rural and regional community-led support.
“Hema is proud to support these organisations and we encourage our partners to do the same. It’s a gesture of thanks and recognition from us to them.”
Fred Hollows Foundation
For more than 20 years the Fred Hollows Foundation has been working to put an end to avoidable blindness, originally in outback and Indigenous Australia and now in developing countries worldwide. The organisation based out of Sydney is based on the principle that everyone, no matter whether rich or poor, has the right to high-quality and affordable eye care. It has since expanded to also support and ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people exercise their right to good health.
The Fred Hollows Foundation is close to the heart of Hema, and we have continued to support their Indigenous health initiatives and programs for more than 15 years. These have now expanded to 25 countries and have restored sight to more than three million people.
To learn more about this important foundation and the work they do, go here.
The Storey Players
The principal mission of the Storey Players is empowering disadvantaged kids through drama workshops and storytelling activities to strengthen their self confidence and increase their literacy skills (including Indigenous storytelling and language retention).
Since its inception in 2017, the Storey Players has been giving children living in remote communities the opportunity (for many, for the first time) to participate in creative activities. Much of their work is undertaken in remote Aboriginal communities in outback Australia and we believe the work they do is indispensable to the development of young minds in these areas.
To learn more about the Storey Players and its initiatives, go here.
Credit: The Storey Players website
The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR)
The FRRR charity organisation provides funding and capacity building support at the hyper-local level. FRRR has the reach, relationships, networks and knowledge to align funding, big and small, to community-led solutions that build resilience and long-term viability and vitality of smaller, remote, rural and regional communities across Australia.
Since its inception in 2000, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal has delivered more than $177 million to more than 14,000 projects. Hema Maps is a proud supporter of the FRRR and believes the ongoing work done by the foundation is invaluable to rural and remote Australia where we do a lot of our business.
To learn more about the many projects run by the FRRR, go here.
Credit: The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) (Instagram)
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
Australia’s leading community-based organisation for prostate cancer research, awareness and support, the Prostate Cancer Foundation has been helping Australian men detect cancer early and ongoingly supports them and their families through treatment.
The foundation was formed in Sydney in 1996 and initially worked to raise public awareness about prostate cancer and initiated informal connections with other support groups or health agencies. It’s since become a key player in prostate cancer support in Australia, helping Aussie men, their partners and families deal with the challenges of the disease.
Hema Maps continues to support the foundation and will again be at the 2024 PCFA Outback Rally. To learn more about the foundation, its fundraising rallies and more, go here.
Hema Maps joined the 2023 Prostate Cancer Rally at the Victorian High Country
Come say hello!
If you run into the Hema Map Patrol or extended Hema Maps team while we’re on our 40th anniversary trip, please come and say hello. We love interacting with our customers, meeting outdoor enthusiasts and hearing all about your touring adventures.
Related articles:
5 Aussie outback events you can’t miss | Part one
Outback hero: Fred Hollows Foundation
Next steps
At Hema Maps, we strive to provide the most comprehensive and accurate maps and guides for outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore Australia's natural wonders.
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