Outback diplomacy: Finnish ambassador braves Australia's ‘loud, rough and dusty' Shitbox Rally

The Guardian

05-04-2025

You may have driven a lemon when you first scored your P plates – but would you trust that car to take you cross-country through the Australian outback?
Finland's ambassador to Australia, Arto Haapea, is testing the limits to brave the infamous Shitbox Rally this June – a charity event that drives cars worth less than $1,500 for thousands of kilometres.
Last year, the then US ambassador, Caroline Kennedy, took part in the rally from Adelaide to Perth, crossing the Nullarbor in a beat-up Ford Falcon.
Haapea gives Kennedy 'kudos' as his inspiration after watching her journey unfold on social media.
'I told my team: this is something we have to do … if she can do it, I'm definitely going to,' Haapea tells Guardian Australia.
From 19 to 28 June, the Finnish ambassador will navigate through rugged terrain in a 2005 blue Toyota Camry from Perth to Darwin.
The embassy scouted Facebook Marketplace before securing a 'shitbox' in Avalon, near Melbourne – a donation from Luke Hilakari, the Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary, who is of Finnish descent.
Dubbed the 'Happiest Car in the World', the vehicle's name flexes Finland's ranking as the world's happiest country for eight consecutive years.
Team Finland's official co-driver will be Haapea's partner, Steven Morton.
The couple have already experienced driving long-distance in Australia, recently taking a trip from Canberra to the Great Ocean Road.
'That was absolutely stunning, but we were mainly on sealed surfaces, which won't be the case with Shitbox [Rally],' Haapea says.
Beyond the influence of the Kennedy political dynasty, the event's purpose also struck a personal chord with the Finnish ambassador.
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Haapea is a survivor – he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in his early 20s and later experienced a relapse.
He recovered after life-saving treatment and continues to emphasise the importance of funding cancer research and resources for patients.
'Feedback I've been getting from the Finnish community has been incredible; so many people have lost loved ones or faced cancer themselves,' he says.
Shitbox Rally has gained a cult following in the 15 years since its 2010 inception, raising $50m for the Cancer Council.
Founder James Freeman OAM, who lost both parents to cancer within 12 months, says his focus 'has always been on funding cancer research'.
Last year, Freeman gave Kennedy a tour of the Garvan Institute in Sydney, where a large portion of the rally's funds go.
They walked through the labs and met researchers performing 'some of the best cancer research in Australia'.
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Freeman says it is an 'honour' that high-profile figures show interest in the rally, which is a 'lovely level playing field' for all.
Participants quickly get a sense of the event's scale and camaraderie on the road.
'When you hit that first section of dirt road in your shitbox, it's an 'Oh my God' moment – loud, rough, dusty,' Freeman says.
'Then comes the first flat tyre, the first breakdown, but you're not doing a rally by yourself, there are always support vehicles and other participants ready to help.'
The Finnish team has set a $30,000 fundraising goal and has received a strong response from Australia's Finnish diaspora so far.
'We have a relatively big Finnish community here … they've responded very positively,' Haapea says.
He has mapped out where Finnish Australians live along the route, hoping to catch up with some of them and make new connections.
Although he admittedly has not slept in a tent since his early 20s, he looks forward to joining 500 fellow travellers stargazing under the open sky each night and says: 'It's all part of the fun.'
Haapea draws parallels between Finnish and Australian culture, especially the 'easygoing, nature-loving people'.
He used 'honorary Australian Valtteri Bottas' as an example – a Finnish F1 driver who won the 2019 Grand Prix in Melbourne and is known for rocking the Aussie trademark 'mullet and mo combo'.
The ambassador also acknowledges the shared experience of Indigenous people in Australia and Finland, hoping to deepen his knowledge during the trip.
'It's going to be a very cool adventure,' he says.
Whether this trend of Mad Max-style soft power diplomacy continues is yet to be seen, but Haapea confirms there have been whispers of interest in the halls of Canberra.
'I'm actually hopeful; I've heard a number of ambassador colleagues [are] quite curious … and excited, so maybe there will be more to come in the future,' he says.