ABOUT 85 people dressed as vikings, queens, meerkats, minions and many other things rode into Swan Hill for Variety’s Rally Around Victoria over the weekend.
The Rally Around Victoria was a three-day event, which saw the group travel from Melbourne to Swan Hill, Swan Hill to Port Fairy, and then Port Fairy back to Melbourne.
Chief executive of Variety Victoria Mandy Burns says the rally is all about raising money to help kids in need, with every person in the rally raising at least $500.
“We’re a very lucky country, we know that lots of things of work, we’ve got generally pretty good schools and a good health system, but there are gaps,” Ms Burns said.
“So we’re all about filling those gaps, and here in Swan Hill, it was about supporting a family for whom that occurred.”
That recipient was nine-year-old Laine Mckenzie, who was gifted with an insulin pump to help her with her type 1 diabetes.
“It was a very special gift that has definitely improved Laine’s quality of life and also our family,” Laine’s mother, Sam Mckenzie said.
“It has just given her a bit more freedom and independence to try and help manage her diabetes herself, which is always an amazing thing.”
First time rallyer Travis Hamilton says one of the main things that made him choose to do this was because of the impact donations make.
“It’s certainly one of the only charities I am familiar with where you get to see that change and those benefits first hand, and it’s an amazing privilege to experience that kind of joy that recipients of Variety’s good work receive,” Mr Hamilton said.
Juxtaposed to Mr Hamilton, Helen Hoppner has been a part of the Variety Bash since 1992 with her 1965 Ford Galaxy, and thought the rally would be a good excuse to give her car a run after all the cancelled events over the past few years.
“I had a really good reason to do it (in the first place) because we’d had a grandchild born with a disability, so it all kind of fitted together and I started bashing then and I haven’t stopped,” Ms Hoppner said.
“It gets in your blood.”
To find out more about Rally Around Victoria or to donate, head to the Variety Children’s Charity website.
