Bush choppers

LEUT Nick Kous, Bash Events Manager Mr Stuart Telfer, LCDR Graeme Wong, LS Phil Hirsvchausen and AB Shane McMillan on the deck of HMAS Tobruk.

The HR Sedan from Albatross is hoisted onto the deck of HMAS Tobruk.

Photo: ABPH Helen Frank

By Graham Davis

Eight RAN aviators, as this edition of Navy News is being circulated, are sweeping across Australia’s inland in two ancient cars made up to look like helicopters.

Shadowing them in case they get hurt are two members of the RAAF ready to provide first aid.

The sailors, airman and woman are just 10 of 460 people taking part in the annual Variety Help Bash. This year’s event has been dubbed the Burramatta (the Aboriginal name for Parramatta) to Bathers Beach (in Fremantle) Bash.

The event saw more than 120 cars, buses and fire engines, all built before 1970, flagged away from the Lennox Bridge in Parramatta, on Sunday, August 8.

The bash will take the participants across Central Australia before they cross the finish line on August 18. They will drive the Gun Barrel Highway, encounter Australia’s harshest road conditions and pay as much as $1.40 cents a litre for fuel.

However they will meet the bash’s credo, Drive the Miles for the Smiles”, as they encounter outback people, particularly small children, who have never seen so many people let alone their “strange” looking “old” cars.

The participants collected thousands of dollars before the starter’s flag dropped. “We hope to raise $2 million net by the time the bash concludes,” event organiser Stuart Telfer said.

The money will help needy children. Already helping to reach that target are the eight RAN aviators from HMAS Albatross. They are LCDR Graeme Wong (team leader), LEUT Nick Kous, AB Richard Van Huisstede, LS Robert Ritchie, AB James Vella, LS Phil Hirsvchausen, AB Shane McMillan and AB Nicholas Hoole.

Last year LCDR Wong and several of his team drove an HR Holden in the Bash.

This year the HR is re-entered along with an older EH Holden. On Wednesday, July 28,Graeme, Nick, Phil and Shane took the HR to Fleet Base East where, using her 70 tonne capacity crane, HMAS Tobruk lifted the vehicle on board.

Commanding Officer, CMDR Nick Bramwell and many of his ship’s company watched with interest as the car, rotors spinning and lights flashing, alighted on the foredeck.

The other Defence participants in the bash are RAAF SGT Kevin Leahy and ACW Sally Goninon. Both work at RAAF Richmond, Sally as a paramedic in the hospital.

The pair will man paramedic vehicle OV 6 which will accompany the 120 bash participant cars and the 20 support cars and trucks. Also supporting the bash will be teams in four fixed wing aircraft and a helicopter.

The helicopter will contain leading emergency practitioner Dr Andrew Berry. One of the places on the route will be the remote Warburton Mission in Central Australia.

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