Joy of Giving heads west

Last year, Joy of Giving began building a connection with the remote community of Weilmoringle in north-western New South Wales. After hearing the community's story, our Director, Rob Knox, generously offered his time to personally travel west and help extend our support to local children and families.

What followed was a journey that reminded us that getting toys to where they are needed is not always straightforward and that the journey itself can bring unexpected challenges, generosity and connection.

Just when you think you couldn’t have planned or timed your actions any better, the universe offers up an alternative proposition.

All was set for 6 August 2026. The car had been loaded to the brim with Joy of Giving toys at the Greenwood Plaza loading dock the day before. The car was fuelled up. The route had been set. Meetings had been scheduled. Everything was in readiness.

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Thursday went swimmingly. I arrived in Narrabri well ahead of schedule and had a chance to take a look around town before my meeting at the Member for Barwon’s Narrabri office. That meeting took place and it was an initial opportunity to talk about the things those of us living in cities take for granted that either don’t exist in towns such as Narrabri, despite a population of some seven thousand and seemingly being well served by supermarkets, pharmacies and pubs. I had dinner at the Narrabri RSL on Thursday evening and enjoyed the immersive dining experience (outback storm), and reflected on the drive, on my meeting, and on my plans for the following day.

Friday morning arrived. I was up early and on the road heading west by 6:00 am. There I was, driving along the Kamilaroi Highway between Walgett and Brewarrina at 9:30 am on a crisp and sunny Friday morning when ‘bang’, my right front tyre blew out. On board, I had my consignment of toys that were destined for the small remote community of Weilmoringle. I nursed the car to a safe stopping place on the side of the highway to figure out what to do. I was 40 kilometres to the east of Brewarrina and 30 minutes away from my planned meeting at the Shire Council offices.

My saving grace – I had phone reception and drinking water, as well as some sense from prior experience as to the sparse beauty and privations of all that lie to the west of the Newell Highway. We might think of the city-rural divide as a series of electoral boundaries that mark a slowing and simplifying of life relative to the intensity of city existence. But we also need to think about the rural-remote divide, which transports you to a more unfamiliar place of austerity and self-reliance. For those living in New South Wales, I’d suggest the Newell Highway offers that point of demarcation between what we think of as being ‘rural’ and what we think of as being ‘remote’. Others may have a different perspective.

40 km east of Brewarrina in the morning – stranded with a punctured tyre

Economies of scale determine so much of how we experience life. The cost of an abundance of space is the absence of convenience. I was about to confront this reality, not necessarily in a life-threatening way, but nevertheless, in a way that sits somewhere closer to hardship than it does to hassle.

Here’s the good news. Through the generosity of local spirit and caring, along with a serving of grit and know-how, all ended well. My car and its consignment found their way to Brewarrina on the back of a tray top that had been dispatched from Bourke, the toys were stored safely courtesy of the local Brewarrina Shire Council, and arrangements were made to help them on their final journey to Weilmoringle for distribution to families and their children.

The postscript reads fairly uneventfully. I made it back from Brewarrina to Narrabri on the rubber of a space saver tyre, averaging about 60 kilometres an hour for a little over 300 kilometres, much of which was directed towards the vastness of clear night skies framed against the receding glow of an outback sunset. There was also a promise to myself to return one day, definitely a little more prepared, to continue what has started.

40 km east of Brewarrina in the evening – heading back to Narrabri at sunset

With thanks to and acknowledgment of Doreen Murphy from the Brewarrina Shire Council, a man named Beau who happened to be in town and who helped me change my tyre, and the team at Matts Mechanical in Brewarrina who helped me assess my options for a safe homeward journey.

A note from Joy of Giving

We are grateful to Rob and everyone who helped make this journey possible. This experience is a reminder that the journey of a toy does not end when it leaves one home. Sometimes, it takes the kindness and support of many people along the way to help it reach its next child.

At Joy of Giving, we believe in keeping toys in circulation and sharing the joy they can bring. We are proud to continue our connection with Weilmoringle and look forward to supporting the community as our journey together continues.