Len Beadell Birthday

Happy heavenly 100 Len....

I was given a copy of Too Long In The Bush as a prize at school in 1968.
As a teenager it was just a story.
Around the time I got interested in remote travel a couple of decades ago I discovered the book hidden away in a box.
It was a different read then.
It’s interesting to reflect on his experiences when we travel his roads all these years later in a modern 4wd with all the comforts modern day camping provides.
The early explorers and more recent ones like Len Beadell were remarkble people.

Cheers

G'day Allan

Well, there you go, Len Beadell would have turned 100 today, not that it's important to anyone out there in ExplorOz land, but I remember meeting Len, way back in a shopping centre carpark, in Salisbury South Australia.

He didn't notice me at first, I was sitting behind the steering wheel of my vehicle patiently waiting for my wife to return (she was shopping), Len and his wife were walking past my vehicle and he stopped to admire the engineering marvel of the 'Bull Bar' across the front of my short wheel base ex Army Land Rover.

He was happily going about banging on the bar work and giving the Rover a fair shaking just to see in the engineering was good enough to meet his standards.

I gave the horn a quick 'toot' to which he near jumped out of his boots, he then sheepishly gave the top rail of the home made bar an affectionate pat and said, it's a beauty mate, we ended up having a short conversation about going 'bush' and just not being 'here' as he called it.

Len was at that particular time, driving a Toyota FJ 55 wagon, which had of all things a tractor seat bolted to the top of the purpose built front bar.

I didn't know who he was at the time and he most certainly didn't big note either, though I did feel rather embarrassed (much later) that I didn't actually know of him and of his very significant explorer life.

This was back in the early 1970's, I was newly married and working at GMH in Elizabeth South Australia.



Safe travels : Joe

I was privileged to meet and chat with Len on 2 occasions.
On the first occasion we talked (amongst other things) about where we had taken our Minis. On the second occasion (about 2 years later) he recalled our first conversation in some detail. Amasing.
My hero.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

I had the great pleasure of visiting Len in his office within WRE fortnightly (I was on the pay run, those days of fortnightly cash only). The walls were adorned with pencil sketches. He usually had time for a chat, I had just bought my first FJ40 second hand.

I've just ordered the updated version of his book to mark this event