Mates 4 Mates is a Not for Profit Organisation that has been providing Current and Non Serving Defence Members rehabilitation
services and support.
Having been a medically discharged from the Army in early 2008 due to Service injuries, I was on a roller coaster ride in trying to adapt back into civilian life. Having joined the Army as soon as I left school, military life was my heart and soul and something I still yearn to return to. After 5 years of trying to adapt and not succeeding, I found out about Mates 4 Mates and made a general enquiry to see if they could assist me. As they say the rest is history and I am now slowly beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Most people would know that I have a pretty close connection with ExplorOz having now run 3 National Gatherings and countless other
Trips and Gatherings. This is due to my love of seeing people enjoying what Australia has to offer, and also gives me a real purpose to concentrate on and not dwell on my injuries and life struggles.
As a result of being considered as a "Brave Mate" in Mates 4 Mates speak, I have been selected to participate in their Snowy Mountain Horse Trek, run by Cochrane Horse
Treks in Yaouk, 20km north of
Adaminaby on the Upper Murrumbidgee.
To assist the work that Mates 4 Mates do for the Mates community I have started an online fundraiser to assist them in providing
services to myself and other "Mates" in need -
https://april2016m4msnowymountainhorsetrek.everydayhero.com/au/kevin![Magic]()
Magic
So the story begins -
I hit the road early on the Tuesday morning (7:30am) in the cruiser with the camper behind it and headed south towards Tara, then across to Moonie and south again to
Goondiwindi where I had mixed feelings of leaving the mother lands for cockroach country.
Cruising comfortably along the Newel highway towards Moree, a place I hadn't been for a few years and found that there is a great little bypass there now and you miss having to go through Moree.
From there I continued down the Newel and called it a day approx 5:30pm at the
Marsden rest area 38km north of West Wyalong, having travelled 950km.
Another early start saw me trek south-east to Tumut where I refuelled and stocked up on a few fresh supplies, and I also dropped into the National Parks and Wildlife /Info centre and got some great advice from the Parks staff there that suggested I cut through
Kosciuszko National Park at
Rules Point rather than enter the park some 30+km further down the bitumen (a great shortcut which saved approx. 60-70km of extra kms.
I took the Long Plains trail north from the Tumut-
Cooma main road at
Rules Point and followed the HV Power lines for a short time where I took a side track to one of the many Huts in the area for a quick look, this one is also a horse
camp (people can bring their own horses and use these camps as a based for a few days). Upon getting back to the main track, I turned East onto the Currango Plains Track and drove through to the
Currango Homestead (this
homestead has accommodation available during the Open season and has a caretaker). From there I continued through to the Pockets Saddle track and turned north. Along this section of track you can get mobile phone reception if you hold your face right and also stand on one leg. Approx 15-20km up this track the sign for the "Old Snowy"
camp is found and I made it into the base
camp by approx. 12:30pm (I had covered approx. 400km).
I entered the
camp site with minimal affair and pulled up to
check out if anyone was around as there was Tents etc set up all over the place and as I was approx. 36 hour early did not want to intrude on Peter (from Cochrane Horse
Treks or his guests). So I stayed put and had lunch and a cuppa, at approx. 1:30pm Peter and Bec (his partner) arrived in his Troopy, after a quick intro, Peter told me to set up where I was and not move further away as his guests were leaving that afternoon, he had to get water for the soon to return horses and if they arrived before he returned to tell "Princess Michelle" what was going on.
So whilst I was head down (setting up), I happened to look up at a very big horse with a very irate "Princess Michelle" who was going on about me camping so close and that they had a large group arriving the following day blah blah blah. Once she got all that out I casually introduced myself and let her know Peter (the "Boss") had gone for water for the horses and that I was right to
camp there as I was an early arriving guest for the trek starting the following day hehehehe
More to follow.