By JESSE GRAHAM
CAR loving and animal-loving went hand-in-hand earlier this month, when drivers took to the streets as part of a charity cruise for Coldstream’s Animal Aid.
The Piston Steel Shakedown team, who run car shows and rockabilly events, ran the cruise on 11 January, with drivers taking off from the Manhattan Hotel in Ringwood, bound for Lilydale Lake.
Cars of all sorts took part in the cruise, including a Batmobile and cars from the popular Australian film Mad Max, and around $600 was raised for the Coldstream animal shelter.
Animal Aid spokeswoman Debra Boland said that the money might be put towards the shelter’s new food shed, although plans haven’t been finalised for the money.
She believes the organiser of the cruise, Bruce Frazer, plans on running ongoing events to raise money for the shelter, and praised the support from the community members involved.
“It’s hard for a shelter that has limited resources to dedicate a lot of time to fund-raising events and the expense of putting them on,” Ms Boland said.
“If you have someone doing it for you, it’s a fantastic, practical way to support us.
“We think he (Bruce) is a real trooper, for being a supporter of ours, and we encourage anybody who wants to, to think about the ways they can help us.”
Ms Boland said that Animal Aid relies on the community to continue running, and that more support means more help for animals in the local area.
For more information about Animal Aid, visit www.animalaid.org.au and for more information on the Piston Steel Shakedown, visit www.facebook.com/PistonSteelShakedown.
