On the Fence

19-year-old Welshman Brian Robson moved to Australia in an assisted immigration program in 1964. Homesick from the moment he arrived, he began to think of ways to get back to the UK. As part of his agreement he couldn’t leave Australia legally for at least two years. He tried stowing away on a ship, but got violently seasick and was sent back. Then he read about Reg Spiers, an Australian athlete who mailed himself home from England in a crate. He talked friends into nailing him (and his suitcase) into a 30x38x26” box and shipping him to London. He had pliers to escape on arrival, but absolutely no room to maneuver. Many miserable hours later he was apprehended in America, cold, unable to move or speak but very lucky to be alive. Robson, now in his seventies, says, “Kids don't think straight. They make their mind up to do something and don't think of the consequences.”