The 14-month-old was born three months premature and weighed just 735g.

She spent the first three months of her life in the Canberra Hospital's intensive care unit, a time which her parents Matthew and Lisa Opie described as ''very scary''.

Mrs Opie said, ''It was hard. Every day was a different emotion, not knowing what was going to happen. When the phone rang you were scared it was something bad, so you didn't want the phone to ring.

''But all the doctors and nurses really helped and gave the support we needed and let us know what was happening every step of the way.''

Last year, a mate of Mr Opie's, Tyson Bonfield, of the RusHHouR Car Club, was inspired to stage the RusHHouR Charity Cruise, raising $7500 for the Canberra Hospital Newborn Intensive Care Foundation.

Mr Bonfield's own daughter, six-year-old Haylee, was also a patient of the unit when she was born prematurely.

But while Miley was still in hospital on the day of last year's charity cruise, she showed no signs of her ordeal yesterday.

Laughing and playing at the Cotter Dam with her five year-old sister Jamie Lee, her parents said ''Smiley Miley'' was enjoying the day and was a happy, healthy girl.

''She's always cheerful, very cheeky and she wants to do everything she sees the other kids doing. It's very rare that you see her crying,'' Mrs Opie said.

After assembling at Phillip, about 300 cars cruised to the Cotter Dam for the day of family fun. Mr Bonfield said several car clubs had come together to support the event, which he hoped would raise $10,000.

The RusHHouR club was like a family that came together to support charity events. While there were members who tended to ''drive like idiots'', the car club was more than a bunch of ''car hoons''.

''Coming together today, everyone's on their best behaviour, everyone knows nothing's tolerated, and they're all doing what they can to chuck in whatever money they've got.''