There were six of us, on our first interstate surfari, travelling in three surf wagons. We left Melbourne full of energy and full of hope that we would find some good waves. On our second day we pulled into Kempsey, after having a great day surfing in the 3-foot swell where the Macleay River meets the ocean. We were full of energy and hoped for more great waves the next day. We shared Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and milk shakes and the usual healthy surfing food!
It was then time for us to swap cars. We also needed a toilet, so we all crossed the road to a Public Toilet. It was typical of a Council Toilets...sand, water everywhere and a leaking toilet. It wasn’t pretty but we all used it and then we started up for the drive north.
Bill had a Vauxhall, Adrian was in a Holden and I had a Mini 850. We had reached the Pacific Highway when Bill had to stop driving. He was moaning and incoherent with wild eyes. We put him in his car and drove him back to the shops to find a doctor. No doctors were available for the next few days and it was recommended that we take him to Newcastle. We had no choice as Bill was a wreck, so we turned South and hoped that the weekend traffic wouldn’t get any worse.
We were all getting angry that we couldn’t find any open doctors and Bill was getting even more incoherent and Zombie-like. At this stage I phoned Bill’s parents to warn them that we had an extremely sick boy on our hands, and we had no choice but to fly him back to Melbourne, but they didn’t seem to be too concerned.
At this stage Bill was a total write-off. He couldn’t say a word as he slipped in and out of consciousness. He didn’t know his name or where he lived. It was a great relief to us when Bill was locked into his wheelchair and lifted onto the plane to Melbourne while we all looked on at Mascot Airfield. I seriously believed that he would die in Melbourne.
So, we re-gathered and arrived in the Gold Coast. I have a small, black and white photo of three cars with surfboards on top in the middle of a park.
That park is now home to a Gold Coast High School.
SUMMARY: Bill’s recovery lasted over a year. His parents paid for all costs for their son, but not for the petrol we used and the strain it put on all us drivers to get him to Melbourne.
The Medical Fraternity never disclosed the illness, but it was most likely that Bill had cuts on his toes and then walked into the filthy urinal in bare feet and a severe infection was the result. He took 15 months to fully recover and was extremely lucky to survive.
John A Wilson
Pottsville March 2024.
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