Celebs Line up for Charity Rally in Aid of Kiwi Kids
Variety Trillian Bash will entertain as it travels NZ
Prime Minister John Key is perhaps the best-known face signed to line up with the crews as the 25th Variety Trillian
Bash arrives at the Beehive in Wellington on March 10. But his busy schedule means he won’t be among the celebrities
joining the Variety Trillian Bash as it zig zags along 1800km of North Island road this year, calling in at schools
along the way before finishing at Auckland’s MOTAT on March 14.
A number of Kiwi entertainers have already confirmed they’ll be among the crazy classic-car crews, with Mark Wright
tipped to fill Ewen Gilmour’s shoes as MC.
Among them will be Variety Ambassador Simon Dallow, of TV One fame. The lanky newsreader is a regular Basher who will
ride with the crews for all but a few mid-week days, when the studio calls him away.
“Variety – The Children’s Charity does a great job of filling the gaps,” he says. “We’re not trying to cure cancer, or
send a child to Disneyland. We’re aiming to help the ordinary Kiwi battler whose kid needs a piece of specialist
equipment, or whose rural school can’t afford that sports kit or the fuel to help their kids mix with their peers, the
kind of stuff that helps children step up to the plate and fulfill their potential.”
Simon adds, “And the Bash is a fantastic way to raise that money, deliver those grants, and entertain kids along the way
– often in areas that don’t get Christmas parades, or see the celebs who normally stick to urban centres. Better yet,
it’s a lot of fun – Bashers don’t see why doing good shouldn’t be enjoyable, or why it shouldn’t involve as much
entertainment as hard work.”
Also joining the event for a few days is children’s entertainer Suzy Cato. Cato’s a firm fan, not only because it gives
the adults a chance to be a kid again, but because of the funds it raises for so many disadvantaged kids around the
country. “The Bash often visits communities tucked away in the back of beyond, which find it difficult to access some
services and entertainment. The Bash teams get to create a bit of fun for them, and perhaps give them a hand while
they’re at it.” Cato also loves meeting her fans along the route.
Stand-up veteran Tarun Mohanbhai has also confirmed he’ll join up in Tauranga, while others are still checking their
diaries.
As for Mark Wright, the actor, comedian and raconteur will need to muster all his improv skills to wrangle the famously
zany Bash teams. The Theatresports champion and Variety Ambassador will be presenting grants, making speeches, and
trying to keep the convoy of nearly 40 classic cars and fire engines en route to reach their target of up to four
schools each day.
No doubt he’s already memorizing the complex schedule, to ensure the Bash hits every school, every town – and the
Beehive – on time.
Schedule: More details closer to the time (contact us if you need more specifics)
March 7
New Plymouth, includes kids surf competition
Normanby
Ohakea
March 8
Bulls – school kite contest
Marton
Ohakune
March 9
Waiouru
Mangaweka
Shannon
Upper Hutt
Wellington
March 10
Wellington – arrive Beehive 9.15
Lower Hutt
Featherston
Masterton
March 11
Masterton
Opaki
Napier
March 12
Napier
Taupo
Rotorua
Tauranga
March 13
Tauranga
Matakana Island
Cambridge
March 14
Cambridge
Thames
Ellerslie
MOTAT evening function
ends