BINTULU: Bintulu Four-Wheel-Drive Challenge Club, launched officially recently, symbolise its members’ passion for adventure and charity.
Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah officiated at the launching.
Led by Tie Sing Ung, the club was registered with the Registrar of Societies in 2012.
Besides having a passion for 4WD vehicles and adventure, members of the club also cared for the needy.
The first activity by the newly registered club took place in August 2013 where they visited the Lusong Laku longhouse in Sehol, Belaga district for charity work.
They provided the longhouse folk with stationery and slippers. They also brought in doctors and nurses to give basic health checks.
Thirty-six four-wheel-drive vehicles transported items worth more than RM50,000 to Lusong Laku primary school. The school is located about 10-hour drive away from their departure point and the trip took them four days and three nights.
It cost them RM25,000 which was sponsored by the club itself.
The second charity activity held from Nov 15 to 17 last year was a joint effort between the club and Kuching Hope Place.
Thirty-eight 4WD vehicles from Miri, Bintulu, Sibu and Kuching transported 14,000kg of food worth about RM60,000 to RH Bawi in Lubok Antu. The journey took them more than 11 hours from Kuching. The total cost of transportation was about RM40,000.
It was an eye-opener for members to see children in the longhouse walking three hours daily to get to school.
The nearest policlinic was also located three hours away from the longhouse.
What started as a small gathering of people who are passionate about 4WD vehicles has grown into a club with more than 50 members.
The founder of the club Robert Chieng initially registered it as a company called Bintulu 4×4 Skill & Adventure in 2003.
Two years down the road, the team was transporting food items to longhouse fire victims.
In 2007, they organised an event called ‘Central Sarawak 4×4 Off Road Challenge’.
More than 20 vehicles participated and raised more than RM10,000 which was donated to three primary schools.
In 2011, the then company, successfully organised another event called ‘4×4 Extreme Challenge’ and managed to raised more than RM30,000 which was donated to the Salvation Army.
“All expenses for our activities were paid by our own members without any help from the public.
“It then became a financial burden to them and that was when we decided to register it as an NGO in the hope that we can organise more programmes in the near future.
“So we welcome new members who are interested to learn 4×4 driving,” said Tie.
Meanwhile its deputy chairman Manca Seliman, said the main objective of the club is to get members close to the nature, besides having an expedition and understanding the way of living of rural folks.