ABOUT THE BASHFUL BEES CREW….
Mandy “NewBee” “Amanda” “Buggerlugs”
Mandy pictured in the centre
Mandy is now on her 3rd trek to raise money for Variety.
She joined the Bashful Bees in 2012 as a Bash Virgin and she definitely got the Bash Bug and has fallen in love the Aussie outback. She had such a memorable time over the last couple of years with Sonya, Fiona, Janelle and Bow but now she is the Team Leader of the Bashful Bees ready to hit the dirt in 2014 ! She is enlisting a whole lot of “WANNA BEES” to help her out this year.
During the last 2 years of her Bash tenure, Mandy has assisted in raising over $45,000 for Variety NSW. In 2013, she and her Bee Crew (Janelle and Bow) were presented with the Sheridan Cup in Ballarat as Car 97 raised over $25,000 – see picture below.
She looks forward to catching up with all her friends on the Bash and generously gives her time and money to the Variety cause.
Janelle “NellBee” “Clarkie”
Janelle LOVED LOVED LOVED her Bash Adventure from Bankstown to Ballarat in 2013…
…SO she has decided to join Mandy on the first half of the bash from Gold Coast to Brewarrina!!!
Nell is also a longtime hockey friend of Mandy’s and she was another Bash Virgin added to the ranks of the 2013 NSW Variety Bash! Yayyy this year she is no longer a virgin!
She has visited a lot of regional towns within NSW and was eager to explore more of the other states that the Bees visited during our time on the Bash!
She has tirelessly assisted Mandy with her fundraising activities in 2014 including Cupcake Day and Trivia Night at Collaroy Surf Club.
Amy “AmboBee” Evans
Breaking News – Amy Evans will be joining Mandy on the second half of the Bash!!
Amy joined the Bash Circus last year as one of the 2 paramedics. She would be kicking herself if she didn’t attend part of the 30 year National Bash.
She will be joining Car 97 “The Bashful Bees” on Day 6 – Brewarrina to Broken Hill. In joining the spirit of Car 97, she will be exchanging her ambulance uniform for a Bee Outfit complete with antennas! Along with the Bash experience in August, she with her partner, Mark is jetting off on the Variety Orangutan Jungle Trek in late October of this year. Plenty of fundraising for Variety this year!
Amy is an avid hockey player along with the other 2 Bees joining this years bash. She is looking forward to catching up with all of her old Bash Mates she met last year.
And our behind the scenes Bees … who unfortunately can’t make it this year …
Sonya “Queen Bee” Link
Bees & RIP
AGAIN!!! Sonya unfortunately can’t make the 2014 Variety Bash this year as she is working overseas basing herself in Amsterdam.
She may do the 2015 bash at this stage depending on time off. She will be very sadly missed 😦 We are participating in this bash as a tribute to Sonya’s attendance at every bash as we don’t want to ruin Car #97’s record of consequential bashes since 2006.
A bit about Sonya………Sonya is now a Bash “veteran” having completed the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010,2011 and 2012 Bashes. She was fortunate enough to lead the “Waxheads” team in 2006 and was so inspired she signed up again in 2007 with her brother and brother-in-law.
In 2008 she made the decision to purchase her own car and was the proud owner of a lovely 1966 Holden HR and the Bashful Bees were born! This will be the 7th year the Bees have been involved in the Bash and they are all looking forward to experiencing great communities, kids and times once again in 2014.
Sonya is a committed supporter of Variety NSW and has seen first-hand the enormous contribution that Variety makes to the lives of children in regional and rural Australia. Sonya is completely lacking in mechanical skills but has become great friends with the Mobile Workshop over the past few years … and with a car full of girls they are never left stranded on the side of the road for long!
“BowBee” Chris / Christine Bowyer
Bow (on left) with Shaggy and Nell
Bow (or Chris/Christine) is a longtime hockey friend of Mandy’s and she was a Bash Virgin for 2013.
She was extremely excited about travelling on the bash in 2013 and its always been on her “to do” list. She absolutely loved the Bash experience but unfortunately she is still getting over her patella tendon snapping at the end of last year.
Although not coming on the Bash, she is tirelessly assisting Mandy with her various fundraising activities including Trivia Night and Cupcake Day.
Fiona “FiBee” Gordon
FiBee!
A kiwi import, Fi moved to Australia over 10 years ago and has never looked back!
Being an avid supporter of Variety, she travelled in multiple bashes raising a lot of money for Australian children and has also enjoyed giving some time back to the community.
Like Sonya, Fi is completely impractical when it comes to fixing any problems with the car, but has volunteered to flag down strong (preferably good-looking) men, should the crew come into any strife.
Helen “Costi” Costi
“Costi” – Picture Far Left
Known to all as “Costi”!
Helen joined the team in 2009 and has been a much loved and invaluable member of the team from day one. Her last bash was in 2011 conquering the Gibb River Road to Broome with Queen Bee.
Megan “SOS” (Sister of Sonya) Read
Megan (sister of Sonya) experienced the Variety Bash for a number of years as a spectator…
…before she decided it was her turn to do some driving, try to remember some of the car basics her father taught her and generally have a good time. And that was just what she did!!
Bees on the Bash's Weblog 