Doug Mullett remembers the date and the time as if it was yesterday – September 25, 2014, at 1.50pm.
Travelling through outback New South Wales on his motorbike, he was 267 kilometres north of Broken Hill when he thumped down on to the road.
“I still have no idea exactly how it all happened,” he said. “All I know is that I was choosing a line and the next minute I was lying on the road – I can’t even recall how I got out from under the bike.
“The road had been closed due to flooding and I was the first vehicle through … it was the people in the second vehicle that stopped to help and render first aid.”
Mr Mullett, who was knocked out as a result of the crash, was taken to a nearby property and collected by ambulance before being picked up by the Royal Flying Doctor Service and rushed to a hospital in Adelaide.
“There was no evidence of head injuries, but the X-rays found four broken ribs,” he said.
“The ribs were broken at the back inside the muscle and the pain was about 9.5 out of 10. It was like having a stake in your chest – it was excruciating.
“The hospital staff were amazed I had no other injuries.”
In recognition of the care and attention he received, the 65-year-old Werribee resident and retired teacher will set off on an epic 5500-kilometre fundraising trek from Cairns to Perth on April 27.
He is hoping to raise $6000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service – that sum being the cost of his evacuation to Adelaide. By the time he travels from Werribee to Cairns and back from Perth, he will have travelled 12,000 kilometres on his motorbike.
“It’s a gettable challenge,” he said. “Usually, it’s something done with a large support team but I’ll be doing this on my own. There’s about 1100 kilometres of unsealed road from the Olgas to Laverton in Western Australia, with just a two- or three- kilometre stretch which is sealed – and that’s only so the RFDS planes can land.
“I’ll always be grateful for the treatment provided by the RFDS. They provide comfort and a safety net to so many people living in rural and remote areas – they’re an essential part of our country.”
Offer your support
To support Mr Mullett, visit rfdsvic-fundraisers.everydayhero.com/au/doug
