Two Barraba men have entered the 2023 Shitbox Rally and are looking for sponsors

Daniel Etheridge and Phil Denyer are taking part in the 2023 Shitbox Rally.

The pair have given their car a bit of a makeover to transform it into something resembling an outback taxi in bright yellow.

But the bright colour didn't simply come on a whim. It represents the Cancer Council.

Mr Etheridge said everyone has a cancer connection of some kind, and for him, it's the child of a friend.

"I got a lovely girl friend that I've known for ages, and she's actually lost her little boy from cancer," he said.

Despite all the work they've done to get the show on the road, Mr Etheridge said that, next to what she's gone through, it's only very little.

"It's not a big thing we're doing. Compared to what they're going through, what we're doing ... we're having fun," he said.

"Raising money for things has always been something that we both enjoy."

The pair are now on the hunt for more sponsors, with the car doing the rounds of Tamworth to raise awareness of their mission.

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"We've got the Shitbox stickers and the Cancer Council stickers over the car," he said.

"For large donations we'll put stickers on the car for businesses as well.

"We've also got supporter stickers for people who want to write a little note. We're selling them for $2 each."

Mr Etheridge said they've actually already raised the $5000 they need to enter the rally, but they want to go bigger with their fundraising.

"We've got a few ideas, but we've still got space on the car," he said.

"If we could get the whole car covered, that'd be great."

Mr Etheridge and Mr Denyer say they'll be getting out to a few events to make sure the word is getting around.

"We've got a raffle that we're running as well," Mr Etheridge said.

"We've also got a thing on at the North West Auto Fest in Barraba. We've got a little stall to set up there."

Aside from stickers the car is all ready for the road.

Mr Denyer, a mechanic by trade, has been the driving force behind getting the car rally ready.

"I had to do some mechanical work, replace the shocks and put on some new tyres," he said.

"And now we're just going to be driving it around to find out any bugs we might have in it before we leave in May."

Like Mr Etheridge, Mr Denyer has a connection with cancer.

"I've had family members pass with cancers and other who are surviving after cancer," he said.

But he said he's motivated by a strong and more general desire to help people with cancer.

"Myself, it is a major general thing ... we just want to raise some money for a good cause," he said.

Around 500 people are set to take part in the rally. And Mr Etheridge said he's really looking forward to making some connections on the journey.

"You sort of get put into groups for the trip, so you just stick with five or six cars along the way to each stop," he said.

"I love doing these sorts of things. If I could just do this without working, that'd be fantastic."

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