SCOUTING FOR YULETIDE CHEER WITH ISUZU

As decorations appear and the spirit of Christmas begins to take hold across Australia, Scouts Victoria begins their annual fundraising.  

Against a backdrop of Yuletide cheer and merrymaking, the Scouts and volunteers from First Alphington and Second Clifton Scout groups in Melbourne have been hard at work, taking orders, collecting and delivering hundreds of Christmas trees in their communities.  

WHO’S BEEN GOOD THIS YEAR? 

“We do most of the year’s fundraising all at once,” said Michael McLean, one of the head volunteers. 

“We don’t get financial support from any government bodies so what we can raise is what’s available to us for the year. 

“Our hall is 100 years old at this stage and, as you can well imagine, that requires a lot of maintenance. On top of that we need compasses, tents, pocketknives; everything that you’d need to make Scouting as worthwhile and enjoyable as possible for the kids.”  Mr Mclean, who recently got his heavy rigid licence in order to better aid the Scout group, reached out to Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) to provide a truck for their Christmas tree collection.  

“Who better to go to than the market leaders?” said Mr McLean of the Scouts’ decision to connect with Isuzu.  “Who knows trucks better than they do?” 

SANTA’S LITTLE HELPERS 

When the Scouts called IAL was more than happy to answer, stuffing their stocking with the loan of an FSR 140/120-260. 

“In the spirit of Christmas, Isuzu Australia was more than happy to help with this community event,” said IAL Head of Marketing and Customer Experience John Walker.

“The Scouts do wonderful work in our community and have done so for many years.”  

Boasting an impressive Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 14,000 kilograms and a Gross Combined Mass (GCM) of 20,000 kilograms the FSR 120-260 was the perfect choice to transport this festive sleigh. 

There won’t be any need to hang an air freshener in the truck this Christmas with all this fragrant pine stacked up in the back.   “The truck was such a pleasure to drive,” said Mr McLean. 

“Compared to the truck I used to get my heavy rigid licence, it was a dream,” he said. “They’re like chalk and cheese.” 

The FSR 120-260 doesn’t lack power either, with Isuzu’s six-cylinder, 24 value 6HK1-TCC engine sporting 191kW (260 horsepower) @ 2,400 RPM, there was no issue carrying 240 full-sized trees away from the farm.  

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR 

A group of Santa’s helpers, in the form of Scouts, parents and volunteers, all worked hard to make sure the truck was filled to the brim before being taken back to the 1st Alphington Scout Hall where the load was further separated into trailers and delivered to homes around the community. With the big day still a few weeks away, the Scouts will be delivering again. Isuzu will once again drop off the truck to help bring joy to another 200 households.  

“We’re so grateful to Isuzu for supporting the community like this,” said Mr McLean. “It makes a world of difference to all of us here.”  If you would like to find out where to buy a Christmas tree from the Scouts or if you know any budding Scouts, now is the perfect time to check out the Scouts Victoria website for all the information you need.   From everyone at Isuzu, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.