11/09/2026
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
Sometimes the biggest thing holding us back in life isnโt what happens to us...
Itโs what we tell ourselves afterwards...!
Back in ๐๐๐๐, Duane jumped into the Port to Port Variety Bash, travelling from Sea World to Port Douglas.๐๐จ๐จ
It was an adventure he loved โ the mates, the cars, the laughs, the feeling of doing something bigger than yourself.๐
Then, just a couple of weeks after the Bash, on ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐, his life changed forever.
A crash left him a ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ข๐.๐จโ๐ฆฝ
Seven months followed in a Sydney hospital.
Life was suddenly very different.๐ช
But somewhere in the back of his mind, one thought never disappearedโฆ
โ๐โ๐ฆ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง.โ๐ช
In 2011, he made his way to the Variety Bash in Hervey Bay for the opening dinner.
He was there because, in his mind, he was going back out there.
But fear has a funny way of getting inside your head.
The years started passing.
One year became five.
Five became ten.
And somehow, ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฒ!
Then on 11 February 2025, a very good mate, ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ passed away.๐ญ
When he went to Billโs funeral, he was surrounded by people who, just like Bill, were Variety Bashers.โค๏ธ
People who understood what the Bash was really about!
People who knew that life is short!
And somewhere in amongst the memories of Bill, the stories and the familiar faces, a thought came backโฆ
โ๐๐๐ญ๐, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง.โ๐ซถ
So he did.
In August 2025, after 14 years away, he climbed back into the Variety family and tackled half of the Bash โ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ข๐.
And he absolutely bloody loved it.๐
The fear that had been sitting in his head for 14 years suddenly seemed a whole lot smaller.
He came home and made a decision.
๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ.
He was going to build his own car.
With a VP Wagon, a couple of good mates and a bloody good idea, the build began.๐
And what came out the other side?
๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ. ๐
This year, Sonic hit the road.
He came back to the Bash, met old mates, made plenty of new ones, shared plenty of laughs and once again became part of something that had been waiting for him all along.
And now?
๐๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ. ๐ฅ
Fourteen years of wondering.๐ค
Fourteen years of fear.
Fourteen years of thinking โmaybe one day.โ
And then one decision changed everything.๐คฉ
Because sometimes you donโt need to wait until youโre ready.
Sometimes you just need to ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฉ!๐ฅ
Donโt let the little things in life hold you back.
Donโt let fear make the decisions for you.
And donโt spend years wondering โwhat if?โ
Get out there!๐
Have the adventure!
Make the memories!
Find your people!
And bloody well ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค. โค๏ธ
Because thereโs still plenty of road ahead.
And this timeโฆ
๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง. ๐ฆ๐
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