Scott's Accident

[TopDOG]

well officially ive been up walking with only a walking stick and a belt with handles just incase ive also got a video i can share for those who would like to see just drop me and email requesting it to m yahoo email as ive got it stored on there to ave uploading it everytime i send it!!

[Brett]

TopDog,

Your club loves you just like a family.  We don't always tell you this, because we don't always know what to say, or how or when to say it.  You should realise that we care, but we're not all wired up properly enough, to let you know.

What's happened with you, gives everyone on two wheels a reality check that they don't necessarily want to take.  When things happen, the cards can fall a hundred different ways, and some of those ways aren't that clever.

You're an important part of the club, you're our founding president, and if it wasn't for your enthusiasm, we wouldn't be where we are today.  No one likes to see ( or read ) you sad.  Our expectation is for you to spend more time working on you, and your family,  not worrying about us, and make the time you spend with us, quality 'downtime' for you.  Just like it was when you kicked this all off.

When you're sad we don't necessarily know what to say or do to make it better, but you need to know that we are all here for you, when you need it and whether you like it or not. 

Chin up Scotty, there's a lot to do, but there are many of us to help you do it.

[TopDOG]

Ive just spent the last hour reading through the emails vince has put up and have been in tears he's been such a great support to me and has offered to take me for a double but with safety in mind i dont think me being a one working armed warrior i cant see it happening and my helmet died but intend to join the breakfasts and rides i can convince my wife to not ride too or get my carer to bring me to keep the ride pictures up to date!! i'll chat to whomever shows up at the next brekkie
cheers folks
scotty

[TopDOG]

heres what i need only the 1098x2 version vince is working on in his new huge shed at his new house or sunterville http://www.dreamfit.com.au/pages/motorcycles.php

[TopDOG]

Sorry guys i come off once and now ive been left in nohab for the past month i call it nohab because my left arms no rehabilitateable ever so im a one armed bandit which will make it hard to ride again but never say never i just hope they make a pill which can simulate it at least as even if i owned a new 1098R i wont have a license due to brain injury till ive had a car one back for a year!!! so im not even a dog yet but mrs topdog will have a new 848 soon to show you all!!! till brekkie hopefully
topdoggy or middle to low doggy as im not at the top anymore its a top bloke called bretts position now!!!

[TopDOG]

I certainly did'nt read the calender correctlt thinking that this weekend was the breakfast but its next weekend and so is the moto gp!!

[TopDOG]

well if mrs topdogs up to it and the bitch of a warden here if she will let me out we will be at this weekends brekkie if any of you wanted to catch up only i will arrive on four wheels then transfer to six minus the big donk vincenzo's been promising but i guess he's heavily involved building him and his soon to be bride francis's new house and have i mentioned im sick of rehab or as ive named it nohab as they can never fix my left arm ever!! so its a noabilitation story!! but dont let that turn any of you other dogs off it just was'nt my day or two years as it will be soon

[VinceS]

From the Science Show on ABC Radio National - http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2008/2321775.htm

Robyn Williams: I'd like to introduce you now to Darren Lomman. Young Western Australian of the Year in 2007. He's the one trying to put paraplegics on motorbikes and quadriplegics out surfing, and it all took off for him two years ago.

Darren Lomman: It was actually when I was 19, I was in-between semesters and as a part of the engineering degree you've got to work on projects. Actually I'd finished my first semester and I was looking for my next project and it was in the mid-semester break and I'd ridden my motorbike into Shenton Park Hospital, the rehab, the spinal ward, and this guy on a wheelchair wheeled himself over to me and started giving me a warning about riding motorbikes, 'Be careful, they're dangerous. I'm in a wheelchair because of one...'

Robyn Williams: You'd ridden your motorbike into the ward?

Darren Lomman: Into the car park...not into the actual ward. And this guy Shane Thompson happened to be out in the car park just getting some fresh air, and he saw me come in on the motorbike and his jaw dropped, it was the first time he'd seen a motorbike since he'd been in hospital. He started telling me about his motorcycling history. He's grown up down in Collie in the south-west, riding motorbikes since he was three or four years old out in the farms and it was a daily thing for him, getting on the bike and doing the work out on the farm. He ended up becoming a national motocross champion, racing, and he ended up starting up his own motorbike shop just so he could be around motorbikes all day long.

It was in his blood, it was his passion, and one day he woke up after an accident, in hospital, and was paralysed and was no longer able to operate his business so he had to sell that, and he was told by the doctors that he would never ride again. He was telling me how much he missed being around bikes, just the sound and the smell. So I gave him the helmet and the gloves and he was revving up the bike, and he said to me that if he had one wish it would be to ride again. So I was looking for a project at the time and I thought, fantastic, I love motorbikes, it was in my blood as well, and decided he's my project, to help him live his dream.

Robyn Williams: How did you fulfil that project?

Darren Lomman: It started off as a 13-week university project and it ended up turning into a three-year labour of love, lots of long nights in the shed, and I guess when I started I didn't really know anything about motorbikes, so the first thing was to get in the shed and start pulling it apart, which was a bit of a shock to my mother, it was the most expensive thing I'd ever stripped apart. At the time I had no background in disability, I didn't even really know what a paraplegic was. I knew there was some sort of disability and they were in a wheelchair but I didn't understand why or how and what they could or couldn't do.

So I started speaking to the doctors and occupational therapists and physiotherapists and all those sorts of people and started to learn about that and people with disabilities themselves and finding out a little bit more about that, and reading the journal papers and that
sort of thing. In tangent I started learning about motorbikes through the practical pulling-apart and how does this bit work and what does it do, really sort of analysing it, and sort of brought that together.

Really it came down to four things that a paraplegic can't do to ride a motorbike, and that's the gear changing (there's normally a lever on the left-hand foot), the rear brake is a lever on the right-hand foot, there's holding the bike upright when you stop, and there's holding your legs in place while you're riding so they don't fall down into the chains or wheels and that sort of thing. So it was really just four simple engineering challenges to overcome...

Robyn Williams: 'Just'! And you overcame them.

Darren Lomman: Yes, bit by bit, and you come up with a solution, you prototype it, test it, build it, if it doesn't work, you refine it, and you just keep on going until it was all operational.

Robyn Williams: Apart from the changing of the gears, I can understand those sorts of things being dealt with, but it's just staying upright if you're paralysed...

Darren Lomman: What we did was design a stabilising system. Probably the easiest way to explain is it's a cross between the landing gear on an aeroplane and training wheels on a kid's pushbike. So when the rider slows down, the wheels come down from underneath the bike, a bit like the landing gear on an aeroplane would, and they hold it up like the training wheels on a kid's pushbike. When he takes off, they reverse, they pull back up, and away he goes. So exactly the same as a rider; when they come up to a traffic light or a stop sign they put their legs down, and instead of the human body doing it we've got a mechanical system replacing that. So it's a bit of bio-mimicry there.

Robyn Williams: So his arms worked?

Darren Lomman: Yes, he was just a para so he had full function above the body and no function of the lower body, so whatever was done with the lower body we shifted...either made it automatic...I was getting towards the end of my engineering degree and wondering what do I do from here? Do I pursue the typical engineering job here in Western Australia, going out into the regions and digging up dirt and rocks for a living or do I continue doing what I do? And I'd had so many people with disabilities coming to me and saying can you build me a bike, or can you help me do this and that...

Darren Lomman: Not too many people know this, that it's sort of a personal gaol of mine to get paraplegics walking again through bionic limbs, controlled through thought processes. We've got the ability to tap into the brain and control devices through that, that sort of technology has been developed. We've got through actuators, it would be great to get to the level one day...we're not quite there yet, we've got a long way to go, but actually implanting them into the legs to replace the typical muscles and then control those actuators through a process through the brain system, and that's one way we can get paraplegics walking again. But that's a long-term...

Robyn Williams: It's a dream, it's a long way off.

Darren Lomman: That's something I'd love to happen before I die sometime.

Robyn Williams: Have you started at all in that way?

Darren Lomman: The motorbike that we developed, that's very similar sort of technology; we've got the actuators, we've got the control system. We haven't tapped into the brains controlling that control system, we're relying on sensors and thumb actuators, but what we're doing now with the Dreamfit Foundation we're building up the team and the organisation. They're building a new facility at the moment out in Shenton Park which is being sponsored by a couple of big organisations like UWA and Wesfarmers, and they're looking at being able to take on 150 engineers coming through our training program developing new ideas, new technology and essentially down at the PhD level research. So really before we get into those sorts of levels we've got to build the capacity of the organisation and the resources, the fabrication and just the knowledge base. So it's something that we're constantly getting better and better at what we do. The ultimate goal is...I'd love to see that happen one day.

[TopDOG]

Im unfortunately becoming less and less inspired to ride again with all this rehab instead of body fixing which i still need and no ducati to come home to, paula and her mum want to get me a trike and i think how will i get my knee down on a trike along with not being gay or retired!! me and paula and our kiddies will be at breakfast tomorrow and after that we are going to wollombi taven to meet with some of the ducati bears for lunch. we donthave my new car yet so we will be heading out in our white subby bus cant wait till my house gets started and finished so i can be out of jail and back at my job as the service manager of frasers motorcycles  if they will still hav me without a bike

[VinceS]

Message from Scott:

http://www.torontoprivatehospital.com.au/ is where you'll be able to find me after monday, I feel just lucky to have friends like you all looking out and after me. So thanks heeps all of you.
 
Scott Priestley 0412746869

[TimS]

Hi folks,

I just discovered I literally live across the road at my place in Sydney, from where Scott is recovering. If I can deliver any parcels or messages to him please let me know as I'm in Ryde every weekend. I live and work in Hawks Nest during the week.

Cheers TimS

[VinceS]

Now I know we have had brilliant support from many people in the community, and one thing many of you reasonably expect is to be able to pick up updates on what is going on here, certainly that has been what has been happening. But of course Scott is getting better and starting to integrate more etc, so he auto-updates people personally as they get in his face, nothing wrong with that and it's the best way!

You will also find references and info in the newsletter archives, the most recent of which is here http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=199.0 however it is nearly full so you will need to check the "Administration Stuff" section for the next one. I have pasted in a couple of recent updates below, and probably won't be updating these posts (in a newsie way anyway) for some time.

From today's newsletter:

.........Prior to these events was last month's club ride to the NSWDOC Concourse. A great Ducati Day out indeed. I was watching the Kurri Kid's trouncing of the field with Scotty last weekend, he was home in Barnsley which is something that is happening with ever greater frequency now, thankfully. Anyway, he gave me a cd with Concourse photos on it which shortly I will go and load a few of here http://hunterdog.org.au/Gallery/categories.php?cat_id=15. Now it hasn't happened yet, and it may not be done until the morning so please be patient (like you were awake now anyway? - I did start doing this at 8pm you know, there have been distractions!).
 
Scottie Is Back, Sorta
Let me take a minute to talk about Scottie, something I haven't formally done for a while now - because a) he can do it himself, and b) mostly people know what's going on! But in case you fit in c) as in neither of the above, things are rolling along nicely. There is no possibility Scott would have got to where he is today without the brilliant and determined effort Paula has been putting in on a daily basis. Which Scottie is now fortunately able to chip in and join with her as they slowly drag him out of the bind he has been in. And of course a whole bunch of encouragement and participation from the wider Ducati community amongst others has only been a help.
 
Whilst Scott may have proudly announced that he managed to walk 150m unaided the other day it is still a long way from the effortless task that this is for the rest of us. So it will be a while before he can flick the chair. He is getting a custom red jobbie made up, there is a ramp to get into their house now and extensions are about to start to set the house up so he can live there properly, which pretty well sets the timetable for when he can move back in to the family home as some time early next year. Currently they can borrow the Rehab Centre's bus and get him home most weekends, but soon a properly set up people mover is going to be purchased to do the job for now and AR (After Ryde). Also he has found out that he may be allowed to drive cars in the forseeable future, but he has to wait at least a year before he is allowed to ride again. I am expecting there will come a time when the requests for a bit of pillioning will become a deafening roar - on the way to club rides, passing through Barnsley!
 
As Scott will tell you "mate, I've got a brain injury, some of this stuff doesn't work so sh.t hot!". It is a regular frustration to him and I don't know the half of it. But his old sense of humour is very much returning, and he knows who his friends are so is at least feeling reasonably good a lot of the time. If you want to ring him I'm sure it would be appreciated, his phone is turned on a lot more these days........


From 14/09/07:

Scotty Update
As many would know Scott and family are still up against the hard end of the recovery process, but he is starting to get out more and interrelate with people which is great. Some of the old Scottie humour is starting to surface again, and his barely contained irritation with the bits 'n pieces of living with the injuries he has sustained is something he is working hard on to conquer them and get whatever the best outcome possible is. But he enjoys nothing more than spending time with his friends, that much is blindingly apparent - so if you can go out of your way sometime along the way to put in a bit there it can only be a good thing for everybody. Some details of recent outings and banter are here: http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=115.msg416

[TopDOG]

ohh come on vince.... you can do it, the chair upgrade that is

[VinceS]

It was a nice sunny Sunday and Scott pulled up for breakfast at the 16 footers, there are some pics here:
http://hunterdog.org.au/Gallery/categories.php?cat_id=6

Also, he made it out Tuesday night to Lone Star for his birthday, some more pics here: http://hunterdog.org.au/DiscussionBoard/index.php?topic=187.0

Scott has been hassling up to sort out an upgrade for the wheel chair. His favourite is still a 2196 chair (being two @ 1098's). Initial investigations reveal this may be a bit impractical. Per the notes below other options are being considered, here are two more:

[VinceS]

That's what he just told me! So if you would like to catch up with him again, here's your big chance, I KNOW he'd be happy to see you regardless of how long it's been. Not to mention the pleasant surroundings, fantastic views, nice cheap yet delicious breakfast menu and Ducati-centric friends that make a great start to the day. And if you like, maybe per last month a bit of a ride after and a chat at the Paterson pub which lasted all day for those few that were this way inclined afterwards....or any other destination / excuse of course....

[VinceS]

Well, as many of you know Scotty is starting to get a bit more active and out some. It is no bed of roses for him or anyone else in the family, but at least the recuperative effort lets him get out in the real world a bit more.

Last Sunday it was the Girls Ride Out (Northern Stars) 4th Anniversary ride to Wollombi, Scott has been to every one so far and he wasn't going to let this one get away without turning up on his shiny red machine. Albeit that this year it was on a deep red wheelchair, nowhere near as beautiful as the Ducati red machine he got out on last year! There are a couple of pics here: http://hunterdog.org.au/Gallery/categories.php?cat_id=35.

One of the things we're hearing from Scott a fair bit is about the 1098 he wants to ride when he finally manages to free himself from the wheelchair. Scott has said that he doesn't want a trike because "he's not gay!!" He says that its either a 1098 or nothing!! Now this would not be an easy outcome to get, but I have done a bit of digging and found out that is actually possible. If Scotty can do his bit to regain the strength, flexibility and control (plus speed / appropriateness of thought) he would need to do it, then it appears there are several possible ways to get something sorted to handle the transition. Renting a trike will be the first step, and if that doesn't make him gay then this is what else is around:

http://mtcvoyager.com/index.html This bolts onto pretty well any bike with a double sided swingarm and converts it into a trike. They don't say anything about single sided swing arms (like the 1098 is) but of course an ST3S would be suitable (and a lot more comfortable). These kits allow the bike to lean a little bit (~12 degrees) which is better than what happens for a trike, but would be a noticeable limitation for long term use although still the best option if he couldn't manage any more. However, it would be a really excellent way to manage a transition to normal riding, if it is likely that would be achievable. Once the main brackets are installed on the bike the wheels can be put on / removed very quickly by a quick disconnect mechanism they have so the transition period can go on for ages if desired.

I have checked with Voyager, while they haven't done it for a sports bike yet they have done single sided tourers so it would probably just be a matter of time (at least 6 months I expect) - if this started to look like a good idea somewhere in the recuperation process. Something funny is going on with the price of these things as it is ~$5,200 + shipping from the Yanks but the Aussie (Victoria) importer wants $9,500 for the identical unit!!! (see http://www.wedgetailoutriders.com.au/).

http://www.tow-pacinc.com/ Similar to above, the InstaTrike 2 is a bit cheaper but doesn't have any lean capacity built in, this is a more straight down the line flat handling trike conversion - but it is still a quick remove system and could be a useful option.
 
http://www.safetyfeatures.com/index.html these people have two types of systems. One is for gold wings only ("safe stop") and it has a pair of outriggers that are lifted right out of the way for normal riding and only come down at slow speed (under 30km/hr). The other is for Harleys (http://www.safetyfeatures.com/ghost.htm) and it is a set of leanable trike wheels that are used to stop the bike falling over but still allowing it to lean, or to be locked in flat trike configuration for slow speed car park situations etc - these ones are always "down", but they flex and set the amount to which the bike can lean to about the same as scraping the foot boards. This one I suspect would be the winner for long term use for security with maximum sense of fun.
 
Here is also the update from the 13/07/07 newsletter that I forgot to post at the time:

At last, the emphasis is on that last word "travelling" - in that he actually did some of it, albeit in a wheelchair capable cab. Scott was absolutely beaming to see his friends in Brooklyn after the AGM. Plus he was presented with a T-shirt and a Loris Capirossi personally autographed cap from our Desmo Owners Club friends in Bologna who had heard of Scott's accident, as well as embellishing him with the Presidenté badge and other decorative items from Italy.

It was good to see him out in the street again, fondly sidling up to Ducatis and with some of his cheeky ways displaying again. I am hoping to get hold of some of the group pics taken of a few of us out the front of the pub standing under the club's Desmo Ducati banner. However, a month has passed and my badgering of the various camera bound participants I know has produced not a single pixel thus far - I live in hope a few will come down the line someday soon.....

[TopDOG]

I dont feel like i have pulled my weight this year So im wonderin if anyone else is up for the challenge, i'll stay on if you all want me to be at the top for longer n e way

[VinceS]

After the combined NSWDOC 5 Ferries Ride on Sunday just gone a few of us got in to see Scottie (http://hunterdogs.org/Gallery/details.php?image_id=637) rather than face more great roads and a cuppa at Mt White. It was a pretty big day out but worth it.

Apparently Scott is about to get a new chair done out in racy Ducati red and light red chequers, no doubt because he is coming along so well and getting more mobile all the time. He can lift his damaged leg half way now. It was good to see his brain has decided it will get the connection going again, only a fortnight earlier he was still only able to do little more than twist his left foot a bit - now gear changing is a real possibility. Scott was saying he can walk 90m now with a frame gizmo to assist.

And the more people that want to visit him the better, especially if they want to ride their bikes in! So hop to it people, on yer bikes!

[VinceS]

Scott is maintaining an amazing rate of progress. But the more he improves the more obvious it becomes how really long the recovery road is to travel. There are so many seemingly small but really important hurdles to get over and anyone of them could be a major barrier, or just a small bump in the road. Fortunately, Scotty keeps knocking them over like nine pins, faster than he should be able to really! This is great, but it does tend to paint a picture of how many remain in front of him, it is no walk in the park. However there are a few more photos up at http://hunterdogs.org/Gallery/categories.php?cat_id=35 and it is easy to see how much better he looks. Plus I got to grant a wish, courtesy of Photoshop this time but hopefully not too far off in reality.

Whilst he is still a fair way off a full recovery, he is certainly up to general visitors now. He can still be worn out with long stays or too many people, and he needs to rest from time to time. But he really wants to see people, especially his friends from the Ducati community. It has been quite important that the people who call in are reasonably well known to Scott because his injured brain needs to be in familiar places. That is still important but less so than it has been, anybody in a motorcycling frame of mind should be fine now. So, please feel free to drop in for half an hour or so if you can. Paula suggests the best thing now is to contact the nurses station on (02) 9809 9016 and check what is going on with other visitors / hospital activities which he is sometimes completely tied up in.

Scotty is now very aware of all the bits 'n pieces of what's going on. It is hardly surprising that he is quite bored at times, feels a lot like it is Groundhog Day every day although things are in place to improve that now. And sometimes quite frustrated as some things are tantalisingly close but just out of grasp as his brain keeps working to pull all the bits together again. He occasionally gets run over by the emotional stuff now - which is a good thing, but not much fun! I have given him a couple of tasks to work on - NDR 2010, and a 1,000 Ducati Ride. Both are achievable and he has the time spare to plan them, hopefully he will soon have the capacity and inclination!

It has recently become possible to email Scotty via scooterduke2000@yahoo.com.au as he has intermittent access to a hospital computer. However, this is very much a secondary tool for communication as it is the in person stuff that works best for now. Please note Scott is still formally classified as in the Post Traumatic Amnesia (PTA) stage, so he forgets stuff! He is far enough out of PTA to benefit from more complex rehabilitation work than the basic physiotherapy and return to normal body functioning that has helped pull him out of the main danger zone, and all that is in the process of commencing now.

Here's an update from Selena a few days ago too: Di and I went and visited with Scott last night. Scott is making great strides on his road to recovery and whilst he has a long road ahead of him, he is doing really well. Yesterday Scott managed to walk 15mtrs which is awesome. Scott wanted me to pass on a message and tell everyone that he says hello to all his friends. He must be recovering because he is getting more bored each day - so if you know Scott and want to go and visit him at the rehab unit, I am sure he would love to see you.

[VinceS]

Well I must admit we were down there over a week ago and I have been too tied up in other stuff to let ya's know! I see that a few people have spotted the pics I put up of Scotty here: http://hunterdogs.org/Gallery/categories.php?cat_id=35. I kinda figure the road back is going to take a while to travel and it would be easier to have a few pics as we go along to tell the tale, rather than the thousands of words that disappear in the emotional turmoil surrounding his unfortunate circumstances. So these pics are a start, I am looking forward to the day I can take some more of Scotty at Mt Hotham - and hopefully he will be strapping his video camera to the front of his bike again then too like last time! I know brain injuries can take up to 5 years to resolve, but I am hoping he will check in as his old self some time later this year - then it is "just" the rest of the physio stuff to worry about....

It had been three weeks since our previous visit and it was really encouraging to see how well he has come along in that time. He is absolutely making better progress than could reasonably be expected and that is as much about what Scotty has figured out and done for himself as it is the determined work Paula is putting in behind the scenes to get action where it is needed. Just in starting writing this I know I could go on for ages with all the little pieces of hope, the good signs and the ups and downs of the struggles about being so close to such an uncertain future - and I've got the easy job! But I will try and contain myself to just a couple of thoughts.

There are a number of classic symptoms of the transition through a brain injury, one of them is topic lock. The previous visit he would get stuck on something and you just needed to gently take him somewhere else every time it popped back in again. It was a fairly mechanical disjointed sort of process and would just interupt the flow in a Groundhog Day sort of way on about a 2 - 3 minute cycle. But this time he would often so masterfully manipulate the conversation back to the selected topic in a way that left me dumbstruck and laughing. I was truly astonished at his dexterity to logically argue for what he wanted. For instance it is just not OK for a visitor to pick Scotty up with his various injuries and put him on a sofa as he wished. But he was so convincing in arguing for exactly that he had me on the verge of compliance, even after talking to the nurses about the different ways we might be able to do it and getting a flat NO WAY. However, for now, he stayed in the wheelchair!

One thing I took down was a folder full of emails and pictures of what has been going on, including people's good wishes etc - Scotty really liked this so if there's anything you want to send me I will see it gets added to the folder for him to look at in the quiet times. He is reading very well, as good as ever I suspect - but when he is being visited he would rather play with his visitors than read much. There are moves afoot to get him set up with a computer soon which should also be a help.

Another aspect of the injury is that Scott is not completely aware of what has REALLY happened - it was plainly much closer to the surface this time than it was before, sure he knows he was in an accident etc and is concentrating on recovering from that, but he is not yet clued up about the whole sense of loss thing that surrounds the facts of his circumstances. When it breaks through Scott is going to be feeling pretty miserable for a while as he comes to understand the consequences of what has happened, and the frustration of not knowing why (etc...) - which is when he will really need support. Please give Paula a call on 0438 478 804 should you wish to visit etc, she will know what is best!

Speaking of support the fundraiser on 17th Feb was just plain brilliant - it exceeded everybody's expectations and will be a very big help in what is to come. The generosity of many of those who attended, donated etc was simply extraordinary and is greatly appreciated. Initially some funds have been put towards fixing the family car and doing an LPG conversion so Paula can get there more reliably / cheaply. A committee will be formed to maximise the benefits that can be gained down the track a bit as the needs become more clear - and then we can let people know what's going on as it gets sorted. We did get the whole tax deductible charity fully sorted in time for this event - which was pretty handy to be able to share the load with our fellow Australians and it definitely encouraged those there to go even deeper into their pockets. This infrastructure can remain in place with only low level annual maintenance should it be needed elsewhere in the Ducati (etc?) community.

[VinceS]

Frances and I rode down and visited Scottie in Ryde last Sunday, he is travelling really well all things considered but it is obviously going to be a long haul back. Still, things are improving at a remarkable rate so it may not be as long as some of our medical friends are expecting, here's hoping!

Scott is speaking really well now, and you can tell there is a lot more happening inside than he can fully let on at the moment. Certainly he recognised us without any prompting and could remember and talk about a lot of things that had happened in the fairly recent pre-accident past. But he is going through all the post-traumatic phases that are typical of brain injury so there is stuff like topic fixation, heightened sensitivity, minor coordination issues etc happenning. He is extremely aware of what is going on around him, I couldn't keep up the level of attention he is at times, presumably this is just another piece of the brain reprogramming itself.

We spent the day with him, disappearing in the middle for a couple of hours so he could catch a bit of sleep. Mal Cherlin and daughter Elsa dropped in during the afternoon, and between the 4 of us we wore Scottie out with our various shenanigans by the end of the day! One particularly noticeable thing is how extremely polite and considerate Scott is in almost everything he says - and he didn't swear once all day. I presume this is just another symptom, but this one we will lament when it passes!

Only a week earlier I was being told of much more significant brain injury related behaviour that had been happening and we were sorta prepared for the worst when we rocked up. However there was not the slightest sign of those symptoms the whole time we were there. It is that, plus I could tell that he really deep down inside "got it" when I was talking to him about his feelings that makes me optimistic that he will make a faster recovery than might otherwise be expected.

To look at Scottie he has lost about 10kg, which is actually pretty good for his circumstances. He has pretty good control over the right side of his body, but the left leg and arm are waiting for the brain to plug them back in properly - he can manage to twitch his left hand / arm at the moment but that's about it. Apart from a few fancy bandaids and having grown a bit of a goatie there isn't much to show that he had such an awful run-in with the scenery, thanks in no small part to a good full face helmet and a decent set of leathers.

Of course we went for a bit of a hoon around the hospital in his fancy wheelchair bed gizmo, managed a couple of very small monos (duos!) and the odd foyer donut and took him outside to look at the Dukes - but it was too hot to stay out for long. It definitely perked him up a bit, I suspect the wardens don't go looking for  too much of the fun side of getting around in a 150kg wheelched!

Another nice thing is that there is no shortage of miracle cure stories. People who had apparently been splatted into solid objects worse than Scottie were living to tell the tale, usually making full recoveries with minor if any residual problems. Many of these were displayed on the walls around the Royal Ryde Rehab facility, but I keep coming across them in the general community too. There is no doubt this is a top notch facility to have in our medical system and Scottie is in the right place.

Of course all the up-beat stuff doesn't make it easy street for Paula, Cassie & Samantha, or the rest of their extended family, far from it. We stopped in for a chat on the way home, Paula is keeping it together magnificently in pretty trying circumstances. Obviously she is getting a bit stressed with the busy-ness of it all, and some of the complex difficulties that rear up in these life changing circumstances. Yet she is keeping her eye very much on the prize of keeping their family together and maxing out the positive outcomes for Scott as part of making that all work. She sure appreciates the help that the wider motorcycling and general community is giving her in doing that too!

[VinceS]

The charity arm is now official, see: http://hunterdogs.org/GeneralInfo/HunterDOG-AuthorityToFundraise.pdf - just waiting on the ATO for the tax deductibility bit to happen now.

The updated prize list for the fundraiser is in the file below. This sheet is now replaced in the original full document on the web site, but this is the small version for people that just want to see how it's going. Bill Delaney says: "Here is an updated version of the items available for raffles, auctions and lucky door prizes. There is still more to be added once confirmed and we are still accepting prize donations. We still have a limited number of tickets available for the night so contact me asap if you have not purchased your ticket."

The medical advice from the Ryde Rehabilitation Centre is that Scottie is looking at a two year-ish recovery period with no particular guarantees about how well it will work out. This is obviously going to be hard for the family to work through and will be full of trials and tribulations that are going to give even a plucky chick like Paula a hard time. All the more reason for us to make sure the fundraiser is a success and give the family a good boost as they journey down this path.

[VinceS]

Posted by: "Paula Priestley" Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:23 am (PST)
 
Hi Everyone ,
my apologies for it taking me so long to write this
email to you all - as you have probably guessed I have been spending
many hours at the hospital with Scotty and the rest of the time with
our beautiful daughters . The other reason that it has taken me this
long is that in all honesty it has been difficult for me to put into
words the gratitude that I feel for all of the kind words thoughts
prayers and financial support that our family has received from our
motorcycling friends . THANKYOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART EVERYONE !!
You girls and guys are the reason that I am proud to call my self a
motorcyclist !
hoping to catch up with many of you at the next ride !

ride safe

xo Paula

[VinceS]

an extract of a newsletter just sent to the email list

SCOTT PRIESTLEY UPDATE
But before getting into all that there will be a lot of people wondering about how Scottie's going. Things are definitely looking up but it’s a looong road yet to travel. From his first words a week ago he has come on and is talking a lot now. Last Thursday he was transferred to the Ryde Royal Rehabilitation Centre which is a really excellent facility for traumatic injury recovery (see http://www.royalrehab.com.au/brainInjury.html for details). We are expecting big things there, in due course.

With the extensive injuries Scottie has suffered there is still a fair bit of confusion going on, but he seems to be picking his way through it. It is pleasing to note that his passion about motorcycling in general and Ducati in particular has not waned a bit. He says he'll "just have to be more careful" when people say he wouldn't want to ride again "of course!". And he remembers all about beer and barbecues and is looking to organise one of those as soon as possible. However two months of living in a badly beaten up body with little in the way of pain relief have left its mark, absolutely everything hurts in ways you wouldn't imagine. At least now he is out of the coma and they can deal with the pain a lot better.

Of course all this has a significant effect on his wife Paula and their two kids Samantha and Cassie, as well as Julie (Paula's mum) and the rest of their extended family. They might not have got all beaten up by the side of the road like Scottie did, but they have a lot to deal with and it sure ain't easy. Paula has been a truly magnificent advocate and ally for Scottie. His recovery will be in no small part due to her tireless efforts often in the face of significant adversity. It is just amazing what that lady has had to go through to get the best outcomes for Scottie and only serves to egg the rest of us on to help out in any way we can.

Just by the way, it will be some time before Scottie is up to visitors beyond close family and we need to let Paula filter whatever is going on for Scotty rather than to inadvertently add to the problem. But everybody knew that huh?

SCOTT'S FUNDRAISER
People have been absolutely fantastic about providing support in all sorts of ways. The kind words of encouragement, personal donations, practical assistance and donations of goods and services are all greatly appreciated and have been going 100% directly to Paula of course, who is both deeply touched and amazed at how kind people have been. Well, one of these magnificent efforts is coming to fruition being the fundraiser Bill Delaney has been the driving force behind. This is on the Sat 17th Feb at Club Macquarie, there are a bunch more details here http://www.hunterdogs.org/GeneralInfo/ScottPriestleyFundraiserFlyer.pdf (313kB file). Please contact Bill (etc) direct to purchase tickets as per the flyer. Note that if you downloaded it before the flyer now contains extra details of the menu and prizes to be raffled / auctioned on the night, it should be a beauty. I understand tables are being reserved for groups coming from several sections of the community, and there will be a general bikers area so everyone will be in good company regardless of who they know - just let Bill know your preferences.

FRIENDS CHARITY
Setting up the charity arm of the club is getting pretty close now, I think the last piece of "we want our forms filled in just so" correspondence has been done and dusted now so the next letters should be the formal approvals of the fundraising authority and also tax deductibility of donations. Speaking of which I need to formally advise club members that the newly revised constitution has been registered per special resolutions and a further amendment was needed to adopt a model rules requirement wrt quorums, the final document is available here: http://www.hunterdogs.org/Constitution.htm.

[VinceS]

Oh look, the message I just put up was from yesterday, now I have just got the news we were waiting for, it's from Bill Delaney:

Some huge advances for Scotty today he spoke yes that right he spoke!!!!!!!!
Cant tell you what his first words were but if you know Scotty well you will know what he said (he was in extreme pain at the time).

Then next time he spoke he asked the nurse to turn the channel on the TV!, boy did she get a shock.

He is now stringing sentences together, telling everyone where he is hurting (which is everywhere), read out his blood pressure and is calling people by their name. From what I have been told he is speaking a bit slow (as to be expected) and still has a long road to recovery but this is a huge step forward.

I spoke to his brother Tony and his best mate Chris today and they were over the moon with excitement.

Looks like everyones prayers have been answered.

[VinceS]

Just a brief update, Scott is showing considerable signs of improvement. He can obviously understand what is being said to him but is only communicating with thumbs up / down type of signals. That's a long way past where he was but it gives an indication of how long the road will be. He's still drifting more out than in but has obviously chosen the hard road of Life, and now dealing with the consequences. He's due to be relocated to the Ryde hospital in the next couple of weeks. Visiting is still very restricted, I expect it will be a while before that changes as it is actually a very hard thing for a seriously injured person to deal with getting it all together again - and that is the outcome we increasingly have every reason to believe will happen. As for the rest of us, well our problems seem pretty small by comparison - but I hope the holiday season was good to you anyway. All the best...........Vince

[VinceS]

Well G'day again,
 
As we all get busy with those last minute pre-Chrissie things there is some good news on Scott's front. He is still not really out of the whole 6 week long coma experience yet but it seems he is definitely there and trying to snap out of it. He is responding intelligently to requests to do things and is apparently fairly aware of his condition, but just can't quite get it all together yet. The neuro doctors are a lot more positive than they were a couple of weeks ago so that's pretty encouraging!
 
He is being prepared for the imminent move to Ryde hospital where he will be getting better more targeted help. If he is to make a full recovery as we all hope these people are the ones to give him every chance of it. We have certainly heard a lot of miracle recovery stories from people in apparently much worse condition, so we are expecting a miracle now and just wish they'd get on with it! But I think the fact that they can't give him any real pain relief while he is in a coma like state will be part of why it is just so hard for him to come round properly, it is hardly surprising that his brain doesn't want to play when the various busted bits will still be hurting rather a lot huh?
 
The generosity of the community has been just amazing. Recent donations include $2,200 from Girls Ride Out which was $1,116.30 from all the raffles and spectacular effort GRObies put in at the Sydney Motorcycle Show, $517 from the combined GRO and NSWDOC Patonga Chrissie BBQ ride and $566.70 from the GRO membership, and on top of that there have been a direct personal and very generous donations from a number of kind individuals that know Scott, as well as the $1,525 raised by NSWDOC at the 30th party. These will all make a huge difference to the Priestleys as it is about to get even harder for the family when they need to get to Sydney a lot after he is relocated there.
 
By the way, did you know while we were all off enjoying the 100 Ducati Ride the Priestley's house burnt down? You just wouldn't credit it hey - not a total write-off but unliveable for a while due to a serious electrical fire in the roof. Needless to say the relevant insurance people and tradespersons bumped this job to the top of the pile when they found out about the circumstances so they have managed to get back in their home again in time for Christmas. With luck like this you would have to have a good laugh about it eh, they did!
 
There is an overview web page on Scott's dilemma and the related formation of the FRIENDS Charity Fund here: http://www.hunterdogs.org/FRIENDS.htm, its worth a look for the pics. The whole charity formalisation thing is now waiting for the last two docs to come back, should be all official not too far into the new year (after the govt comes back from hols I expect!). Then we can start passing out those tax deductible donation receipts in earnest, I hope we get a lot of excuses to!
 
There's lots of other stuff going on to help out of course, one of the biggies not yet mentioned is that Mal Cherlin and friends are donating a lot of professional services to cut a DVD of some of the high value Ducati moments on the planet. If you're not in it you'll want to watch it, should be a rutting awesome collection of footage from Mal's description and another great source of funds when they are ready to be released.
 
And of course the donations from various members of the business community of goods and services to be raffled at the upcoming charity auction are just amazing. People who support Scottie in this way deserve our patronage in any way we can. I for one am now enjoying the pleasant surroundings of a Bose Wave cd/radio as a follow on to Michael Anderson donating one and now I know why these things are so highly praised! I don't think its too late if you want to add your order to help make up the numbers to maybe get a second unit donated, just ring Michael on 0409 700 101 to get it sorted (see earlier postings for more details).
 
So, I wish everyone all the best for the holiday season, may the tin-tops and the fun controllers leave you in peace and lets all enjoy the good spirit of a Merry Christhmaz und uh Happi Nu Yeer (eetz kicking een alreddy, bewdiful!).............Vince

[VinceS]

There have been a few things going on, as you would expect. The FRIENDS Charity Fund is moving along nicely and there is some info about that at www.hunterdogs.org/FRIENDS.htm. The following is a bit of a composite of some of the emails that have been happening too (edited a bit to save space):

From: ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au [mailto:ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au] On Behalf Of MYLES SEVIL
Sent: Wednesday, 29 November, 2006 9:18 PM
Dear Vince,
We gathered some monies at the DOCNSW Christmas Party to go to help Scott's family. I think about $1500.00 from a raffle on the night. ...............
Myles (Hon. Treasurer DOCNSW)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au [mailto:ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au] On Behalf Of Vince Sunter
Sent: Tuesday, 28 November, 2006 7:36 AM
Subject: RE: [ducatiea] Karma in action.

By way of an update on Scott's condition this is what his wife Paula said yesterday:

"As for Scotty - he has made a tiny bit of progress over the last week - he has opened his eyes a few times for a few minutes and there has been some encouraging movement with his right hand today - we still have an enormously long road ahead of us but it appears that Scotty has begun the journey so to speak , that's all I can tell you for now - thanks again everyone for your thoughts."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Vince Sunter [mailto:ablokeonaduke@yahoo.com.au]
Sent: Thursday, 23 November, 2006 10:42 AM
Subject: Scott Priestley Fundraiser on 17/02/07 at Club Macquarie in Newcastle area

G'day Everybody,

Well, we are looking for good news about Scott but there's not a lot to be had - he remains in a serious but stable condition and is hanging around intensive care like it was a Ducati convention! There is talk of moving him to a high dependency ward since he has a good grip on life, however it is looking like it will be a long haul with a lot of uncertainty for the family and they are going to need all the support we can provide.

Please see Bill Delaney's email below re an upcoming support event - any assistance you can provide would certainly be appreciated, or just mark it in the calendar and rock along for a great night for a good cause. And, if you don't want to wait that long to kick in, please join the other generous and greatly appreciated people who have already donated directly and contribute anything you would like to bank account BSB 650300 Account No: 973398705. Thank you.

Kindest regards,
Vince Sunter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Bill Delaney [mailto:bill.delaney@people.net.au]
Sent: Wednesday, 22 November, 2006 11:55 AM
Subject: Scott Priestley

Hello All
Some of you may not know me but i am a friend of Scott and Paula Priestley.
I hope you dont mind but i got all of your email addresses from an email that Scott sent to me.
As you are probably all aware Scott was in a terrible motor bike accident and is still in a coma,. A few of us have got together and we are in the process of organising a fund raiser with all proceeds going to Scott and his family , the night will be a dinner function (3 course meal and drinks included) and will be held on 17th Feb 2007 at Club Macquarie (458 Lake Rd, Argenton). We have been able to secure some excellent raffle prizes,auction items and lucky door prizes, but still need everybody that knows Scott to help. The auditorium that we are holding the fundraiser in holds 250 people so we need to sell as many tickets as possible.

Do you own a business or do you know someone that does, that can donate prizes or services?
Can you distribute invites, posters etc for the fundraiser night ticket sales?

Please let me know if you can help in any way.
If you could forward this email to anybody you think i have missed that Scott and Paula know that would be great.
I will email invitations out in the next few days

Kind Regards
and lets all hope Scotty is better soon....

Bill Delaney, Newcastle School Portraits
T: 02 4967 4544 F: 02 4967 4588 M: 0409 465570 E: bill.delaney@people.net.au
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au [mailto:ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark
Sent: Monday, 27 November, 2006 9:03 PM
To: ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au
Subject: [ducatiea] Karma in action.

G'day Vince,

I've been really busy last week, so haven't had a chance to contact you to let you know but it appears KARMA WORKS! (I always knew it did)

I interviewed for two jobs on Monday and Tuesday last week and got both of them. Both coffee technician roles. Chose the one I felt I'd be the best fit in, which just so happens to be the best $$ too.

I'm on a promise that they'll make me service manager if I shape up in two to 12. I'm hoping they mean months not years 'coz I'm forty-bloody-six already.

I can only assume Scotts condition is unchanged? Reading between the lines of info publicised it's obviously gonna be a long way back to a possibly different life.

Give Scott and his loved ones my best thoughts and wishes.

Mark
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Vince Sunter [mailto:ablokeonaduke@yahoo.com.au]
Sent: Tuesday, 28 November, 2006 10:33 AM
Subject: People who support Scotty deserve our support

G'day Y'all. Here's some more info, obviously I think that people that are kicking in should be supported and it can only be a good thing if this gets around. I'm sure if anybody is interested in Michael's offer and you let him know where you found out he will count any orders towards the target he has set for further donations. ......... Vince
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael [mailto:Michael_A@bigpond.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 28 November, 2006 8:59 AM
Subject: Re: [ducatiea] Special Offer to Ducati Club Members

Thanks Vince

I can assure you all that the Bose Wave Music System is probably the best "radio" you will have ever heard, and that's before you put a CD on.... would make a great Xmas present for wife/husband /loved one, or just simply because you enjoy great sound (otherwise you wouldn't ride a Ducati right?). I myself use a Bose Wave Radio in the office, and have the older model Bose CD Wave Radio (daddy of the Wave Music System) in the bedroom ...has a Dual Alarm (great for waking up after a late night's riding..) and can be set to wake up to either Radio or a CD, with the Music starting nice and soft and gradually increasing in volume when the alarm goes off...instead of blasting you out of bed.. put simply - Fantastic!!

As I am a Bose dealer (as well as Philips), if there are any other products in the range that anyone might be interested in, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to extend wholesale pricing to any Club member, and will count the dollar spend towards the goal of 25 Bose Wave Music Systems for Scott's fundraiser (i.e. - $1500 will count as 2 WMS's) www.Bose.com.au   or  www.Philips.com.au

So, thankyou Vince for kicking off the orders, only 24 more to go!

Please also pass on to Scott's family that our thoughts are with them.

Best Regards

Michael Anderson Ph: 0409 700 101
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: Vince Sunter
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 8:39 AM
Subject: RE: [ducatiea] Special Offer to Ducati Club Members

Well, despite just cranking out my last forty something birthday I would have to profess my audio-ignorance about all things Bose. Acoustically speaking, if it requires more than identifying the sweetest sound on the planet that basically comes down to what exhaust system on which Ducati I don't really have a clue! Life doesn't need to get more complicated than that huh? "What is this Bose Wave Music System thing that Michael has kindly donated to the appeal for Scott Priestley", I wondered? Well, if you Google "Bose Wave Music System review" you get a bunch of info, the first and most comprehensive is:

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/reviews/20041207/bose_wave.html

I have read a bunch of these reviews now and, without exception, they talk about this unit in the most glowing of terms for the incredible sound quality that comes from what is essentially a classy cd player / clock radio that will play mp3's straight off a cd-r or cd-rw. And you can plug an mp3 player (or other source) straight in the back. These Bose folk seem to approach their game a lot like our Italian friends make Ducatis - in a really passionate and innovative way, and it works!

So now I would like one of these fine systems to grace our abode, thanks for your kind offer Michael and please order me one (sort out details direct via email ablokeonaduke@yahoo.com.au).

OK, do we have 24 more takers to convince Michael to extend his generosity to donate yet another unit to the appeal for Scotty?

By the way I would just have to say I am totally blown away by the goodies that people have donated / promised for the upcoming (Feb) charity auction for Scott that Bill Delaney is organising. There will be more details as things get sorted, but it is an indication of the very high regard Scott and Paula are held in by the community. Pity he had to slam into a pole for this to become so bleeding obvious....!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au [mailto:ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au] On Behalf Of Michael
Sent: Friday, 24 November, 2006 6:30 PM
To: ducatiea@yahoogroups.com.au
Subject: [ducatiea] Special Offer to Ducati Club Members

Hi All
As a result of a major project i am just about to start, I am able to offer the following deal to Ducati Club Members in NSW - I have already donated one of these the fundraiser for Scott Priestly, and if we get to 25 sales within the Ducati Club's NSW i will donate a 2nd unit.

These units are all Brand New with Full Bose Warranty & not grey imports or anything dodgy. Any questions, please contact me.

Once Only Special Offer Bose Wave Music System only $729.00 each Including GST (Normally $999.00)

 http://www.bose.com/images/home_entertainment/products/p_wrcd2_m_gg.jpg

 Conditions: Once Only Offer due to Bulk Purchase – Price applies to 1 or 100+ No Further Discounts

Order Must be placed within 7 days (Dec 1, 2006) & stock delivered by December 15th 2006 (business address only with name & contact numbers

Direct Deposit / Cash / Bank Cheque/Money Order prior to Delivery Credit Cards – MasterCard & Visa accepted + 1.25% processing fee

Orders MUST be emailed or faxed to: 02 9388 2633 / Attention: Michael Anderson

The Hospitality Shoppe, PO Box 1674 Potts Point NSW 1335
Ph: 02 9388 2033 Fx: 02 9388 2633 M: 0409 700 101 E: Michael@hospitalityshoppe.com.au

[VinceS]

Further to the earlier note about this sad event Scott's condition remains stable and he is still in a coma, but the vital signs continue to move in the right direction. Paula and family are bearing up well but it is obviously a very hard time for her, their two daughters and immediate family - having been suddenly and totally overtaken by all the difficulties of living in and around an intensive care hospital environment while still trying to keep the kids OK and in school etc.

In the mean time we have moved a considerable distance down the track to understand and initiate steps to meet the requirements and obligations to set up a proper tax deductible "Necessitous Circumstances" charity fund to provide for family welfare expenses. The mechanism we will use is to set up the Fallen Riders In Extreme Need - Ducati Supporters Fund (F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Fund). We will make it a formal part of Hunter Ducati Owners Group Inc as that allows it to exist for free and be easily reactivated in the unhappy event that it is needed again, but it exists purely to help the Priestleys now. Establishing this fund properly is a bureaucratic process that just takes a bit of time to go through.

A group of people are involved from the local riding community, we are busy planning various fund raising events that we will be able to trigger soon after Christmas. However, in this critical short term support period, it would be really appreciated if you would like to make a donation to help remove some of the burden of real problems and uncertainty that this delightful young family is facing. The bank account to contribute directly to is:

BSB: 650300
Account No: 973398705

Or simply post cheques etc to us at 40B Gipps St, CARRINGTON NSW 2294 and we will deposit them. They need to be made out to FRIENDS at Hunter Ducati Owners Group Inc. Any amount is really appreciated and will make a difference.

Right now we can only promise that every single dollar donated will go directly to the Priestley family. If you send an email to friendsfund@hunterdogs.org when you donate we expect to be able to issue proper tax deductible receipts in the new year. Please indicate if you want to remain anonymous - just in case we get an irresistible urge to go bursting out in gratitude and start publicly thanking people for their support!

Like Mark Plummer who has just sold a few old Duc parts and very kindly kicked off the appeal with the $100 he made, despite being currently unemployed. A big thank you to Mark, and to another Ducati rider who also generously kicked in $500. Whilst these donations are a really great start anything you can spare at all will make a positive difference to such an unfortunate and difficult situation.

Please note this is a private request to our personal friends in the community for assistance. Until an "Authority To Fundraise" has been issued nobody is permitted to make an appeal to the general public.

Thank you again for helping with this now, and to all those who have passed on their thoughts and feelings of support in other ways it is all really appreciated. I will keep you posted.

Kindest regards,
Vince Sunter

PS: Just a reminder, the last leg of the Highway to Health ride leaves the BP (recently Mobil) servo 9:30am Sun from Newcastle - might be a good excuse to support a good cause, and maybe take in the Sydney bike show on the way as some intend doing.

[VinceS]

G'day Everybody,

It is with considerable sadness that I am telling you now of a serious motorcycle accident that Scott Priestley, our lovable Top Dog, has experienced last Tuesday afternoon. For reasons that are not presently clear Scott has collided with armco and a telegraph pole outside a BP service station in suburban Cardiff. He was taken to John Hunter hospital intensive care unit where he remains in a serious but stable condition.

Scott's significant injuries include a smashed knee-cap / femur, fractured clavicle skeleton (shoulder / collar bone) and fractures to his back - he has remained in a coma since the accident. Much of this damage has been operated on and fortunately the back fractures are to the less critical spur regions. He is on a respirator to take some of the load off his body but he can breathe unassisted. There is every reason to be optimistic, he is a healthy non-smoking etc clean living fit young man - but the road to recovery will be a tough one and he will need all the support we can muster to help him and his family travel it.

It is normal for serious trauma patients to remain in a coma for a period from several days up to 3 weeks or so before it is a real concern, but the waiting is the hardest part. There has recently been some minor positive signs but it is still early days and we don't really know what will happen.

Obviously this is deeply moving for everybody who knows Scott, but it is an enormous tragedy for his delightful wife Paula and their two young daughters to cope with. Fortunately they have great family support but it is a very trying time, and it is only now that Paula is even OK with the news of Scottie's accident to be released. It is best to give her some space at the moment as it is some distance down the track when the extended community's support will really be needed.

Of course the local motorcycling community is already making moves to support the family in their time of need, particularly knowing how much Scott and Paula have given of themselves in setting up a local Girls Ride Out club to support new female motorcyclists, and then in establishing a local friendly riding focussed Ducati club. Everyone would know that this sort of accident puts a tremendous strain on the financial resources of a young family, and a few people are already banding together intent on doing something to at least remove some of this concern from their shoulders. Our current expectation is to shortly set up a formal tax deductible local charity for Fallen Riders, with the Priestley family to be its first (and hopefully only) beneficiary. Any ideas / assistance for fundraising activities would of course be appreciated.

I do so look forward to seeing Scottie on the mend and can only hope that his natural good humour and winning smile ( http://hunterdogs.org/Gallery/details.php?image_id=325 ) will still be with him. Only last Sunday he was telling me how extremely happy he was, sure would like to see him back there again sometime not too far away!

In the mean time the next HunterDOGs club ride is to join the last leg of the Highway To Health ride around Australia, starting at the major sponsor's BP service station in Parry St Newcastle (http://hunterdogs.org/Calendar/view_entry.php?id=69&date=20061119). Scottie was very interested in participating in that event and it is ironic that he now finds himself embarking on this journey in a completely different way. Frances and I still intend to participate so we have a tale to tell Scottie when he is up to it, but I doubt we will be able to do much more than get some fund raising tips as this event already has a deserving cause to support.

I will keep you posted as appropriate, and provide more details on how you can help and/or welcome your input as you wish.

Kindest regards,
Vince Sunter

PS: With the Priestley family's situation the Hunter DOGs mailbox will be unattended for a while, please send any communication to me as below and I will make sure the correct thing happens with it:

40B Gipps St, CARRINGTON NSW 2294
Ph (02) 4961 0573 ;  Fax (02) 4961 0944 ;  Mob 0414 706 875 ;  Email CyberDog@HunterDOGs.org