She may have to forgo her favourite martini espressos for five days, but just being able to participate in this year’s Mystery Box Rally is a cause for celebration for former Albies resident Tracey Buss.
After a year receiving treatment for a blood disorder, Tracey is now in recovery and determined to help others via the Cancer Council fundraiser. She has a trusty co-driver, in long-time friend and breast cancer survivor Patty Cosgrove; they have a name for their entry – The Martini Express; and all they need now is a set of wheels.
“The support I have personally received from the Cancer Council has been outstanding and this organisation does such wonderful work,”
“The support I have personally received from the Cancer Council has been outstanding and this organisation does such wonderful work,” says Tracey, who lived at Albies from 1983-87 during her Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Secondary Education studies. “I remember being in the oncology ward one day having treatment and across from me was a woman just a week off palliative, and in the bed next to her was a two-year-old boy. That kind of encounter makes you really think about your own mortality and what you can do to help others.”
So Tracey signed up to the Mystery Box Rally, and she and 80-year-old Patty will travel 2500 kilometres in five days on a route only revealed each morning they set off. Hence the mystery part.
Tracey’s likely to be familiar to many Albies residents of the ‘80s. She was the college returning officer for two years, held positions on the social and cultural committees, and represented Albies in hockey for five years.
And her generous support for the college has continued long since her departure, with Tracey regularly assisting St Albert’s Women’s Hockey Club to meet the costs of competing and equipping themselves, and providing an annual scholarship for third-year rural residents in memory of her mother, Dorothy Hannah Gee.
“It was a very enjoyable time for me studying at UNE and living at Albies,” Tracey said. “I made many friends with whom I am still in contact – Albies For Life! – and I hope some will be prepared to support our rally entry. It’s going to be such a wonderful adventure.”
Fundraising efforts have already got underway, but the ladies have one pressing priority – to find a suitably aged vehicle before they have to be at the starting line in Bundaberg, Queensland, on 11 August.
“It must be at least 25 years old and in good mechanical order, so we are now on the lookout,” Tracey said. “Ideally I would like a 1972 Ford Cortina and we have a signwriter ready to give it a new coat of paint. So if anyone has a lead on a roadworthy vehicle that can go the distance, please get in touch.”
Tracey and Patty aim to raise at least $5,000 and you can support The Martini Express team by going to https://2023.mysteryboxrally.com.au/the-martini-express
“I have lived a charmed life as a secondary English teacher and academic, and seeing that little boy that day really resonated with me,” Tracey said. “His life had barely begun. The rally is my small way of contributing to efforts to find a cure for cancer or at least better understand this insidious disease. My adage in life is to dream big and let positivity light the way.”
