So it seems my last column caused a bit of a stir. If you didn’t catch it, you can read it HERE. My article was quoted in a local newspaper and admittedly came across as harsher than it actually was in the original copy; and the subsequent online debate raged hot and heavy.
Throughout the personal insults and passionate rhetoric being thrown around, the interesting thing I found was the clear division within the four-wheel drive community that emerged.
To read in the magazine, CLICK HERE.
On the one (thankfully smaller) side, there are people who don’t care much about track damage, treading lightly or driving on closed tracks. Cries of “What else do we buy 4WDs for? To use them!” and “Only a tree-hugger would care about this!” and other colourful and more poorly spelled catchphrases were thrown out with wild abandon.
Then on the other (much larger) side of the divide we had folks taking a more measured and thoughtful approach with statements supporting Tread Lightly and condemning driving on closed tracks and the general ‘full throttle no matter what the track conditions’ state of mind. Ultimately, this side of the fence believes that we all have to take a little personal responsibility for our behaviour in the bush. No leaving trash behind, no ripping up tracks needlessly… essentially a ‘leaving nothing but footprints and taking nothing but photos’ sort of mentality.
This is exactly what we here at Unsealed 4X4 want to stand behind. For too long the loud minority of simpletons have been the voice of our lifestyle that people hear. It’s time for the silent majority of responsible off-road drivers to speak up so that we can propagate intelligent, responsible and sustainable four-wheel drive use.
Two things will come of this. One: People who have no idea about the love and respect almost all 4X4 owners have for nature will see that we’re not out to ruin our land, dump rubbish or indulge a teenage fantasy of driving like a Mad Max wannabe (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but keep it on private land eh?). Two: Tracks will remain open, and those previously closed thanks to perceived ‘environmental damage’ will be re-opened. Neither of these things are bad for the lifestyle we all love.
It’s time for us all to start calling out the idiots for their piss-poor behaviour and open up a line of communication between us and the government agencies that control our lands – in order to work together to maintain track access. Victoria has a dedicated bunch of 4WDers already who do just this (with fantastic results) and there are numerous examples within NSW and other States or groups that are working with National Parks to maintain accessibility.
For too long our media has been under-representing us true off-road enthusiasts. It’s time to re-establish the fact that intelligence and 4X4ing are not mutually exclusive, as we’ve all been led to believe…
Dex.
