Bug smasher
Andrew Stackpool meets the couple who took to the bush in an ageing VW to raise money for Australia’s premier children’s charity.

The 1974 VW Beetle cools down during a quick stop while competing in the Camp Quality esCarpade.

Leading Aircraftman Graham Turner and his wife, Debra, find a handy parking spot in West Wyalong, NSW.

Photos by Debra Turner

AN AIR Force couple have successfully debunked the myth that VW Beetles float – all in the name of charity.

Leading Aircraftman Graham Turner, from the ADF School of Catering at HMAS Cerberus, and his wife, Debra, were participating in the annual Camp Quality esCarpade with 40 other entrants in pre-1980 vehicles when they tried to cross a “thigh-deep” river near Bathurst in NSW on the first day.

“We had to spend the next hour bailing the river out of the car,” Mrs Turner said.

The 2005 esCarpade was held from October 14-22 and ran 3000km from Bathurst in NSW to Ballarat in Victoria. The route took them along bush tracks and backblock roads through Parkes, West Wyalong, Hay, Clare, Mildura, Horsham, Warrnambool and Ballarat, where they formed a street parade before the finishing line.

“We found every pothole, corrugated road and river crossing between Bathurst and Ballarat,” Mrs Turner said. “We experienced dust-induced ‘bash throat’ from the harsh outback conditions to water-induced wet feet from having rivers in the bottom of our cars.”

The Turners had participated in 2004 in a 1963 VW convertible, but replaced the vehicle with a 1974 model for the 2005 rally.

“We bought it from a Flight Sergeant at [RAAF Base] Williamtown last year, added some essential safety equipment and were ready to face roads some V8s were having trouble with.”

Camp Quality is a non-profit charitable organisation, which works to bring fun into the lives of children who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families. The Turners decided to enter the rally and support the charity after Mrs Turner had a cancer scare. During the rally the competitors visited schools and other centres and spoke about the work of Camp Quality, as well as rattling their collection tins.

The official start was in the main street of Bathurst and all entrants had to complete a lap of the Mount Panorama racing circuit before heading southwest for West Wyalong.

“From Bathurst to West Wyalong our beast was flying, mostly sideways around tight dirt corners,” Mrs Turner said.

“Dirt was being flung in all directions from our rear wheels as we flew around corners and through potholes like a hovercraft.

“We had lunch at Parkes at the dish, then more dirt towards West Wyalong.

“Next day we headed towards Hay, then through Clare to Mildura. Clare is a remote school in the middle of nowhere, which has nine students.

“We had a ‘blowfly roll’ – every fly known to man was in Clare for lunch – before hitting the track through the Mungo National Park for four more hours of dirt.

“It seemed that every snake ever created lived in the park. We saw hundreds of black snakes and had our fingers crossed that we wouldn’t break down there.”

After the rally left Mildura, the rain started and tracks that seemed safe and sandy quickly became drenched and similar to quicksand.

“[Competitors] were finding that being bogged seven times in 10 minutes was not unusual and a couple of gearboxes were burnt out trying to prevent it. However, all cars made it safely to the evening check-in point despite the worst Mother Nature could throw at us.”

The next day commenced with a car rolling, while another car sank in an irrigation channel.

Other cars suffered mechanical problems and near misses, including an HG Holden that lost a wheel. The Turners experienced a problem with their fuel line and had to be towed into Hamilton.

“All entrants had a week full of memories,” Mrs Turner said. “We met the craziest bunch of people. In all the schools we visited, our parting gift was smiles on the faces of the children and, collectively, we raised $535,000 – who could ask for more.

“Thanks to the team from Boeing who have supported us again this year, and also Trust Company (Melbourne), Chadoak Plumbing and C&K Dawson, all major supporters of this worthy campaign.”

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