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Bush bash for charity
By John Martin
Volume 50, No. 15, August 23, 2007 |
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BON VOYAGE: The Navy HR Holden gets a warm farewell from Garden Island.
Photo: AB Jo Dilorenzo |
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ROAD READY: The Minister for Defence, Dr Brendan Nelson, who officially started the event, with members of the Navy contingent.
Photo: AB Jo Dilorenzo |
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ROAD READY: Garden Island was a hive of colour and movement on the morning the event started.
Photo: AB Jo Dilorenzo |
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To the backdrop of HMAS Sydney and HMAS Perth at Garden Island in Sydney, the NSW Variety Bash started in a blaze of Navy-style glory.
In keeping with the B to B theme of the event, which began in 1985 with Bourke to Burketown and has included such Bashes as Botany Bay to Barrier Reef and Bondi to Billygoat Hill, this year’s event was entitled Base to Bathurst.
Hundreds of people saw the first of about 120 cars leave Fleet Base East on Sunday, August 5, and the first car was due to arrive at the finish, HMAS Bathurst alongside HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin, on Friday, August 17.
The Bash is not a race or test of speed.
It is a high-profile fundraising event.
Since its inception, The Variety, The Children’s Charity has raised millions of dollars to help sick, disabled, and disadvantaged children throughout Australia.
Navy has been involved for the past five years.
Not only did it lend the starting and finishing sites this year, Navy personnel turned out two cars for the event — an HR Holden with a modified top that looked like a ship and an EH Holden which took on the look of a helicopter.
LCDR Graeme Wong, WO1 Toby Tobias, LS Janelle Somerville, AB Neil Hird, LS Jason Rigby, SBLT Samantha Walker and Paula Parker rode in the cars.
They were joined by actor Matthew Holmes, who plays the part of PO Chris Blake in the Nine Network’s drama Sea Patrol.
The CO of HMAS Kuttabul, CMDR Bryan Parker, also hitched a ride for the first leg of the Bash. |
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