Introduction to Driving Chrissy Home

To explore and discover has to be one of the most unique experiences know to the human race. It’s inherent in some people more than others and I suppose it can be described in most basic terms as an urge to experience either new sights; new sounds; new cultures or a combination of all three.

I have been very lucky. I have had the privilege of safariing in Kenya, Tanzania and Alaska as a boy, which only fuelled the desire to continue to explore. At the age of nineteen I circumnavigated Australia in a van – a distance of 27,000 km. And on the return journey to the UK I climbed Mt Kinabalu in Borneo.

In 2000 a misjudged dive off a harbour wall transformed the way I would live for the rest of my life and I questioned whether I could ever explore again. A change of attitude and a determined decision to try, even if it was one small step a time, lead to me completing my childhood dream of driving home to Kenya and onto Cape Town - the final destination on the classic cross-continental drive.

Following that epic journey with my determined team in 2005/06 it took almost one year to return to the same state of health that I had been before we’d left. Despite this, the urge to explore remained. In the following four years Chrissy and I embarked on several other driving adventures. We meandered up and down roads that hugged the steep sides of fjords in Norway after a mammoth drive just to reach the country; in Thailand whilst driving from the humid capital city of Bangkok to the far south of the country we witnessed where WW2 prisoners of war had built the death railway; we indulged in tapas after crossing over the majestic Pyrenees Mountains to explore Spain and finally we drove through vast scrubland of Tsavo National Park in Kenya and saw how a country; it’s people and it’s wildlife can be released from the grip of drought by El Nino - an unusual weather pattern.

Our next challenge of driving from England to Australia may well be the most demanding so far. For Chrissy and I it is a unique and fantastic opportunity which may never present itself again. It is an opportunity to travel to countries that very few people will ever the chance to go to, let alone contemplate going to. It’s a opportunity to learn first hand from individuals, communities and cultures that you normally only read about in books and newspapers. And it is this knowledge of how lucky we are that makes us determined to appreciate every opportunity despite the challenge.

We know from our previous experience that it won’t be easy! That is why we are working hard now to cover any eventuality that may happen en route. Stoke Mandeville National Spinal Injury Centre has shown their support again by setting up a telemedicine system and Dr Rajan has agreed to meet us en-route to top up my Baclofen pump. The van which we intend on taking has been kitted out with an overhead hoist, water purifier, bed, storage and cooking equipment and the engine will be mechanically overhauled by Frogsisland 4x4 – an expedition vehicle preparation specialist. As I will be driving from my wheelchairs we hope to be more independent; cut down on transfers; allow me to enter/exit the vehicle easily and most importantly I'll be sitting in the best position to prevent pressure sores.

Finally, Chrissy and I have organised to have refresher courses in navigation, first aid and awareness training and we intend on taking out membership with International SOS again - the world’s leading provider of medical assistance, international healthcare, security services and outsourced customer care. And as always I motto will be ‘Safety never takes a day off’.

We hope to share with you what we discover en route, so let the exploration begin.