Gull will kick start the CatWalk Trust’s Conquering Freedom Tour fundraising by donating 2 cents per litre for every litre sold tomorrow (Wednesday October 29) at Gull Service Stations in New Zealand.
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MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gull Donation Launches Catwalk Trust’s Conquering Freedom Tour
Gull gives further support to the CatWalk Trust with 2 cent per litre donation
Auckland, 28 October 2008 – Dave Bodger, General Manager of Gull in New Zealand announced today that Gull will kick start the CatWalk Trust’s Conquering Freedom Tour fundraising by donating 2 cents per litre for every litre sold tomorrow at Gull Service Stations in New Zealand.
Gull is also one of the key sponsors of the CatWalk Trust’s Conquering Freedom Tour. The Tour will see a Martin Conquest Motorcycle travel the country from Auckland to Invercargill and on to
Christchurch to raise money for the CatWalk Trust. The Martin Conquest is designed to give additional freedom to the
less mobile and can only be piloted from a wheelchair.
Bodger notes that Gull, a family-owned business, this week celebrates its tenth birthday in New Zealand; and so is proud
to give this additional sponsorship to the CatWalk Trust as part of its festivities.
“It’s important for businesses to support the community they operate in” says Bodger. “From 7am tomorrow until 7am
Thursday for each litre of petrol and diesel we sell at our outlets Gull will donate 2 cents per litre to the CatWalk
Trust. This is one of the ways we will be saying thank you to New Zealanders for supporting Gull over the last 10 years.
Watch this space as further birthday celebrations will follow from Friday 31 October.”
The Tour will launch tomorrow morning from Gull’s Botany Downs station on Ti Rakau Drive, Auckland where national selector and former Black Cap, Dion Nash will be the first passenger in the bike ridden by Sally Wenley.
Nash, one of CatWalk’s national patrons and a long-time supporter of spinal cord injury research, urged Kiwis to support
the tour.
“All bike enthusiasts are welcome to ride in convoy with the Conquest. And people can make donations via www.fundraiseonline.co.nz. Just pop in CatWalk as your keyword and support one of the 16 riders supporting CatWalk. Any donation of $100 will automatically have a
chance of winning $2,500 Gull petrol vouchers,” said Nash. “And the CatWalk website lists the dates that the Conquest
will be stopping in over 20 towns and cities across New Zealand, so come out and show your support.”
ENDS
About the Catwalk Trust
The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust is a NZ, non-government funded charitable organisation with the principal aim of
raising funds to support the search for a cure for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) paralysis. The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury
Trust was founded by friends of Catriona Williams, one of New Zealand’s leading international equestrian riders who is
now confined to a wheelchair following a riding accident in 2002. There are a number of organisations providing valuable
rehabilitative support, but CatWalk aims to challenge the current boundaries of research, enabling SCI victims to walk
again. CatWalk exists solely to raise funds for Spinal Cord Injuries.
One New Zealander suffers from a devastating spinal cord injury every five days. No one is immune to spinal cord injury;
it can happen to anyone at any time.
About the Conquering Freedom Tour
The Conquest is the world’s first series manufactured high performance motorcycle that gives wheelchair users the
ultimate freedom of riding directly from their wheelchairs. This vehicle provides a level of performance and
independence previously unattainable for individual wheelchair users. Our mission is to raise awareness and build the
profile of the Martin Conquest motorcycle to wheelchair users and the wider community, whilst in turn raising dollars
for The CatWalk SCI Trust to assist in pushing the boundaries and pace of the scientific research that will enable
spinal cord injury victims to walk again.
We also want to give individuals the opportunity to enjoy the unique thrill and freedom of riding this extraordinary
bike from their wheelchairs and give users the opportunity to purchase at auction, the first Conquest in New Zealand.
About Gull
Gull Petroleum was founded in 1976 with a single service station by a group of business people in Western Australia who
saw the potential for an independent supplier. Rationalisation by the major oil companies at the time offered Gull the
opportunity of obtaining sites considered unviable by the multi-nationals. Adherence to a philosophy of low cost
management, prudent investment decisions and a carefully planned marketing strategy enabled Gull to increase its number
of outlets to thirty-five by 1984, when ownership of the company was consolidated with the Rae family. Without much
fanfare, Gull has expanded its network to nearly 100 service stations. It has become a serious player, offering a real
choice for motorists in an extremely competitive market. The company remains today a fully family owned operation
The Gull Group of Companies has grown from a small business to a modern, dynamic organisation of significance in the
Australian and New Zealand petroleum industries. Furthermore, through Gull’s aggressive marketing approach, a planned
increase in market share will herald the strengthening of the Gull name in Australia and New Zealand.
Gull in New Zealand
Gull started operations in New Zealand with the building of a state of the art terminal in Mount Maunganui in 1998.
Tanks were relocated from Marsden Point by barge, a feat the opposition said was “impossible”. Gull made the first
retail sales of petrol in 1999 and has grown the network to 30 branded sites. Gull was the first company to introduce
low sulphur diesel to the New Zealand market bringing environmental benefits well ahead of the opposition. In August
2007 Gull again set new environmental benchmarks for the industry with the first retail sale of Gull Force 10, New
Zealand’s first biofuel, 10% ethanol mixed with premium gasoline giving higher octane and cleaner performance. Gull is
the only independent oil company operating in New Zealand and is credited with keeping the fuel market competitive and
giving savings to the Kiwi motorist.
For more information please visit www.gullpetroleum.com.au