The Wizard of Oz

After Mandy Welling participated in a Mini Bash run by Craig Rogerson of the TasBash Beach Boys she was hooked, “I loved it!”. So much so that she, and husband James, signed up to do the annual Variety Federal Group TasBash in 2018 in their 2006 Ford Escape. Thanks to the new entry requirements from 2018, all ages and types of vehicles are welcome provided they are themed inside, or out, have a UHF radio and dust light.  Mandy and James chose the Wizard of Oz as their theme, with their car wrapped with images from the Wizard of Oz. Mandy chose both Dorothy and the Wicked Witch costumes and James has a rather convincing Scarecrow costume.

For Mandy the lure of the TasBash is the thought of empowering Tasmanian children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs. “I had a really good childhood, so it was an eye opener realising that not all children are as lucky as I was.”  During the TasBash, the Bashers visit numerous schools in the local communities to hand over grants for things such as playground equipment, library furniture, sensory products and bicycles, showing that money raised in Tasmania goes to Tasmanian children. The colourful parade of TasBash cars bring joy to many children’s faces when they pull into their school. Mandy says, “I grew up in a small town and I think about how wonderful it would have been to witness the TasBash cars come through our town as a child.”

Mandy says she wasn’t given too much advice about what to expect on their first TasBash, except “to hold onto your hat and enjoy the journey!”