Event Update  

After an eventful trip and a few mechanical challenges, Jack and Alison arrived safely back into Armidale.  They received a warm welcome from family and friends and were pleased to sit down to a homed cooked hot roast dinner, a glass of bubbly and the opportunity to finally sleep in their own beds!! 

Jack and Alison met alot of interesting characters along the way and many locals who were pleased to learn and talk about COPD.  Through their efforts, we are pleased to advise that $7820.00 was raised from donations and raffle takings.  The Australian Lung Foundation would like to thank Jack and Alison for their enthusiasm and passion is assisting in raising awareness about COPD.  The Australian Lung Foundation is thrilled with the public response to their campaign and the resultant 41 pieces of media, including television, radio and community newspaper reaching an audience of 1.3 million. 

Jack and Alison were welcomed by local politicians, mayors and various vintage car club members along the route and through Jack's "dream" were able to engage the local community members to raise awareness about COPD, its symptoms, prevalence and treatment and the importance of smoking cessation.  Well done and thanks....The Australian Lung Foundation were pleased to be involved.  Thanks to all sponsors and everyone else along the route who offered support, hospitality and assistance.

October 15 to Latest

Please follow Jack and Alison's trek and share in their adventures by reading the on-line diary blog. Alison has updated us along the way with snap shots of their journey with diary blogs and photos. Please enjoy the story as you read about the places they visited, the interesting things they saw and the local people they met.

 

Home at last - we made it!!

The little yellow Bumble bee did approx 6368km journey on the road from beginning to end at approximately 60km/hr accompanied by Dr Jack all the way. This was from Armidale to Adelaide…then Perth to Armidale. The event with his co driver from Perth to Armidale totalled 4501 kms, retracing most of the journey Armstrong and Manley did back in 1929. What a terrific achievement!!

We left on the 11th October from the Whiteman Park Motor Museum in Perth and arrived in Armidale on the 26th of October. Only a total of 15 days...and with no dream………………there is no hope……no place to go. It is the quality of a life and its hopes and dreams that matters, not the quantity. COPD/Emphysema is a truly debilitating disease, a socially isolating disease and a family disease . It affects everyone in a family due to the slow suffering caused by a loved ones increasing inability to breathe.

This brings to mind The Australian Lung Foundation slogan, “when you can’t breathe, nothing else matters”. So true. Imagine a life , where every decision you make including talking, laughing and crying depends on you thinking how much breath you have to do it…..this is not quality of life.

I hated seeing my mum’s quality of life deteriorate and I hated seeing my dad lose a wife and friend. Mum’s quality of life was reduced to an oxygen nasal cannula, a television set, constant productive coughing, constant throat clearing, inability to walk down the street and do ordinary things like make a cup of coffee or have a shower without being short of breath, claustrophobia, fear, regular inhalation therapy, bouts of depression and all it brings.

It brought about some unfortunate side effects from helpful medication, which included cataracts and diabetes to name a few. All of these things are only the tip of the iceberg. Mum ended up on oxygen 24/7 and in a nursing home at the age of 65 with about 1/4 of a lung to live on. Even talking on a telephone made her too breathless to be able speak for very long and the mention of a cold or flu was a potential death nell. She died at age 69.

I hope that with dad’s dream, his passion and the efforts of everybody, (especially the Lung Foundation) to help make this trip a reality, that even 1000 people who have seen the little yellow, 1930 robust Bumble Bee humming along across Australia or who have heard our story through various radio, newspaper or television interviews will think twice before smoking another cigarette or decide never to start.

Smoking is so addictive and if only young people could experience a 1/16th of what mum went through and my families experience growing up with the suffering caused by smoking, they would never never start….and possibly even save thousands of dollars. So many people know of someone or love someone who has a form of COPD.

The prevalence of it could be reduced with education and awareness and it could be diagnosed early and managed so much better. This is what The Australian Lung Foundation is all about.

Thankyou to everybody who made this dream possible.   

October 26th

Coonabarabran via Tamworth to Armidale----HOME

Dad was eager to get home, champing at the bit this morning. Steady rain all day today and very cold, but with the realisation that home was only about 300kms away. This was enough to brave the weather and the traffic. This was also a test to see how waterproof Bee really was in the driving rain with one windscreen wiper on the driver’s side (at about normal low speed for any other vehicle). We had not had one drop of rain the whole trip. It rained the day we left….that was it! Result - not bad, except a constant drip from near the windscreen wiper motor on the driver’s side and a few drips under the glove box near the passenger side.

The biggest challenge was braving the increase in traffic and the uneven wet road. Everything looks so green compared to the rest of the trip. There are sheep, horses, cattle, barley and growth. On reflection it is amazing just how dry Australia is, especially from the west of Perth all the way to Broken Hill…. and if we are going to have 35 million people in this country, where is the water going to come from and how are we going to change our ways of storing such a precious commodity? Something to ponder…..

We braved the lunatics on the wet roads…no patience along this stretch of the Oxley Highway. Finally made it into Tamworth and we were met by a small, shivering, friendly bunch from the Tamworth vintage car club, led by Greg Campbell in his red MGB. Little Bee was surrounded by Holdens, an Olds mobile? and off we went in a convoy from the Tamworth Airport to the Information Centre and met Ruth from the Northern Daily Leader and a duo from Channel 7. Interviews in the wet, a chat to a few local car enthusiasts, a cup of coffee and off we went- the last stretch- the Moonbi Hills.

First gear up the hills at 10 miles per hour with plenty of overtaking lanes for those behind….Bee made it! Fortunately, the cooler weather prevented her from overheating. We reach the top with a few crunching gear changes and no cogs rolling back down the Moonbi that we were aware of. An oil top up and radiator top up and off we sailed to the land of Armidale. Many a lunatic passed us along the New England Highway. Familiarity greets us at every mile…. Bee is nearly home. Finally, the little yellow car drives up the home driveway, greeted by rain, rain and more rain. Bob Morgan and my sister Kristen, an umbrella and three barking dogs. The occasion is celebrated in style with a warm fire, a glass of Champagne, a roast lamb dinner, apple and berry pie and finally a glass of some 40 year old Port, courtesy of Kris and Bob. Not a bad finish to a long journey for dad, Bee and me……..   

October 25th

From Cobar to Coonabarabran

I organised an interview via the producer Lee Kelly, with Macka on “Australia All Over”, so Dad did a blurb via telephone from Cobar. A send off by Roy, Lillian and a few other curious souls this am and off to Coonabarabran. We are getting warmer towards the home front and dad is excited about being in familiar territory. It has been a long trip for him, considering it started about one month ago from Armidale to Adelaide with a little yellow car that needed a bit more TLC before the trip on the Indian Pacific.

This was followed by a constant regular driving of at least 5-6 hours per day for two weeks or so. Bee met another generous person, Anne at a quick stop in Nevertire and a fella in Warren who heard the blurb on Macka.

 

Today we saw “woody” sheep, rice fields and loads of road trains and lots of hills. Double clutching is still tricky going up a hill. I am afraid of leaving cogs behind after the crunch.

The road between Cobar and Coonabarabran was the worst road we and Bee had to bounce over. The Nullarbor was a feather bed compared to this rough stretch. One spot we bumped our way over was sure to be responsible for something falling off any of us. Nevertheless, we rolled into Coonabarabran to find the races on and NO VACANCIES. We then discovered that the brakes were failing!!! Hand braking can be fun….……but not in a 1930 Triumph.

We finally found two very friendly people at the Castlereagh Village and Units on the way out of town. They kindly gave us a discount for the cause. It was again time for an overhaul of the right rear break drum. Overalls on…sure enough, the bump loosened a bolt in the right rear drum and break fluid leaked out. Fixed by Dr Jack!! A cuppa soon followed with Chinese take away and a beer…….and rain. This was a satisfying end to a potentially disastrous moment of the day. Tomorrow - Tamworth, the country music capital of Australia.  

October 24th

Another early morning – 2.00am with lights on, time checks and mine blasts and anticipation of an early start and long day ahead….if I can sleep in the Bee on passenger duty, it will be a miracle. I will be driving in the afternoon.

On the road to Cobar via Wilcannia, we finally see a wedge tail eagle having his lunch on the side of the road. He has a break and a nonchalant glance while the yellow Bee whizzes past - not too bothered. Dad thinks he has a human form if you cut the wings off…..There is more road kill along this stretch and the vegetation is greener and the trees are taller…more water in this part of Aussieland. We see goats, goats and more goats, emus, galahs, white cockatoos and dead rubber tire snakes.

A stop in Wilcannia, some lunch and a customer at the fuel stop points out our story in the local Saturday paper and offers a donation. An employee gives dad two free soft drinks. A large sign above the cash register reads “SMOKING KILLS”- Smoking hotline 1800…………I have a chat to the lovely lady behind the counter who tells me of a friend who has Emphysema. She says it is a terrible disease and that she has never smoked….great to hear! I cannot see any cigarettes anywhere. They are hopefully hidden out of view from all the young ones in Wilcannia.

Travelling with your father in a 1930 Triumph across the country with endorsement by The Australian Lung Foundation is akin to a religious experience. We have all heard of scientologists, Jehovah Witnesses, Christianity, Buddism… I am not religious, but one thing I have noticed on this trip is that it is far easier to speak to “the converted” or the reformed or those who know someone who has had the disease. Perhaps we should start our own religion…“COPDISM” it is hard to reach the mind that is addicted to nicotine. I learnt that from a young age with mum. I have also noticed that anyone who is younger than say, 35 may look at the car, but their eyes glaze over when Emphysema / COPD is mentioned. It is not a young person’s disease. . I have heard many a time, “well you have to die of something”. However, the nursing chapter in my book understands that despite this pearl of wisdom, “the way you die is what matters”.

One is between a rock and hard place here, because it is the young ones who will benefit the most knowing about this disease. Get people at first base. Education is the key and we are doing our bit to create / raise awareness. Dad accused me of being a JW in a truck stop somewhere along the trip and nearly drove off without me in embarrassment (I was talking to a 39 year old smoker and his dog) who had expressed trouble giving it up and I started getting technical about nicotinic receptors! Now, looking at the glass half full, he may well remember a woman in the middle of nowhere speeding off in a yellow Triumph on the road to somewhere and think about the next 30 years of his life. Good luck to him.

We arrive in Cobar after a long day on the road and had a warm welcome by Roy and Lillian Simpson from the Copper City Motel. They gave us a discount, organised an interview with the Cobar weekly for the morning and gave us a generous donation for the Lung Foundation teapot. I might try to ring Macka on “Australia All Over” in the morning.  

 

October 23rd

We arrive in Broken Hill and make our way to the Sturt Motel and then media meetings with the newspaper and ABC radio. Broken Hill is an interesting place with a lot of history - yet another outback town created around the mining industry - silver mainly with a bit of zinc and nickel. They call it the “Silver City”. There was not a lot of time to see the place but we had a glimpse of historical buildings and experience of the friendly inhabitants - especially in an outback gallery where the owner kindly gave us a unique bottle of red wine to auction off for the cause. Hot and exhausted today - an early night with a long day to Cobar tomorrow.

   

October 22nd

Off to Olary today. A warm send off by John Moss following another delicious home cooked meal the night before— he definitely should open a B&B. I was unable to walk this morning, due to the urgency of an early start to get to Olary pub. Past the call of duty, John chases us to the petrol station in his TR7 and delivers a forgotten red funnel with an attached cut off piece of green garden hose. A fellow car Doctor, he knows how invaluable it is for reaching difficult places…….…..such as the gear box. Get to Olary hotel, 118kms from Broken Hill at 2.30pm to a pub in the middle of somewhere that has barely opened.

Olary has one pub, a generator, a few houses and a few derelict abandoned houses and sheds, a phone box, a railway with an abandoned railway shed and corrugated iron every shade of brown an artist, sculptor or photographer would have a field day with……oh and a public rest stop. Why was dad in such a hurry to get here? This is a place with great potential. It is a unique hotel. Margaret from Broken Hill and myself rolled the sleeves up, cooked some T-Bone and Chicken Parmesan. Jess from a neighbouring station helped make some salad and we fed the pub patrons. I fixed the fax and served some beer…..an unexpected night! A mixed bag of patrons - truckies, miners, rasters, racehorse enthusiasts - the lot. Only in the outback……  

October 21st

We met with the Deputy Mayor of Port Augusta, Mr Phil Greagan and a had a lovely chat over a coffee and scones, courtesy of the Outback Information Centre. He came to the Port in 1955 and never left. A chat with the Trans-continental paper and radio interview with the ABC at Port Pirie. We then walked around Port Augusta and had a look at the architecture, and an art gallery....easy, relaxed day... no travelling and bee had a wee rest after a gear oil top up and check this morning.

 

October 20th

Destination Port Augusta today and only a three and a half hour drive. Now I am walking for the first 1hr before dad and bee leave with a follow up pick up on the way east. (This is so we can get up the Moonbi Hill in another 2 weeks time...) Dad checks the oil, fills up with fuel, greases the front shaft nipple and other bits and pieces which gives me time to clear the head.  It also irons the cogs out for the journey ahead.  Driving long slow distances in a car is stressful on a mind and body that eats and sits, eats and sits. I sympathise with the truckies...... The muscles cease up and the back aches.  Dad was contemplating placing side pockets in the doors. These could have housed aeroplane/ Super 7 health - leg exercises...must do that when we get home.... Apparently chilli also thins the blood.  

We are greeted by John Moss on the road about 28kms out of PA.....in his zippy yellow Triumph TR 7. He follows us in, rockets past and then escorts us into town to the Wadlata Information Centre. This is a very impressive corrigated iron affair. We share some info about our trip, leave brochures and get a free tour of the museum. It was most impressive! Four hours later we stumble out into the light, enriched and reminded of Australia's geographical, indigenous and wonderful pioneering history. Dad was in his element.... And I must say I was too. 

Then off to the castle of John and Norma Moss......true car enthusiasts and wonderful hosts. Here we were greeted by an Irish Wolf hound and poodle as big as two small Shetlands and a sweet little toy poodle...and true Aussie hospitality. John and Norma should run a B&B and can they cook.......  A call came through saying a parcel had arrived at the Wadlata Outback Information Centre. So, Norma and I drove into town and the parcel contained a stuffed toy Bumble Bee from our friend in Merridan!!! What a lovely gesture.... A head on collision with this sized monster could have caused that hole in the windscreen at 40km/hr. (Apparently real bees are posted regularly across aussie mail systems...the posties hear them humming away) 

We met the group from the PA car club who popped around to the Moss castle for drinks and dinner. A terrific bunch who were great company and who swapped intriguing motoring stories with dad and I over a delicious dinner. The PA car club generously donated a cheque to the Triumph for Breath cause. Thumbs up to them.

 

October 19th

Very friendly staff at the Foreshore and somewhere dad and I would definitely stay again. The continental breakfast was very impressive and they donated to the cause too! Also, had a meeting with Ceduna News, and met a couple from Armidale in NSW, Janelle and John who supported the cause. Then, off to Kimba which is well known for cereal grains and sheep. Not so many road trains today thankfully, although on the whole they have been very respectful on the road and giving us a wide berth. Wheat, wheat, wheat and more wheat today.

A long, hot day and the new bag of minties nearly melted in the glove compartment. The bottle of water in the cabin went hot, the eyes stung and the skin felt like beef jerky. I closed my eyes and could imagine flying in a small Cessna- the flying buzzing Bumble Bee over thousands of acres of wheat........ I sympathized with the hard working wheat / grain farmers in the area and it is not even summer yet! 

We drove into Poochera (pronounced Pooch-as in dog and cher ah or something like that) which was named after King Poojeri (an aborigine) and then found ourselves in front of the Poochera Hotel which coincidently was built in the same year as Bee, (1930) so we had to stop and take a photo of course and then had an enlightening conversation with the sleepy eyed bar attendant.

Poochera is the home of the rare dinosaur ant which is not necessarily gigantic, but a "living fossil" and prehistoric! It was first supposedly found in 1931 in Western Australia (the same decade as Bee) but then disappeared and found again by accident in 1977 in Poochera in the Eyre Peninsula. 

This meant we had 4 things all relating to the 30s decade - a momentous occasion!
1)  Bee was originally built
2)  the pub was built 
3) dad
4) discovery of another prehistoric "living fossil" the Dinosaur ant.  

So, we had a refreshing squash and a whimsical look at the pub interior. This had very colourful ceiling artwork made of stubbie holders, a wooden floor and a corrigated iron bar. No lunch here.....  

We then went off to the roadhouse around the corner for a sandwich. A few donators supported the cause and off we went after yet another short stop. Finally we arrived in Kimba, another agricultural town - a little worse for wear but in three pieces.

October 18th

Motel / roadhouse number......not sure. They all blur into the same one after a while. The basic premise is clean and good service and on the whole thumbs up. It is full of hopeful travellers.

Beautiful, stiller day today with a North wind, instead of a South Easterly and off to see the Right Whales at the head of the Bight. They are called Right Whales because unfortunately they were "right" for the whalers who culled them. They were slow, large, stayed afloat when they died and were good for oil etc. That is why they were... right. Fortunately, as the story goes whaling was banned in Australia in the 1930s (around the time Bee was born) and they made a slow steady increase. There were about 54 or so in the Bight this year. Although, we only saw about 4-5 today as the water is getting too warm. It was a delight to see.

In the car park, at the Visitor Information Centre at the Head of the Bight, tourists were also milling about one of the only surviving beasties on the road in WA. We received a few donations, notably from Leo and his wife and David from the Foreshore Hotel.

I did some video work today following dad and Bee whizzing off into the horizon. We are in the true Nullarbor (or Nullus Arbor) - which means "absolutely no trees".

Another long day on the road, dead wombats and the Nullarbor behind us. The Minties have run out...we arrived in Ceduna which has a beautiful jetty out into the sea and a sunset to live for. Dad has a chat to a local fisherman and the wind sweeps us off the jetty to the bistro on the Foreshore where a seafood platter greets us. Probably the best meal we have had so far!! I finally had some Pavlova after 7 years!!!

 

Ceduna media opportunity tomorrow...possibly. PS - For the golfers out there, the funniest thing happening in this part of the world at the moment is the official opening of an 18 hole golf course between Kalgoorlie and Ceduna! Possibly the biggest golf course in the world- about 2000kms in distance. The official opening will be on Thursday 22nd Oct - watch the date. One problem the golfing committee are having is the crows who keep knocking off the golf balls.  

October 17th

Windy day - very, very, windy, eye drying day - blowing from the South east again. Also, 40 road trains, shaking the bee and our brains and teeth from top to bottom on the track from Madura to Nullarbor Roadhouse. The crack in the windscreen decided to stretch to the top of the screen......argghghghghghgh.

We have done approximately 1600kms so far in Bee and she is as robust as ever - despite the potholes and lumpy bits and filling up for fuel every 15 mins...(she has a small stomach.)

We saw two emus, crows, a goanna, afew bob tail lizards (or shellbacks if you like) a dead snake and potentially dingoes when we made our way to the roadhouse. (wild dingoes are attracted tothe roadhouse by food and get destroyed if they are tamed by hand feeding). You might miss these things if you go faster than 60km/hr!

We also saw water today...water....as blue as Bermuda (we could see the Great Aussie Bight) and the treeless plain became more true the closer we travelled to the roadhouse. Flat plains as far as the eye can see and friendly faces waving and dropping donations in our pot at random opportunities.

We stopped at a bottle and boot tree and coincidentally a bus stopped. A couple in a ute and a small mob who stepped off the mini bus, kindly donated with curiosity and support attached...not an isolated incident along this stretch.

A beginning of a book could have been written today:

1st Chapter- "The art of Fiddle farting around"

2nd Chapter- "Never let a chance pass you by"

3rd Chapter- "Patience is a virtue"

4th Chapter- "The art of being a passenger in a Triumph Super 7".

5th Chapter- "It's moments like these, you need minties"

Spoke to some truckies today and explained what "COPD" was and asked them to pass the word around about our trip and to not run us over on their way to Perth or Adelaide - as there is enough road kill already on the road. Had a fella knock on our Nullarbor door who wanted to donate as he had seen the plug on the television - somewhere.

Off to bed and a chance to see the whales tomorrow...Dad is asleep.

Without a dream there are no goals,no hope, no place to go.

October 16th - Friday

Another longish day on the road with a SE headwind - not good when you are going east across the Nullarbor plain...I sympathised with the cyclists we passed going in the same direction (so far, the only transport we can pass).

The plain is not totally treeless, more short shrubs, spinifex and flowers. Also, numerous shellback lizards sauntering across the heated ribbon, crows laughing and pecking at an enormous expanse of space as far as the eye can see. I actually didn't mind although weariness set in by 3.00 pm and we stopped at the famous Madura pass (the place where Armstrong and Manley bumped their way and crawled up the rough, rocky limestone pass). Terrific view and a supportive soul, Sandra in her parked caravan from WA.

Stopped prior to this at a place called Cocklebiddy, great name but small and very remote. One beer bellied local character said immediately,"Why on earth would ya wanna to go cross the Nullarbor in a heap like that". Well, he had a point when you look at the distance and the 90 mile straight stretch and a car that trundles along at 40mph....but hey, he missed the point and the eyes glazed over when he was enlightened and of course he disappeared in a flash. Ha, the people you meet!

Arrived in Madura, a great little place full of interesting travellers from all over. Lots of curiosity and donating. We had a lovely dinner and great company with two caravaning couples from South Australia.  Off to the Nullarbor Roadhouse tomorrow.  Bumble bee ran beautifully today and dad finally found a bag of minties.

October 15th 

Early start in the am...very early start to father turning the light on at 3.00am and again at 5.00am and then take off at 7.00am for a 9 hr drive in the yellow rocket. We are still talking......what a beautiful blue, warm day.

Car packed and a lovely send off by our next door Hospitality Inn neighbours, Ruth, John, Mary and Don from Perth.

Fill up the fuel tank and no strangled chook sound or any other idiosyncrasies..so far...Off to Kambalda and then on to theCoolgardie / Esperence Highway and then to Norseman. Had some lunch at "Café on Roberts" (very cosmopolitan for an outback town) A "quit smoking" chat with a finger stained, local 70 year old on the street, and then stop at another fuel station, "Always the cheapest fuel in town" and met some curious people from NSW...who kindly donated for the cause.

Along the road to Norseman, dad and I noticed a peculiar ritual involving stuffed soft toys. There were countless toys nailed to trees along the way. Some had fallen out of their humble abode with remnants of tape and string attached...what do these Western Australians get up to and why?

Also, many wooden crosses along the way with flowers and beer bottles bordering the stake. This comes to mind, "If you can't breathe, nothing else matters" ...."When you drive, nothing else matters".

The one I stopped and looked at was a 17 year old male...say no more. Speed and booze, six foot tall and bullet proof..and cars that go too fast.....

Beautiful rich, colourful flowers along the road, blue skies and the black mottled ribbon undulating to the horizon... road trains, waving arms in speeding bullets and dad's stories carried on the hum of Bee's robust engine....and my first experience as pilot.

Does a person need a special license to drive a Triumph Super 7?

A crunching of gears and a steering wheel that feels like an airport hand / arm vibrating massager on one setting, a rear vision mirror that is permanently out of focus and RSI in my right ankle trying to keep the vehicle on 40 MPH......otherwise a piece of cake - except when trying to work out when to place the central switch to advance and retard depending on the gradient and length of the hill..oh and the passing road trains.

Still alive to tell the tale and Bee is running like a dream.....except for the rock damage on the windscreen!

We arrive in Balladonia, a wonderful little place that is famous for the landing of space junk in the area. A nice bar and friendly faces. Dinner and travelling stories with Sandra and May-Gwyn from Sydney.

Content Upated 23 October. 2009