Greenslopes to Geraldton, riding around Australia on a wheelchair to raise funds for a new spinal rehab centre

Bill Clinton had just become president, Jurassic park was the number one film in cinema and Essendon beat Carlton to become the premiers, all seems like a life time ago. In the 30 years since then, things have changed drastically, but not in the case of Spinal Rehabilitation, which has inspired one Australian’s journey across the country and see him in the Mid West on Saturday. Bevan Kearsley is riding around Australia in a motorised wheelchair scooter to raise funds for a new spinal rehab centre after he discovered that little has changed since he was a patient. “I was asked to go back to the spinal unit that I went through 30 years previously, and do a bit of mentoring with new spinal patients at the facility,” Mr Kearsley said. “I found after 30 years, nothing has changed, that new patients, they have to spend their whole rehab, which can be anywhere from six months to two years, living in a hospital ward away from their family and friends.” After going back for the visit, Mr Kearsley could not believe how little the place had changed. “It’s pretty shocking, there’s 40 beds in there and then you have another 40 or more patients in other hospitals waiting to go through the spinal unit for their rehab,” he said. “It’s just not good enough, inaction from all governments actually, for nothing to change.” Three decades ago Mr Kearsley was in a life-changing accident while going on a motorbike ride with some friends. “Just going for a Sunday afternoon ride from Toowoomba to Brisbane via Mount Glorious, it was my first time through there,” he said. “The speedo broke on my bike and instead of taking my time, I tried to keep up with them and cut one corner a bit too close and the next corner come up and before I knew it I smashed into the guard rail and severed my spinal cord.” It was a long road to recovery for Mr Kearsley, but now the Queenslander is on a trip around Australia to help with other people’s recovery. Five years in the making and one 150cc motor scooter wheelchair later, Mr Kearsley set off for his 18,000km trip on April 26. Started in Brisbane, he has gone through Sydney, Melbourne, the Nullarbor and will now make his way through Geraldton for the first time on Saturday. While Australian roads can be harsh, Mr Kearlsey said he has been lucky with weather and wildlife. “It hadn’t been too bad actually, except for the day we started, we had showers but dried off reasonably quick,” he said. “I came through a storm on the way to Margaret River, other than that it’s been really good.” With an original goal of raising $1 million, he said the amount raised was pretty short so far, but Mr Kearsley said the support received had been amazing. “The support from people has been real good and everybody likes what I’m doing, they come up and give cash donations,” he said. “People are going over and beyond more than what I need to, just over all in general people have been helpful.” To support Bevan Kearsley’s and donate to his cause visit his social media @accessozride or his website https://bit.ly/3MK6OjZ.