The Dunedin city councillor called the bus in question home for five years after joining a circus as a clown when her life was hit by tragedy.
She sold the bus when she left the circus, but now after several attempts has finally bought it back .
Cr Mayhem was "elbow deep in cobwebs, dirt and grime" yesterday cleaning up the old J1 Bedford school bus, which was her home from the age of 25 to 30, when she worked at Ridgway Circus.
When she turned 25, her partner died, leaving her to inherit a drum-kit, a motorbike, a dog and the bus.
About six months later, Cr Mayhem and her dog jumped on the bus and shot up to Wellington to join the circus.
Five years later she decided to hang up the red nose and return to the South.
"When I came back down south I actually shipped the bus back down with all my stuff back in it," she said.
"I tried to buy it back lots of times, but he said no and then he sold it a couple of days ago."
It was bought by two young men from Warrington, who discovered pictures hanging on the wall of the then 25-year-old Cr Mayhem standing proudly next to the bus.
"They looked inside and there were all these photographs of me in the back, so they got a hold of me straight away.
"They called me up said ‘hey, the circus is back in town’," Cr Mayhem said.
So she went and brought the bus from Warrington and has plans to restore it for use as a spare bedroom.
She did not believe the bus would ever get back on the road, but was pleased to have it back in her possession.
"It’s got huge nostalgia for me but it’s past its use-by date."
