A NICE CUP OF TEA AND A SIT DOWN...

I don`t belong to many clubs or societies, mainly out of a determination to uphold one of my family traditions of `never joining any club that would have me as a member` - the other being `if at first you don`t succeed, give up.`

But one society who did accept me into their fold was the John McDouall Stuart Society, which I joined some years ago as a result of a long held admiration for this diminutive Scot and his companions who pioneered the crossing of inland Australia from the south coast to the north and back again and, in the process, established the route of the overland telegraph and the Stuart Highway.

Stuart`s achievements did not come easily. He went on six expeditions, enduring unimagineable hardships, before finally realising his ambition. As a result he is, quite rightly, revered in Australia as a national hero. There is an excellent website produced by the Society at http://www.johnmcdouallstuart.org.au/ which gives more details than I have room for here. The surprising thing is that Stuart has been all but forgotten in the UK apart perhaps from his birthplace in the small town of Dysart in Scotland.

Now, last night on BBC 2, a new series by that intrepid bushman Ray Mears (pictured above) began by retracing some of the steps taken by Stuart in his journeys through the unknown dead heart of that great continent. And most revealing it was too - the distances, the flies, the constant search for water, the perils awaiting the unprepared. Ray Mears did well in bringing the country to our screens and giving just a hint of what it must have been like for Stuart and his men.

(Stuart)

But perhaps the sheer scale of Stuart`s achievement was slightly hidden behind Mears` comforting Range Rover and the rest of his survival kit. I don`t complain about any of that because it would be impossible to faithfully re-enact the realities of Stuart`s own experiences. Mears gave us a `Pom`s eye view` of the outback which was informative, instructing and helpful in perhaps exposing Stuart`s achievements to a wider audience - at least here in the UK.

Last night`s programme ended with Mears, having made an awning from a canvass sheet suspended from conveniently overhanging trees, bringing his day to a close with a nice cup of tea and a sit down. Well, he is a Pom after all.....but then so too was Stuart, whose end of day routine might just have been a little different.