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Hi Graeme,
Love your site. While I was going on a walk last night, I was trying to think of names that you may have missed. I thought of Bill Boundy, but when I checked this morning, there he was. I also thought of Barney, who became a diver on the North Sea oil rigs, but there he was too.
I guess because I've been posting on the indiaoverland site, I got an invite not long ago from Cas Graham to a Sundowners Capricorn reunion to be held in October 2012. With any luck Cas may be able to contact some of the still missing names from here as news of the site spreads.
All the Best,
Mike McDermott
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Yes Cas is onto it and will send me an up-date on names and email addresses. Once I have a more complete list I'll email the others about this site and we will post the details of the reunion on the site aswell.
Thanks for your input.
What the bloody hell have you been up to over the last 30 years or so?
Vicar
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Hi Graeme,
OK. Since you ask; potted history since.
After returning from an Asian Overland, I was recruited by Bruce Hodge of Goway to courier his 70 day South American overlands for a couple of years. After that, I worked for him in North America as well for a while, including driving one of his vans in a long loop from Toronto through the USA. Then I went back to London, and was appointed by Travers Cox to be one of his tour leaders for his small group exploratory holidays in a company he founded with Derek Cook and Derek Moore called Explore Worldwide. That was wonderful too (although the overlands are still my number 1); it took me back to my old haunts as well as new ones. However, after marrying Anne in the Australian High Commission in New Delhi we came back to Adelaide to raise a family.
At one stage Dick Cijffers (who had been best man at our wedding) was considering migrating to Adelaide where we were going to start a travel business together. However, he was warned away from Adelaide as a place without much of a future, and he went to Brisbane instead where he still runs a travel agency.
Like Dave Yearly, I was a valuer before I ever went on the road, and I got back to doing that. Then in 1992 there was an ad in the paper for a valuer to go to Africa, and so off we went with a couple of kids in tow in early 1993. We stayed there for many years; in fact Anne is still there with our youngest (who was born there). He will finish high school there this year, but will then embark on an international bacca-laureate diploma at the same school. So although we are still together in heart, we aren’t in place. So I like to joke that while most people have nuclear families, we have a nuclear explosion one, with a daughter in Sydney, a son in Canada, a father in Darwin, and a wife and son in Africa.
While I was there, Dick called and asked if I would help him take a trip around South Africa, with him driving one comby and me another. As part of that trip we went to Sun City, where (would you believe), we ran into Sid McKinley, Rocky and Pebbles! Sid, and later Brendon Reid, helped Dick with his tours after that; I didn’t have enough leave entitlements to keep it up.
I began to develop a career as a land policy consultant, and that took me around the world a bit more, but on a South Pacific island I started to get sick, so I came back to Sydney and had an operation to remove a tumour that was crushing my spinal cord. The surgeon had one of the most convincing sales spiels that I have encountered: “Mike, unless I operate, you will be a quadriplegic in a few months, and then slowly suffocate to death”.
That operation mostly worked, so I am still working, but during the operation Anne came over to look after me and had a breast cancer screening at the hospital I was in when she had the time. We both went back to Africa while I recuperated, and we received news from the cancer screening people back in Oz that there was something needing a further look at. It turned out to a malignant tumour. So I had been diagnosed in Australia by a South African and operated on by an Australian in AustraIia, and Anne had been diagnosed in Australia and operated on by an Australian in South Africa! Because Anne had the screening they had caught it early enough, and Anne’s fine now as well.
While all I picked up some consultancy work over there, it was not enough to pay the bills, so I got a job as a valuer again back in Oz – in Darwin this time – and here I am. Being on my own, I have time to do some part time study after hours, which is on the land policy side of things. Just the same, as my dissertation has an autobiographical approach it includes referring to my days on the road; I think that in researching that time is how I discovered the indiaoverland.biz site; Ana and Carl put me on to yours.
I still pick up the odd consultancy – one in Indonesia, and another in Palestine working on Palestine’s land policy – but haven’t had much recently. While there tough, I grabbed the chance and went back to Petra with another Australian on the consultancy team.
So, there it is. I am still occasionally in touch with Brendon and Dick from time to time, and some others, including Allan Maher and Simon Arms. Carl Capstick met his wife Ana on the same trip I met my wife Anne on, and one of our passengers organised a digital reunion of the group in 1979 to celebrate the 30th anniversary. I had gone to a 10th anniversary overland reunion in 1986, but there haven’t been any others from all my overlands; at least none that I know of.
Shame really because - as I am sure is the same with you - in the roles we had when you are with people so closely for the length of time of an overland, you don’t really forget any of them.
All the Best,
Mike
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Wow! Wow! Wow!
See in each of us there is a fantastic storey.
While our experiences are spread over many years (perhaps too many) it seems to us that things just moved quietly from one event to another. When you write it down it explodes into a riveting view of your life, so far.
From an outsiders point of view your life has gone in so many directions, least of which were geographical.
Yes they were interesting times we shared. Although for most the contact was sporadic and only over a few years a strong bond was formed. Not that I was a part of the Vietnam call-up but from our experiences I can see why their mate-ships were so compelling.
With the ball rolling and gaining momentum hopefully you have encouraged others to share their stories.
Thanks and good on you.
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Interesting that you mentioned Vietnam, Graham. In the latest phone call I had with Sid McKinley (which was about 7 years ago, I think) he said that the overland was our time, like war had been for young men of other generations. I think he meant what you just said about the strong bonds, which is true. There was a major difference, though; while the harvest for so many soldiers was crippling, our harvest was one of delight.
The best friend of my childhood went to Vietnam once with the army and once with the navy, and has been TPI (psychologically) for decades now. There is a saying about the military; if you haven't got what it takes, it takes what you've got; it seems that's what happened to him.
But back to the overland. There was a phrase we all heard in our childhood; "once upon a time". Well, not every life ever gets its once upon a time, but we had ours, and it was then.
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I was just re-reading this string, because I got an email this morning from the author of a mystery novel set on the overland called "The Vanishing of Ruth". She was thanking me for my online review, which was kind of her, and asked about me. So I figured I would copy and paste her that potted history.
Anyway, I had forgotten about these comments on Vietnam. The funny part is, that's where I am now, in Ha Noi, working for a couple of months as a consultant on property valuation policy and practice.
Our countries were once enemies, and now they are friends. Like Germany, Japan etc. from World War II.
Huge property bubble here. Interesting times.
Good to be "on the road" again, although in a very different role.
Mike
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In reply to this post by Graham Preiss - Vicar
hi vicker michael george hear . living quitly in mildura,married cherryll and have two boys.moved hear 22 years ago best move ever.I,ve booked in for the sundowner reunion at gold coast, and can not wait to catch up with a lot of people,and spin alot of bull,and hear alot more coming from alot of experts.
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This post was updated on .
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Vicar
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Xvicker,being acomplete novice on thease god dam electrial things,i don,t know how to get to home page.
It,s probeley telling me how to but being blind and stupid i can not see where to go,and # 2 son is not home to show me. Contact me on 50212957 home, or 0418596265, cheers . MG.
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Hi MIchael George,
Good to hear from you.
I haven't seen you for years and years.
We met in your house up the road from Dimmeys. Had a great yarn.
Then (and it must have been in the 80s) you were talking about moving to mildura, and the next time I came back you had gone.
Mate, the big question is, did you keep your seat at the MCG? Having heard your story of how long it took to get it, and what you were going to do for youre own kids, I just have to ask.
Looking forward to seeing you at the end of the year.
kit
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Goodness me Mr kit how in hell areyou.Its nearly 25 years since we moved up hear,so its a long long time since we,ve seen each other,you probably wont know me as i,ve got better looking as the years have gone by,taller no,a little bit fatter yes and blinder,but still in good health. Alas my MCG membership has gone,$400 a year is a bit expencive to see one or two footy matches(real footy) and maybe one test match if i,m lucky.Both boys were offered memberships but declined, distance is also a problem 560km to melbourne.Christopher (# 2 son) is regetting it as he now lives in melbourne and has done so for the last 18 months,and loves his footy and the mighty bombers, smart kid just like his dad.Currently i,m a sales rep for burson automotive and have been with them for 14 years,travel aprox 1200km a week and never get sick of driving.Cherryll is cooking at the mildura private hospital weekends etc,michael ( #1 son) has his own plastering business(and loves getting plastered must get it from his mum),chris(not named after you) is an electrician and looks after hirise buildings lifts and air cons,smart arse.Any way my old son am looking forward to catching up with you and every one in october. Cheers michael george. Ps do you still get pissed on coke?
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Hi Michael
Great you are still alive and have the adventure bug......I now live in west africa so come and visit someday...ridin XT600 yamahas in the desert when I get a chance..
Take good care and happy trekking!!!
Jonathan [ I worked with you in the SA overland ]
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Good heavens, Jonathan Petko!  I have often wondered what became of you. I heard that you had gone to Zimbabwe, but that was all. Great to hear from you again.
Bob Freiwald was with me at the reunion. It was also great to catch up with him there - even though he was on the wrong overland - as well as so many old friends from Sundowners and Capricorn. The whole thing was too short, but fun while it lasted. Anne joined me there as well, so I had lots of catching up to do all round. Too much; I would have liked to have spent longer with quite a few there, but there could be another reunion in a couple of years. I hope that neither me nor they drop off the perch in the meantime.
There's another old overlanders site at indiaoverland.biz. That has a section for the South American overland. Go there, and you will see photos including your good self that I posted there several years ago.
My email is mikemackd@hotmail.com. Drop me an email when you get the chance to fill me in on your adventures since SA. I expect there will be many.
All the Best,
Mike
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