Stories
RONNIE'S STORY
Ronnie Martin and my father were very good friends. Over a fish and chip lunch in Oxford, U.K., I had the pleasure of catching up with Ronnie. He entertained me with his fantastic stories of becoming the first person to drive around the world in a single vehicle (a Land Rover, of course!) in 1958/60. Have a listen to these clips, and enjoy his photos.
- Why he chose Land Rover?
- Broken half-shaft in Syrian Desert
- Canada-Panama-Australia
- Burma, Ceylon, India
- Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq
- Syria, Lebanon, Europe
- Final Leg - Halifax, La Paz MB
- Celebrating with Land Rover?
- Buying the Land Rover
POUL'S STORY
My history and fascination with Land Rovers is not as storied as John's, although I owe it all to him. I remember going to his house as a child, thinking that Series III 110" parked in his driveway was the greatest thing ever. What sold me, though, was his Birthday Party in the forth grade. We all loaded up and I managed to grab a seat on one of the benches in the back. We proceeded to head out of town and promptly left the road. I remember some flooded out dirt roads, but mostly the lumps and bumps of us traveling across country, and all of us unrestrained kids bouncing around the vehicle (it was the 70's). Once we got to a grove of trees near a river, we all emptied out and had a day of exploration, hot dogs and marshmallows. When loaded back up and set off into the Alberta sunset at the end of the day, we all felt like a true adventurers.
Since then, Defenders for me are the standard by which all other 4 wheel drives are compared. Mostly, though, it represents the freedom to explore and dream.
As I get older I appreciate their simplicity and durability more and more. Every one I see gets a close inspection, and I must say, I'm thrilled to help bring them into Canada and give others that opportunity to explore and dream.
Poul Bay
Vancouver, B.C., Canada.