Birtles and the Bean journey officially launches in London
Two adventurers from The Daily Telegraph have set off on an incredible around-the-world trip, with a message from the King.
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King Charles sent his warmest good wishes to The Daily Telegraph’s team recreating a historic drive from London to Melbourne as they set off from Australia House in The Strand on Friday morning.
The Daily Telegraph’s cartoonist Warren Brown and Editor-at-large Matthew Benns were farewelled by Australian Deputy High Commissioner Elisabeth Bowes for the 24,000 km drive in a 100-year-old Bean 14 motor car.
FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE: See where our adventures are in the world right now
The endeavour is raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service which has King Charles as its patron in the UK.
Royal Flying Doctor Service, Friends in the UK chair Peter Box said the monarch had been kept updated on the adventure.
“The King asked me to pass on to the intrepid duo his warmest good wishes for the adventure and his hope that everyone had a good time,” he said.
In his letter The King wrote: “I trust that the journey ahead will be both a rewarding and
memorable experience for the Birtles and Bean team, Matthew Benns and Warren Brown.”
Mr Box said the RFDS had a huge following in the UK thanks to the popular Flying Doctors TV show and the trip emphasised the closeness of the two countries.
“We are delighted to be able to support Warren and Matthew as they set off on what will be an incredible journey,” he said.
DONATE: Birtles and the Bean fundraiser for Royal Flying Doctor Service
An event at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall on Thursday night saw Lord Glendonbrook donate $100,000 to the charity on the back of the Bean drive.
The Tele’s time travellers are recreating the pioneering historic drive of Francis Birtles who drove the same model Bean 14 car from London through jungles, deserts and mountain passes to reach Melbourne in 1928.
Birtles was waved off by Miss Australia 1927 Phylis Von Alwyn and on Friday morning Miss England and classic car enthusiast Milla Magee drove up from Cornwall to perform the same duty for Brown and Benns.
“I think this is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to come together and relive history,” Ms Magee said. “My grandfather was a spitfire pilot who always had classic cars and that love of cars has been passed on to me.
“This is an amazing motoring adventure for a good cause and I am really quite jealous that I can’t go along.”
Australian High Commissioner to the UK Stephen Smith said the trip was being done in the spirit of Australia’s traditional forebears for a good cause.
“Warren and Matthew’s journey from the UK to Australia draws attention to the critical work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The RFDS supports hundreds of thousands of Australians living in rural and remote areas each year by providing essential health services to communities right across Australia,” he said.
The trip is expected to take more than three months and will cross Europe via the Bavarian Alps, by ferry from Athens to Cairo, across the Saudi Arabian desert and across India and Asia before landing in Darwin by ship from Singapore.
It is being done with the support of sponsors including Ampol and Harvey Norman.
NSW Premier Chris Minns first unveiled the challenge in November at a launch at The Royal Automobile Club in Sydney and threw his support behind it.
“This recreates the epic journey of a great Australian adventurer. It raises money for a fantastic cause, the Royal Flying Doctor Service. It is an honour to be there at the very start. Warren Brown is a danger man, I cannot wait to catch up with them again for, in my case, a non-alcoholic beer when they get back,” Mr Minns said.
Cartoonist Brown said the trip was the culmination of almost two decades work that included him writing a book on the life and adventures of Birtles.
“This adventure celebrates so many things – the amazing bond between Australia and Great Britain – the resourcefulness of those amazing outback pioneers like Francis Birtles – and of course that uniquely Australian institution the Royal Flying Doctor Service,”
At the launch, with the Bean idling and pointing at Dover and the Channel, Benns said: “Let’s go. Tally ho!”
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