This dynamic Amazon Australia Regional Product Specialist was so determined to help her community that she wasn’t going to let bushfires, rain or COVID-19 lockdowns prevent her from organising a huge event to help out an incredible cause.

With friends, neighbours and family members suffering from isolation because of lockdowns and work from home orders, Pip, 31, and husband, Jordan, 40, decided to launch an annual event to raise awareness and funds for Lifeline.

And nothing was going to stop this couple, who were like a force of nature, in their determination to get the Berry Motorfair off the ground, despite a myriad of obstacles that may have deterred many others.

“We thought it was important to give back in some way,” Pip says, explaining that they gave their support to Lifeline because of the important work it does in saving lives by counselling people in crisis and offering suicide prevention services.

Pip, who also heads up Amazon’s People With Disability Affinity Group, was recognised as an Amazon Star for her extraordinary volunteer work, and gifted $1000 by Amazon, which also made a donation to Lifeline.

When COVID-19 hit, both she and Jordan were left wondering how they could help the community. “We were thinking, what’s an organisation we are both passionate about, and I think mental health, particularly during lockdown for a lot of people - was very much top of mind,” Pip says.

“We had friends and family members working at home by themselves and some who had lost jobs … and then there were a number of youth suicides in the local area during the 2020-21 period, so Lifeline became the organisation of choice.”

Pip and Jordan had temporarily relocated from Sydney to Berry in the Southern Highlands of NSW where her family has a farm, and decided to launch the Berry Motorfair to raise awareness of Lifeline and much needed funds for the charity.

With Pip’s extensive experience in event co-ordination and program management, and Jordan’s love of cars, it seemed like a match made in heaven, and the first motor show with a theme of “classic, collectable and cool” attracted 1,000 visitors and raised $50,000.

Then life got even more complicated with COVID-19 lockdowns and bushfires which ravaged the Southern Highlands, and the 2021 Berry Motorfair had to be moved to March, 2022 – when it proved to be an even bigger hit, attracting 2,000 fans and raising an amazing $130,000 for Lifeline.

“It was also very wet and muddy,” laughs Pip, who is already planning a Lifeline fundraising luncheon for February next year, and a third Berry Motorfair. She and Jordan just have one little commitment that comes first.

“We are expecting our first baby, a little dude due in April, next year!”

Lifeline Australia provides access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services, and can be reached by phoning 13 11 14.

To see how you can help volunteer or donate to Lifeline, head to https://www.lifeline.org.au/