left feeling a little lucky,,,,,

[choppa]

just had the most awakening experience for a long time,,,, a very long time

went for a drive down from my place to check on the yabby population, and came across a dad and his son having a fish,, they were in the middle of a good session with some various breeds,, mostly all undersized, but they were having a great time,,the first thing i noticed was dad's ""modified fishing chair"",, had a rod holder,, bait buckets,, couple of gizmo's for tackle box,, and a length of rope tied off on the back of it all nicely coiled,, # #

his son was fishing about 20 feet down, as he didn't want to accidentally hook dad when he cast,,you see, his son only had 1 arm ,,,he had only what i can call, an extended butt on the rod, which he tucked under his arm, with a velcro strap fixed to the rod, to make a kinda sling,, he would wind the reel in by using the "grip" of the butt under his arm, and letting the sling balance the rod,,, all one handed, then bait up, stand to the side and use his body momemtum to cast out,,

his dad was telling me that they were both involved in a helicopter accident in canada,, they are out here on a travelling holiday,, and the accident was to blame for the injuries,, they also lost a mother/wife in the same accident,,and this was a plan they had as a family, to visit and fish in australia since the son was able to hold and cast a rod,, he's now 7, and the accident happened 2 years ago,,

i stood there with dad for about 15 minutes watching this kid and having a chat,, and i've gotta say, the sea spray was bad cause i had to wipe my eyes a coupla times,, as he was going from bad to worse on the size of his catch,,, when dad called it a day, and decided it was time to head back to the winnebago and get tea prepared,,,,,,

i queried dad why he had a length of rope hooked up to his favorite fishn chair, and he said that he was warned about the size of some of the fish we catch down here,,, the ropes for the son to grab a hold off, in the event that his brakes don't hold,,

sorry, 4got to mention, dad didnt have legs,, he left them in the winnebago,,

gave them the web address for ausfish,,, hope you all don't mind, but i think i've increased our membership by a couple of tourists,,canadians at that

choppa :)

[finga64]

Makes you forget about all your worries and feel something for these two.
No matter how bad things seem there's always somebody worse off.
The trick is to appreciate what you have and make the most of it. These two fellas have.
Thanks for sharing Choppa

[Herm]

choppa

I could not read this and not reply, between the tears and the heaviness in my heart. # :'(

I am so glad that you stopped and spoke to this family. #What a terrible time they have had! #Now I feel like a shockingly ungrateful person as I now embarressed to admit that this afternoon I have been having terrible (sleep deprived) thoughts about my fully able-bodied 20 month old terror #:-[ #

While I feel terribly guilty at the moment for all of my bad thoughts today, this post has reinforced to me just how lucky I am to have two healthy little girls and that I should appreciated this fact more! #:)

I do hope that they look up this website and find as much enjoyment as I have reading up around here! :D

Janine

[blaze]

What can ya say to that, good on em for having a go and would be good to see them join in the banter.
thanks for the story choppa (that salt sprays a bugger aye)
cheers
blaze

[wiseguy67]

clear perspective of how fortunate able body people are.
My best mate in Canada broke his back 16 yrs ago while goofing around on a dirt bike. Paralysed from the chest down. He was heavy mechanic in the logging industry. We (the local community) got together and built a small engine workshop for him so he could support his wife and newborn daughter.
I have carried him 300m to get river side so he could catch a trout or two, loaded him into my truck and set him up to shoot out the window to bag a deer, nothing stops him.
It's refreshing to hear and see the will that comes from those that face extreme hardship.
If i feel sorry for myself i think of my mate Charlie and tell myself to get over it.
Gerard

[lippa]

what do you say? those canadians must have some aussie breed in them "havin' a go"
thanks for the story chop. stories like this, and listening to "dale" on the john laws program make me wanna give myself a good kick in the arse, when i star t whinging about somthing, like the missus not letting me buy a stella or somthing pathetic like that. wake up and smell the roses, while we can!

cheers

lippa

[lippa]

by the way, sunglasses are good for hiding the effects of salt spray, choppa

[theoldlegend]

Well said everybody!!

It's awesome, isn't it, when we see how some people cope with their disabilities or how life has dealt them the cards the wrong way.

I do volunteer work at one of the local police stations, and when I see some of the problems that come into the foyer there, it quickly makes me realise that any problems I might have on the day are simply nothing compared to what others have to try and work through.

It's a very good reality check and makes me realise just how lucky I am in that my family and I have managed to survive so far without any major dramas. Was reading the posts earlier about members having very painful back problems and it made me think how fortunate I am that I don't have those problems to put up with.

TOL

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

You would have a been a welcome to them Choppa, as they were to you. I'm sure they'd be most welcome on the site, and I look forward to hearing from them.

Cheers to you Chop

Dave

[Grand_Marlin]

Thanks Choppa,

:'(

All the best to the two travellers.

Pete

[bidkev]

Thanks for sharing choppa. I'm lost for words (for a change) ;D

I have my own problems (as do we all) and it's things like this that are needed as a wake up call as to how lucky I really am and how unfortunate it is that life deals a bum hand to others.

I'll remember this post next time I have a bad back or slip into a depression. I'll thank my lucky stars that I am a lot better off than some others, and also marvel at the fortitude of those who overcome their problems.

What a wonderful group this is, that we can spare a thought for others and be uplifted by our shared experiences.

kev

Our backgrounds and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for
who we become.

[catchy_fishy]

Nice words, nice gestures, good on ya choppa for taking the time to stop and chat.

Sad story about them, but how nice in the depth of everytthing that they were able to keep the promise to the kid's mom (and the guy's wife). I was moved by your story.

Those challenged are often amazing - I have a mate who is paralysed from the waist down. restricted mostly to a wheel chair - quadraplegic I think they call it.

He bought a QUAd bike and does all his fishing (bass and trout - and occasional salt at a harbour pier / jetty) from the bike.

He just will not give up - it's lovely to see.

Mike

[lucylass]

[thanks for the story chop. stories like this, and listening to "dale" on the john laws program make me wanna give myself a good kick in the arse, when i star t whinging about somthing, like the missus not letting me buy a stella or somthing pathetic like that. wake up and smell the roses, while we can!



I knew i shouldnt read somethings while at work, glad i work on the river, i got salt spray as well

i love dale and listening to him makes me smile, especially all the different ways they say goodbye to each....
thanks for the story..
i am going outside to see how pretty the river is..