Paraplegic Mark Miljons-Rostoks has Moomba’s Birdman Rally on his bucket list

Moomba’s popular Birdman Rally is set to be another great success, with one entrant ticking the event off his bucket list by entering a craft made entirely of buckets.

Entertainer Jimmy Giggle competing in the 2018 Birdman Rally.

Participants in Moomba’s popular Birdman Rally this year will include a quadriplegic who has the event on his bucket list.

Appropriately, the craft will be made of buckets, but entrant Mark Miljons-Rostoks will not actually be on it.

A friend will fly it on his behalf.

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Quadriplegic Mark Miljons-Rostoks, with his carer Elsie Manacka, is a Birdman Rally fan.

So far, Mr Miljons-Rostoks and 17 other competitors have signed up for the iconic event, which City of Melbourne councillor Nicholas Reece has described as a welcome relic of “yesteryear”.

In a council meeting this week, Cr Reece had advice for the council’s new CEO Justin Hanney.

“If the WorkCover Authority call, just tell them it’s a sporting event and can they please stay away from the Bird Man Rally,” he joked.

“Long may the Birdman Rally continue.”

In 2018, kids’ entertainer Jimmy Giggle became the first Moomba Monarch to take part in the event, which started in 1976 but was cancelled for many years due to polluted Yarra River water.

This year, Giggle’s dad Mark will take part to raise cash for Frankston Rotary Club charity Safe Water for All Children.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the Birdman Rally was a wacky part of Moomba, with the whole festival due to attract more than one million people next month.

“After 65 years, Moomba is wise with age, steeped in tradition and undoubtedly young at heart,” she said.

Council’s budget for the free festival is $4.3 million, including $300,000 for Moomba Parade “assets”.

The Coffee Plunger splashes down at Moomba last year.

This year will include testing for the viability of merchandise sales.

A limited edition fair trade tote bag will be sold in the lead up to Moomba at council visitor centres.

Moomba will be held from Friday March 8 to Monday March 11, with the parade held on the Monday around Kings Domain.

The Birdman Rally, which raised a record $100,000 for charity in 2017, will be held on the Yarra on March 10.

The 2019 Moomba Monarchs will be unveiled on Friday week.

@JMasanauskas