Prepare to hear the roar of some very old car engines as 250 fancy-dressed 'bashers' make their way through Goulburn and into Crookwell.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As the bashers begin Variety's B to B Bash, locals are invited to come and see the spectacle of 85 novelty vehicles at Crookwell Public School on Sunday, August 7 from 12pm to 2pm.
Additionally, the crew plan to surprise the 187 students of Crookwell Public School with more than $5000 in STEM resources.
Variety's motoring events manager, Stuart Telfer, is about to undertake his 33rd and final B to B Bash ahead of retirement.
He has driven more than 200,000 kilometres in pre-survey runs and events and visited close to 1000 towns.
"I first saw the Bash in 1988 on TV, and thought wow look at all these old cars in the dust and the dirt and the mud, and all these blokes having a good time, I need to do that," Mr Telfer said.
"I rang a mate of mine the next day and said, 'Tony, I've just seen something on TV and we've got to do it'."
The colourful convoy sees pre-1992 vehicles decked out in novel themes; the oldest of which is a 1939 Oldsmobile taxi.
Mr Telfer and his friend missed out on participating that year due to a long waiting list but ended up entering the following year.
While Mr Telfer said he enjoyed the Bashes from the very beginning he didn't truly understand the charity side of it until he met a young boy who was in a wheelchair.
"I asked what he needed and his parents told me they wanted a transfer seat for the car because he was 14 years old but had to sit in a baby seat," Mr Telfer said.
"I came to work the next day and rang up the boss of the event and said I don't know what you do with the money but I've just met this kid, and he said tell me more and he made it happen.
"It changed that little fella's life."
That day Mr Telfer said he began to truly understand the purpose of the Variety motoring events.
"There was a purpose for doing this thing now and it wasn't just me having a good time," he said.
"I did 14 years in total as an entrant then the job became available and I thought that's a job for me."
Since its inception in 1985, the Variety B to B Bash has raised more than $230 million to support children who are sick, experiencing disadvantage or living with a disability.
Although now retiring, Mr Telfer said he would come back as an entrant and was excited to see new leadership bring in some fresh ideas.
This year is the 36th annual B to B Bash and will depart from Bungarribee, the new Sydney Zoo, and finish at Bakers Creek, Queensland on Tuesday, August 16.
The bashers will visit 14 schools across the 10-day drive, giving more than $90,000 in grants for technology, educational resources and playground equipment.
Participants forge life-long friendships while injecting much-needed, tourism dollars into often overlooked small towns and rural areas which have been doing it tough.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark our website
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Google News
Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters