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OVFIRE

Variety Fire Truck

 

 


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OV12 is a Brisbane Queensland entrant in Variety Clubs Charity Bash events that helps raise funds for sick children

 

2008 Images

       

Day 1, Toowoomba to Casino
 
well, we survived the first day and the truck as well. 
The night before we left, all the Bashers were in a 
large hall for the official meeting. When
you saw all the Bashers in one room it was an 
awesome sight. It was over 600 people from all walks of life. 
Everyone was introduced to what Variety does
for the kids from Queensland as they donated Sunshine Coaches,
computers and games to some of the disadvantaged and 
disabled kids from the local area. 
 
 
 
 
Of course it was an early night/morning as we had to leave 
at 6.30, before the official start as we were the first check 
point. Also we couldn't drive through the start archway because 
it was on top of a shopping centre and it had a load limit a lot less 
to what the truck weighs so we walked through the archway in the 
position that we would of been in the truck.
 
     
 
 
 
Once we set up the check point and the 215 cars started coming
through it got real busy but at least we saw the entire fleet on 
the first day. Trev was chatting to everybody and holding up the whole 
fleet but no one complained. Once we finished our duties, we followed 
the fleet on the bash route and a lot of the local kids was on the 
side of the road cheering us on. Even though it was school holidays 
we stopped at a school named Yangan and visited the kids and had 
some smoko with them. They were great to us and asked lots of questions.
By now we were last on the bash had finally got to another school,
Maroon,were we had lunch at 3.00 o'clock. It was great they waited 
for us to arrive. 
 
    
 
 
 
Because we were so late we decided to go on the direct route to Casino,
115km, but of course that didn't happen. The new Navman made sure 
of that. Silly us listened to it and the one and half hour journey
 turned into nearly four hours. Don't ask where we went because we 
don't know either. Very nice scenery though. The virgin basher, Mike 
made comment that he had a great day
and was not expecting what we did and where we took the truck. 

 

 

   

  

   

 

     

 

 

Day 2 Casino - Dorrigo

This morning at breakfast we ran into some old bash friends from last year's
bash, Rio and Ray who asked us if we could take some of their Cousins and
Nieces for a drive in the Fire Truck, which of course we did with pleasure.
The kids had a ball and the residents in the local area waved and cheered at
the kids. 
 
 

Time to go mike!

When we finally returned all the bashers had left and we were the last to
leave.  Today we were told to avoid the morning Bash run as the road
conditions would not be too good for heavy vehicles , so we went direct to
the lunch stop at Tenterfield. The highlight of the drive to lunch was we
came across Mad Max , The Road Worrier, stopped in the middle of nowhere for
an ice cream. The look of excitement on Trev's face about having an ice
cream made our day but when he found out the ice cream machine was not
working, bitter disappointment and despair. It was a day of mixed emotions.
Better luck next time Trev !!!
 

I want a choc top and I want it NOW!

Come back with Trev's choc top!

Just be happy he's not talking!


After a very quick lunch at Tenterfield we had to head off as we had
official duties to carry out in the afternoon run. We where check point
about 90kms out from Dorrigo, but had to travel 187 kms through some of the
most scenic surroundings I have driven through in a long time. It was slow
going as you may see from some of the photos, some very narrow roads and
very steep climbs and descents. On the way Variety said to stop at a local
Hotel, Deepwater Inn, to have a passport stop where the locals just wanted
to talk and find out what Variety and the Fire truck was all about.
 
The check point went on and on and on until 9.30 at night. We didn't get
into Dorrigo until 11.15 but they did keep some dinner for us LUCKY for
them!!!

Official Announcement

Ladies and Ladies , it is with regret we announce that Dave is no longer on the market , we are sorry but you cant stop Lurve!

Happy what evers Dave!

 


Day 3 Dorrigo to Barraba.

Mike (Let me down) is going to be doing this day. A day through a Virgin bashers eyes.

G'day all,

One from the "rookies" desk.

We left beautiful Dorrigo with the threat of rain bearing down on us. The
thought of driving through a mountainous region again, but only this time on
wet roads, was a little daunting but all in a day's work for Trev. Brekkie
was great again and provided by the fantastic Community service clubs of
Dorrigo. A very big cheer for the locals, six hundred visitors all eating at
one time and all needing to leave in a hurry is no easy feat but like most
small communities everyone rallies.

We moved out with visiting Navigator, Sherry of "JAMIT" (a graphic design
company) in the front with Trev at the wheel. All competitors made the
first stop at Guy Fawkes National Park and took in the great views of the
falls and surroundings. It was also an opportunity for a bit of payback.
When do you think these other Bashers will realise you don't go into a water
fight with a little water pistol when your opponent, OV12, has a tank with
nearly 2000lts of water and a high pressure pump. Another slaughter
delivered by the firies.
 

Hello where are we? Pertty!   Smile with your teeth Trev!

       
We pushed on through the day fairly uneventful until we came to Green Valley
Tourist Park. This place is a OH&S auditor's nightmare. Every ride is
handmade and looks like they were made by someone's granddad but talk about
fun. A real throw back to the days before lawyers ever uttered the words "
liability".

 

We had another check point to do in the afternoon just outside Barraba. This turned out to be so much fun. We set up a little hose and nozzle and I stood out of sight from the bashers coming past. Dave stopped the bashers on the driver's side to stamp their passport and he asked them if they had any bribes for the officials. To my surprise most of them gave some sought of bribe and the ones that didn't, Dave gave me the nod and I came out of hiding on the passengers side, hosing them through the windows. This time we had an early 5pm finish.

Hiding in front of

the truck to hose competitors

The day continued on until we finally reached our destination of the town
that time forgot, Barraba. Our "DIGGS" were at a local backpackers that had seen better days. To give you an idea the last backpacker was there in 2005.


After Trev fixed the slats in his bed and we all finally showered it was
time for the street party. The main street was closed off for Variety.
Barraba turned it on with the "BUDDY"( Buddy Holly) show taking up centre stage. The band entertained the "bashers" and locals alike and a good time was had by all. A lot of new dance moves by the bashers were tried out on the locals with mixed results. Some loved the clown others thought it a bit " Brokeback Mountain". Another day gone and heaps to go. Until next time........the rookie.

 

Funny looking Emu's

 

 

Is that a dust bunny?

 

 

Look all I am saying is a

 few drinks and maybe dinner

 


Day 4 Barraba to Mudgee

After a great night of entertainment in Barraba, we started to head off for
our days trek when a huge thunder storm hit in the morning. We had just
started when the sky opened up and it bucketed down. The roads became very slippery and the water was starting to get deep in some parts. As a team we decided to come of the bash route because it was getting a bit too boggy and slippery for us and go direct via bitumen to Mudgee which was about 300kms away. This decision was the right one as we saw a couple of cars lose control and spin around in the mud at slow speed. Lucky it was a public holiday and we had no schools to go and visit.

   

The truck has developed a problem of overheating after about an hour of
driving. I believe it could be a head gasket. When the temp starts to go up,
we have to stop and put some water back in the radiator. Tomorrow we drop in at Bathurst and hopefully I can temporarily repair it. If not we just have to keep stopping and fill the radiator.

When we arrived in at Mudgee the sun was out and the accommodation we stayed in was so nice. We were in that early, we even done some much needed washing and even then ......there was time to relax. Which doesn't happen much on the bash. We are recharged now.

   

All the bash cars came in safe with no real dramas, but they were very
muddy.

They are predicting rain again tomorrow so we will see what happens.

 

A day in the life of a

virgin basher

I miss my emu

She was so fluffy and nice

Busted!

 

Your TEAM mates can always be trusted , kind of!

 

 

 

 

Its a dogs life


Day 5 Mudgee to Cowra

Today we had official duties to carry out so we had
to go direct to the lunch stop which was at Bathurst.
We had to check the whole field in and keep them all
together at a sports ground on the out skirts of Bathurst.

 

   

Everyone knew that the whole Variety Bash was about to
do a complete lap of the Mount Panorama circuit.
You could tell everybody was getting excited about what
we had to do (don't forget they are car mad this lot of bashers).

Finally when all the cars were in, the bash field was told
to line up and start moving, well the atmosphere was so electric
that you could tell this is what a lot of them have been waiting for.

 

     

As the line of vehicles (a very big line 215 vehicles) made their way through town all the locals

cheered and waved and I think some of them even thought what the!!! The track was

closed but Variety had permission to do a lap. The line was so big that we took up the

whole track with some still out in the street waiting to get onto the track. This of course

created a bit of a traffic jam at the end of the main straight.

 

I was the one that had the privilege to drive around the circuit
so I would like to thank my other team members for giving me that privilege. I enjoyed

it so much. It was the high light for me of the bash so far. Mike took a great opportunity

to travel around the circuit in an open cab fire truck which when we saw him again he was

 over the moon. By the way when we did see him he was coming off the track after completing

the lap as we were just about to enter the track. So Mike jumped back into OV12 and did another lap.

 

       

At the bottom of the main straight the Four X Retreat was there and opened
to just Variety. For those who haven't had the Email of this Four X Retreat
it is a truck (B double) which open out to be a pub. It was awesome.
This is where we had lunch.

 



The afternoon section was just a quick one and we had some visitors on the
truck. A firie from Proserpine Debbie and her friend Angie but we had
trouble with the truck, the head gasket was getting worse and I found traces
of water in the oil. NOT GOOD. We decided to go straight to Cowra so we
could work on the truck. We had to flush the radiator out and put some
product called "seal it" in. This is what everyone is telling me will work.
Hope so. We will know tomorrow if it works and if not, we might have to make
a huge decision whether to carry on with the bash and risk making it back to
Brissy or limp the old girl home now. To be advised. Fingers crossed.

 

   
 

 

All hail the king of the mountain!

Not once but TWICE!

 

 

Who's got wind?

 

Wind Farm!

 

 


Day 6 Cowra - Temora

We had a team meeting in the morning to decide if we were going to continue
on the bash. It was decided to keep going and not push the truck as much as
we have already done. We checked the days running sheet and it showed it was
all on bitumen and only 152 kms. We headed for a town called Temora where we
had a lunch stop and it was also the finish for the day. It was a small day
so the bashers could rest or do whatever bashers do in their spare time
(don't ask, it's safer).
The lunch/finish was at the Temora Aviation Museum which displays
ex-military aircraft. What makes this Museum so unique is that the aircraft
are maintained in airworthy condition and flown on a regular basis. We had
free entry into the Museum and they also dragged out an old Canberra bomber.
They started it up and flew it around the airfield for about 40 minutes. It
was great to see. It was also great to see Mavis the lawn bowler showing
interest in the planes.
        
        

After the plane had landed, some of the bashers, who during the bash brought
remote control cars (some for $1000.00) at the auctions (which are held each
night and all money raised goes to Variety) had a race around the tarmac. I
think Holden won. They were going everywhere so you really couldn't tell.
That night it was theme night which was "Pilots and Air Hostesses". I have
to thank the locals who saw us walking to the showgrounds and gave a lift.
It was a bit of a walk to get there. And for those who wants to see grown
men in dresses, I had to put a photo of my mate Scotty who went to a lot of
trouble. Sorry it was not me this time. It was a great night and the
temperature dropped to -3 in the morning. Glad we didn't decide to camp out.
    

Day 7 Temora - Lake Carelligo


Today we decided to go on the bash route because we were actually going to
do a school visit. For those of you who have wondered what happened to all
the kids this year, well it is still NSW school holidays.
Country road ... take me home... to the head gasket ... repair .....man .... sing along now!

The track (if you can call it a track) lead us to a school called Bribbaree
where there was quite a few kids there to meet the bashers. Even Blazer came
out to see the kids which all the kids just loved. Hugs and high fives
everywhere.

Oh how cute! Kids Love Blazer Don't we all! Having fun the blazer way Busy day!

As we travelled to our lunch stop at a place called Barmedman Pool the
landscape was just changed so much in a short distance. There at Barmedman
Pool was a large mineral spring pool where of course Variety challenged 10
of the bashers to a drag race. It was going to be the top 10 shootout. It
didn't take long before the rev heads put their hands up to volunteer. But
in Variety style there was a twist. You may understand if you see the
photos. Some of them were not a pretty sight.

Looks cold! Oh that type of DRAG race! They don't shrink that much ?? do they ?

  From lunch we travelled direct to Lake Cargeligo where the virgin basher
finally hit the wall. It is very hard work doing the Variety Bash, as some
people may differ. All you have to do is ask Mike, when he finally wakes up.
Because we got in so early we had a refresher at the place we stayed that
night. We talked to some locals and the lake is only 30% full. The residents
are doing it hard.

I bet he's like this on shift also What's that about nuts?

Day 8 Lake Cargeligo- Parkes

This day we had official duties to carry out at the Parkes Radio Telescope
Dish so we went direct to Parks and then to our check point. We got there
really early about three hours early so had a drive around Parks and made
sure the locals knew the Variety Bash was about to come to their town.
    
Once the check point was completed we had time to visit the dish and have a
look around. That was about the day!!!
  
Tonight is awards night for all the bashers and we find out how much we have
raised to date for the kids of Variety and we find out the top 10 fund
raisers.
We finish tomorrow at Bathurst and watch the V8 supercars in action. Until
then.

Day 9 Parkes to Bathurst and THE FINISH LINE
The awards dinner went exceptionally well and the top 10 fundraisers were
announced. As a matter of interest, the top 10 fundraisers will drive their
cars for one lap around Bathurst in front of the massive crowd.
Congratulations to you all from OV12. The top fundraiser, which I can't
remember at the moment, raised $139 000.00. That is a brilliant effort and
our $10 000.00 raised mightn't seem much compared to this, but it all
helped. The overall figure raised for this year was a massive, 1.9 million
dollars, which will go so far to help the Variety kids of Queensland. When
you hear how much gets raised through the year and what it is going to be
used for, you know that all the long hours of fundraising and preparing for
the bash is well and truly worth it.


In the morning there seemed to be a bit of a buzz with everyone. I don't
know if it was that we have nearly come to the end of the bash or the
announcement of the money raised. It was the last chance to play tricks on
the other bashers and their cars. It was going to be an easy drive, via
bitumen, into Bathurst and to the finish line, an easy 153km through the
town of Orange.

 

For some cars this wasn't so. There seemed to be a few cars on the side of
the road being repaired. We stopped and helped the xxxx bus, Top Hat Lounge, as their radiator split and started to boil the engine. The RAAF mechanics stopped and they had the equipment to repair the radiator on the side of the road. As a favour we took one of their passengers, Nat, to the finish line.

 

It was a great feeling we got OV12,the old girl, to the finish line. The
decision to keep going a couple of days ago and look after her, was the
right one now. She didn't let us down.

 

At the finish line there didn't seem to be a lot of the public to cheer for
us. I THINK there was something bigger on in Bathurst that day!!! All the
other bashers cheered and congratulated each other for a bash well done. All the cars of the bash made it over the finish line even if they had to push
them.

Once all the cars came across the finish line it was time to go to Camp
Bathurst which was right near the track and only for Variety. I have no idea
how they would of managed this. Amazing.

   

This is the first time I saw the Variety clown sleep.

 It felt good to relax. Trev, Mike and myself went to the track and watched some practice runs and a V8 supercar Development race.

     

 
Everywhere you looked there was something going on. It was great. Mike even helped a man that was having a diabetes attack until Ambulance officers arrived. The man was fine.

     

At the end of the day the rain was coming and we decided to make a move tohead home. That was a hard decision. We still had to limp the old girl home and thought the cool night air would help. That night Mental as Anything held a concert for Variety and we would miss the main race, sacrifices we make!!!!


Day 10 Bathurst to home sweet home 
2828.57 Klm's 1 way!
Just wanted to let everyone know we made it home with an uneventful trip
during the night. Toowoomba, where this bash started from, didn't seem that
far away driving direct. As we drove through it was covered in cloud early
in the morning and at the bottom of the range it was raining.

It was great to get home, finally, and see the family. Yes I did watch the
race on the big screen and said to myself, I could be there. Maybe another
year.

To finish off this year's bash, we would like to thank everybody including
our family and friends that helped us through the year to achieve what we
have completed (there is way too many to name). Also the special kids from
Variety, that will be helped from your kind donations, would love to thank
everyone.

OV12 didn't use the skills and equipment we have on board but that means it
turned out to be a safe bash for everyone. We are there just in case someone
does need assistance. It is better not to be called upon!!!!


The next years bash has been announced and it is from Ross River, Townville
to Todd River, Alice Springs. This is a National bash so Variety from all
the other States and Territories of Australia, meets up with each other on
the way. This one may be very huge. Hopefully all our sponsors will help us
again next year to get OV12 into the bash. If you would like to help, please
don't hesitate to contact us.

Until next time. 

Thanks to all.