Sunday, March 4, 2012

Adventure racing: salute to George Forder

My friend George Forder is dead, killed in a car crash. Back at uni George arrived when we just getting the mountain club organised - a club that ended up having the second biggest membership of any at Rhodes. I remember four of them showing up on the first trip of the year to Morgans Bay, sea cliff climbing - George, Andy, and two girls - George with a laugh like a harpoon through chenille... "This is Caz (Carol) and this is Fred." He never let any minor detail like forgetting a crucial name stop him for a microsecond. The poor lass was Fred thence forth... through years of trips into the nether regions of chaos in the mountains and sea cliffs, fueled by gluwein and optimism. And George was there in sliver underwear... or tights or whatever could provoke a good laugh at his insanity and crazy panache (yes I suppose it wasn't a crowd that was exactly worried by macho image. We DID stuff, didn't need to strut it.) After 'varsity we drifted separate ways and it wasn't until my kids got into post-matric at Treverton that they got involved in adventure racing - and we ran into George again. George had found the sport that really suited him - and his character. As a combination between orienteering and - depending on the race - just about anything else, from shooting to abseiling or mountain biking or kayaking, with a major teamwork element, it's a lot of fun and it separates the real from the talkers, the way any extreme sport does (but with variation and team work aspects), and is damned brilliant for kids (it's fun, it's not for the usual winners at the ordinary sports, the team work and variation knock them back, and teaches lifeskills like nothing else). I'd give long odds that 1)if things go wrong you'd never do better than to have a 'graduate' of these sports at your side, or probably in front of you, keeping cool and working it out 2)that there are few serious addicts to drugs or alcohol among people who are involved in these. Drugs are woosies who can't handle adrenalin, as we said. 3) for the SES and the army, or just having a population that can handle natural disasters as best as possible, it's hard to find anything better. I suggested doing some here on Flinders only to find that no-one had ever heard of them. I was informed that they wouldn't allow it in Oz (wrong) and that the insurance issue was just too much to even think about. Well, I know what my friend George would have said. It's not polite. And there was a man who did dozens of things that 'nanny' would have had kittens about most weekends... killed doing something as legal and approved as possible. When we met up again, we said we must get together for one of our own brand of adventures soon. Never quite did - life and work and emigration took us in different directions. If there's a lesson there, it's do it now. Go well into that beyond, you mad bugger. And to those who knew him, to his family and kids - it's absolutely tragic, but by God there was a man who LIVED, who got up and made things happen that had a vast effect on loads of kids. I'm glad that he was a friend. We'll not see his like again in a hurry.

7 comments:

  1. I've never heard of adventure racing taking off here in Oz, although the Kiwis do like it and I know groups of Australians that go over to compete there.

    I think a big problem is it never made it to free-to-air TV, so the body of people that knew about it wasn't the same group of people that would generally be happy to go out and do it.

    Although that being said some the Venturer Scouting tasks take on aspects of it, from what I hear, so it wouldn't be too difficult to find teams. [I'm out due to too much physical damage.]

    It's those big people that embrace life that make life that much better for everyone. But he lives still while his stories are told. Ave George. I never met you but I probably would have liked to.

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  2. Thanks for that lovely write-up. George was my uncle and a man who, although I never really thought about it too much before, was always in my mind. I've always travelled and moved around the world and sought activities that would help me feel fulfilled and keep me healthy. I would often read about his exploits and envy his go-getter spirit. We chatted from time to time and I have gradually come around to taking part in some form of adventure challenge. I would look at him and his why-not attitude and think 'You're a crazy loveable man.'.

    Even in his everyday life his adventure racing would fit in. My folks told me a story from their reunion last year. He asked my mom (his sister) and dad if they could drop him off somewhere in the Drakensberg mountains 'Midlands Meander' because his son Liam had forgotten something on his camping trip. He then arranged to meet my folks further along the mountain route. They were his touristing seconds at this point. Off he set with the forgotten items jogging and navigating to where he had worked out Liam's class would have reached. When he found them (after some route recalculations) he handed over the items and did what George loved doing - embarrassed Liam with a fatherly kiss - right before continuing his journey to meet up with my folks. I'm not sure of the exact distances but I'm pretty sure the total journey was around 30kms through mountains hills. Why drive as close as possible to hand it over and then drive back? Why not enjoy the trail as well? That was George's spirit.

    Now I live in Queensland, I'm going to be exploring and seeing country I know he'd love. I can't explain how much this hurts but I will take to it they way he would enjoy it. I'm also going to attempt a 'Tough Mudder' in Sydney later this year in his honour. George will live on in each person who's life he brightened.

    Thanks Dave for remembering him.

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    1. George is not a guy you'd ever forget. And yes, he changed for the better in some way the lives of just about everyone he met, who was worth changing, that is. The world is poorer place without him. And good on you for the 'tough mudder'. If you ever make it down here to Tassie -Flinders, just ask for the mad South Africans (they all know us). Any kin of George's is welcome.

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  3. Adventure Racing. What a great idea. Sounds right up my street err trackless wilderness. Must find one somewhere...

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    1. Francis - from what I know of you, you'd enjoy it enormously. My boys both did.

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  4. Hello Scruffs
    Its Fred...Caz sent me the link to your blog. I was also lucky to meet up with george again after Varsity days, and even had the great pleasure of racing with him a few times,,,he hadn't changed...maybe drank a little less, but any time spent with him was always an exciting learning experience and hilarious. Its a terrible loss. Hope you and your family are well and settled.

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    1. We're doing pretty good - a long way to go to re-establish ourselves, but making some ground. Ah, George! He left his mark on us. Where are you? Still in SA?

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