by Karena Cox
IF IT was not for the help of the Royal Flying Doctor Service Russell Cullinane would have died.
Just over 21 years ago he was hit by a car while riding a motorbike with his younger brother Ashley in their former hometown Karratha.
He was rushed to hospital by the Royal Flying Doctor Service where he spent his 22nd birthday in intensive care.
The crash left him paralysed from the waist down.
To mark the 20th year since the Royal Flying Doctor Service saved his younger brother’s life, Justin ‘Chub’ Cullinane, who now lives in Wannanup, bought a ute and drove it around Australia to get it signed by elite national athletes.
He set off in the 2001 Holden VU ute from where it all started in Karratha with good mate Nev Sharp in July 2 last year. From there they drove to Mandurah to get their first nine signatures, the first being former Australian pole vaulter Emma George.
From Mandurah the pair made their way to Adelaide then Melbourne for the first of two Victorian stints.
Next stop was Bathurst and Canberra, back to Melbourne, then onto Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and then back through Noosa to Sydney for the Australian Swimming championships.
The final signature on the ute from the interstate trip was Australian tennis legend Evonne Goolagong.
When the pair returned to WA a further two signatures were added from NBA champion Luc Longley and Commonwealth Games medallist Roma Dunn to take the total to 135 signatures.
The trip covered 40,000kms and took 10 months. Chub said he always wanted to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Ser vice and the idea of a signature ute was something different.
“I like to travel and like sport so the signature ute was something I could do to put those two together,” he said.
From Wayne Carey and Bobby Skilton in the AFL to boxers Jeff Fenech and Danny Green and jockey Damien Oliver to swimmer Stephanie Rice and Chad Reed in motocross to rugby league player Billy Slater and former tennis player Pat Rafter, the ute features signatures from a wide range of sporting champions.
To get such an exclusive list of signatures Chub said a lot of luck was involved.
“It wasn’t all easy but the internet came in very handy,” he said.
The pair wrote to sport star managers and sporting organisations plus parked at the front of major sporting events like the Australian Swimming Champi- onships at Homebush and the Brownlow Medal at the Crown Casino.
“Most athletes had no problem signing the ute when they found out what our cause was,” Chub said.
The most memorable for Chub was meeting AFL goal kicking legend Tony Lockett.
“He sticks out in my mind because he actually thanked us and said signing the ute should be a privilege.
“He’s a bloke just like us.”
Others Chub said he remembered most was surfer Layne Beachley, cricket spin king Shane Warne, runner Cathy Freeman, V8 supercar drivers Mark Skaife, Garth Tander and former basketballer Michelle Timms.
Chub plans to auction off the ute soon with all proceeds going to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
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