A New Direction for our Charity Fundraising: NeuRA

14 November 2026 / Story by Bryan Shedden

After 15 years of generous member support, the Mazda MX-5 Club of NSW Committee has made the decision to transition our official charity fundraising partner from CareFlight to Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA).

Since 2012, our members have rallied together to raise more than $33,000 for CareFlight. We originally chose CareFlight because its rapid-response aeromedical care aligned closely with our passion for driving and motorsport. The importance of that partnership hit close to home in 2018, when a CareFlight crew was dispatched in the classic Kawasaki BK117-B2 helicopter — landing directly on the circuit at Sydney Motorsport Park — to deliver critical medical care to one of our own members following a serious racing incident. We remain deeply grateful for CareFlight’s service to our community.

However, as our Club has evolved, the Committee recognised that CareFlight’s operations are primarily focused on the Sydney metropolitan region. With our membership stretching far beyond Sydney — across the ACT, Hunter, South Coast, and regional NSW — we wanted to support an organisation whose impact reaches every corner of our Club’s footprint and reflects the evolving health needs of our members.

Following extensive discussion and feedback from across the Committee, NeuRA emerged as the clear choice.

Based in Sydney’s Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct, NeuRA is an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute dedicated to discovering solutions for neurodegeneration, mental health, and healthy ageing. With more than 370 researchers and staff working across over 130 active research projects, NeuRA is tackling some of the most pressing brain and nervous system disorders affecting Australians nationwide.

Crucially, NeuRA’s research hits close to home for many in our Club family, with members personally impacted by conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

As a not-for-profit institute, NeuRA relies on a combination of competitive government grants, industry partnerships, and community philanthropy — including regular giving, bequests, and fundraising events — to fund vital research and equipment not covered by government funding alone.

Every dollar our Club raises will help Australian scientists advance early diagnostics, preventative strategies, and life-changing treatments that benefit communities from Canberra to the Coast and beyond. Thank you for your continued generosity as we shift gears into this meaningful new chapter of Club fundraising.