Articles by Monique Butterworth

Ryan Moloney likes going around corners fast.  The 28-year-old actor, better known as Jarrod "Toadfish'' Rebecchi in Neighbours, loves throwing himself and his Honda VFR 800 motorcycle around the Black and Reefton spurs in the Yarra Valley for fun.Moloney, who has been in Neighbours for 13 years, prefers two wheels to four and believes our roads would be a lot safer if everyone spent time on a motorbike learning just how dangerous our roads can be.What was your first car?A red VL Commodore, and I absolutely loved it.What do you drive now?A mix between my motorbike, a Honda VFR 800, and a mountain bike. So bikes all round.Do you have a favourite place to drive and who would you take?My favourite ride is through the Mount Dandenong ranges, then off to Warburton or the Yarra Valley. And, just to scare myself, the Black and Reefton spurs. All stunning scenery, with lots of corners for fun.How far would you drive in an average year?I have no idea, depends how busy work gets.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?My first trips to the Great Ocean Rd -- every P-plater's rite of passage. I also loved my next car, a Nissan Pathfinder. I had it when my wife Alison and I first met, and she loved it too.What would you buy if money was no object?An F1 team. No preference for which one, as long as I got to drive them.What music is playing in your car?None. I like to hear the screech of the car's tyres before it hits me.How much is too much for a new car?No more than $15,000. You are going to thrash it, bash it and crash it. And you can get some really good cars for less than $15,000.What should be done to make driving safer?Everyone should ride a motorbike first. It gives you a feeling of just how dangerous the roads are and that you are not invincible. You develop a keen sense of reading traffic and can often tell what a motorist will do by subtle behavioural changes to a car. Above all, be courteous, obey the road rules, try to remember you are only trying to get somewhere. It's not worth the money if you crash, the anger and stress, or your life, even worse, someone else's.Are you sponsored by a car company?No, but I'm open for anyone to give me one.

Funny lady Julia Morris, who is singing up a storm with opera star David Hobson on Channel 7's It Takes Two (7.30pm Tuesdays), admits to being a latecomer to the joys of driving.  But few can boast having the late motor racing great Peter Brock as their "driving instructor''.Having recently relocated back to Australia with her Welsh husband, comedian Dan Thomas, and 15-month-old daughter Ruby Charlotte, the 39-year-old comedian/performer cannot wait to take them for a spin down the Great Ocean Rd, once she ditches the "rental'' and gets herself a new set of wheels.What was your first car?I was 28 when I got my L-plates and then bought myself a brand new Toyota Celica SX in gun metal grey with double back spoiler. Such a superb car to learn in, it was low and smooth. Grrr.What do you drive now?A rented "No Birds'' Toyota Corolla. We have only just moved home from the UK, so we are just easing in gently. I do have my eye on the Kluger though. I had better get saving.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?Now that we have a baby, we only get to drive short trips. But as soon as she is old enough we will be hurtling down the Great Ocean Rd so I can show my Welsh husband one of the more spectacular roads in our country.How far would you drive in a year?Sadly, with travelling so much it is likely that I only have the time for about 15,000-20,000km a year.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?Having Brocky (Peter Brock) teach me to drive on the Grand Prix practice track to get my CAMS license for the celebrity race. What a great way to learn. I did stall three times at the start on the day, but hey I also indicated around the corners to observe safety first. But I needn't have worried . . . there was no one behind me.What would you buy if money was no object?A Bentley Continental Don't you think it would make every day seem like a special occasion?What music is playing in your car?My practice CDs from It Takes Two and, of course, Merrick, Rosso and Kate on Nova 96.9.How much is too much for a new car?Are you drunk? I have never heard such a question. Too much? It doesn't exist when it comes to a great car.What should be done to make driving safer?Compulsory fitment of reversing cameras. For as little as $300 we could save so many Australian lives.

Ron Barassi is one of the best-known names in the AFL. As a player, captain and coach, he has been a star for decades and his face has become known around the country.  But there is more to Barassi than most people think, as the 72-year-old legend reveals in a new book in the Icons of Australian Sport collection. The Barassi book is being produced to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the game, and it highlights his monumental contribution to football.  Barassi, who has been dominating the game in one way or another for more than 50 years, reveals his first foray into motoring was in a Holden. He also made one white-knuckled passenger nervous in a little car on a European autobahn, and owes his life -- and that of St Kilda great Neil Robert -- to the engineering of Mercedes-Benz.What was your first car?A 1957 Holden. It was supplied to me by my employer, James Millers of Brunswick, many, many years ago. I don't have a clue what colour it was, but I was about 21. I was in seventh heaven.What do you drive now?A fawn Nissan Maxima. I have driven Nissan Maximas (not this particular one) since 1993. I think they're very good.Do you have a favourite drive? Who would you take with you?I've done a fair bit of driving around Australia and in Europe, Cuba and the US. My favourite drive is probably along the Mediterranean coast. It's absolutely fabulous -- even better than our superb Great Ocean Rd.  I would take a guy called Bill Shannon. He's frozen a couple of times because I tried to get a little car to do 200km/h on an autobahn. He was a nervous passenger that day. How far would you drive in an average year?These days, about 25,000km a year, but once I would have averaged 40,000km a year. Do you have a favourite motoring memory?Well, this is not quite a motoring memory, but it is amazing. I had an accident near Geelong and I woke up in Geelong Hospital about 7am. I'm reading the newspaper and I come across the headline: Barassi has emergency spleen operation. I call the nurse over and ask her if this is right and she says, "Yes!''  It's a strange feeling to find out someone has been inside your stomach during the night and you didn't even know about it! I think it was in 1978. What car would you buy if money were no object?A Lamborghini for a day, then I'd settle into the best Mercedes. It was a Mercedes that saved my life in that accident near Geelong -- and that of my passenger, Neil Roberts. What music is playing in your car?Because I'm not spending as much time in my car these days I'd rather spend the time listening to current affairs and talkback radio.I don't go much for music in the cars these days. How much is too much for a new car?That's easy -- there is no figure. The answer is more than you can afford.What should be done to make driving safer? I'm a believer in an extra year of school. During that extra year -- and, in fact, the last four to five years of school -- you should learn social skills and practical, handy skills such as driving.  Driver education should start at high school. We should educate our drivers a lot better. There should be a consequence program to take the fun out of it, to a degree, so youngsters understand what can happen behind the wheel.Are you sponsored by a car company?No, I'm not. I have been, but not now. So when I say I like the Nissan Maxima, it's genuine.

WHEN Underbelly star Rodger Corser tied the knot with Renae Berry, it was the "other woman'' in his life that got him to the church on time.  Corser's beloved 1966 XR Falcon 500, called Pearly, made sure he and his groomsmen arrived in style for his nuptials at the historic Garrison Church at The Rocks in Sydney.Corser, who plays fictional Purana Task Force detective Steve Owen in Underbelly, Channel 9's dramatisation of Melbourne's infamous gangland war, says his character is a determined, ambitious and honest man."He's basically a quintessential Aussie guy who likes his football and the ladies -- though he finds love quickly in the show.'' Corser says.  "He's also a little bit cheeky and likes a joke. He's one of the boys, who enjoys camaraderie and mateship with his colleagues.''Corser also recently starred alongside Debra Messing and Judy Davis in the US mini-series The Starter Wife but says if he ever wins the lottery, he'll need to build himself a pretty big garage.What was your first car?A 1972 yellow Mazda Capella auto, unfortunately not a rotary. It was a hand-me-down from my grandma. She loved the car. I um . . . managed to cook the engine.What do you drive now?I have two cars at the moment. A Hyundai Santa Fe is my daily driver and for the weekends I have a 1966 XR Falcon 500 with a 200 cubic inch six in it. She's called Pearly, a name handed down from a few owners before me. I love the car as does my five-year-old daughter Zipporah. The picture was taken on my wedding day with my groomsmen and, no, we didn't drive it after the beers.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?My wife Renae and I just completed our honeymoon. We drove from Rome through Siena, Florence and on to Venice. On the way we drove around the hillsides of Cinque Terre, an hour-long, second and third-gear winding drive with amazing scenery.How far would you drive in an average year?15,000-20,000 kilometres, depending on how many Sydney to Melbourne trips.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?I just got to do a stunt-driving day out at Sandown raceway for the Getaway program. That would have to be up there. I also did a pit tour of the Red Bull F1 Team a couple of years ago at the Melbourne GP, which was great.What would you buy if money was no object?A complete set of GT Falcons from XR-XB. And a big garage.What music is playing in your car?At the moment the PoliceHow much is too much for a new car?Depends on your means. You have to be realistic about what percentage of your weekly income you can allocate to your car.What should be done to make driving safer?I'm not sure. 40km/h school zones are a good recent change.Are you sponsored by a car company?I have a fantastic ongoing relationship with Hyundai, which involves TV ads and some events.

AS THE lead singer of Australian rock band Ol' 55, Frankie J. Holden was a 1970s rock star.  Today, the multi-talented performer has gone on to carve out a successful acting career. Holden, who has appeared in more than 30 films in Australia and overseas, is about to star in Nine's new drama, Underbelly. It is the 12-part dramatisation of Melbourne's infamous gangland killings and covers the rise and fall of career criminal Carl Williams. Holden plays policeman Garry Butterworth. "Garry is a fictional character, but he's based on a real-life policeman. You could describe him as the moral beacon for the police force throughout the series,'' Holden says. ``He's a straight down-the-line character, respected by both sides.''  Holden does actually drive a Holden, but the AFI award winner does not ever want to be in a car again with Wilbur Wilde. What was your first car?My first mode of transport was a motorbike, actually. A Kawasaki 250cc. My first car was shared with my brother, John. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was an obscure English model, and we called it The Bubble. What do you drive now?You'll all be pleased to know that this old Holden drives an old Holden . . . an HR Premier wagon (1966). Only 35,000 genuine miles on the clock so, like me, it's just run in. Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?Internationally, the drive over the Atlas Mountains in Morocco is frightening; the drive through Arthurs Pass on the South Island of New Zealand is spectacular. Locally, I like driving around where I live, the hills and coastline of the Bega Valley in far south NSW. I'll tell you who I wouldn't take...Wilbur Wilde . . . I've spent enough time in cars with him already. How far would you drive in an average year?Not so much these days. I fly from Merimbula to Melbourne or Sydney, and just potter around from beach to home otherwise.  Do you have a favourite motoring memory?When I was a kid of 10 to 15 years old we lived in Darwin and for our Christmas holidays we used to drive from Darwin to Tennant Creek to Townsville to Tamworth to Sydney to Adelaide, then put the car on the Ghan to Alice Springs and drive back to Darwin. We would do it in four weeks. This was 40-years ago, and the Top End roads were mostly dirt or mud. What adventures. What would you buy if money was no object? I'd finance a movie. What music is playing in your car?Joe Camilleri's Bakelite Radio, or Hi-5's Christmas Album, or Pink, depending on who has control of the deck. How much is too much for a new car?Anything over $50,000, you have penis-envy problems. What should be done to make driving safer?Legislate to make cars go slower, and improve public transport.

Australian country music star Adam Harvey has come a long way since his first gig at a Tamworth on Parade competition at age 10. A winner of eight Country Music Awards of Australia, including three Golden Guitars for male artist of the year, he is up for three more awards this year in Tamworth.The one-time gold mine truck driver is nominated for male artist of the year, album of the year for I'm Doin' Alright and single of the year for Someone Else's Dream. He spends many hours on the road, joking he is in the car more often than he is at home, performing or in motels between gigs.What was your first car? My first car was a Ford XE Falcon sedan that I got when I was 19.What do you drive now? It's a black Honda CR-V, the perfect family car. I had always driven Fords up until last year, when the Honda dealer talked me into the CR-V. Plus a bit of general persuasion from the wife, of course.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take? The Great Ocean Rd is one of the best, as far as I'm concerned, and I've toured all over Australia. It's a world-class trip and can't be beaten, except for the road home after a long tour.How far would you drive in an average year?It's so hard to tell, with our touring here and overseas. There's around 150 shows I do each year and it seems sometimes I spend more time in the car than I do on stage or in the motel room.Do you have a favourite motoring memory? My dad's one-tonner Holden ute -- HG model -- from when I was a kid. It was a great car. When he came to selling it I begged him not to, but I couldn't afford to buy it and pay him back then. I would have loved if he had kept it and I could have done it up.What would you buy if money was no object? I'd buy two cars. A lovely new Mercedes and my dad's old ute.What music is playing in your car?The new Brooks and Dunn album. It's a great album and I am twice as excited now that they are coming to Australia and I get to tour with them.How much is too much for a car? You can never pay too much for the right car. There's no such thing as too much. It's more about how much is in your bank account at the time. What should be done to make driving safer? First, better education for young drivers so they're better equipped to deal with a dangerous situation, should it happen. Tougher penalties, too. Not so much bigger fines for revenue-raising, but longer periods of license cancellation when you have driven illegally or dangerously.Are you sponsored by a car company?Not at the moment but I would love to be. Did I mention how much I love my Honda CR-V? Adam Harvey is a three-time finalist in the 2008 CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia being held in Tamworth on January 26, and broadcast on the Southern Cross and Ten Networks. See local guides.

SOUL singer and Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines loves to drive.  Which is lucky for her as she racks up the kilometres between her two homes in Sydney and Newcastle. Boston-born Hines, who landed on our shores aged 16 to star in the controversial-at-the-time musical Hair, learned to drive in Australia and proudly displayed her P-plates on her first car, a 1963 white Mercedes-Benz 300SEL.  She has come a long way since then and can now be spotted roaring up and down the freeway in her silver hybrid Lexus belting out tunes from her latest CD, Life. What was your first car?A 1963 Mercedes Benz 300SEL. It was white with red interior. She was called Sally-Sue.  I learnt to drive here in Australia. I kept this car for 11 years.What do you drive now? A silver hybrid Lexus 430 called Shimmer.  I believe your car is like an extension of your home. Sometimes it can get pretty skanky in there. There's always bottles of water on the floor and if I have to give someone a lift, I'm always pushing things off the front seat. The front seat is kind of like my bedside table. The great thing about the Lexus is it has lots of great gizmos.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?My favourite drive is going home and I'd take my husband. I work in Sydney and I live just outside Newcastle, so I really like that drive home, the F3. It's pretty nice. I have a wireless mobile phone so I do a lot of business while I'm driving. I do that legally. You see those people driving around with mobile phones up to the ear -- you're flirting with danger, honey. How far would you drive in an average year?I drive a lot. But I love it. I have a driver in Sydney and certain places when I'm interstate, but I like driving myself. I wouldn't have a clue how many kilometres I drive each year. We live in a vast, vast country so I probably don't drive as far as some -- like truckies. God bless the truckies who have to put up with us drivers. I respect them because they're the gatekeepers of the road. Do you have a favourite motoring memory?Driving the Great Ocean Rd in Victoria.  I remember how breathtaking that was. But some of my greatest memories of being on the road were on tour. I used to have a tour bus called ``the Bitch''. It was an acronym for Brisbane International Coach Hire. She was black and we lived on it. It had a kitchen and we had somebody to cook for us. We had a professional driver and we could watch movies. We had a great sound system and I had my own boudoir up the back, so if the boys got on my nerves I'd just go and have a lie down and pull the curtains. What would you buy if money was no object?The Lexus up from mine that parks itself. I don't have a problem with parking -- I'm a good parker thank you. Or the other car I look at and think what a sexy thing is the Aston Martin. What music is playing in your car?Me. I've got my new CD Life in there. I've got to learn all my stuff. It's a new album so I have to study me. How much is too much for a new car?One man's trash is another man's treasure. Some dream of driving a certain car all their life and if you can afford it, knock yourself out. What should be done to make driving safer?We should be far more considerate. The only real communication we have with another driver is our indicators -- use them.Are you sponsored by a car company?No, but Lexus do take good care of me.

Toni Pearen loves the convertible lifestyle.  The 35-year-old host of Australia's Funniest Home Videos, who recently married Sydney bar owner Will Osmond, is a fresh-air fan who has been won over by the Volkswagen Eos.What was your first car?A white Honda AccordWhat do you drive now?A blue VW EosDo you have a favourite drive and who would you take?I love road trips. They give me a sense of freedom. I love driving along the Great Ocean Rd. I've done it once and the only thing I took was my guitar, but in the future I'd definitely take my husband.How far would you drive in an average year?About 20,000km.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?About six years ago, I travelled the country for six months with a play called Stories from Suburban Road by Tom Hungerford. Every day, five amazing actors and myself would jump in a van and travel to another far-off destination to perform. We performed in Alice Springs and Darwin. We travelled the WA coastline and inland to Kalgoorlie. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.What would you buy if money was no object?An island.What music is playing in your car?Right now I'm loving Katie Noonan's new album, Skin, Brandi Carlisle and Feist.How much is too much for a new car?When you live in your car instead of your house!What should be done to make driving safer?Better education of young drivers.Are you sponsored by a car company?Yes. I'm a VW ambassador.

AS ONE-FIFTH of the upbeat phenomenon Hi-5, Nathan Foley is known around the world. He has sung and danced his way to worldwide acclaim with the multiple Logie and ARIA Award-winning group and children's show. The 28-year-old has been part of the successful Nine Network show, which is aired in 83 countries worldwide, for eight years. And, along with the other four members of Hi-5, he has become a cult star for under-10s. Foley, who has recently written and produced his solo album, Discovery, loves V8 engines, riding motorcycles and karting.What was your first car?I bought a 1983 Mazda RX-7 when I was 16. I started performing when I was 10, so I saved to buy a car when I got my Ls. I bought it secondhand and I still have it. It's bronze-over-brown - sounds disgusting, but it's really funky. I'm trying to sell it.What do you drive now?My main car is a 2003 Ford Explorer. I also have a 2003 Triumph motorcycle, and I've just sold a 1969 Mach 1 Mustang. In 1998 I won a Proton Satria in a singing competition and traded it in for the Mustang. I sold it because I want to renovate my house.Do you have a favourite drive, and who would you take along?I love driving down the south coast of NSW to Coolangatta with my girlfriend Melissa (not Coolangatta in Queensland). It's about a two-hour drive from Sydney.How far would you drive in an average year?Oh boy. We tour a lot and I drive both and in New Zealand. I live on the NSW central coast so I do a lot of driving back and forth to Sydney. I'd average three to four hours a day. What's that over a year? A lot of kilometres.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?I used to visit my dad on weekends at his farm in the central coast area. He bought me a $200 paddock-basher - I think it was a Corona. It was a five-speed manual, so I learned to drive a manual at a young age. I was 10 years old and had my own Dukes of Hazzard course. My mates would come over and we'd go around the paddock-bashing course.What would you buy if money were no object?I'm not a huge fan of new cars - they all look the same to me. But if I had millions of dollars to spend I would buy 50 to 100 classic cars. Get all the muscle cars from the late 1960s and early '70s.What music is playing in your car?I'm a huge Stevie Wonder fan but at the moment I'm really getting into Ben Harper -- Both Sides of the Gun. I always travel with my iPod. I have this huge transmitter that's really strong, so if I'm travelling in convoy with friends in three cars they can all pick up the frequency.How much is too much for a new car?I think car prices are going up ridiculously, especially if it's just to get you from A to B. The only way I would buy an expensive car is if it would hold its value like an investment. That's why I got the Mustang. If you spend $80,000 to $100,000 on a new car - which I haven't, that's way too much money -- in a few years they're down to $40,000. I think $450,000 is too much to pay for a car. If big businessmen have the cash to do it, then do it, but I think it's ridiculous.What should be done to make driving safer?People need to be more aware on the road. I find when I'm on my bike, people just don't look where they're driving. They don't indicate. I think everyone should do a road-rules test and be taken on a course once a year. If they're not up to scratch they should lose their licence. I really believe that. My pet peeve is people going slow in the right-hand lane on the freeway. It bugs the crap out of me.Are you sponsored by a car company?No, but I'm looking.

JIMMY Barnes is said to have the hardest-working set of vocal cords in Australian rock. And he once lived an even harder lifestyle.  The former Cold Chisel lead singer and 51-year-old father of five had a brush with death earlier this year when he had surgery to correct the bicuspid aortic valve in his heart.While recovering, Barnes wrote Out in the Blue, his 13th studio album, on sale tomorrow.What was your first car?A Morris Oxford. I paid $25 for it and it had six months' rego and a full tank of petrol. I was 16 and living in Adelaide.What do you drive now?A Holden Commodore. I can take my dogs in it. I like Holdens, they're good cars. When I'm on the road, I hire them. I sang at Bathurst recently, which was great. I watched the race start from the pits. I had a bit of a word to Skaifey before he started. I've done Bathurst a few times. I've met Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife a few times. They're pretty intense, serious guys. They're both incredible drivers. I think the whole V8 Supercars thing is great.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?I'd take my wife Jane anywhere, but we enjoy driving along the north coast of NSW.How far would you drive in an average year?Jesus! That's hard to say. I'm on the road all the time. I did 600km at the weekend.Your favourite motoring memory?We have a car in Thailand, a Chevy van that belonged to Jane's father. He gave it to us and it's like a boat. It has karaoke in it and big luxury seats. My friends call it the pimpmobile because it's done up with mirrors and light shows. We love getting all the family in there, driving along, watching movies, driving to the beach in Thailand.What would you buy if money were no object?I like my Holden, but if money were no object, I'd buy an electric car.What music is playing in your car?At the moment, The Hives' new album, The Black & White Album.How much is too much for a new car?More than you can afford!What should be done to make driving safer?I think we could bring down the speed limits . . . Trucks should have their own lanes and be made to stay in them.Are you sponsored by a car company?No!