The Why Not? Blog

At the tender age of 25 Dave started skateboarding. 14 months later he became the first person to skate the length of Britain. Another 8 months on he had crossed Australia on his board, breaking a world record & raising over £20,000 for three charities. Now, at 27, he's writing his first book, is a motivational speaker and a businessman, and he's only just gotten started on a lifetime of challenges which from the outside look just darn crazy. So, why? You know the answer, don't you. Why not?

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Northam, 100km down

Hi all. I'm tired, it's late and I need some beauty sleep before tomorrow's skate. It has been a marvellous two days, getting back on the road yesterday was amazing and the Australian public just keep outdoing themselves on the generosity front. From donations in petrol stations to kind gifts of Coca Cola and a pop-up tent to construction workers taking photos to a roadhouse manager offering us free food and gas. And that was just yesterday!

The team and I are now in Northam, 100km down the Great Eastern Highway from Perth. We're staying for free at the Avon Bridge Hotel and are recovering after being mobbed by Northam's schoolchildren this afternoon.

I have pages of notes upstairs and will turn these into full blogs in the coming days, but for now I have one thing to say: for two days I've been skating along a wide highway bordered by red dust. The roads have gone from smooth to rough to smooth again and I know that tomorrow will be the same, but with our three vehicles running up and down the road, at least one member of the team always on the road with me on the beat-up racing bicycle that Simon won in Perth and every single Road Train driver honking his horn and sticking up a healthy thumb, this journey has begun in style and it goes to show that we really are living a dream.

To date over 20 national newspapers around the world have covered the story, I've completed over 35 radio interviews since landing in Perth and absolutely everyone in Australia thinks I'm crazy, but they still show their support. Yet back home in Wales yesterday a paper printed a story that was plain derogatory. I'll give you the weblink to the story because myself and the team are pushing ourselves to the edge, this goes to show you just never can win some people over. And I can guarantee you that the people we can't win over have done absolutely nothing with their lives, if they had they'd appreciate the sheer effort that we're putting in over here. My team are not here for a holiday, everyone is working their behind's off. Check out the article here.

Will try and get back on the web tomorrow to give you guys some photos and video. Only a little blister on the top of a right-foot's toe so far. Sweepstakes being taken on how long it'll take for the big ones to surface. Onwards and eastwards, we will make it to Brisbane if we have to crawl. Cheers all, Dave

3 Comments:

  • At 11:04 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I'm guessing 300 more Ks before the serious blisters!

    Ignore the misanthropic thoughts of someone who has probably done little in his life but written for Welsh websites. You're doing something challenging and honourable with pride and I, for one, admire that.

    Glad all's going to plan - good luck, fair Ginger!

     
  • At 6:14 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I've just sent the papers editor a less than complimentary letter regarding what I consider to be one of the lowest pieces of 'journalism' I've ever read (and that's saying something).

    Ignore it Dave, you and the team are doing something worthwhile and should be justly proud.

     
  • At 11:03 am, Blogger Badger Madge said…

    Jesus Christ! I can't believe it. How low can you get. He obviously doens't know anything about geography if he thinks skating accross Oz is easy, and to call you fame-hungry – he obviously doesn't even know you (and hasn't bothered to note the charity aspect).

    What a tw*t. I too shall be writing to the editor, asking for some sort of apology.

     

Post a Comment

<< Home

Subscribe to Dave's Blog by email:

Delivered by FeedBurner