On August 9, Angie Murphy will set off from her Woongarah home in her dad’s trusty old 1984 Ford Falcon XE for an adventure of a lifetime when she joins more than 300 cars in the annual Variety’s B to B Bash.
The 46-year-old admits to being both “really nervous” and “really excited”.
“I’m looking forward to it, but nervous about the leaving the family behind,” she said.
“My life has been so jampacked.
“All of a sudden, I am 46 and I’m thinking where did that decade go?”
The mother of two certainly has her hands full.
Both her daughters, Maddie and JoJo, live with hidden disabilities, her husband Adam has a rare disorder, Semicircular Canal Dehiscience, and last year she became the legal guardian of her non-verbal autistic brother Luke, who needs 24/7 care.
She has almost completed a degree in special education and she works for Variety’s Just Like You program, an interactive program that visits schools to teach children about people with disabilities.
“I have always wanted to travel, and I work with Variety so I know all about the Bash, it’s always been in the back of my mind that one day I might go in it.”
With the help of a close friend, they rescued her dad’s old car which was still garaged.
“We’re both like let’s do it,” she said.
“My mum and I are very close and she said you have to do this.
“My husband Adam said babe, I want you to do this.”
They managed to get her father’s old car out of the garage that he had literally built around it.
“Dad loved that car; he built the garage around it, so we had to take a wall down to get it out.”
With the car now up and running – now called Eric after her dad – they will be joining the other cars for a street party in Dubbo on August 10 before heading off on August 11 to follow the tracks of the trailblazing 1985 original Bash convoy travelling from Dubbo to Mudgee.
Now in its 40th year, the Bash will cover 6,000kms in 12 days and aims to raise $1.5M to support children who are sick, experiencing disadvantage or living with a disability.
“Variety is a charity just for children,” Murphy said.
“I love working with Variety because I get to work with my passion, which is teaching others about people who live with disabilities, especially hidden disabilities.
“We visit schools where we do interactive workshops.
“I’m really passionate about this job – it’s not a job, it’s everything I want for my family – giving people equal opportunities.
“I can’t think of anything I would want to be more involved with than Variety.”
Anyone interested in donating can visit Variety NSW/ACT – Comic Relief (varietynswact.org.au)