The Thompson’s raise over $4000 for Down Syndrome through the Tuff Truck Challenge!

We catch up with Bronwyn Thompson to chat about her family’s experience in this year’s Tuff Truck Challenge, and discover why they decided to raise money for Down Syndrome NSW....

So Bronwyn, tell us a bit about the Tuff Truck Challenge!

Well, once again, our family competed in the Tuff Truck Challenge, an event held the weekend of Friday 8th - Sunday 10th April at Milbrodale in the Singleton area. Around 10,000 people came along to watch 50 or so trucks compete in driving over obstacles: If you can imagine boulders the size of your house, that’s the sort of terrain the trucks try to drive over!! The event is like a big carnival, and it’s become very family oriented in recent years. There’s face painting for the kids, you can get a good coffee, and it’s a lot of fun for everyone! Most people camp in motor homes and tents all over the site, although it can be quite noisy through the night as you tend to hear every hammer and tong of people working on their trucks! So this year we also rented a cottage nearby for some relief!

Describe your team’s truck!

It’s an old Mercedes Benz Uni MOG we found rusting in a paddock one summer’s day. We thought it would be fantastic to do it up and make some use out of it for a worthy cause – so we transformed it from the rustic relic it was into the red and black monster that it now is!! Unfortunately we didn’t win the Tuff Truck challenge this year, but we very nearly won the first stage of the event which was very exciting! Flynn, my 4 year old grandson who has Down syndrome, calls our truck “Yay” because that’s what everyone yells when they see it! He was our Tuff Truck team manager and kept us all in line, don’t you worry!

What was your best memory of the day?
Seeing the excitement on Flynn’s face when the crowd cheered for “Yay” – he knew they were cheering for Poppa, who was driving the truck!

I think it was pretty awe inspiring for him!

What do you wish more people would know about children like Flynn, who have Down syndrome?
That they are the same as other children – just a bit different. It’s important to learn what is best for every child - whether they have Down syndrome or not. Having a child with Down syndrome is a great journey, but it isn’t always easy. Hannah and Bradley, Flynn’s parents, have been inspirational. When Flynn had to have open heart surgery at 9 months, it was the hardest thing we’d all ever had to go through in our lives, but we have a very caring, inclusive family and got through it together. And because there’s real community in our family, we always try to make Flynn feel accepted. We have something called “Sign Sundays” where we all have to speak in sign language every Sunday! At first we were worried that Flynn wouldn’t be able to keep up with our speech, but now I think he worries we won’t be able to keep up with him!

And finally, why did you decide to raise money for Down Syndrome NSW?
Because we want the organisation to continue the great work they’re doing: they’re giving hope and courage to so many families. There were so many people who supported us in raising funds for the Tuff truck challenge - I think they could see the value of what Down Syndrome NSW does, and also our sincerity in the cause. If we can raise any money that will make a difference in Flynn or any other child’s or family’s life, then all the sleepless nights and hard work we put in is worth it!

Jess Chalker interviewed Bronwyn Thompson.