THE BIG SIT

If you have read all or even any of Des Molloy ’ s other books , The Big Sit is a must . That is not simply because it is a good read , which it just so happens to be , but for what it is aside from another in his series of adventures on an elderly Panther motorcycle . Sure , it suitably describes the places , people and the journey around the vast expanse that is Australia in his humble style , evident in his previous publications but this one is a bit different ... Time is a cold-hearted foe , for better or worse , and the relentless march of time is a core part of this multi-year journey , broken up into chunks that try , and sometimes fail , to be inserted around work , family and finances which most of us can relate to . Sure , if funds were unlimited , Des could , and I suspect would , have ‘ knocked the bugger off ’ in a single allconsuming chapter . Like many of us , that just doesn ’ t allow the bills and mortgage payments to flow , so his beloved Panther , named Penelope , was marooned in Australia for several years and the stubborn not-so-young traveller balanced his two worlds as best he could , with well-noted help from his friends . What struck me while reading his latest prose was him realising that Father Time was getting closer with every breakdown and obstacle , and the resolve to forge ahead before it was no longer feasible took on a life of its own , along with all the emotions that follow such a revelation . Des is no A-grade mechanic and his years are advancing . He makes no bones about discussing such things in his ‘ warts and all style ’ which lends a level of intimacy that is sadly lacking in today ’ s world of instant gratification and fear of letting people get too close . From the heady days of heading from the UK to travel Central and South America as one of a bunch of young intrepids in his book ‘ No One Said It Would Be Easy ’, to a retirementaged man with a few health issues and the very same bike that is no better off and talking of a circumnavigation of the big red island off our own West Coast , the tale is told in a brutally honest fashion . I like that about The Big Sit . There is no ‘ oh , the whole ride was awesome and exciting ’ and it is not doom and gloom either , rather it describes the highs , the lows and the huge distances between , both physical and emotional in a sit down , share a beer and pull it apart style that enables you to read one year ’ s section , put it down for a few days or weeks and pick it up with a fully digested prequel setting the scene . Not an easy read in some ways as Des sees time ticking by but a genuine story of a man , a motorcycle and a need to travel . It also gives a great insight into the road around Oz , should you decide it would be a good way to take some time out .