Sporting two silver fins and an impressive pair of choppers, Delma, the shark-inspired 1970s Holden Statesmen, will soon be transporting a local Sapphire Coast builder and his team all the way to tropical north Queensland.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This is the second year in a row Delma has headed bush as part of the Variety Club’s BtoB Bash, raising money for sick and disadvantaged children.
Chaperoning Delma on her adventure will be John Smith, from G.J. Gardner Homes Sapphire Coast, along with fellow G.J. Gardner builders from Wollongong and Shoalhaven.
“Last year we raised just under $35,000,” Mr Smith said. “This year, Delma is sporting her flashy new shark-inspired make-over, so we’re bound to raise a lot more - $50,000 seems like a good round number to us.”
“We received some amazing support last year and we’re sure this year we’re going to crack the $50k milestone. The people of Sapphire Coast are a generous lot. We know it’s within reach.”
Mr Smith said the shark car Delma is named after the local woman who sold him the car after her husband passed away.
“When she sold us the car she told us she wanted it to go to a good cause,” he said.
The Variety Bash, first started by Dick Smith in 1985, sees intrepid adventurers race thousands of kilometres through regional and rural parts of Australia in vehicles that must have been built no later than 1976.
Every year the race starts and ends in towns with names starting with the letter B. This year’s race begins in the northern Sydney suburb of Berowa and ends, 3799 kilometres later, in the north Queensland town of Bowen.
John said last year’s race was an experience he would never forget and he couldn’t wait to strap himself into Delma for this year’s event.
“A lot of people think its one big party from start to finish,” John said. “Yes we do have a lot of fun, but we also visit a lot of the kids we’re helping along the way.”
“It’s inspiring to meet these children and present them with something they really need. It’s great to feel we’re all making a difference.”
This year’s Variety Club BtoB Bash will take place from 21-30 August.
People wanting to donate to the “Sharkies” are encouraged to visit their fundraising page at https://2016varietybtobbash.everydayhero.com/au/gj-gardner-homes-the-sharkies
