Patrick McGorry

[Mike McDermott]

I was listening to a re-broadcast of an interview with the 2010 Australian of the year, Patrick McGorry, on ABC RN http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/conversations/patrick-mcgorry/6834896. He briefly mentioned that he had done an overland in the late 1970s, and was in Afghanistan during a revolution in Afghanistan.

I guess that was the Saur revolution of 1978 which, as I have mentioned here before, Brendon Reid and I were caught up in as well (along with the late Travers Cox). We ere on an eastbound, but he was on a westbound.

I recall that there was an Encounter Overland truck there as well; we visited it after curfew, which we got away with. They were listening to the BBC World Service, which was reporting the events, but were talking complete BS.

Patrick mentioned the super-thorough customs searches going into and out of Iran at the time.

Does anyone know who else was in Afghanistan then? I don't think there were any other Capricorn or Sundowners coaches, but he did say he was on a bus.

[Mike McDermott]

I just googled his bio at the Sydney Uni Home Page:

Pat completed his internship at the Royal Newcastle Hospital and gained some experience in general practice before embarking on an epic overland journey from Australia to the United Kingdom (via Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, the USSR and Western Europe).
 https://sydney.edu.au/medicine/museum/mwmuseum/index.php/McGorry,_Patrick

That sounds like a Troika, and like a westbound, But there were no Sundowners trips (but our still Capricorn one) there in the Saur Revolution.

[Maurie Garton]

Two trips came through Club Habitat in early December 1978. The first was Micheal George on a Capricorn. He had a bit of strife in Club Habitat as it got very cold and the bus froze up complety It took him several days to thaw it out.
The second was Fred Sparksman, he came through a few days later. They both came from Katmandu and Fred told me it would be his last trip as he had been shot at in Afghanistan.
I hope this helps.

[Mike McDermott]

Thanks Maurie,

I'm pretty sure it wasn't Michael George, as I understand he had certain legal problems in Afghanistan (not his fault).

Fred Sparksman? Maybe. Are you out there, Fred?

[kit carr]

Kees van Yperern was doing a tour at that time for Sundowners, and his bus broke down in Kabul. The tour carried on. Tom Sawyer and I went oput and repaired the bus and bought it back. I think it was a Troika.

Mick's "holiday" in Kabul was prior to this.

[Lee Eccleston]

Hi Guys
The Saur Revolution occurred at the end of April 1978.
At the time Sundowners were running Troika trips westbound through Afghanistan and Iran and the Soviet Union.
From memory The Diplomat and Ross Crook and trainee Bruce Driscoll were on the first Troika that year,which would have been TK 182.
TK 183 and TK 184 {if they ran?}would have been in Kabul in April 1978
Last year we had the discussion about who was the last through Afghanistan and was agreed it was mid 1979.
Best wishes and Merry Xmas
Rocky

[Lee Eccleston]

Further to previous
Troika 182 was due to arrive Kabul around 22/4/78
Troika  183 was due to arrive Kabul  around  6/5/78
Troika  184 was due to arrive Kabul  around  13/5/78
Rocky

[Lee Eccleston]

In March 1978 Darcy and I were in Afghanistan.
The site rep for Kabul<Mickey > showed us where to find bottles of vodka,hidden  behind the cereal packets at the supermarket.
Ray Compton was his courier.Both groups travelled on our coach as far as Meshed in Iran.
Travelling on a flyer to pick up a westbound Troika were Bruce Faraday and Barney
Maybe the subject was on their trip?
Rocky

[Mike McDermott]

Thanks Rocky,

The Saur revolution occurred on 27-28 April, so those dates don't fit.

[Mike McDermott]

> Travelling on a flyer to pick up a westbound Troika were Bruce Faraday and Barney
Maybe the subject was on their trip?

Yes, that could be. But then they weren't staying at our hotel, across the square from the Palace. Ours was the only trip there; Travis Cox's Penn group were in another.

I don't think Penn had a trip like the Troika.

By the way, unfortunately I never got to do a Troika; just Bedouins and Pharaohs, and the one and only Eurasia that ever went (I think), which I did with Brendon Reid. It was a really good itinerary for a westbound, and included Corfu.

[Kerri O'Connor]

Well I was on a Sundowners trip TK183 that went through Afghanistan in 1978 and we were there just after the coup. We left Nepal about March of 1978. There were soldiers with guns and tanks in the streets of Kabul.  There was 17 on our bus and the tour started in Kathmandu across Nepal, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Romania then up into Russia and across eventually after 3 months arriving in England.

[Mike McDermott]

Hi Kerri,

We may have met your trip in Pakistan or India, then. I don't remember meeting your trip, but if we did we would have stopped and shared information about what lay ahead for one, and behind for the other. That applied for all overland crew, no matter what company they worked for.  

I left Afghanistan a few days ago. In some ways, it would have been better to remember Kabul as it was then. Now, it's mainly guns and forts. Still, life goes on, and the scenes you remember from then are pretty much the same. Newer model vehicles, newer people, same clothes.