Earth Structures founder and retirement attempter Rick Lindsay is embarking on another journey in his green 1929 Pontiac, this time travelling over four months from Bangkok, Thailand, to Istanbul, Türkiye. “The last trip to see our daughter Pip in the Northern Territory went so well that I thought it would be worth trying something more challenging.” Rick said he was inspired by fellow local John McCombe who, with several others, drove two similarly old vehicles from Bangkok to Helsinki, Finland, in 2014. “They managed to get there, so it’s clearly not impossible.” The trip will take Rick through Thailand, Laos, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye. “I’ve packed a spare alternator, two fan belts, a set of distributor points and a head gasket.” He also has four spare tyres and inner tubes, plus a spanner set and a jack. “My lovely wife Charlotte has given me the thumbs up, bless her. “I leave on 19 July and if the car makes it to Istanbul then I plan to get home in early November.” “My local mechanical guru mate Tim Barber has fitted new rings to the motor and we have changed the diff and gearbox oil, so it’s all a go. “There are still no windows, heater, wipers or much else, but I’m hoping it will bring some interest to the small towns where it stops.” Rick is using this extraordinary, and at times risky, venture to raise awareness and funds for the Parkinson’s disease research fund Shake It Up. “Parkinson’s is such a prevalent and crappy obstacle to a proper life and I’m meeting an increasing number of people affected by it. “They are, without exception, braver at dealing with it than I could be and any help from us towards finding a way to slow, stop and cure Parkinson’s is utterly worthwhile.” Rick will post updates of the trip on an Instagram page called 'Bangkok to Istanbul', including short reels featuring interviews with farmers, mechanics, cooks, police officers and anyone else with a story. “Our daughter Eadie has found an app that translates their story into text. “It’s brilliant,” Rick said. “I’ve been experimenting with the app on Mansfield locals who speak more than just English, and it works well.” If you would like to donate to the Parkinson’s fund, the link is available in the Instagram bio. “I’m hoping to raise a worthwhile amount to help the research teams in Australia, so any contributions from the community would be sincerely appreciated.”
