Celebs Line up for Charity Rally in Aid of Kiwi Kids

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

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