He grew up among Walpirri and Warramungu Aboriginal people in Central Australia and learned their traditions, rituals and much about the desert country itself. Out 'there', he says, he developed an ability, similar to that common among Aboriginal people, to be able to look beyond the surface. "Many people tell me 'it's just more bloody scrub, desert, and nothing else'. To me, it's got special character. But you have to be able to see it. For that you have to have 'real' eyes, not eyes that are painted on."
The article goes on to say: He's a 4WD instructor, but he is not like the others. He is a quadriplegic. He was in a car crash which broke his back leaving him an imcomplete quadriplegic which means his spinal cord is damaged but not severed and he has regained some use of his hands and arms.
Back in Alice Springs, Jol started to take a new look at what life offered him. "I tried to adopt the attitude of don't worry about what you used to do, worry about what you can do, " he says.
He founded the Alice Springs Off-Road Racing Club, started his own automotive spare parts business, develped the Finke Desert Race into a combined motorbike and car race and kick-started the Central Australian Drag Racing Association. As if that wasn't enough, Jol became a fully licensed driving instructor - probably the first quadriplegic in Australia to do so.
That is Living!
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