A Cairns resident, who was reeling at her vehicle being stolen and wrecked, has had her car completely repaired at no cost, thanks to the generosity of local suppliers.

Deborah Wilkinson was asleep in her Cairns home when her vehicle was stolen, and after seeing the severe damage done to the vehicle and the unfortunate realisation that her insurance policy was out-of-date, she was facing being out of pocket by more than $4,000. 

After making an appeal on Facebook, Ms Wilkinson and her family were left stunned at an outpouring of support from those in the community, and crucially, a number of organisations who collaborated to bring her Ford Ute back to life. 

The team at JAX Tyres & Auto Cairns came across Ms Wilkinson’s Facebook post and Store Manager Evan Billerwell, was keen to help as soon as he became aware of the situation.

“It was a no-brainer for JAX Tyres & Auto to support Deborah and her family where we could - the car was in a bad state after it was unfortunately stolen from her home. It started off with new tyres and a mechanical check but it soon became clear that further work was required and we were keen to provide a full service. 

“While we took the initiative, this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the teams at Ace Mobile, Mr Minute and NQ Crash who all contributed, it was great to see everyone rally together to support a local family who needed a helping hand.” 

Ms Wilkinson said: “I’m absolutely blown away by the generosity of Evan and all the local organisations, who have provided me and my family with total emotional and financial relief when we most needed it. It’s acts like this that really cement your faith in our Aussie spirit and the local community." 

JAX Tyres & Auto Cairns has immersed itself as a key cog within the local community through additional initiatives, including sponsoring Cars and Coffee events and offering prizes to local residents as part of Christmas raffles. 

About JAX Tyres & Auto

Founded in 1949, JAX Tyres & Auto is one of Australia’s most well-respected and professional tyre and mechanical retailers, specialising in tyres, wheel, suspension, vehicle servicing and vehicle safety checks. The company operates through more than 90 stores in Australia. Monthly, it serves more than 60,000 customers and provides them with the best tyre brands, advice, service and price for cars and 4x4s. JAX Tyres & Auto is also at the forefront of tyre retailing technology through a strategy called JAXIT, which encompasses digital deployment to stores and consumers from the central source of data, which allows consumers to search and choose a solution 24/7/365 for all their tyre and automotive maintenance needs from the convenience of online. Its complimentary JAX Inspect report assesses all the vital parts of customer vehicles so that no matter the journey, JAX can get people there with surety and safety, enabling peace of mind driving. www.jax.com.au