![Reg and Paul Varley at Mount Panorama before the Variety B to B Bash heads off from Bathurst. Picture by James Arrow. Reg and Paul Varley at Mount Panorama before the Variety B to B Bash heads off from Bathurst. Picture by James Arrow.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/89e39927-4a2f-42bb-a236-7bc892b563c9.jpg/r0_280_5472_3648_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
REG Varley hasn't yet tired of one of Australia's most stark, empty landscapes.
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"Although I've done about 25 trips across the Nullarbor in my life, coming home across the Nullarbor will be a lot of fun again," he said this week as he prepares to set off from Bathurst on another Variety B to B Bash.
The outer western Sydney man was once a competitor in the Bash charity fundraiser, but made the switch to a new role about a decade ago.
![Reg and Paul Varley at Mount Panorama before the Variety B to B Bash heads off from Bathurst. Picture by James Arrow. Reg and Paul Varley at Mount Panorama before the Variety B to B Bash heads off from Bathurst. Picture by James Arrow.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/7b22cb9e-0d3c-4b4c-83a3-2d308f24acb5.jpg/r0_280_5472_3369_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I could see there was a need," he said.
"I used to build portable lighting towers and, for some of the events, they [Bash organisers] needed lighting at night. I could see an opportunity there to provide lighting for some of the night-time activities as well as lighting up the check-in point when they come in.
"So I spoke to the Bash people and we decided to go ahead with it."
Mr Varley is one of the big crew of Bash participants and officials in Bathurst this weekend as the event prepares to head off for the far point of Western Australia's Batavia Coast.
![Meet the man who'll be helping the cars get from Bathurst to the Batavia Coast Meet the man who'll be helping the cars get from Bathurst to the Batavia Coast](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/eed49f6c-e573-41ef-b08b-6efe31d5b080.png/r0_3_682_555_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The camaraderie and one thing and another is great," he said of his role, which he has shared with his sons over the years.
"The majority of the people are people like myself who have been doing it for years, so it's a bit of a family reunion each year."
That's not to say the days are easy.
"On a day-to-day basis, we're first out in the morning," Mr Varley said of his duties.
At the day's starting point, "which is usually a school or somewhere like that", he sets up the inflatable starting arch and some banners that act to funnel the vehicles into the arch.
"Then we help with marshalling of the vehicles as they arrive," he said.
"After everyone's had their breakfast and the thing heads off, we provide traffic direction where they come out on to the roads, so that there's no problems with traffic there.
"When all the vehicles have left, we pack the arch up and we travel along the Bash route and we report in any breakdowns."
Mr Varley likes to be at the finish point before dark, where "we set up the light tower to provide light for the vehicles coming in".
![Lexi Caldwell, Relle Simpson and Sam Bell, from Sydney, in front of their 1967 Mercedes when the B to B Bash stopped at Bathurst in 2018. Picture by Chris Seabrook. Lexi Caldwell, Relle Simpson and Sam Bell, from Sydney, in front of their 1967 Mercedes when the B to B Bash stopped at Bathurst in 2018. Picture by Chris Seabrook.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/33af8b59-46dc-48cf-99a4-2a9aaaa3de5e.jpg/r0_33_4912_2795_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Having completed 25 B to B Bashes and seven events in New Zealand, Mr Varley has covered a fair bit of country.
"I've seen most of Australia while travelling on the Bash - just too many places to mention," he said. "I've virtually been everywhere in Australia over the years."
And is there a route that particularly appeals?
"The one that we're doing this year, I really enjoy," he said of the Bathurst to Batavia Coast track.
"I love going out to Uluru. It's something to behold."
![Saan and Eileen Donaghey, from Mittagong, with their 1964 EH Holden when the B to B Bash stopped at Bathurst in 2018. Picture by Chris Seabrook. Saan and Eileen Donaghey, from Mittagong, with their 1964 EH Holden when the B to B Bash stopped at Bathurst in 2018. Picture by Chris Seabrook.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/1db86f30-3a4f-4717-b87d-01bfc7901c84.jpg/r0_285_4504_3712_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He also knows the Bash's starting point well.
"I was a race mechanic for 25-odd years, so I'm very familiar with Bathurst," he said.
IN OTHER NEWS AROUND BATHURST:
Mr Varley paid tribute to the equipment rental company Coates for providing him with a vehicle so he can tow the lighting tower.
"Coates have been unbelievable in supplying me with a vehicle for the last 10 years," he said.
"All up, I think, as an official, going to the Bashes and coming home and that, we've probably done about 80,000 or 90,000 kilometres in Coates vehicles."
Coates regional manager Paul Bradford said what Mr Varley does every year "goes above and beyond for such a worthwhile cause, and we're proud to provide this vehicle to him".
"Honestly, it's the least we can do given the work he does for the Bash," he said.
"The Variety B to B does wonders not just for the kids the organisation supports but in each and every town along the way, providing educational, health and mobility equipment provided to local schools and organisations.
"I'm based in the Central West as well, and I know through my work with Coates the benefits this can bring to communities across the region.
"It's amazing work and we're proud to support Reg to help keep these drivers safe along the way."
The Variety NSW/ACT B to B Bash will be setting off from 7am on Sunday, August 6 from Harris Park at the base of Mount Panorama.
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