Julian Walker - The Cape Crusaders: Driving a Dennis fire engine from the tip of Europe to the bottom of Africa

Chapters

For Wendy, Maya and Lucas - my wonderful,
loving and supportive family.

In the pre-internet, pre-mobile phone days of the late 1980s, travelling through remote countries with no form of contact back home except for a local Post Office, or the occasional pay phone was the norm.

Not only that, it was completely accepted as the norm back home, so the prospect of facing challenges on the road, with a team of friends added to the bonding experience and camaraderie on the trip.

It also created a unity with fellow travellers, which is nowadays sometimes lost in the enthusiasm to blog or post experiences for the world to share instantaneously.

The speed with which technology has advanced should be embraced (and I would certainly have benefitted from GPS on other expeditions and trips in Africa and South America), but I cant help feeling that some of the achievements of the Cape-to-Cape expedition may not have been so memorable for me, at least, had we emblazoned every minute on the internet.

Having said that, some twenty five-plus years after the event, I have posted some stills from video we shot on the expedition for wider viewing of our experiences and these can be found on www.flickr.com, www.facebook.com and www.pinterest.com, and more information can be found on my website www.julianwalker.info.

Money! Give us some money! Now! said the two scruffily dressed gunmen.

The gun barrels, levelled at our chests, bobbed in time with the sound of their laughter, which sounded menacing in the still-night air.

Here we were in Africa at one oclock in the morning on a piece of moonlit ground right next to a railway line, with two armed men, seemingly intent on violent robbery at the very least. My heart was pounding and my sweat went cold on my skin. They had already taken our passports and now Wink and I scrabbled in our pockets for whatever money we had. My mind frantically raced through the options but came up blank. I mentally added up the total collection of coins and crumpled notes - almost 5. Were dead I thought.

The train tracks rumbled faintly as a train approached in the distance and I held the money out to the man nearest me. He snatched the money, crumpled it up in his fist and said something to his colleague and gestured with his gun. Go! You go now!

The expectation of feeling bullets rip through my back rose like a growing spectre over my shoulder with every step back over the railway and across the scrubland. We stumbled over a foul smelling drainage ditch and into safety of our hotel compound. It was like wading through marshmallow and my feet felt so heavy and slow. When I eventually stole a fleeting glimpse over my shoulder as we reached safety, I realised that our two assailants were long gone.

So much for the value of life: 2.50 per head. Some who know me may not agree, but there is no doubt in my mind it is still the best value for money I have ever experienced.

***

Carey Wink Ogilvie ( Expedition Accountant ) an adventurous, entrepreneurial Scot, fervently convinced that there was more to life than the thrills and spills of being a London estate agent.

Charles Norwood ( Expedition Leader ) a vastly experienced overland travel professional, expedition leader and excellent photographer. Having led parties of adventure tourists throughout Africa for many years in sensible Bedford trucks for adventure travel group, Encounter Overland, he said he was naturally drawn to the prospect of trying an overland trip in an old fire engine, which was patently not suited to the job.

Chelsea Ched Renton ( Expedition Diarist and Videographer ) a hugely talented and creative artist, with a wicked sense of humour and keen wit. Ched was a natural for recording events in writing and film (both on video and as stand-in camera man for when the film crew were not with us).

Gerry Moffatt ( Deputy Expedition Leader ) our other vastly experienced overland travel professional, expedition leader, rafting guide, kayaker and all round adventurer, with an inexhaustible supply of anecdotes and stories.

Jamie Lewis ( Expedition Mechanic ) a highly prolific and successful yachtsman, looking to broaden his horizons from that of the London marine insurance market, Jamie was also keen to experience the world on dry land and have a crack at a more mechanical side to life.

Jim Everett (Expedition Navigator ) also a highly proficient ocean going yachtsman, medical man and ardent tea drinker, Jim was nominally in charge of the Land Rover (which he christened Eric) and was definitely keen to sample the delights of steeping his favourite brew in obscure destinations.

Julian Walker ( Expedition Supplies ) a well-travelled backpacker and Lloyds Insurance Broker looking to have a completely different CV experience to mask a lack of educational qualifications.

Alex da Silva without her ability to turn a no into a yes , I am sure that the whole project would have been considerably less successful.

David Henriques ( Cape-to-Cape 87 Chairman ) a cracking enthusiast for all things and a practical problem solver, David not only kept the momentum of the Cape-to-Cape on track, but he also managed to keep his insurance broking employers happy despite seeming (to me at least) to be spending every waking moment on the project. He is also the only man I could think of who would take the capsizing of his prized boat on dry land (by me) with a casual wave, smile and search for the tow rope to right it.

John Dennis eponymous hero of the red fire engine (the only true vehicle to associate with the fire brigade). His twinkling blue eyes and sense of mischief belied an ability to get things done efficiently, on time and in budget, and a man who took the proposal of what we wanted to do with one of his vehicles, completely in his stride as if this was perfectly normal.

Luli Thompson she brought more tireless energy to the party than the cartoon character, Billy Whizz on speed, and kept on driving things forward.

Paul Calkin ( Cape-to-Cape 87 Finance Director ) a fabulously confident individual who epitomised Kiplings man and applied his sense of humour and business acumen to ensuring that, despite everyones best endeavours, the project kept on track, was financially stable and delivered its goals.

Warren Burton ( Expedition Training Instructor ) a highly seasoned Encounter Overland operative, whose wise counsel, expertise and insights during training weekends and in preparation for the expedition stood us in good stead throughout the trip.

Graham Smith (Director/Cameraman) highly creative and skilled at his profession who by the end of the expedition was equally adept stripping his Aaton camera down, cleaning it and putting it back together again blindfolded.

John Keedwell (Assistant Director/Cameraman) together with Tim on sound, managed to bring out the silly side in all of us, even when we were being serious.

Tim Fraser (Sound Recordist) possibly the first and only man to erect a self-designed tent on a moving Land Rover, using a sound pole, grips and tarpaulin and the talk his way into riding in the fire engine.

Vikki Norwood (Producer) almost always smiling and, despite having to deal with almost insurmountable budget issues, her film of the expedition, Life Calls ,* really captured its essence and is a testament to her ambition and the skill of the people she brought to it to make it happen.