Description
When Stuart Andrews described his plan to paddle sea kayaks from Australia to Papua New Guinea via the unsurveyed waters of the Torres Strait, he was told it would be 'the blind leading the blind' - and that was before he explained that two of his team members were, in fact, blind!In 1991, Stuart Andrews, a champion decathlete and member of Australia's bobsled team, was badly injured in a World Cup bobsled event in Italy, which forced him to reassess his life. Faced with the possibility that he might never regain the full use of his arm, Stuart reflected on the achievements of his blind friend, Paralympian Russell Short, to help him through. In 1993, Stuart was inspired to organise a remarkable expedition to kayak across the Torres Strait to Papua New Guinea before walking the treacherous Kokoda Tack with Russell, fellow blind athlete and adventurer Ched Towns and his sighted guide Brian Lang. It would be an eye-opening expedition, and one that Stuart would never forget.
Blind Leading the Blind is the amazing story of the challenges faced by the four adventurers and the unique experiences and fascinating people they encounter along the way. It is a story that encourages us all not to place limits on what we can achieve and demonstrates that blind people can often see what life really has to offer with more 'vision' than sighted people.
Since the Blind Leading the Blind trip, Stuart Andrew's long list of accomplishments has included riding a reclining bike from Perth to Canberra in twenty-three days, pedalling a purpose-built boat non-stop across Bass Strait and designing racing wheelchairs that were used in the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. Stuart is based in Canberra where he owns and operates a rehabilitation clinic with his partner, former Olympic rower Bronwyn Thompson. ISBN:9781741101799
