I had the privilege of joining Variety the Children's Charity today at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds (VIC) to send off the fleet of cars heading to Cairns for a good cause. The Variety Bash started in 1985, when entrepreneur and adventurer Dick Smith took a group of intrepid motorists from Bourke NSW to Bourketown Queensland in old cars, raising $250,000 for charity along the way. The Bash is not a race, rally or speed trial. The single most significant rule of the Bash is to relax and enjoy the Australian Outback and help raise funds for kids in need! Since that first event, over $200 million has been raised, changing the lives of thousands of children across Australia.

The cars today are on their first leg of a 11th day trip travelling through Woiworung Country – Taungurong Country – Waveroo Country (Melbourne VIC to Beechworth VIC). Seeing all of the cars and how much effort had been put in to making them as bright, artistic and sentimental as possible was truly humbling. There were so many different themes and designs, and waving them off was a privilege!

Today there was also an incredible young woman who wanted to donate her hair to the Variety Hair for Heart Foundation. She ended up chopping off her hair before the fleet of cars left which left everyone in an incredible mood to see how powerful and confident she felt.

I am so excited to follow the journey of the 2022 VIC Bash, and can't wait to see how much is raised! Head to https://fundraise.variety.org.au/event/bash/home to find out how you can get involved in this amazing event.