CAR and motorbike enthusiasts from Naracoorte through to Western Victoria joined together to celebrate the life of Ben Jolley over the weekend.
There were 42 cars and 16 bikes involved in a car run that travelled from Naracoorte to Mount Gambier and finished in Beachport for lunch.
Benny J, as he was affectionately known, tragically lost his fight with mental illness in June 2017.
Benny’s mother Katrina Jolley said although friends and family have to deal with the loss every day, she was glad everyone could spend time remembering all of the great times they shared with her son.
“It was great to see so much support from all of Benny’s friends,” she said.
“We have created a beyondblue fundraising page in his honour and were able to raise $1600 at the weekend.
“Overall our tally is sitting just above $12,000 and we are so grateful to be helping fight against mental illness.”
The idea of a car run came to Ms Jolley with only two weeks to plan the event.
“At 22 years of age, Ben had owned over 55 cars, so we knew he would have loved an event like this,” Ms Jolley said.
“We had an amazing turn-out and are already making plans to continue the tradition every year.”
In addition to a love of cars, Benny was also a popular DJ with gigs at Shadows Entertainment Complex.
The nightclub will host its annual Benny J benefit this month, which will also raise money for beyondblue.
Ms Jolley said they will keep raising whatever they can in hopes of helping those battling mental illness.
“We need to be making the public aware of mental health whenever we can,” she said.
“There is nowhere near enough help or funding in small country towns and we need to fight until there is.
“The work beyondblue does in mental health is something to be proud of so we will continue helping them.”
Visit beyondblueinmemoriam.everydayhero.com/au/benjolley to donate.
Lifeline Australia 13 11 14
Beyondblue 1300 224 636
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
Mensline Aus 1300 789 978
Call if you, or someone you know, needs help.
