7000 MILES BY MOTOR-CYCLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 287, 5 December 1939, Page 5

7000 MILES BY MOTOR-CYCLE

YOUNG MAN COMES HOME | CHRISTCHURCH, Dec. 4. | Most youths in their 'teens dream of [ launching out on their own —working their way from country Io country and seeing something of the worlds back doors. That, as a rule, is as far as they get, just dreams. Not so R. K. Ritchie, of J4B Salisbury Street, who decided four years ago to travel, and earn his keep while doing so. At the age of ninteen, Mr. Ritchie set out, and in the past four years he has seen a great deal of the United Kingdom, something of the United) States, South America, France, Italy, I northern Africa, Egypt, finishing up) by crossing Australia from west to | east on a motor-cycle. Apart from a sea trip from Suez to [ West Australia and the Tasman cross- ; ing, the whole journey home was by I motor-cycle—7ooo miles in three I months without a puncture, or the I necessity for any mechanical repairs. I Cheap Voyage "Plenty of spills and a few raw | patches on my legs, but no real] trouble at all," said Mr. Ritchie. "Perhaps my biggest stroke of luck was ' striking a tramp steamer at Suez, and ! being able to get a passage to Bussell-1 ton, a timber port in West Australia, ’ for £6, the length of the voyage being) 6000 miles. 1 had to sign on as a I member of the crew, but the only work I did was to keep myself fit.” " j Mr. Ritchie’s route from London I took him through France. Italy, Sicily and Libya. The best roads were in Libya, but at the Egyptian border the fine tarmac surface became just a rough and stony track. In one part of the Egyptian desert, he rode for seven hours in first gear to cover twenty-one miles. Even that was not as trying as the ride across central Australia, where settlements were so far apart that he had tn carry four gallons of petrol and a gallon of water, as well as food, on the machine. While in England Mr. Ritchie covered the countryside by push bicycle, camping as he went. He toured also in Scotland and Ireland. To travel further afield he sought jobs on ships, and served as waiter, steward and galley-hand, making voyages to the United States, South America and the West Indies. Travel did not occupy ail of the four years. He took positions as he found them and developed into a ■ skilled engineer. Mr. Ritchie was in Egypt when the war broke out, but there were few signs of excitement. The English civil population in Suez was issued witn gas masks by the British consul, but that was about the only sign of war. Even in Libya there were practically no signs of military activity, out it was possible, he thought, that what activity there was would be well back from the main highway on which he was travelling.