Pilbara, Mid West charity 4WD event cancelled in solidarity with cyclone hit communities and amid fuel crisis

A beloved annual charity event that travels through the Pilbara and Mid West has been postponed in solidarity with communities affected by cyclone Narelle.

The Variety WA WD Adventure was due to kick off in late May, starting in Karratha, but organisers say after careful consideration of the route and the circumstances facing those communities — also taking into account the ongoing fuel supply challenges affecting regional Western Australia amid the Iran war — they will pause the event for a year.

The event usually sees participants traverse remote WA landscapes to raise vital funds for children living with disability, illness and disadvantage, and was scheduled to pass through a number of communities now facing significant recovery efforts in the wake of cyclone Narelle, including Onslow, Coral Bay and Bullara, all of which were hard hit by the storm.

In announcing the postponement the charity said that with fuel shortages hitting regional service stations hardest, proceeding with a large-scale 4WD event through remote areas would place additional pressure on already-stretched supplies that communities and essential industries urgently need.

Variety WA chief executive Chris Chatterton said the decision was not made lightly, but was the only right course of action.

“Our hearts go out to every family, every business owner, and every community member across the Gascoyne and North West who is now facing the enormous challenge of recovery,” he said.

“What these communities are carrying right now is immense, and the last thing we want to do is place any additional burden — however unintentional — on people who are already giving everything they have just to get back on their feet.

“When we looked at our route and considered what those communities are going through, the answer was clear. This is not the right time.

“We also have to be mindful that regional fuel supplies are under significant strain right now. Farmers are preparing for seeding, local businesses are trying to keep operating, and emergency services need reliable access to fuel for ongoing recovery efforts. It would not be right for us to add dozens of vehicles competing for those same limited resources.

“The 4WD Adventure is, at its heart, about celebrating the spirit of Western Australia and the people who make it so extraordinary. Those same people are the ones cyclone Narelle has hit hardest, and they deserve our respect and our space right now.”

Mr Chatterton said Variety WA’s commitment to the event, and the regions it visited and supported remained firm and they would be back.

“We are absolutely committed to returning,” he said.

“We will be back in 2027, and when we return, we want it to be a celebration of those communities, not a complication for them. We are already looking forward to that moment.”

Variety WA acknowledged that the postponement would have a tangible impact on its fundraising capacity at a time when it said demand for the charity’s support has never been higher.

Mr Chatterton said demand for their services was “urgent” and “growing”, up 20 per cent in a single year.

“The gap between what families are asking for and what we are able to provide continues to widen,” he said.

“Postponing the 4WD Adventure means real dollars that would have gone to real children will need to come from somewhere else, and we are not going to pretend that isn’t a significant challenge.

“What we can do — and what we will do — is channel every bit of our energy into the events that remain. Our Variety Ball and Toy Bank are two of the most important evenings on Perth’s calendar, and this year they carry even greater meaning. We are asking the Western Australian community to get behind them, because the children counting on us simply cannot wait.”