, THERE’S something satisfying about the expressions of joy on the children’s faces when Delungra residents Greg and Sherree Thomas pull up at an outback school in their 1964 Dodge Pheonix complete with bells, sirens, murals and a life-size fibreglass Santa Claus. The eye-catching vehicle will participate in its 12th Variety Club Bash next week, carrying Greg and Sherree from Southbank in Brisbane through Pittsworth, Tenterfield and on to Inverell on August 11, before the round-trip back to the Gold Coast via Goondiwindi. “The bash is a celebration of the money we’ve raised for the children’s charities,” Greg said. “This will be our sixth bash but the car has been in plenty before it was remodelled into Santa’s Sleigh.”, Complete with a full musical PA system, pressurised cabin, Ford 9” rear end and GPS, Santa’s Sleigh attracts all kinds of attention, wherever it goes. But for day to day running around, it usually takes backseat to the couple’s other, more conventional, family car.“We get all sorts of comments about the car, including the standard ‘Santa, where’s my bike’”, Greg said., “We often take the car around to the schools and kindys around Christmas time and we’ve been known to drive for the odd Christmas in July event.”, Santa’s Sleigh has even led the Indy parade on the Gold Coast for two years., Remodelling the car’s exterior with its Yuletide theme took Greg and a mate from Mackay more than a year, loads of fibreglass and the talents of a Queensland airbrush artist., Since the last bash, one year ago, Greg has raised $10,000 for the Variety Club and collected more than $5000 worth of giveaways to hand out along the 10-day bash., “It’s not a race, but more of a chance to have some fun on dirt roads while visiting these out of the way towns,” Greg said., “It’s an amazing feeling when you see these kids out in the middle of nowhere get a walking frame or a wheelchair that they otherwise would never have been able to have.”, He said the Variety Club of Queensland expected to raise $750,000 this year, with similar targets set for clubs in other states., Inverell residents can share in the fun on August 11 when the Bash makes its way through Inverell and out to Green Valley for a lunch-time celebration. The owners of Green Valley will support the cause by allowing free admission on the day. Food and drink is available or visitors are welcome to pack a picnic lunch.,

© 2001 Inverell Times

<< Back