For avid traveller Ron Wilson, hitting the road and heading out bush in his caravan is the ultimate bliss. But this time last year, he almost didn’t make it home. Ron was two nights into his caravan trip, a three-month solo expedition from his hometown in Katandra (regional Victoria), through Central Australia and up to Darwin when he stopped at Lake Hart on the Stuart Highway, making an immediate connection with Tony Dwan and Nancye Matthews from Warwick who were on a similar outback trek.
After a quick pitstop to fix some car troubles together, Ron bid farewell to his new friends and continued another 600 kilometres to Agnes Creek, a remote rest area near the SA/NT border. He planned to stay overnight before continuing north the next day but it is here where Ron’s caravan would remain for the next three days… with no sign of life.
Unbeknown to anyone, Ron had mysteriously passed out. He was unconscious and alone. Prior to his trip, his daughter Syndi had asked him to send a message every night. When that Monday night message didn’t arrive, nor again on Tuesday night, concern quickly grew for both Syndi and Ron's wife of 56 years, Fay. “We knew something was wrong,” Syndi said.
In a stroke of luck, Ron’s newest friends, Tony and Nancye, travelling the same route, arrived at Agnes Creek a day after Ron. They recognised his car and caravan immediately. But something wasn’t right. The caravan was sealed shut, with no signs of life, unusual in the extreme heat, and enough to raise alarm. “Having told us he was heading to Alice Springs, he should have been further ahead,” Tony said.
Tony’s persistent knocking went unanswered for hours and after managing to make his way inside the caravan, he found Ron on his bed. “I thought he was dead. Then Ron jumped up, but he was incoherent and confused. I knew something wasn’t right,” Tony said. Tony and Nancye drove to Kulgera Police Station, directing police officers back to Ron’s caravan. When police arrived, they detected a strong smell of LPG gas, and acted quickly. Ron's exposure to the gas had starved him of oxygen and rapidly caused central nervous system depression.
Fading in and out of consciousness, Ron needed emergency medical help so the Royal Flying Doctor Service was called to respond. The RFDS Port Augusta Base rapidly assembled a team with a critical care doctor, flight nurse and pilot, and started locating Marla as the closest airstrip to Ron. RFDS aeromedical crews prepare for every scenario, packing a range of equipment including ventilators, oxygen, blood supplies, extraction equipment and emergency medications.
Police phoned Fay and Syndi with the news that Ron had been found and was being tended to. They were overwhelmed with relief. The RFDS safely airlifted Ron to Port Augusta Hospital, where he spent days being treated and monitored. As Fay and Syndi raced from Victoria to be with Ron, his son Corey flew to Alice Springs to retrieve the car and caravan, slowly trekking it all the way back to Katandra.
Ron’s recovery was slow, but determined. “He was significantly impaired after coming home. He could barely talk or walk,” Syndi said. Between neurologist appointments, Ron took up darts, word searches and memory games to rebuild coordination and cognitive strength. Nearly a year on, Ron has returned to routine and is enjoying spending time with family.
With an initial goal to spend three months in total isolation, he came home with two new friends for life. “Tony and Nancye saved dad’s life. Even with my concerns and my mum’s concerns, we would have been too late,” Syndi said. “They’re stuck with us now… whether they want to be or not.”
While Ron remembers little of the ordeal itself, one thing remains clear - “The combined actions of Tony, the Kulgera Police and the Royal Flying Doctor Service quite literally saved my life.” It might be a while before Ron embarks on another outback adventure.
