PUSHING A BARROW ROUND THE WORLD.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 January 1928, Page 4

PUSHING A BARROW ROUND THE WORLD.

EXPERIENCES IN MANY LANDS

WELLINGTON, Jan. 10

When Mr and Airs Leroux, wlio are pushing a wheelbarrow around the world, arrive in Wellington to-day they will have completed 12,-143 miles of a jouney that commenced at Johannesburg just on four years ago. Exciting experiences in many lands have 'been the lot of these two people, who have found a fascination in roaming the world and exploring its “nev-er-nevcrs.”

“It is a self-imposed task,” said Mr Leroux to a “Dominion” representative as the former wheeled his wheelbarrow with its load of 1601hs, into Johnsonville from Paraparaumu on Saturday evening. With sixpence between them, and knowing only two languages—English and Dutch—Air and Airs Leroux set out from Johannesburg on December 31, 1922.

“We had to battle in foreign countries,” he said, “and frequently not knowing the language of the country we were travelling through, we were unable to even ask for a drink ot water. We were prepared to work, and not beg. We have not begged even a box of matches, neither have we had a lift of one yard. We are completing a feat that lias never been completed before, and want to be able to prove that the walk is complete when we get hack to South Africa in June next.”

After leaving Johannesburg Air and Airs Leroux proceeded to Capetown, from where they took the steamer for Durban. From the latter place they treked with their wheelbarrow through Zululand, Swaziland, and Portuguese East Africa to Delagoa Bay. They crossed Egypt, later going to Malta, then over to Italy, where they saw all tlie chief cities, including Florence, Milan and Rome. From Switzerland they crossed the Alps at gt. Gothardt into France, and on through the various other Continental countries. They went by steamer from Amsterdam to Hull, travelling south ill rough Great Britain. Their next trek was to wheel the wheelbarrorw across the Dominion of Canada, the journev of 3709 miles from Alontrcal to Vancouver taking two years to complete. From Vancouver Mr Leroux and his wife came to New Zealand, arriving at Auckland about four months

Mr Leroux stated that it had taken them a couple of years, from June 1925 to Juno 1927. to cross over Canada, the two severe winters that they experienced having delayed them very considerably. One winter they had been snowed in for four, months, and in the second winter for two and a

half months, the temperature being 47 and 59 degrees below zero. At one time tlicy were pushing the harrow when it was 22 degrees below zero, and when it was a ease of keeping the harrow going in the snow or else it would freeze.

Air Leroux added that lie bad been considerably hampered in his progress southward from Auckland owing to continual ruin and frequently he had been able to cover only a couple of days during a week. Their average rate of progress was about sixteen miles per day. although on one occasion in Portuguese East Africa, when the temperature stood at 118 degrees in t.hc shade, he had covered 27 miles in a day.

Mr and Mrs Leroux will sail from Wellington for Australia at the end of the month. “I hope,” he remarked, “to he back in Smith Africa by June so as to he in time to see the last, few football tests.”