2013: Changing Direction

Fast Forward 24 years to 2013

We returned from the 1989 cycle tour across Europe, and launched back into work and life in Canberra.

In a flash, another 24 years rolled by. Marriage, children, careers, pets, mortgages and all the usual and unusual things which happen in two and a half decades. There were wonderful times, hard times, happy and sad times. Looking back, the years of a growing family, constant work were the most rewarding and challenging decades.

I continued cycle commuting throughout these years however cycle touring was paused. We focussed on other recreation such as camping, bush walking, and the kids’ various sports. The purple Ernie Clements Falcon Olympic bicycle which had carried me across Europe twice, continued working life as a commuter cycle. I count myself very lucky that I have rarely had to drive to work. For decades, and through many different jobs, I’ve almost always been able to cycle or walk to my many different workplaces. This has been a huge money saver, and I believe, a health saver.

As the children grew up and family life became less busy, I began to do more than cycle commute, and started to add to my bicycle stable. First a mountain bike, then a new heavy duty touring bike followed by folding touring bikes for my wife and I. These bikes enabled a variety of short tours. Some were solo, some with friends and one in Japan (using our folding bikes and trains) with Jane.

Redirecting, Refiring but not Retiring
Anyway let’s jump to 2013. The big event of that year was that I took ‘age retirement’ from the Australian Public Service with no idea what I was going to do next. I had arrived at yet another fork in the road. What to do? I knew that ‘retirement’ wasn’t an option. ‘Retire’ means retreat and I’ve only ever wanted to roll forward. As Yogi Berra wisely said, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

The solution to finding a solution in 2013 was of course to go for a long, reflective, challenging cycle tour with a couple of old friends who I had cycle toured with before. In July 2013 we rode Kununurra to Derby via the outstandingly beautiful Gibb River Road. This was the first time I had been to this extraordinary and remote part of Australia known as The Kimberley.

Little did I know that a few months after that unforgettable cycle tour, that I’d be back in The Kimberley. Next time I’d be there as an employee of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, an organisation I didn’t even know existed when I did the Kimberley cycle tour. They employed me as a manager/facilitator for their leadership development programs. The job has evolved and continued for more than six years. It has introduced me to hundreds of amazing people from rural, regional and remote communities around Australia, and also Indonesia. It has given me a much better understanding of the massive environmental, social and economic changes affecting our non-metropolitan areas.

It’s odd how the cycles of life seem to roll back home base. I grew up in a rural community. In my younger years, I did many cycle tours in regional Australia, and I even spent months driving the Mr Whippy truck in country towns. The job with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation feels as if it has taken me back to my country roots.

And this forthcoming Against the Wind cycle tour will be a part of this re-immersion in rural, regional and remote Australia I have so much appreciated over the past six years.

15 Minutes of Fame in 2013

I should also mention there was one other major event in 2013. In December just before Christmas in New Zealand. I was shot in the eye while cycle touring in New Zealand. I’ve covered that memorable event with a couple of captioned photos on this page. The bottom line of that tale is that my eye recovered. If it hadn’t have, I probably wouldn’t be writing this journal.

A few pics in no particular chronological order from the years leading to the 2013 fork in the road. And also a few pics from after 2013.

The purple bike morphed easily from being long distance tourer to a commuter bike for about 25 years. I became older, greyer and slower but the Ernie Clements Falcon Olympic kept on rolling.

The Thorn Sherpa succeeded the Falcon Olympic as the all round touring bike. Here it is ploughing through the Gibb River Road in 2013.

Part of the 2013 Gibb River Rd cycle tour with Will and John.

When shops are 300km apart, cycle tours of the Gibb River Road need some planning and preparation. The 2013 tour was the most expeditionary type cycle tour I’ve ever done. An out of comfort zone experience.

Hard at work in The Kimberley. In about 2017. Cycle touring first took me to The Kimberley, then work took me there several more times.

You can see how hard and unenjoyable this work in The Kimberley is. It’s also obvious how hard it was adjusting to working outdoors instead of in an office.

Some of the remarkable people I have worked with over the past six years. The ARLF team.

There’s usually a way to fit a bicycle into work. In Tasmania in 2019 with the Australian Rural Leadership Program.

I love this pic. What a great presidential couple they were. The link to cycle touring is that on a family trip to the USA (where this photo was taken) my wife and I bought excellent folding touring bikes. Bike Fridays. There’s a couple of other reasons I like this photo. President Obama visited our kids’ high school very near our house, and Michelle Obama very nearly visited the national science centre when I was its General Manager. We did all the preparation for the visit, but plans changed. During this time I met Jeffery Bleich, the Obama appointed ambassador to Australia. I met several American ambassadors over the years, and Californian Jeffery was the standout. Such a nice fellow.

Jane and me in Japan with our Bike Fridays

Questacon-The National Science and Technology Centre. My workplace for about 14 years. My favourite role was managing national outreach programs which took me to many regional and rural communities all over Australia.

With some of my Questacon colleagues in about 2006.

December 2013 and I was cycle touring from Christchurch to my parents-in-laws’ Nelson place for Christmas. On the outskirts of Hanmer Springs, someone deliberately shot me in the eye from a passing van with a paintball gun. I was instantly but thankfully temporarily blinded in my right eye. Sunglasses saved my eye from major permanent damage.

My 15 minutes of fame. National and international media coverage. “Australian Shot in Eye” type headlines in papers and on TV as it was a slow news day in New Zealand. “How did the shooter know you we’re Australian”, asked a cyclist friend with a wry sense of humour. Two years after this freak incident, I returned to NZ and did a cycle tour from Christchurch to parents-in-law’s house. Job done.

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Ronaldo FranciscoI remember the incident in New Zealand very well Graham. I shocked me as I had been a regular cycle tourist there and had never encountered such behavior. Very happy to learn the eye recovered well.
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3 years ago

Graham SmithRinaldo it is still a puzzle as to who did the shooting and more so why they did.

My best theory for ‘Why?’ is that the catastrophic Christchurch earthquake and the thousands of aftershocks, not only caused obvious deaths, injuries and massive physical damage to Christchurch. They also caused enormous mental stresses and illnesses in the region. One result of this affect was an increase in antisocial behaviours which included wilfully taking potshots at strangers. There was at least one other example of a shooting from an older style white van. A woman sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Christchurch was shot by a frozen paintball which badly injured her upper arm.

A contributing factor was also NZ’s lax firearm laws which ultimately led to the horrendous mass shooting in Christchurch a few years ago. At the tone I was shot, I told the Hanmer Springs cops that NZ had a major hidden problem with firearms, and their legislation needed fixing. The cop became very defensive. Sadly I was proved correct with ChCh massacre and NZ has now fixed their firearm control laws.

Bottom line is though, yes I was extremely lucky not to be blinded or worse. I’m forever grateful for that.
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3 years ago