Over that time he has donated more than $650,000 to ensure that the kids in the area have access to adequate treatment and so don’t have to travel to Melbourne.
“(The money) gives us the opportunity to have a lot of the most up-to-date medical equipment, which allows us to keep kids in the area ... which is better for their families,” children’s ward unit manager Paula Holland said.
It might not seem like a lot at first, but this saves families the travel and accommodation costs, and the disruption, of going to Melbourne.
“It saves families being apart ... keeps (the kids) in their community where their support system is,” Ms Holland said.
Some of Mr Archer’s fundraising goes towards smaller, yet essential, quality-of-life things to keep the kids happy and occupied while in hospital, such as arts and crafts or tablets to watch movies on. His donations even go towards getting the children Christmas presents.
The Battery Man got his name by collecting and selling batteries from the Goulburn Valley and southern NSW, with all the money he makes going straight to the children’s ward.
Mr Archer recycles about 100 tonnes of batteries per year, and currently has around $40,000 worth of batteries at his workshop ready to be recycled and sold off for the kids at GV Health.
On top of running his own business, Natrad car radiators and air conditioning, Shepparton, Mr Archer devotes at least 10 to 20 hours per week to battery collection.
It costs Mr Archer between $10,000 and $15,000 of his own money in petrol a year to pick up and recycle the batteries.
He says he was chosen to do what he does, and is spurred on by the thought that his efforts are supporting children and their families at GV Health.
Originally raising money as part of charity organisation Give Me 5 for Kids, Mr Archer has been working independently for four years now.
This extraordinary individual’s efforts are so valuable to the community that a GoFundMe has been started by a member of the Rushworth SES, Denise Corbine, and Victoria Arnel to get Mr Archer a new truck for his charity work.
They’re trying to raise $10,500 for a truck to help Mr Archer continue to grow his charity work.
“Even with the increasing cost of fuel, Paul continues to donate his time and paying for his fuel to raise funds for many ongoing charities,” Ms Corbine said.
“With the purchase of the truck, he would be able to collect a lot more scrap, saving on time, fuel money and extra trips.
“He is limited to what he can collect with his small ute and trailer, but imagine what he could do with a six-tonne truck.”
A new truck would be “absolutely huge” for Mr Archer, allowing him to triple his hauls of scrap for recycling and effectively double his fundraising for the children at the hospital.
“Any donations big or small will go straight to funding the purchase of this truck for the benefit of all the wonderful charities he supports,” Ms Corbine said.
“Please donate and share as much as possible to help support this purchase for Paul to continue his great work.”
Old batteries can be donated to the Battery Man and GV Health’s children’s ward at Natrad in Shepparton.
You can donate to the GoFundMe for a new truck for Mr Archer at https://www.gofundme.com/f/paul-archer-needs-a-truck-for-his-charity-work
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