sport , leisure , travel
Our expedition tagline was ‘ What could possibly go wrong ?’
Duncan and Paul at Dead Horse Gap , left , and Conrad , Duncan , Paul and Walter ( sitting ) at the summit , above right .
underpass with a tandem trike on top , it seemed like everything was going wrong .
This shaky start to the expedition was being filmed by Rummin , a Tasmanian production company , who were documenting the journey . We were lucky enough to find a bush welder , to weld the tandem back together in Hawker .
Kati Thanda is a sacred place to the Arabana people who asked us not to venture out onto the dry Lake ’ s surface , so we began at Peake Jones Point at the southern end of Lake Eyre North .
The ‘ washboard hell ’ road made it tough going from the outset , so the team made only 20km on the first day . On the second day , Daniel opted out as his sternum was bruised : the hand-trike requires steering with the chest , and the heavily corrugated road was paining him greatly .
Daniel had been suffering with ill health and the difficult decision was made to evacuate him at Lyndhurst . Ed , the driver , took him to Quorn Hospital with a suspected kidney infection where he would spend the best part of a week .
The rest of us continued south to Leigh Creek where we talked to 40 kids in the school . I like to think we challenged their notions surrounding disability : we are not poor victims in need of help , as many see us , nor are we heroes succeeding
against overwhelming odds , another common stereotype ; we are just people , ordinary people , working with what we ’ ve got ; as we all do .
As we were climbing a particularly rough hill in the Flinders Ranges , the back wheel on the tandem seized . We resorted to cannibalising Conrad ’ s trike for the back wheel . From now on he would ride Walter ’ s emergency bike . Daniel returned and it was good to see him back to his old self .
The reactions we were receiving from the broader public were of great interest to the team . For the most part , we had positive responses . Nevertheless , we faced institutionalised able-ism on an almost daily basis – be it the camp site owner who came up behind Daniel , who was in his wheelchair , and tucked his shirt into his trousers without asking ( we all fell about laughing when Daniel told us this ). Or the assumption , by many people linkonline . com . au sport , leisure , travel
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