Ron Laver was a travelling man having roamed across parts of Australia that most of us have never seen and only dreamt about.

Far off places with exotic names in Western Australia and Queensland drew Ron who travelled there in whatever transport was available. He remembers going across the Nullarbor Plain in 1953 when the road was just an endless dirt track that had limestone corrugations that shook cars apart, leaving stripped vehicle bodies along the side of the road.

With friends on another trip, he travelled from the mouth of the Murray River to its source, and then for good measure, did the same with the Darling River.

He remembers seeing people in Wilcannia burn down an Aboriginal humpy for amusement.

The sight upset him so much that later that night he and his friend stole their car and ran it into the river.

He told us later that it was the local police car.