A Dramatic finish!

After making the coast and driving back down to ride the section they skipped at the start it all looked like smooth sailing to the end of the ride. The two injured horses were healing well and able to be ridden half or full days and there shouldn't have been any more drama. But 50km (2 days) out of Birdsville disaster suck again.

By this time the horses were very confident with the landscape and most behavioural issues had been worked out over the last 1200 km, so mum was relaxed and not holding on as they went through a shallow dry creek bed. Mony didn't hesitate to hop across a small ditch and it all would have been fine except that there were two more ditches immediately in the way and no space for her to stop. So as she was forced to hop across two more she unseated mum who landed on her wrist and badly broke her arm.

Hyper ventilating and in shock she used her experience from years of nursing to recognise the signs and tell Dad the others how to treat her. Eventually Dad drove her 900km to Mt Isa for X-rays. Leaving the horses in Birdsville the drove all the way that afternoon, arriving at 12am. She was admitted her to the hospital and where they took X-rays in the morning finding out that she had shattered the distal radius. With such a serious break they advised her that she needed to fly out for surgery.

Back in Adelaide she's now recovering well after having a plate and a few screws put in and is enjoying the time off. While a little miffed that she didn't complete the entire trip she's happy that the others were still able to and that her and dad had completed over the 1165km they had set out to do.

On that note, anyone who pledged a donation can so so now.

Please send donations to the following account:

Bank: ANZ

BSB: 015 367

Account Number: 485359731

Account Name: “David Bacon CfC”

Payment Reference: “Horse” + Name, Last Name Initial (ie "Horse JOHN S" or "Horse business name".

If you require tax deduction we have an auspicing agreement with the South Australian charity World Youth International where they will accept donations on our behalf and take a 10% admin fee. Please contact inquiries@carpetsforcommunities.org for details.


I'm trying to convince Dad to get his diary notes transcribed and so we can write up some of the great outback tales they've come back with so fingers crossed for that.

Below are some pictures taken by a Charles, a semi professional photographer and friend of Mum and Dad's who went along for a few weeks.

Made it to the coast!

Pictures to prove it!

Breaking news! - Horse injured and coast reached but more to go...

------------------An email from Mum 2 days ago-----------------

We are in Normanton on a day off. We trucked to Karumba on the gulf to give the horses a few days off and the boys went fishing catching 20 king salmon -good to eat. Anita, Danielle and i toured up the Normanton river and saw crocks and mud crabs and lots of birds (jabarus, brolgas etc).

Unfortunately pig shooters at 4.30am startled the horses and Bambi went through a barb wire fence breaking a steel dropper off and hitting the next fence breaking a post. Bambi took a 3inch square of skin off her knee exposing muscle and has lots of deep but smaller cut on all legs. She has 3 wire marks across her neck i am surprised she is alive but she is acting like nothing hurts -one tough pony. We are floating her with Monny who hit her nose and shoulder and front legs but they are minor injuries and should be right in a week

We are now on the way down -200 km to ride to burke and wills roadhouse then truck to marion downs and ride the 300km to Birdsville that we skipped at the start. We have ridden 709kms and apart from the above all is good

For Grahams birthday we had 2kg of prawns and chocolate cake.

hope all is going ok mum

in Mt Isa in 9 days will send again xxx

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere north of Cloncurry...

I'm writing this from Cambodia and have no idea where my parents have got to now..

The last times i heard from them they were restocking in Mt Isa and and then were just north of Cloncurry. That was about 12 days ago. I'm not worried though as i don't expect them to have internet contact until Normanton. My best guess is that they are now somewhere between the 83 and the 1 north of cloncurry..

Here's an except from what my dad wrote to me on 11th July:

-------------------------------------------

To morrow heading off towards to Duchess then on to Cloncurry - doing
about 20KM per day this will increase as we all get fitter.

Weather fantastic during the day, but chills right down at night.

Horses doing well so far apart from the usual antics.

Country and scenery wonderful, as are the outback people.

Camp fires every night and a sit down to relax, the days are full and
quite draining so we feel entitled to the good bits.

Dogs all enjoying it so far, we are getting them to do the ride with us
to get them fit, now we are in Dingo country will have to muzzle them as
the stations do a lot of baiting.

There has been no rain in this region for a long time, the stock pull
the branches down from he trees to eat foliage thus doing harm to
natives.

At Bedourie we went to a cattle cutting competition, the riders were
stunning with their horse skills and horses incredible to.

We need to pick up about a tonne of water every three days most of this
is for horses.

Oh well I had better go collect fire wood - life is not all fun !

Bacon's / Pratts.

-----------------------------

Mum also said that she met a lady (Barb) who she knew from 30 years ago, nursing in tenant creek. Her husband we the horse manager for McLeod's Daughters for a few years and they were on their way to the cattle cutting competition.




They sent a CD with more pictures on it from Cloncurry but unfortunately i left it in Australia. There has been so much going on with the Carpets for Communities project that i have hardly had time to scratch myself. Mum suggested that i put a couple of updates here so some of the recent highlights are:

We won a Global online competition for projects working on ending child trafficking and child labour and slavery in general. There were 236 entries worldwide and we were judged into the final 15 and then after 2 weeks of popular voting we were voted equal top three to win the award! See: www.votechildren.org for details!

We also have been shortlisted for a further 10-15,000 in funding from another organisation and Indira Naidoo (ex SBS news presenter) has become our unofficial patron and is organising celebrities to help promote the project, is going to ask some friends in South East Asia to help with doing a tv doco and is going to recruit some well known designers to design some rugs to auction off.

Now i'm in Cambodia and hiring new staff so that we can open a head office in Siem Reap (a much bigger town)

More from the parents as soon as i hear anything..

Change of plans

They've stopped for a rest in Boulia (to do washing etc) which is quite an effort if you have a look at the map. Over 200 km in 5 days (according to google maps)!

Apparently they needed to be closer to Mt Isa in time to make it for a person exchange (dropping off Zack, my cousin, and picking up Charles) so they have started the ride from Marion Downs station instead (which mum said is south of Badourie).

You know you're in the middle of Australia when the road sign advises you to take two spare jacks!



They probably needed them too when the incredibly bumpy roads caused the towbar from the trailer behind the truck to shear right off. Luckily it was just as they got into Badourie so no major delays.



I think this next picture is the stone cairns that they put up at the end of the trip in 2007 - probably in Birdsville i think - along with engraved steel plaque!


From left: Danielle Pratt (cousin), Anita Pratt (Auntie), Ian Pratt (Uncle), Dad (Graham Bacon), Zack Pratt (cousin).

They've posted a CD with journal entries and more pictures so hopefully i'll have more detailed update in a few days. Apparently someone they met on the roadside is also mailing back a check too which is great! They were really happy to hear that we've already raised over $1000 in pledges as well.

For all the horsey people: The horses are all well and happy. Jack has a bit of a sore back (Ian or Zack's i think) and they weren't too happy with the bumps and noise around Birdsville but all's good now. More with the jourals i'm sure!

Quorn to Birdsville confirmed!

Mum and Dad called my sister from a payphone to let her know they were in Birdsville late last week, so we know that they've most probably started the ride at least.

The bad news is that the satellite phone isn't working and Dad forgot the wireless internet connector for his laptop... so no pictures any time soon.

We're hoping to get it to them via Charles who is flying up to met them in Mount Isa at the end of the month.

I'm hoping they'll burn some to CD and post them back but that'll be at least a week if not more (if they send anything!). I've uploaded a couple of pictures from last time they were in Birdsville at the end of the ride last year just to show what it's like.



Map of driving from Quorn to Birdsville:

And they're off!

This morning I got these pictures in my email.. Dad's taken his laptop with a roaming wireless connection and while he still prefers one line emails we should get a few pictures until they disappear of the mobile network..


Honey and Monnie happy to be going somewhere...




Mum




Setting off!




Setting up the first day's camp in Quorn



Adelaide (A) to Quorn (B) confirmed. Quorn (B) to Marree (C) yet to confirm.