Ford New Zealand today presented the keys to a brand new Rapid yellow BF Falcon XR8 ute to renowned Kiwi comedian Ewen 'Westie' Gilmour.

In addition to his role as a city councillor in the Waitakere City Council and his numerous comedy gigs including the upcoming NZ Comedy Festival, Gilmour was also the opening act for The Feelers in their recent NZ summer tour, and was spotted on television programs Celebrity Treasure Island and Dancing With The Stars.

"I'm stoked to be driving this XR8 ute, and I'm looking forward to putting my 'Westie' plates on it," said Gilmour.

"Ewen has been a member of the Ford 'Ratpack' team on the annual Variety Bash for the past four years, and we are pleased to be extending our association with him," said Melissa Rushton, Falcon Ute Brand Manager, Ford New Zealand.

Councillor Gilmour will swap his XR8 ute for the Ford 'Ratpack' 1963 Zephyr in the week-long 2006 Variety Bash, which starts in Timaru on March 11.

During the week long annual fundraising Variety Bash heads to Oamaru, Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown, Wanaka, and Mt Cook.

"Ford has been the driving force behind Variety – The Children's Charity since its inception in New Zealand 16 years ago, and as an organisation we are extremely proud of this association," said Ford New Zealand Media Relations Manager – and 'Rat Pack' team member – Clare Ponton.

"We are not only a sponsor of the Bash, but are involved with Variety throughout the year – we recently raised $2500 for Variety through the auction of a BF Falcon bonnet signed by the All Blacks team,"

"Over these 16 years of Bashing, over 200 new Fords have been used as official vehicles, which have covered more than 28,000km during 112 days of Bashing."

"In addition, almost 200,000 children at more than 600 schools around the country will have been visited by the Variety Bash, and more than $8.5 million dollars in donations has been raised while more than $2 million dollars has been redistributed in the form of grants en route."

ENDS

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