20th December 2024

After 11 years and 15 Bash events we are calling it a day.

Helping to set up and conduct these events has been a huge privilege and has provided ESS with an opportunity to grow and develop as a business.

We’ve also been fortunate to have proposed and developed a number of less-tangible initiatives and to embed these in the DNA of the Bash events. 

These include our sustainability measures like the compost loos and our collection and composting of food scraps, the collaborative leadership and team building that contribute to industry-leading crew retention and incredibly productive, well supported and harmonious teams. 

Along the way we’ve demonstrated that not only are these types of measures good for the environment and good for people but they can save money and contribute to the financial sustainability of events. 

Our leading role at Bash events has also led to employment and professional development with big event experience for many of the outdoor guides and Blue Mountains locals who form the heart of ESS’s crew.

But after so many years it’s time for a change. We’ll now devote the business and energy to our first love; supporting and providing safety advice, medical and first aid teams to endurance events. As trail running and other bush sports become more popular there’s so much to do around event design and planning, permits, safety, heat mitigation, storm planning and response.

Thanks to all the people who’ve been part of our team and to Greg and family for having us along for the ride. We wish the Donovans and crew all the best for 2025 and future events.

Farewell Bash events, it’s been awesome!

The list below is to record what the ESS team achieved, contributed and learned over 11 interesting years.

Lucas Trihey

December 2024

BASH MILESTONES – 2013 to 2024

• Lucas helped with the first impromptu music event on the edge of the Simpson Desert in 2013 when it was tacked on to the Big Red Run. Since then Lucas and the ESS team have been involved in most aspects of organising and staging these fantastic events in two special parts of Australia.
• Lucas has been Event Director with responsibilities across the event set up, assembling most of the crew, site and concert area management for events that have seen over 10,000 on site.
• Lucas and ESS staff created the innovative site layout to encourage separation of vehicles from pedestrians and to create the functional public areas around “the Plaza” with good access to important locations and ingress/egress to the concert seating area. The beautiful semi-circular design has become an integral part of the “Bash” brand and can even be seen from space. 
• The ESS team built the unique, customised software and online interface to recruit and manage 1000 volunteers a year as well as create portals for vendors, paid crew, media and more. Our retention of vols across the years has been industry leading and the resultant retention of knowledge is one of the features that’s helped the Bash events become so successful.
• We created many of the traffic flow features that have kept up with event growth. Our design for Entry Checkpoint with multiple stopping bays for wrist band checking performs with military precision and pumps through amazing volumes of cars. 
• Our initiative to develop the compost loo system now in use across both events saves hundreds of thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of litres of water per event and showcases sustainability to masses of campers. The compost loo system removes our reliance on diesel pump trucks and we contribute zero to the sewage systems of Birdsville or Broken Hill.
• We designed and project managed a 6000m reticulated pipe system for the Birdsville loos as well as self-contained crew villages at both locations. 
• ESS developed practical and low cost treatment for composting food scraps across both sites. Along with the highly successful capture of containers and recycling of cardboard at Mundi we’ve slashed the volume of event waste going to landfill.
• Our lead on disability services (including our design of the Mundi disability/compost loos) has led the way for campers with a disability. 
• The ESS logistics team and equipment grew as the events got bigger to include numerous trucks, trailers and 4WDs, our versatile kitchen pod, cool rooms and freezers, lighting towers, a huge network of radio and repeaters, medical equipment, tools, GPS surveying gear, water and sullage pumps, fire protection and lots more. We could run a medium sized town with everything from town planning to sanitation, medical, fire fighting and more. 
• We looked after much of the liaising and planning with emergency services like Police, Ambulance and Fire, with Health Departments, councils and land owners. 
• Lucas and Maggie’s efforts to engage with the wonderful indigenous people at both event locations including traditional owners, artists, musicians or others has been a case study in inclusion and mutual respect.
• We’ve seen challenges too. Since 2013 we’ve seen floods, wind storms, lightning storms and medical emergencies. Our deep relationships with local contractors, road authorities and land owners saw us pivot and respond to big dramas to keep the shows on the road. We pulled off the first big Australian music event after Covid. ESS managers led the management of Risk Planning and Critical Incident Management. 
• We are most proud of being able to assemble our incredible crew. Our model of collaborative leadership and inclusion allowed us to select and retain a great group of people. Our careful management of the tricky issues around the toxic behaviour that can creep into any workplace has allowed us to minimise dramas and build a harmonious team. A hallmark of our teams has been the rejection of bullying or the supposed humour that tries to be funny at the expense of someone else. Valued and respected teams are capable of prodigious amounts of work. Members who feel rewarded keep coming back year after year.
• Life is about people. The opportunity to have built and led big teams to stage these events over many years is a rare and valued privilege. Even more special is to have done it safely and to have got everyone home from multi-week events, long commutes on terrible outback roads and at dusty, muddy and challenging work sites. This was only possible with support from our managers, uptake from the crew and with the full backing by the event owner Greg Donovan who helped us resource and support the teams with systems, rosters, equipment and the budgets to do it safely.