Paula Duncan loves her Toyotas

But there is much more to the seven-time Logie award winner, now 57, who works tirelessly for many charities and loves Toyota cars.  "When my daughter Jess was little, I would drive across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and my philanthropic ‘character’ would always pay for myself and the car behind me. I thought it was a really lovely thing to do," she says.

"However, people would try to catch up to me to say ‘Thank you’ – and they would recognise me - and so many of them were booked for speeding trying to chase me! So I wasn’t really doing them any favours. There I was thinking I was doing the right thing by them."

Years later, her community service work gave her a surprising payback on the road.  "I was booked for being over the limit. It was when I was working for Wesley Mission – it was a family dinner – and I did get booked," she recalls.

"It was interesting – I got off because of the level of community service I was doing. The magistrate was going to give me a whole lot of community service as punishment but he saw how much community service I was already doing and he decided he couldn’t give me any more.

"He also felt it was worse for me not to be driving and unable to do what I was doing for the community. I’ve never, ever, ever drank and driven again. I do them separately, of course, just not together."

So how did she get there?  "My first car was a green Corona that my parents and Aunty Jill bought me. I was 18. I’ve been into Toyotas for a long time. I find them very economical and reliable."

She also enjoys time on the road.  "I organised many memorable road trips with my ex-husband Steve Mason. The first one I did was The Peppers Trail – which was for bushfire relief. We stayed all over at Peppers Resorts – we raised $58,000.

"The year after that we did it for suicide prevention. We’d have entertainment every night – it was great fun.  The year after that I worked with my ex-husband – who is now with Belinda Green – and we did a road trip for Paralympians called the Desert Duel. We travel from one outback town to another. I started those, created them myself, doing all the measurements, way back with the Variety bashes with Glen-Marie Frost. I’ve seen an awful lot of Australia because of these trips."

And any particular special moment?  "During the Paralympian Desert Duel, I travelled with cartoonist Warren Brown. I actually ‘flashed’ another car to distract them so they wouldn’t win. It worked – they ran off the side of the road and we continued on and won.  And Warren actually ‘etched’ that memory. It was all in the name of charity. I never took off my clothes for (television show) Number 96 but I did flash my boobs for charity. It’s the only time I’ve ever done it."

Duncan's favourite roads are no surprise to anyone who likes driving.  "I love the Great Ocean Road and I love driving up to the Hunter Valley to visit my friends. I also loved driving around Margaret River. That was pretty damn special."

And the accompaniment?  "I always have music in the car. I have diverse music tastes. Everything from classical to Barbra Streisand to AC/DC. It depends on my mood and time of day. There’s not a lot I don’t like."

"Ronan Keating and Van Morrison are always on high rotation. I love George Michael. I love Fleetwood Mac. I’m mad about Tina Arena and Human Nature, I adore them to bits. I do like Guy Sebastian, especially his soul stuff."