Going Viral

CHAPTER FIVE

Affinity

Jack was born in a small rural town hospital in Western Australia in 1973. His father owned a modest-sized cattle farm, and his mother bred Australian cattle dogs which she sold. Like many farms in the Australian outback at the time, motorbikes had largely replaced horses as a mode of transport. Jack loved riding on the back of his father’s motorbike along the thin red dirt tracks spanning the land.

Motorcycling is popular in Australia, largely because of the temperate year round climate, an abundance of ‘twisty’ roads, and a rural culture where motorcycles are an important part of outback transport. Many Australians start riding at an early age, and it’s not uncommon for young Australians to be expert motorcycle riders ...