East Perthshire pair on Mongolian mission

Dec 1 2009 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A PAIR of East Perthshire siblings are hoping their combined expertise will help them conquer the 10,000 miles that make up the Mongol Rally – in a cherry-picker!

Professional outdoor instructor Ben Robertson (52) and his younger brother Trevor (44), a mechanic, will begin their July adventure in Perth and join 300 other vehicles on the long road to the Asian country’s capital, Ulan Bator.

From Blairgowrie and Meigle respectively, the dynamic duo – who will be competing under the moniker “the Bald Avengers” – will be raising money for several charities, including: the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, Cash4Kids and Tayside Mountain Rescue.

In a further generous twist, father-of-one Ben said that once the brothers have completed their epic journey they will leave their vehicle behind for locals to use.

Explaining the reason behind choosing the construction tool as their preferred mode of transportation, the former soldier said: “The organisers have a list of vehicles they would like entrants to use.

“There were things like fire engines and other emergency vehicles but, because we’ve got a rather strange sense of humour, we thought we’d choose the most obscure one!”

Trevor told the PA that the pair are set to embark on an extensive fundraising campaign until their summer departure and will be regulars on the Highland Games and show circuits next year.

He continued: “There’s quite a big age gap between Ben and I and it wasn’t until we got older that we realised how similar we are and how well we get on.

“Hopefully, as well as raising a lot of money for several really good causes, this will give us the chance to get to know each other better,” he said.

Ben and Trevor are in the process of creating a dedicated fundraising website to allow members of the public to donate to their cause.

For more information visit the soon-to-be-created: www.thebaldavengers.com