Simpson, The Donkey Man of Gallipoli

John Simpson Kirkpatrick, affectionately known as "the man and his donkey", was born on the 6th of July 1892 in South Shields, England. He landed at ANZAC Cove at 5 a.m. on the 25th of April 1915 and was mortally wounded in Shrapnel Gully, near the mouth of Monash Valley, on the 19th of May 1915 at the age of 22. During the 24 days he spent at ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli Penninsula, he operated as a sole unit with his beloved donkey and is credited with saving the lives of probably hundreds of men. General C. H. Brand described Simpson as he was often seen, 'Almost every digger knew about him. The question was often asked : "Has the bloke with the donk stopped one yet ?" It seemed incredible that anyone could make that trip up and down Monash Valley without being hit. Simpson escaped death so many times the he was completely fatalistic. He seemed to have a charmed life.'

Walkabout 2.0: The Great Road

October 28th 2008
13 days, 3914 kms, 4 states, 1 territory, 3 drivers, two car rentals, 4 swags, 1 flight, 2 tents, 12 litres of water, $1.86/litre, a broken CD player, and no roadkill. Are we there yet? It all started in Sydney, where we picked up Brenda Dovick, a friend from Sioux Lookout. Brenda has 'gone walkabout' for a little R 'n' R (research & writing). We were driving to South Australia, but what roa ... read more

Oceania » Australia » South Australia » Outback

Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name... ... read more

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