The drive to give

David donates his fifth car to Kids Under Cover

After spending his working life moving between varied careers — including computing, lecturing at university, consulting and finally farming — David has well and truly earned some free time in his retirement. But that’s not stopping him from finding ways to do his bit in the community.

One way he continues to help others in need is by donating his used cars to Kids Under Cover. All vehicles that are donated to our program are sold at auction, with the funds going towards delivering life-changing accommodation and education programs to young people at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Donating is easy, as David well knows. He has now donated five vehicles to the program (two previously owned by his brother-in-law) — the most recent being a silver Honda CRV with about 250,000 kilometres on the clock. “That car was a beauty. I purchased it from my brother, and it was so reliable and convenient. It always ran well, despite having travelled so far,” said David.

“Selling an old car is not always easy. It can be extremely time-consuming, and the returns are often small. It’s why donating a car is so attractive — it’s a quick and easy process, with the money made going to a worthy charity,” he said. “What’s more, the value of the sale by Kids Under Cover becomes a tax deduction for the person making the donation.”

Having first learned about the car donation program via word of mouth, David is now a keen advocate himself. He has always found the organisation to be very efficient and easy to deal with. “If people don’t want the hassle of trying to sell an old vehicle, I can strongly recommend donating it to Kids Under Cover,” he said.

And his new car? It’s a very recent model with all the latest electronic bells and whistles, which makes for a comfortable ride. But it’s taken some getting used to! “My new car comes with keyless starting. You just keep the key in your pocket. Recently I drove the old car to the shops, I parked it and forgot to take the key out as I was used to having an electronic key in my pocket. The car was locked with the key still inside, and it took a call to the RACV so I could get back into the car and drive home.”

Whether David decides to donate this keyless car down the track is yet to be seen. But one thing’s for sure — he has certainly made his mark in donating so many vehicles to date.