modified buggy in Cobar on Saturday morning. Chad is pictured with his support crew of
family and friends at a welcome barbecue hosted by M&C Parisi Motorcycles.
After a relatively incident free 4,800km journey across Australia, C6 quadriplegic Chad Graham finished his epic off-road buggy journey in Cobar on Saturday morning.
From their home in the Blue Mountains, Chad and his father Peter Graham spent two years planning and organising the trip which would give Chad the opportunity to see a fair bit of Australia.
It also helped Chad to raise funds for his ROLL101 charity which aims to support young children suffering catastrophic injuries or serious illnesses.
Chad set off from Kalgoorlie four weeks ago in his off-road buggy, which has been customised with hand controls and a special race seat to accommodate his disability.
“We went to so many interesting places, places that I never thought I would see,” Chad told The Cobar Weekly on Saturday.
“Everyone we’ve met along the way has been amazing.
“It’s been the trip of a lifetime and I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported me, particularly my mum and dad.”
Driving every day for the past four weeks, Peter Graham said they aimed to cover 250km per day however there were some days when Chad was required to drive almost 400km in order to stay on schedule.
“Physically that took its toll on Chad,” he said.
Chad said he found it hard to get motivated and get out of bed some days but once he was in the buggy he was happy to be there.
“I was happy to be doing what I like, to be free,” Chad said.
He said mechanically the buggy went well (apart from a couple of flat tyres) and a few problems with the support vehicles.
Peter said the hospitality of country people, including Cobar, was “just unbelievable everywhere we went”.
M&C Parisi Motorcycles staff, with the help of the Rotary Club of Cobar, welcomed Chad and his crew with a barbecue on Saturday.
