The couple first participated in the 4WD outback rally in 2015 and this time they will be joined by another Inverell couple Ben Ross and Emma Dykes.

“It’s great fun and it also has that sense of satisfaction that you’re helping an absolutely essential cause,” Mrs Lowe said.

The rally is held every two years with Mr Lowe describing the amount of money raised by the events as “phenomenal”.

“We hope to beat the $128,000 raised last time,” he said adding that the goal was already well on the way to being achieved.

The couple say rally vehicles are also granted special access to private roads and properties giving competitors a chance to see places that are usually closed off. 

Funds are raised with the help of fees, sponsors, donated goods and services, and auction nights held in small communities along the route.

It was the Lowes’ enthusiasm that prompted Mr Ross and Ms Dykes to give the 2017 rally a go.

No stranger to off road driving, Ms Dykes is a former driver of 200 tonne dump trucks and 140 tonne loaders at mines near Weipa.

Now a registered nurse in Inverell, she said the event was a chance to “support the chopper” that is used “constantly here for emergencies”.

As a professional singer, Ms Dykes will also perform at the community social nights along the way.

Thirty vehicles will take part in the 2017 Graincorp Molafos Drovers Run set to cover more than 4,300kms over 14 days. It is not a racing event, rather the emphasis on having fun while raising money for the Westpac helicopter. The convoy will be flagged off by Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce from the Long Yard in Tamworth at 7.30am on Saturday July 29.