Smith’s got more to do

from Western Weekender June 9 2023

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Variety Bash legend hints he’ll hit the road again next year after 2023 success

CASSIDY PEARCE

St Marys Leagues Club President Warren Smith has shelved plans to wrap up his involvement with the Variety NSW Bash – refusing to rule out going on another adventure next year.

The final day of this year’s Variety NSW Bash kicked off at St Marys Leagues Club late last month in what should have been the swan song for legendary Bash veteran Smith. But, it seems he’s still got a little more giving to do.

According to Smith, it was around 20 years ago when he first got involved with Variety, after they held a fundraising event at the Club.

“They got me up on the stage and offered to sell me a car for $1, so we bought that, it cost us $7000 to get it road-worthy, and then we started to go on the Bashes and raise money for the charity,” he said.

Since then, Smith has been on over 15 Bashes himself, with this year’s car, his fourth.

“The others are all broken down and had it. They’ve always got photos of our junior league players on the bonnet, boot and sides, promoting rugby league,” he said.

“This is the third year this one’s been on, and it went very good actually. The mechanics that worked on it before the Bash got everything going properly, which is fairly unusual for us. We usually have a lot of breakdowns!”

For Smith, the most important part is the giving he’s able to do with Variety, attending breakfasts and lunches for schools along the way, and providing them with sporting equipment.

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“We always ring them up prior to the Bash and see what they’re needing, and take extra sporting gear along to each school,” he said.

“If there’s only 9, 10, 11, 17 kids in a school, I’ll ring up the teacher and ask the kids what sort of football or soccer ball or basketball they’d like, and we’ll take one for each individual kid. They really appreciate that.”

Aside from it potentially being his last, this year’s Bash was a little bit more special for Smith and the team from St Marys Leagues Club.

“The last night’s presentation was held at our Leagues Club, where they had 340 attend,” he said.

“There’s 101 cars this year that went on the Bash, and we were given the highest award of Spirit of the Bash. It was a very big shock actually, but they said that all the other work that we do before and during the Bash was outstanding.”

It was here that Smith finished, before his car led the parade to Newcastle on the last day.

Although he was sure this year would be his final Bash, Smith said he’s had his fair share of encouragement to go again.

“Even the paramedics blokes were saying, ‘You’ve got to go again next year – we’ll look after you!’,” he said.

“A lot of people on the Friday night were telling me I’ve got to go again, so I’ll see how I hold up coming up to next May.”

But, no matter what, he couldn’t be happier with his efforts.

“It’s a pleasure to see where the money goes. There have been quite a few people in our area that Variety has helped and donated things to for the young kids,” he said.

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Youngsters should get on with it

I noticed in your column that you experienced an interest rise last year for the first time since you entered into a mortgage in 2011! Lucky you (Editor’s Desk, Weekender May 12). I retired in 2010 and as far as I am concerned the low interest rates paid to investors since I retired has assisted you paying your mortgage off, and it’s about time we retirees had a fair go. My mortgage rate was 18 per cent and my income was on a par with yours given the time difference and through hard work and long hours, and no holidays or mobile phones either by the way, I owned my home within 10 years at 44 years of age. They can raise interest rates as high as they like for as long as they like for all I care! I’m fed up with my bank, currently paying me 0.4 per cent interest up to $50,000 and only 2.1 per cent above that. Just stop whinging about how hard it is for you all and get on with it, just as we had to, it was just as hard for our generation. You’ve had it too good for far too long.

A J BURROW, CAMBRIDGE PARK

Don’t understand or don’t bother

Imagine if you hired a detective and he asked you to investigate? The latest Department of Agriculture report on live export violations found non-compliance issues at seven slaughterhouses in Indonesia, to which Australian cattle are sent. But this review only happened after a PETA Asia investigation in June 2021 showing ineffectual or non-existent stunning, torture with steel rods or by breaking the animals’ tails, and steers still struggling up to 12 minutes after their throats were cut. The largely ineffectual efforts of regulators only ever happen after PETA and other animal activists risk life and freedom to attain evidence. ESCAS, the Australian regulatory system, was implemented 12 years ago, after the industry was too briefly shut down following revelations of horrors on ‘Four Corners’. ESCAS is supposed to be about detecting and stopping such abuses, but it is clear that exporters and abattoirs still either don’t understand the regulations or don’t bother to follow them because there are no meaningful consequences for non-compliance. Waiting for the industry to take actions inimical to its own profits is pointless. The only way to stop these appalling cruelties is to ban live export immediately.

DESMOND BELLAMY, BYRON BAY

Interest rate rises hit hard

I honestly don’t know many more our family can take. Our mortgage has gone up over $345 a week and that’s not including this one. By the end of the year its going to be over $800 a week. Hubby only on $1k a week. So leaves us with hardly anything. We have tightened our budget even more but with all the bills and food constantly going up I have no idea what we will do. We budgeted increases when we bought but not this high.

LAUREN HEE, VIA FACEBOOK