FOLLOW THEIR JOURNEY: AHA NEWCASTLE VARIETY BASH BLOG
Written by Deb Potts.
Day One.
A great crowd turned out to the Newcastle Foreshore for the start of the 2014 NSW AHA Variety Bash. Over 70 pre 1974 whacky vehicles complete with just as whacky drivers & passengers, most in character costume, were waved off by Variety Ambassador & Knights Legend Danny Buderus.
This years bash will travel from Newcastle down the south coast and return over the next 6 days. The Bash raises money for Variety – The Children’s Charity, which helps disadvantaged children to live, laugh and learn. The fundraising has already been done by the participants and this week is a fun celebration of the past 11months of hard work fundraising and preparing their vehicles (and themselves!) Along the way the bashers head into small towns, supporting the local schools and will make donations and presentations along the way.
Today started with a presentation by Rolly de With & Gabrielle McCabe from Newcastle & Hunter AHA of $52777.64 to Variety, and also a cheque for $3000 to Belmont High School Special Education Unit. First Stop tonight is Huskisson/Jervis Bay. Along the way the bashers had a lunch stop along the way and participated in “Pub Olympics”.
Day 2 will see the head off to Merimbula.
Day Two
The 2014 Bash continued on this morning from their overnight stop in Huskisson where a presentation was made to 19-year-old Grace Kennedy who has Spina Bifida and just last year completed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Grace gave an inspirational speech to the bashers, who were moved and in awe of her achievements. Tuesday Morning the bashers started the day at Vincentia Public School, then headed inland through the National Park and back to the coast for lunch at Moruya Public School. The kids JUST LOVE looking over all the cars. After lunch They entertained the bashers and Super Hubert put on a show for the kids as well. A donation of $6231 was made to the school by the days sponsors DARACON & WESTRAC.
This will assist in the provision of sensory equipment for the 3 special support classes, totalling 24 special needs students. From Moruya back into the ranges… A bit of water, plenty of dust and some “‘one car only” tracks add up to interesting travels. Add to that logging trucks and a breakdown or shredded tyres as one basher encountered, and that can lead to a traffic jam on the forestry trails!!!
On tonight for overnight at Merimbula, where “Frankie J Holden” and his band will entertain the group.
Day Three
The Bashers arrived in Merimbula on late Monday afternoon, all a bit weary and dusty after their travels through the National Park.
A bit of whale watching for some in Jervis Bay along the way, it was a quick check over the cars and themselves, a quick change and off to the Rock N Roll Night. Around 20 of the Bashers received their “5 year” Award…all very proud of the efforts and fundraising for Variety – The Childrens Charity.
Frankie J Holden (he lives in the area) and his band were the entertainment for the night, and our own local JPY couldn’t resist and got up and sang a few tunes as well.
Tuesday morning everyone was up early to prepare for the days driving ahead, with Breakfast at Merimbula School where a presentation of $4175 was made by AHA NSW for the full cost of provision of reading resources for their innovative reading programs that support children with complex reading difficulties and dyslexia. Of course all the kids enjoyed seeing the cars and the fancy costumes, and really loved a sing along with John Paul Young.
After breakfast its away from the coast and back to the high country and farmland of Monaro Shire, where a stop for lunch in the tiny village of Numeralla provided by the P & C at the school. Numeralla is a small rural community with a population of about 360, the small school was established 125 years ago. AHA NSW presented them with a cheque for $4000 to assist in the replacement of the old playground equipment with a modern structure.
Back on the road heading north through more farmland to the oldest inland city in Australia, Goulburn where they will be able to stock up supplies, carry out any repairs and maintenance and spend the night.
Day Four
Day 4 Wednesday and the Bashers are back in the cars after the nights stop in Goulburn. Some were a little wounded, not so much from the dusty trails and rigours of “bashing”, but probably more so from the Nights Entertainment at the Astor Hotel in Goulburn, where a You’re the Voice/Karaoke night was held, with Super Hubert playing the part of WILL – I – WHAT and an unknown male in a blonde wig and short dress playing KYLIE. The “judges” turned for most of the contestants including Young John Paul who belted out a great rendition of Friday on My Mind! Earlier in the night John Paul Young has made a presentation of a scholarship to a local girl and her parents.
Breakfast today is at Wollondilly School and the kids and teachers were excited about our return visit. This schools has 380 students with a support unit for 20 kids with various disabilities. After Breakfast Team “Where’s Wally” presented the school with $2172 to assist with Home Readers to assist with their Literacy Program.
The students had prepared life size cardboard cutouts of some of the cars from the last visit in 2010.
Lunch stop was at Murrumburrah School where St George Bank present the principal with a cheque for $4465 towards their Sensory program, which assist the 138 students and particularly the 6 students with learning, behavioural and sensory processing difficulties, to live, laugh and learn.
Another dusty day in the rolling hills and the plains of the Murrumbidgee river en-route to Wagga Wagga, tonights destination. A few breakdowns, a couple of mishaps/misadventures, A few roadside refreshment stops and “Pub Bash Olympics” at country watering holes, but eventually everyone arrived in Wagga Wagga, “The City of Good Sports”and appropriately spent the evening at ex rugby league player David Barnhill’s William Farrer Hotel, where the theme was dress as your favourite sports person.
Day 5
Willans Hill Public School for Breakfast this morning where St George Bank once again made a presentation. Willans HIll School was established in the 1970’s and caters for children aged 4-20yo who have an intellectual or physical disability in either moderate or severe range. It’s main belief is learn by doing . Variety has supported this school a few times – it students have a range of special needs such as autism, cerebal palsy, cohens, down-syndrome, turrets and angelmans syndrome. Variety contributed $2167 to nurture these children and help improve their quality of learning. Travelling further north and watching the country open up a little into the village of Birrabee where the P&C of the school of 16 children will provide lunch and we will make a donation of $3147 towards the total cost of an educational resource called Robotics which will allow the students to join the First Lego Science Program, designed to get kids excited about science and technology and teach them valuable life and employment skills.Lots more fun , a bit of shenanigans and some skilful driving on dirt roads, a few succumbed with injuries (the cars that is ), wheel bearings, broken windscreens etc but all making it safely eventually into Tonight’s stop at Parkes, and of course the only theme here for tonight can be ELVIS. Keep posted for photos!
Final day
Saturday morning the bashers up early again, reluctantly to begin the last leg of the weeks adventure back to Newcastle. They arrived back a little more dusty, (the cars that is), a lot more weary and some with collateral damage such a broken windscreens. Its amazing how these aged cars can handle such a long week of dusty, winding, rough roads and you can only wonder if a newer vehicle would cope at all.
A convoy cars, noisy and colourful, still throwing out lollies and balloons to the kids, still squirting passers by with water, moved up the foreshore where a crowd was waiting to welcome them back to the tram shed park where they left almost a week before.
A quick barbeque lunch and everyone headed either home or to their accommodations for the night (for the out of towners) before gathering for the Black Tie Gala Presentation at Wests in New Lambton. More fundraiser presentations, including acknowledgement of the great fundraising achievements which added to a massive total of over $700,000 raised for Variety in this year’s event.
The night ended with sad farewells to old friends and new, with memories of the kids and families in need that had been helped along the way and into the future. Most will have a week or two to recuperate and then begin the preparation for next years event. The words of Cody McKay, 25, who has participated over the last 6 years with his dad David, are true for all:
“This year was my 6th year on the Variety Newcastle AHA Bash and every year I am blown away. We get to see sights and hear stories that most people will never do in their lives. Exploring our beautiful country each year in cars built before 1974 for the fundraising benefits of kids in need will always make me proud to call myself a “Basher”. This is a friendship and a community that is stronger than any other and I’ll be back time and time again until I can’t bash no more! ”
VARIETY BASH – YOU GOTTA DO IT !!!
