Ben Carlin book: THE LAST GREAT AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURER

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

Hi Mike

For those of us who are not connecting name, country, and adventure could you add a bit of information.

Think I know who he is and what he is most known for? Half-safe?

Cheers Phil

Phil,
Ben Carlin was an Australian who adapted a Ford GPA amphib jeep and circumnavigated the World with it during the 1950's. First leg was across the Atlantic from North America.

Here is a photo of Half Safe at Corowa Swim-In in 1999, yours truly standing in front of it.

halfsafe.jpg

[Lang]

Here is the wiki bit on Ben Carlin.

I am going to the Adventure Film Festival in Bright Victoria to introduce the redone documentary on Ben's amphibious travels (narrated by him for an American adventure TV program in the 60's)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Carlin


Mike

"At age 50 he married a 20 year old woman" That has got to be a plus in anyone's books!

Lang

[Mike K]

A few interesting themes from the book.

Buccaneer Ben was married three times, the first and third lasted around 12 months. He probably was a borderline alcoholic.

Elinore felt like she was used and became bitter , she didn't feel like commenting on anything to do with Ben Carlin or the Atlantic trip.


Ben Carlin had became rather unstable in his 50's and he was proposing marriage to almost complete strangers, even trying to get his best friends wife to abscond to the USA with him ! More than one acquaintance described him as being very strange.

A Trove search reveals that the Australian print media had more or less lost interest in the trip by the mid 50's. Only a few very short paragraphs is all you can find.

Reminds me of Errol Flynn

[lynx42]

Ben and Eleanor in Melbourne in HalfSafe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diuiv5iCAw4

Regards Rick.

[Mike K]

The Australian leg of the world tour was an attempt at promoting the book HALF SAFE . The book had been given very bad reviews by the critics and the sales were very disapointing to say the least. There were other long distance auto expeditions going on in the 1950's and the Carlins were competing with them, trying anything for that extra bit of publicity.

During 1955 HALF SAFE was put on display in various cities including Foys department store in Adelaide and Myers in Melbourne. Around that time the Melbourne bayside footage of them was shot with Elinore putting on the fake smile for the camera..amazing thing is Ben appears to be sober.

Elinore took off at the end of the Aust. leg , she was sick of the endless abuse including being hit by Ben , but she and Ben kept corresponding for quite a while . Ben told everyone they were still together ! She had an affair and taunted Ben with letters .

[Lang]

Mike

I have ordered the book so have not read it.

What's with the Womens Weekly scandal rubbish? Might be sensational and allow today's people to be offended and outraged. Has nothing to do with the efforts of one of the most resourceful and brave adventurers of the 20th century.

The people who write this stuff as the main focus of the story (sure mention he was not a nice bloke if you want to) not only lack the courage or skill to carry out a similar venture but are pandering to an audience of similar mediocrity who do not understand voluntarily undertaking a project where dying is more probable than possible.

Many, if not most, heroes of adventure, exploration and famous leaders and generals were probably not very nice people. It is quite possible that the rest of unremarkable humanity has an even higher percentage of not very nice people but we would rather bring down a high flyer than hear about some yobbo down the street who cheated on his wife or whatever

This is not criticism of your comments. Mike, as you are just pointing out revelations? in the book.

Lang

[Mike K]

It's interesting to me because I like to know about the whole intricate story , including the human drama that went on behind the actual round the world trip. The earlier books are factual accounts but they don't have much of the more personal insights that this book has.

Ben said the most difficult section of the whole trip was from Calcutta to Vietnam , driving across Burma on an old deserted rocky track . A Burmese army truck with armed guards escorted Half Safe and the truck had to pull Half Safe out of a hole.

In the UK they had purchased a Ford 5 cwt van as a backup car and Elinore spent a lot of time in the van following Half Safe to Calcutta. Elinore wrote everything down in her journals and her writings are quoted here and there. A rival expedition , driving in a Hillman Husky was in Asia and Ben ran into them more than once.

When WW2 began, Ben was desperate to get into the shooting war , he volunteered for the RAF but he failed the medical. Ben was actually in the SOE for 6 months but he was released to return to the engineers.

I think you will enjoy the book, the book fills in many of the gaps that the earlier books left out.