Brothers rescued back to back

Since childhood, brothers Paul and Phil Gedye have been lifelong motorcycle enthusiasts.

Yet one item had remained on the bucket list – taking on the infamous tracks of Australia’s rugged interior.

“We grew up on an apple orchard, then a farm – we had every kind of machinery and motorbikes of every shape and form. Phil and I both did competitions and trail riding for years,” Paul said.

“I’d been aiming to do the Simpson Desert crossing for a few years. We’d been training for a while, had health checks and had our bikes ready for 18 months.

“We were going to be self-contained – we had  enough water, food and fuel to carry across the desert, an emergency beacon, GPS and hard maps so we didn’t get lost.”

In May 2024, the duo set off, towing their bikes from Melbourne to Leigh Creek, a town at the northern end of the Flinders Ranges.

From there, they swapped to bikes and began the first leg of their journey, 800 kilometres on dirt to Mount Dare – on the cusp of the SA-NT border.

“They were probably the worst roads I’ve ever imagined – they were wide, flat, corrugated with wheel ruts from all the road trains,” Paul said.

“We were doing about 70km/h on the Oodnadatta Track, a good safe speed – but it was pertty rugged.” After a couple of days of successfully navigating the rough roads, the outback’s unpredictability finally caught up with the brothers.

“We were just out of Mount Dare, I must’ve been a bit fatigued or picked the wrong line and I hit a patch of bulldust, or gibber as they call it, and there was no warning,” Phil said.

“The bike came flying over, drove my legs into the ground and I saw stars. “I couldn’t move because the bike was on my legs.”

Paul was leading 300 metres ahead and sensed something was wrong.

“I had a bit of trouble getting through that section, so I turned my engine off, waited and I couldn’t hear Phil so I went back,” Paul said.

“He looked like he was out cold. He looked dead. Obviously, there’s panic – is he alive? You go into fight or flight mode and the realisation we’re 500 kilometres from the nearest town.”

While Phil insisted he was fine, Paul was concerned. They managed to remove the bike and gently move Phil into the shade as he caught his breath.

In search for help, they made it to Mount Dare Hotel, one of the country’s most remote pubs, where staff contacted the Flying Doctor.

"When we got to Mount Dare – Phil wasn’t making sensible conversation and didn’t look good,” Paul said.

As the on-call RFDS Doctor gave guidance over the phone, an RFDS team with a specialist from NT Health’s Medical Retrieval and Consultation Centre (MRaCC) was dispatched from the RFDS Alice Springs Base.

“I wasn’t terribly good, but the RFDS put a smile on my face. They were so quietly professional but very friendly at the same time,” Phil said.

“I couldn’t believe how quick it was from Mount Dare to Alice Springs – it seemed like five minutes.

“It turns out I had seven broken ribs and a pneumothorax (collapsed lung). It was pretty scary – at one stage, I was on the floor just grimacing in pain.”

After hearing Phil had made it to Alice Springs Hospital, Paul laid low for a couple of nights before starting the trek back home.

“I found myself in the middle of nowhere where the only phone was a Telstra payphone. I made a few calls to family and arranged Phil’s gear to get home,” Paul said.

“I was determined to stay safe. We had a grandchild due to be born when I was back home, so I didn’t want to get hurt.”

On the way back to Leigh Creek to collect his car, Paul was staying overnight in William Creek when he developed some strange symptoms.

“In the shower, I got soap in my eye and thought something was wrong with my eye. Then, I was eating dinner and, I must have been numb, because I bit the inside of my cheek. I had a headache, took some paracetamol and got an early night,” Paul said.

“When I got up to watch the sunrise, I realised something was wrong with my face. My whole face was numb and drooped.

“I did a few tests and I could move, so I didn’t think it was a stroke. But I’d seen something like this before, because my son had Bell’s Palsy at nine years old.”

Fortunately for Paul, William Creek had an RFDS Virtual Emergency Centre that provides 24/7 help.

“The publican took me around the back and there was a fully automated clinic with a ‘HAL 9000’ doorbell that you can push to talk to someone,” Paul said.

“As soon as you go in, the lights and computer come on and you’re sitting in half a doctor’s surgery – there’s a blood pressure monitor and all sorts of instruments.

“A few minutes later, a doctor came on the screen and asked me what was going on. She got me to do all these tests over video call – stand on one leg, shut my eye, touch my nose. She was very interested in my eyebrows and forehead.

“It was very reassuring, right there on the screen, to have a real living person talking to you.”

Following extensive examination, the on-call RFDS Doctor, Dr Jess Martyn, agreed with Paul’s self-diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy – a condition that causes sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the face due to damage to the facial nerve.

Stress can be a contributing factor, which Paul believes was brought on by his brother’s crash and aeromedical retrieval.

Dr Jess determined that with appropriate medication, rest and precautions, Paul could continue his journey home.

“In the outback, left to your own devices with Bell’s Palsy, you could die. Why? You have trouble eating and drinking,” Paul said.

“This autonomous clinic at William Creek is the most innovative thing I’ve ever seen. You have a real-life doctor on a video screen – the care in their eyes and the knowledge – it’s so unique.

“I was feeling unwell and within two-and-a-half hours, I had medication and a treatment plan. I’d seen a highly qualified doctor, who’d made a diagnosis and we’re off and running."

Paul made it to Leigh Creek safely and subsequently returned home to Melbourne. While it has been a slow recovery, he is back at work and enjoying life as a new grandad.

“For four months, I couldn’t shut my eye. I had to tape it shut to go to bed,” Paul said.“I didn’t feel like doing anything for a few weeks – I had pain, headaches and no energy for a while.”

Meanwhile, Phil also made it home to Victoria after spending the week at Alice Springs Hospital recovering from his brush with death.

“I could’ve been killed. The physio told me some time later that I could’ve had a flail chest (destabilisation of the chest wall), which is absolutely lethal,” Phil said.

“I had an adventure jacket, which saved me to a certain extent and we were wearing knee braces – I reckon I would’ve had two broken legs if it wasn’t for that.

“To me, the RFDS is just a stunning service. The professionalism is beyond imaginable. They not only safe your life, they make you feel comfortable while doing it.

“I have recovered fairly well because of the care I received, no doubt.”

Paul and Phil’s double emergencies have left them with a new appreciation for the breathtaking yet dangerous nature of remote Australia.

“To go and experience the outback, it’s life-changing. Every single town we went to, the people were not only helpful, but kind,” Phil said.

“I’m a bush rider from way back – up and down hills, water crossings, rocks – but those outback roads defeated me. Next time, I’d like to go back to do it on four wheels.”