| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
It’s been nearly a year since Matthew Parsons from the Blacktown Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rode as Batman in the Batmobile for the Variety Children's Charity B to B Bash.
When the idea was presented to Matthew more than a year ago, he had no idea how much this event would impact his life. For ten years the company he works for, Refuelling Solutions, has run the “Batmobile” (a 1966 Dodge Phoenix which has been substantially refurbished!) and asked if Matthew would be willing to participate. After riding in his first Bash and seeing how the event positively impacts children, he said he would be happy to continue returning to participate as long as he is able.
The purpose of the Variety Children's Charity B to B Bash is to raise money for children and their schools in remote parts of Australia. Each year since 1985, the Bash has had old refurbished cars, trucks, even a bus travel across Australia from one small, remote community to another. Many sponsors and donations come in to help support this wonderful cause. Last year’s Bash raised around $1.8 million which goes to Variety, the Children’s Charity.
When asked why he does the Bash, Matthew explained, “The Bash is all about raising money to provide resources, like books, wheelchairs, special access ramps and more to children in outback schools who normally don’t have access to things like that.”
Matthew also shared, “I used to think it was a bit odd for a grown man to dress up like Batman, but once you visit the children and see their reaction to this iconic ‘Super-hero’ character and you see their excitement that Batman has come to help their school and help them in their lives….so it’s a real fun experience to see the children’s reactions.”
Matthew will participate in this year’s B to B Bash starting on the 12 August 2018, beginning in Bonnyrigg, NSW and driving 4,400km to Braitling, NT near Alice Springs. On the way they're visiting Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Coober Pedy, Oodnadatta, Uluru and Yulara. It’s wonderful that he is so willing to give of his time for such a worthwhile cause.