Travel With Us a While
There are some conversations that stay with you long after the microphone is turned off.
This was one of them.
I sat down with Rick Scammell, expecting to hear a story of resilience. What I didn’t expect… was the quiet, grounded way he speaks about a moment that would change everything — and the life he chose to build afterwards.
Rick’s story begins, as many great Australian stories do, on a beach.
A weekend away. Friends. Kids laughing. The simple joy of being outdoors, sand underfoot and salt in the air. One last ride along the shoreline before packing up and heading home.
And then… everything changed.
A Moment That Divides Life in Two
A dirt bike. A stretch of beach just north of Townsville.
A split-second loss of control.
Rick doesn’t remember it all — just fragments.
Flying through the air.
A thought: “I’ll be okay… just a tumble.”
And then… the knowing.
Not fear. Not panic.
Just a deep, instinctive awareness that something was very, very wrong.
Moments later, lying face down in the sand, he realised he could not move his body.
From that point on, life would never look the same.
The Thin Line Between Here and Gone
There is something almost otherworldly about what happened next.
Back at camp, his partner felt it — that quiet nudge, that whisper we so often ignore.
Something’s not right.
She went looking.
And by sheer chance — or something more — they found him.
Later, Rick would learn the truth:
Had they not reached him when they did, he would not have survived.
It’s one of those moments that makes you pause.
How fragile life is.
How everything can change… in minutes.
Rebuilding a Life — Piece by Piece
Rick’s injuries were catastrophic.
A shattered spine at T4 level.
Broken ribs, collapsed lungs.
Facial fractures.
A brain injury.
The kind of list that would stop most lives in their tracks.
But Rick doesn’t tell it that way.
There’s no drama in his voice. No “why me.”
Just facts. Acceptance. And then… action.
Not “Back to Normal” — Something Stronger
Recovery wasn’t quick. It wasn’t easy.
Two to three years before he began returning to the things he loved.
Pain. Frustration. Limits.
And then, slowly… movement forward.
Not the same as before — but not lesser either.
Just… different.
Camping.
Four-wheel driving.
Water skiing (yes, truly).
Adventuring into the bush with modified equipment and sheer determination.
Rick didn’t wait for life to come back.
He went out and met it — head on.
The Battle You Don’t Always See
One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation wasn’t just physical recovery — it was what happened in the mind.
The fog of medication.
The frustration of memory loss.
The strange relationship between pain and perception.
At one point, Rick began to question something most of us never do:
Is all pain… real? Or is some of it learned?
Through trial, instinct, and a fair bit of courage, he weaned himself off heavy medication — discovering that sometimes, the body and brain need to relearn a new way of being.
It’s not a recommendation.
It’s not a prescription.
Just a deeply personal journey… and one that makes you think.
Finding New Ways — Not Giving Up Old Ones
What I love most about Rick is this:
He didn’t replace his old life.
He adapted it.
He still seeks out the view from the top of the hill.
Still follows that curiosity — “I wonder what’s up there…”
Sometimes he gets there in his off-road wheelchair.
Sometimes with help.
Sometimes with a drone.
But he still goes.
And isn’t that what matters?
Life Goes On… (His Words, Not Mine)
Rick shares his journey openly through his page Life Goes On Adventures — and it’s exactly that.
Not polished. Not perfect.
But honest.
The struggles.
The wins.
The “gutsy stuff,” as I called it.
Because someone, somewhere, needs to see it.
Needs to know:
Life didn’t end.
It just changed shape.
A Quiet Kind of Inspiration
Rick isn’t trying to inspire people.
That’s the thing.
He’s just living his life.
Raising his young son.
Adventuring with his family.
Finding ways to keep doing what he loves.
And in doing that… he inspires anyway.
A Final Thought
We all have moments — big or small — where life asks us to adjust.
Maybe not as dramatically as Rick.
But still… enough to make us pause.
This conversation reminded me of something simple, but powerful:
👉 You may not get to choose what happens.
👉 But you do get to choose what happens next.
And sometimes… that choice is everything.
Listen to the full episode here:
Invitation
If you have a story to share and would enjoy being a guest on my podcast – feel free to reach out to me in the comments.
Wherever you are in the world… and wherever your journey is taking you… travel gently — and travel with us a while.
Bron
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